My Campaign Coach Minute

My Campaign Coach Minute episodes:

• 09.12.2018

  Titles for staff and volunteers are free and make people feel important.

  Here’s today’s tip: Titles for staff and volunteers are free and make people feel important. Money is tight on the campaign trail…but you need quality staff. When you can’t pay people what you’d like, make sure you consider what else might...

  
• 09.05.2018

  The campaign schedule should include family time, relaxation and sleep.

  Here’s today’s tip: The campaign schedule should include family time, relaxation and sleep. Life doesn’t stop just because you launch a political campaign. Bills need to be paid, your family needs your physical presence, mental energy and emotional engagement and your...

  
• 08.29.2018

  Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow the small ones.

  Here’s today’s tip: “Big Jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow the small ones.” – Teddy Roosevelt Teddy was right about many things and this quote nails it. If you want the big job, prove you’re...

  
• 08.22.2018

  Get-Out-The-Vote may be the last phase of the campaign but should be planned at the beginning.

  Here’s today’s tip: Get-Out-The-Vote may be the last phase of the campaign but should be planned at the beginning. Planning campaigns backwards may be counter-intuitive but it’s critically important. Doing so will allow you to set specific, measured goals, plan accurately...

  
• 08.15.2018

  When scheduling the candidate, anchor on events and fill in with canvassing, fundraising and small groups.

  Here’s today’s tip: When scheduling the candidate, anchor on events and fill in with canvassing, fundraising and small groups. Scheduling the candidate’s time efficiently is among the most important recurring jobs on the campaign trail. From within and without the campaign,...

  
• 08.08.2018

  Buy URLs you want to use AND ones you don’t want your opponent to use against you. Buy theirs too!

  Here’s today’s tip: Buy URLs you want to use AND ones you don’t want your opponent to use against you. Buy theirs too! I bought RazShafer.com when I was about 18 years old and that started a URL buying binge. As...

  
• 08.01.2018

  Always make sure your campaign mailing address is listed on your website donation page.

  Here’s today’s tip: Always make sure your campaign mailing address is listed on your website donation page. In a world dominated by digital content and online fundraising, traditional mail and physical checks often get forgotten. I was recently putting together a...

  
• 07.25.2018

  “The dignity of a prime minister, like a lady’s virtue, is not susceptible to partial diminution.” – Winston Churchill

  Here’s today’s tip: “The dignity of a prime minister, like a lady’s virtue, is not susceptible to partial diminution.” – Winston Churchill As most of y’all know, I’m a huge fan of Winston Churchill. And as soon as I saw this...

  
• 07.18.2018

  Hire a professional to execute thorough opposition research and a vulnerability study early in the campaign.

  Here’s today’s tip: Hire a professional to execute thorough opposition research and a vulnerability study early in the campaign. There are a lot of areas within campaigns where I routinely encourage campaigns to keep things in-house. In a lot of cases,...

  
• 07.11.2018

  I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them. – Adlai Stevenson

  Here’s today’s tip: “I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them.” Adlai Stevenson This tongue in cheek quote from Adlai Stevenson perfectly captures the feelings of many...

  
• 07.04.2018

  Every candidate should have daily and weekly goals for fundraising calls and door knocks. What are yours?

  Here’s today’s tip: Every candidate should have daily and weekly goals for fundraising calls and door knocks. What are yours? Galileo, the famous scientist and astronomer once said, “Measure what is measurable and make measurable what is not so.” When we set...

  
• 06.27.2018

  Be accessible. If voters and supporters can’t reach you on the campaign trail, they’ll doubt they will once you’re elected.

  Here’s today’s tip: Be accessible. If voters and supporters can’t reach you on the campaign trail, they’ll doubt they will once you’re elected. One of the perennial complaints about elected officials is their lack of accessibility. We talk about them getting...

  
• 06.20.2018

  It’s virtually impossible to practice a speech too much. Practice. Practice. Practice.

  Here’s today’s tip: It’s virtually impossible to practice a speech too much. Practice. Practice. Practice. Have you ever heard somebody give a speech and said to yourself, “They really spent too much time practicing that!” I’m fairly confident I can’t answer...

  
• 06.20.2018

  The Candidate sets the tone for their Campaign’s work ethic and motivation.

  I’m a huge fan of the book Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. If you haven’t read it, you should. One of the central points of the book is how important it is that a leader take ownership...

  
• 06.13.2018

  Never be your own campaign manager. You’ll suck at both jobs.

  It’s an old saying in the legal profession that any man who chooses to represent himself in court has a fool for a client. The same is true of a candidate who decides to be his or her own campaign...

  
• 06.06.2018

  There’s no such thing as starting a campaign too early.

  Time, Treasurer and Talent are the three primary resources every campaign relies on. Treasurer and Talent are renewable resources but Time is not. A good campaign can always raise at least a little more money and recruit more volunteers but...

  
• 05.02.2018

  Nobody is a better fundraiser than the candidate.

