If you’ve ever walked out of a meeting thinking, “Why didn’t we get time with the Senator?” this one is for you.

Because I’m going to say something that not everyone loves, but everyone needs to hear: Meeting with staff is not a consolation prize. It’s often the most important meeting you’ll have.

Your Reality Check

This week’s post comes from a conversation I overheard in DCA airport after a day on Capitol Hill.

A group was frustrated. They had traveled all the way to DC and only met with the staffer - again. They felt brushed off.

As a former US Senate staffer, I get it. On the surface, it can feel like you’re not being taken seriously.

But here’s what’s actually happening:

Staff are the ones doing the work and heavy lifting. They are shaping recommendations, briefing the legislator, and deciding what moves forward.

If you are not taking those meetings seriously, you are overlooking the people who actually move your issue forward.

​Capitol Hill Reality Check: Why You Keep Meeting with Staff​

And next week, I’m building on this, because your best policy experts are probably already inside your organization. Most groups just haven’t structured their advocacy to use them yet.

Pro Tip: Staff are Friends, Not Foes

If you’re meeting with a staffer, shift your mindset from presentation to partnership.

Do not just deliver your talking points and leave.

• Ask them what they are hearing from others.
• Ask where your issue sits in their priorities right now
• Ask what would be most helpful to them in the next few weeks

Staff are not there to be impressed. They are there to solve problems, manage competing demands, and advise their boss.

The more useful you are to their work, the more influence you will have over time.

​Read the post to learn the most important question you can ask the staffer if you want a meeting with their boss.

Quick Update

In an effort to consolidate my content, I'll be posting all my blog posts on Substack about once a week. These posts will be a combo of reality checks, tools, resources, and behind-the-scenes insights.

This newsletter will shift to every other week, where I’ll share the highlights and best ideas.

If you want everything, you can subscribe on Substack. If not, you’ll still get the good stuff here.

Now go make some good trouble,
Bethany

P.S. If you’re ready to get that meeting with the big boss, schedule a discovery call.