Walking: The Magic Campaign Ingredient.

Second to mail, walking is your next most effective way of getting votes. Here are some dos and don’ts on walking.

• Don’t have cookies with the voters. About every 15th home you’ll be invited in to discuss issues, have a glass of water, or help fix a pipe. Don’t do it unless it’s the last house on your walk that day and you have nothing else to do, or it’s a donor who’s going to write you a check for $100,000. If someone has a question about an issue that will take more than two minutes to explain, give them a brief answer and tell the voter you’ll call them back later when you time.
  
• After you’ve knocked on the door, DO move back from the door. It’s less threatening and it will give you a little more time to protect yourself from a charging dog.
  
• This is a hard one. But, if possible, walk in a man and woman team. Again, it’s less threatening when a homeowner sees a man and woman walking together. Have the non-candidate person of the team stay behind the candidate or they can even stay on the sidewalk. If you can’t find someone to walk with you on any particular day, walk alone.
  
• Walk five days a week and at the best times when most people are home. Try this schedule; Take Tuesday and Wednesday off. Walk Monday (you’ll be surprised how many people have Monday off), Thursday and Friday the two hours before it gets dark. In other words, if the sun does down at 7:00 PM, start walking at 5:00 PM. Walk Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM (a round of golf). And Sunday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
  
  This is a demanding schedule. Some candidates thrive on it. Some would rather dig ditches. Do your best. If you can only stomach one hour a day, do it. It’s better to know what you can realistically do and be consistant.

• Go to homes that vote. You should walk to your mailing universe only. Better to knock on the door of a hard core voting little old lady twice, than to knock on five different households that have registred voters inside but don’t vote. Have your walk list vendor place a code by the names on your list that shows that they’re in your mailing universe. Exception to this is when the total number of registred voters in the district is so small, you’ll offend a neighbor if you don’t knock on their door.
  
• Build your “friendly” perception while walking. If you can walk the district one complete time before your VBM goes out, do it. It’s cheaper to hand out your brochure then to mail it.
  
• Never say the voters name first at the door. In other words, don’t say, “is this the Jones residence?” People don’t know who you are. And it scares the heck out of a lot of people. They’ll either think you’re the police or a bill collector. Introduce yourself first. “Hi, I’m Paul Croshaw and I’m running for City Council and I just came by to introduce myself and to drop off my brochure.” After they know who you are and they excepted your brochure you may ask then, “Are you Mrs. Jones?” Sometimes they answer, “Yes, I am. But how did you get my name?” Your answer, “It’s public record. And it also shows that you’re a good voter.” And Mrs. Jones will answer proudly, “Yes, I never miss an election.” There you go, you’ve just recognized someone for good public service.
  
• Ask for volunteers. I picked up my two best volunteers while knocking on doors. Most people have never worked on a campaign and wouldn’t know how if they wanted to. If a voter seems eager, ask. Sometimes they feel honored to be included.
  
• If no one is home, write a short personal note on your brochure and leave by the door. “Sorry I missed you Mrs. Jones . . .”

Walking can be very rewarding. You’ll find things out about the district that you didn’t know. You’ll meet people that know other people that can spread the word about you. You’ll even get a few donations you didn’t expect. Things just start to happen when you walk.

© 2007 Croshaw Printing and Direct Mail

Back