  Do you like begging for money? Probably not. I sure don’t. And at the beginning of my work fundraising, that’s exactly how it felt. It wasn’t until I had a change in the way I perceived the work that I...

  
• 04.25.2018

  Never snap at your staff. If you do, apologize quickly.

  When was the last time you said something you shouldn’t have in frustration or anger? You may not be able to remember a specific instance but I’m betting it wasn’t that long ago. Even if you aren’t particularly prone to...

  
• 04.18.2018

  Money in your account when the polls closed is wasted.

  Here’s today’s tip: Money in your account when the polls closed is wasted. We lost the first election I ever helped in because we didn’t give it everything. I can’t remember what the financial balance was when the polls closed,...

  
• 04.11.2018

  Don’t call a voter before 9am or after 9pm.

  Here’s today’s tip: Don’t call a voter before 9am or after 9pm. Throughout the campaign, you’ll be working non-stop to identify, persuade and turn out voters. Every minute counts but some minutes are off limits for certain types of contact. I...

  
• 04.04.2018

  His chest is a cage in which two squirrels are at war – his conscience and his career. – Winston Churchill

  Here’s today’s tip: His chest is a cage in which two squirrels are at war – his conscience and his career. This quote comes from Winston Churchill, one of the 20th Century’s greatest statesmen and a personal hero of mine. He...

  
• 03.28.2018

  A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman thinks of the next generation.

  Here’s today’s tip: A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman thinks of the next generation. I love this quote from James Freeman Clarke. Whether you are Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Alien, I imagine that you are nodding your head...

  
• 03.27.2018

  Don’t forget: Your opponent reads your website too. Don’t post anything you don’t want used against you.

  Here’s today’s tip: Don’t forget: Your opponent reads your website too. Don’t post anything you don’t want used against you. This tip applies broadly to your website, social media and anywhere online. In any campaign, you are appealing to various constituencies...

  
• 03.26.2018

  Effective door-to-door campaigns are meticulously planned and methodically executed.

  Here’s today’s tip: Effective door-to-door campaigns are meticulously planned and methodically executed. If there’s one area of campaigns where the majority of my experience lies, it’s the ground game. Knocking doors, recruiting volunteers and calling voters. It’s where most campaigns live...

  
• 03.20.2018

  Answering hypothetical questions is a great way to lose ACTUAL elections.

  Here’s today’s tip: Answering hypothetical questions is a great way to lose ACTUAL elections. I hate hypothetical questions in campaigns. I’m not talking about things like, “If elected, would you vote to cut taxes and spending.” The worst offenders are more...

  
• 03.16.2018

  Rejection on the campaign trail is a fact of life. Dust yourself off and get back on the horse.

  Here’s today’s tip: Rejection on the campaign trail is a fact of life. Dust yourself off and get back on the horse. I don’t remember the first time I got cussed at while canvassing. I know it’s happened a lot but...

  
• 03.15.2018

  Projecting enthusiasm is critical. I don’t care how tired, stressed or far down you are in the polls. Smile!

  Here’s today’s tip: Projecting enthusiasm is critical. I don’t care how tired, stressed or far down you are in the polls. Smile! If you’re running for office or directing a campaign, optimism should simply ooze out of you. It doesn’t matter...

  
• 03.14.2018

  Free interns are awesome! Get all you can, train them well and keep them busy.

  Here’s today’s tip: Free interns are awesome! Get all you can, train them well and keep them busy. As a former free intern, I endorse this message. The fact is that everybody wants free labor…but it’s the training and deployment where...

  
• 03.13.2018

  All campaign documents and material should be secure and accessible. Use the cloud.

  Here’s today’s tip: All campaign documents and material should be secure and accessible. Use the cloud. It’s hard to imagine that just a few years ago, you had to make hard-copies of campaign documents in order to share them. Printing, collating...

  
• 03.12.2018

  Never break the law. You’re not Frank Underwood and you WILL get caught.

  Here’s today’s tip: Never break the law. You’re not Frank Underwood and you WILL get caught. I pretty well hope that y’all are virtuous, law-abiding citizens but it would be silly to pretend that temptation isn’t real. On the campaign trail,...

  
• 03.02.2018

  If you can’t tell someone why you’re running in 30 seconds or less, don’t run.

  Here’s today’s tip: If you can’t tell someone why you’re running in 30 seconds or less, don’t run. One of the first things we talk about in our free online course is how to answer three questions: Why Me (why I’m...

  
• 03.01.2018

  Handwritten notes are one of the most powerful tools you have. And they’re cheap!

  Here’s today’s tip: Handwritten notes are one of the most powerful tools you have. And they’re cheap! Growing up, it felt like pulling teeth when my mom made me write thank you cards. For some reason I hated it. I was...

  
• 02.28.2018

  There is no greater enemy to your campaign than your own ego.

  Here’s today’s tip: There is no greater enemy to your campaign than your own ego. If you’re running for office, you’ve probably got a pretty healthy ego. Otherwise you wouldn’t be telling everybody that you’re the best possible option for the...

