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Guest post by public affairs professional John Engber.

Has your company hired a public affairs professional?

I bet for many, the answer is “no.”

And I understand why: You can’t afford to hire me.

And that’s a problem, because you can’t afford not to hire me.

Far too many startups, small, and medium-size businesses put off hiring public affairs help. While their rationales are many, they all face the same risks.

Missed opportunities.
Does your business qualify for grants or low interest loans from federal or state governments? The maze of grant and loan programs can eat up a tremendous amount of time for the uninitiated to maneuver. But finding that needle in the bureaucratic haystack can boost the bottom line.

Relationships matter.
Does your business have relationships with your U.S. Senators and Representatives and their staffs? They can provide experienced guidance in the search for federal grants and loans.

In addition, Congress controls the federal purse strings, so your Senators and Representatives impact spending by federal agencies. Does your company sell products to the federal government – or should you be? Your Senators and Representatives need to know you before they can help you!

Uh-oh. (While you weren’t watching.)
Are your competitors using the government against you? It wasn’t too many years ago that Microsoft had a tiny government affairs office in Washington, DC. That changed dramatically when its competitors convinced the Clinton Administration to file an antitrust case against Microsoft, costing the software giant tens of millions of dollars to defend.

More often, your competitors use government in more subtle ways, tilting the deck in their favor. Is that happening to you today in Washington, DC or your state capital? Are you sure?

Do you include legislative and regulatory goals in your business planning?
A thorough evaluation of your public affairs risks and opportunities can impact your sales and profitability.

How will the next round of FDA reform impact your company? What changes do you want to see made in the FDA medical device approval process? What would those changes mean to your financial bottom line – and what are you willing to spend to make them happen?

Got $150,000 sloshing around? Probably not.
Ahem. Sorry. That’s before benefits and equity participation.

The answer for many firms is hiring a public affairs consulting firm to bring an experienced team at a cost often well below that of a single, salaried professional. Because your needs will vary at different points in the year, a firm enables you to bring more focus in the busy times and less in the quieter ones.

Any well-run business seeks to exploits its opportunities and minimize its risks. An effective public affairs team can open your eyes to possibilities you’ve never considered and deliver solutions tailored to the unique needs of your business.

John Engber is President of John Engber & Associates, a Seattle-based public affairs firm. Email John.

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John Engber
johnengber.comx
john@johnengber.com
Yes, like most public affairs consultants, I am happy to work with a client to find either an affordable fee arrangement or a more creative payment structure that works for the client’s financial situation. It’s always worthwhile to have the discussion about the benefits — and possible cost — of a public affairs effort because it is such an alien territory to many in the business world. And, of course, such a discussion is free.

Joe Hage
MedicalMarcom.comx
joe@joehageonline.com
John, I really enjoy your set up: You can’t afford to hire me, you can’t afford *not* to hire me. It resonates.

There probably are readers who “really can’t” afford you. Are there ways they can pay you as a function of incremental revenues (or cost savings) you affect?