Rule 4: Listen to the people and focus on their prime needs
Many politicians love to enter into debates with other politicians on petty political details instead of promoting the interests of their voters. Debate then becomes an affair within the political class, which bores voters and leads to alienation between those who elect and those elected. In reality, voters are pretty down to earth. Successful politician listen to their voters, identify the “bread and butter issues” and address them. They show that they can deliver the goods and render the services the voters want. Focus upon the prime needs of the people. Rule 5: Concentrate on three issues, which are of interest to your voters - and stick to them.
Often politicians overestimate the interest voters have in politics. While politicians are moving the whole day in the world of politics, for the average voter politics is only a small part of life - and normally not a particularly important one..
Voters simply do not have the time and the patience to follow politicians and listen to carefully worded and lengthy political speeches. Therefore a successful politician has to reduce the number of political messages. So take three issues from your political manifesto. Select those ones, which are of concern to your voters. Nobody can give you more profile than your opponents.
It may therefore pay off to criticize those who are supporting your opponents or disliked by the voters.
If you want to perform successfully as a politician you must understand that society is composed of people and groups of people with different and often conflicting interests. If you campaign against corruption those who benefit from corruption will automatically be against you. If you campaign for the privatization of public companies those who administer parastatals will most likely oppose you. If you want more flexible labor laws, trade unionists will attack you. The more fiercely corrupt politicians, bureaucrats, trade unionists or others attack you, the more ordinary voters will accept that you are really fighting for their benefit against vested interests.
If there are no opponents try to create some by provoking those who will anyway not vote for you. To many voters politicians seem to live on a remote planet. Politicians are living in two different worlds. Many politicians fail to grasp that the kind of political language, which may be necessary in committee meetings, is not the best vehicle to speak to the voters. Political meetings are no place for rhetorical self-indulgence. Campaign pamphlets are not meant to prove to the voters how learned you are. Avoid complicated technical terms people cannot even pronounce, let alone understand. Voters like politicians who are straightforward. It is fine to tell voters that you intend to decrease taxes. Rule 8: Talk about concrete results for your voters. Forget about procedures, instruments and technical details.
Many politicians tend to forget that voters are not interested in procedures but in results. Voters understand what you try to achieve, particularly if you talk in simple language about “bread and butter issues” which are close to their heart. Many young voters want a place where they can come together. It is your job as politician to deliver what the voters expect. If instead of talking about a youth center you speak about a new subcommittee you waste an excellent idea.
Successful politicians do not talk about instruments. They talk about the results or even better the profit of their activities for the voters. Rule 9: Do not lose touch with reality. Take voters as they are.
Often Liberals have an idealistic picture of voters. They assume that voters will reward politicians who look after their interests, are reliable and not corrupt, do not make exaggerated promises and are generally decent people.
The disappointment comes on election day when voters opt again for the old, supposedly corrupt and non-delivering incumbents. There are a few basic rules about how voters behave and which one has to remember.
Secondly, voters forget. Voters have what from their viewpoint is a realistic picture of their representative. They may complain about politicians but experience has taught them that politicians are not saints.
The most important question for voters is whether their representative will behave totally selfish or whether there will be a trickle down effect for the voters.
Rather attack him for not having delivered and convince the voters that he will not deliver in the future either. Many voters complain that their elected representatives do not care for them any more once they have been elected. That makes it easy for you to impress your voters. Be on the spot if something happens in your constituency. Take part in the daily life of your voters. It is true that voters may not always reward your work, but they do certainly not appreciate it if you ignore them after they gave you their vote - and woo those who are supporting your opponents. It is good to know what your voters think. If a popular artist comes to town, welcome him where the people and the media are.
Finally, even if you have been given an unimportant portfolio, try to find out whether there are issues within that portfolio which are of interest to voters and can be emotionalised. If all else fails, simply ignore your portfolio. If there is nothing to be exploited in your portfolio, talk about other political issues which are more relevant to your voters. Rule 12: Money is not everything. Successful politicians know how to replace and scarce resource with others. Try to mobilise young people who share your political vision. You are then replacing money with time and enthusiasm because those are resources many young people can offer. Tell your voters that in this campaign cold money stands against honest commitment.
Thirdly, do not be discreet about your opponent’s finances. If you think that your opponent gets unfair state funding or money from special interest groups, let alone from people with criminal intentions, make it a public issues. Do not expect your voters to reject gifts. Your opponent can never be sure if people have voted for him in return for money, drinks or a blanket. So tell the people: "Feel free to take my opponent’s gifts but vote for me."
Successful politicians know what they want and plan their campaign strategically.
They can convince voters that they will act to their benefit and know how to phrase their messages in such a way that people understand what they want and are convinced that once elected,
the politician will deliver.