  
• 02.27.2018

  Every facet of your campaign should be infused with a sense of urgency. No lollygagging.

  Here’s today’s tip: Every facet of your campaign should be infused with a sense of urgency. No lollygagging. A lot of people equate urgency purely with speed. Speed is obviously important in campaigns but just looking at urgency as a tempo...

  
• 02.26.2018

  Don’t just ask winning candidates for advice. Losing teaches lessons winners may never see.

  Here’s today’s tip: Don’t just ask winning candidates for advice. Losing teaches lessons winners may never see. I’ve interviewed and talked to more candidates than I can count. Each of them has unique lessons they’ve learned but some of the most...

  
• 02.23.2018

  How to win: Work harder and smarter than your opponent.

  Here’s today’s tip: You need to Work harder AND smarter than your opponent if you want to win. A good plan is awesome and burning a combination of sweat and shoe leather is important but there’s a limit to how far...

  
• 02.22.2018

  “What orators lack in depth, they make up for in length.” – Charles-Louis de Secondat

  Here’s today’s tip: “What orators lack in depth, they make up for in length.” – Charles-Louis de Secondat It’s hard to be concise with our words. It takes work. If you give me an hour to talk and a topic, I’ll...

  
• 02.21.2018

  Never say or write anything you don’t want on Buzzfeed.

  Here’s today’s tip: Never say or write anything you don’t want on Buzzfeed. It’s incredible how social media and the internet have changed campaigns! While there are plenty of negatives associated with these evolutions, one of the things I like is...

  
• 02.20.2018

  No candidate is an objective participant in their own campaign.

  Here’s today’s tip: No candidate is an objective participant in their own campaign. Some of the worst candidates I’ve ever seen have a lot of experience running campaigns. That seems counterintuitive, right? The problem usually doesn’t arise from them having bad...

  
• 02.16.2018

  Prepare to be attacked before you are.

  Here’s today’s tip: Prepare to be attacked before you are. Anybody familiar with politics or political campaigns has heard about opposition research. That’s where you find out everything possible about your opponent, both to know where they are strong and weak....

  
• 02.15.2018

  You should never be too busy to listen.

  Here’s today’s tip: You should never be too busy to listen. Some of the most destructive campaign mistakes I’ve seen originate with a candidate who neglects to follow this tip. You’re in the middle of a campaign. You’re juggling family and...

  
• 02.14.2018

  Don’t run for a job you can’t excel at.

  Here’s today’s tip: Don’t run for a job you can’t excel at. This one seems so simple that some of you are probably saying, “How stupid do you think we are, Raz?!” The simple fact is that far too often, fitness...

  
• 02.13.2018

  Never use an endorsement that isn’t in writing.

  Here’s today’s tip: Never use an endorsement that isn’t in writing. Endorsements are awesome and as a candidate, you’ll want to accrue as many good ones as you can! But always get them in writing. First of all, getting an...

  
• 02.12.2018

  Unless you’re Donald Trump, candidates shouldn’t wear hats.

  Here’s today’s tip: Unless you’re Donald Trump, candidates shouldn’t wear hats. If you want the perfect visual example of why hats aren’t a good idea for candidates, just google Dukakis in the Tank. I’ve also linked to an article about...

  
• 02.09.2018

  Communication isn’t what I say, it’s what YOU hear.

  Here’s today’s tip: Communication isn’t what I say, it’s what YOU hear. My dad started telling me this when my age was still in the single digits and reminds me of it frequently. It’s as true now as when I first...

  
• 02.08.2018

  Never lie or embellish your campaign bio. You WILL get caught.

  Here’s today’s tip: Never lie or embellish your campaign bio. You WILL get caught. This seems on the surface like a no-brainer…but you’d be surprised to find out how many candidates get slammed for failing to follow this rule. Look, we...

  
• 02.07.2018

  A good message without proper repetition is wasted air.

  Here’s today’s tip: A good message without proper repetition is wasted air. A good message without proper repetition is wasted air. A good message without proper repetition is wasted air. Got the message? Ok, so that was a bit literal but...

  
• 02.06.2018

  Never pass up an opportunity to say “Thank you!”

  Here’s today’s tip: Never pass up an opportunity to say, “Thank you!” There are no two words in the English language more powerful than “Thank you.” But I’ll tell you what, I’d be hard-pressed to find a campaign that uses them...

  
• 02.05.2018

  You can’t win a campaign by working banker’s hours

  Here’s today’s tip: You can’t win a campaign by working banker’s hours. Taking on a campaign, depending on the scope, is basically like signing up for another part or full-time job. Just like taking a new job, there’s a lot to...

  
• 01.15.2018

  We’re Launching a New Podcast: The My Campaign Coach Minute!

  After more than a year of publishing the How to Run for Office Podcast, we're launching a new podcast channel! For the last 60 episodes, our listeners have been expanding their knowledge of campaigns by tuning in to our weekly interview...