Association of Progressive Rental Organizations

Making Your Legislative Friends Heroes

Only three weeks until we Climb The Hill! APRO’s 2019 Legislative Conference, scheduled for April 9-11 in Washington, D.C., is fast approaching and we need you to be a part of it! This is an important opportunity to share about the rent-to-own industry with the 100 new members of Congress and new committee chairs at our nation’s capital.

All of us know and appreciate the importance of a legislator who not only votes for our issues but actively supports our efforts. Oftentimes this person is the sponsor of our legislation or a member of a key appropriations committee. Sometimes these legislative friends align with our issue due to effective lobbying and sometimes due to personal experience. For whatever reason, we all know how critical these legislative friends are to success.

But unfortunately, even the most well-meaning and dedicated legislator is forced to pick and choose among the issues he or she supports and select those worthy of additional time and attention. This may be due to the volume of legislation, the daily press of time or just the politics of the process.

An example of the latter is what occurs in the making of an appropriations bill where an individual committee member has the ability to influence only a limited number of funding items during a process that often takes place outside the public light.

Under those circumstances, the individual legislator is forced to make a difficult choice as to which of several worthwhile projects or activities in which he or she believes should receive that stronger support.

It is in this context that strategies that increase the likelihood that legislators will champion your issue or cause are so important. Some of those strategies, set out as rules, are:

The Animal Farm Rule.

Like the pigs in the George Orwell novel, some legislators are more equal than others. And given that most organizations have limited resources, it is important to focus your resources on key legislators such as those that serve on key committees or those that have personal experience with your issues. This, of course, does not mean you ignore or do not solicit support from other legislators.

The Henry B. Gonzales Rule.

Former representative Gonzales was a long time member of Congress from Texas. He once said that there is a world of difference between someone being against you and someone being really against you. What he meant was that there are many degrees of support and opposition within the legislative process. The significance for you is that moving one key legislator from hard opposition to indifference may be just as critical to success as moving a supporter from passive support to championing your cause. “The ability to move some of our stronger opposition legislators away from active opposition was very important to our success.” Says Liz Helms, a leader of the California Citizens For the Right to Know coalition.

Echoing Ms. Helms comments, Alfred Gilchrist, Legislative Director for the Texas Medical Association, adds, “You should always be looking for ways to move a legislator up a grade. Sometimes, moving a legislator from a D to a C can be as critical to our success as moving one from a B to an A.”

The Winnie the Pooh Rule.

Like the A. A. Milne character, legislators love honey. And what is legislative honey? It is quite simply praise and attention for doing positive things in support of your issues. And like Winnie with his honey, it is very hard especially for constituents to give legislators too much attention for doing good things.

Strike While the Iron is Hot Rule

Simply put, this rule emphasizes not to wait until after the legislative session to thank those that helped you. And the key here is don’t just thank your sponsor or floor leader—look and look hard for things for which to thank other legislators for: a favorable vote in committee or on the floor, a quote in the newspaper, a comment during floor debate supportive of your position, or even taking time to meet with representatives of your organization are all worthy of a thank you letter. And don’t forget letters to the editor in the hometown papers. You may not think anyone reads those letters, but I promise you, most legislators do.

There is No Friend Like a Constituent Rule

Thank you letters from you are nice, but they can’t compare to the impact of a letter from a constituent. And if you don’t have supporters in a key legislator’s district, then make an effort to find some. There is simply no substitute for handwritten thank you letters from constituents. In fact, never underestimate the importance of constituents. 

The Smith Barney Rule.

In a famous commercial for the stock brokerage company, the punch line was, “We make money the old fashioned way, we earn it.”  Hometown media stories (earned media) of your organization’s local members honoring a legislator after a legislative session are far more valuable to that legislator than any paid political advertising. And legislators know that. So after each legislative session, make a list of your key legislators, find something they did during the session for which you can thank them, and then thank them.

You can do this at a local restaurant, your offices, or even someone’s home. Order a nice plaque or frame a resolution, send out press releases before the event, and invite your members and supporters. Ms. Helms did exactly that on the passage of the right to know legislation in California. “ They [our key legislative supporters] were excited to be honored and ‘beamed’ the entire time. And after one legislator met those attending the luncheon, she told me that she now had a better understanding of the beneficial impact of the legislation.”

Make sure you take pictures of the member receiving your award. If any local press show up, all the better. But in any event, make copies of the photo, write a second press release explaining what happened, and send it to every newspaper in the legislator’s district. In urban areas, the major newspaper may not publish it, but the chances are excellent that the weeklys and the suburban papers will. In addition, if you have an organization newsletter, run an article with a photo in it about the event.

If you don’t have a lot of experience working with the media, look to recruit a professional public relations person for your board that is willing to help with this effort or contact APRO. We can help coordinate!

One last thing, clip any articles that appear in these papers (and your newsletter) and send them to the legislator, thanking him or her again.

Final Thoughts.

A little thoughtfulness can go a long way in the legislative process. Just like the rest of us, legislators like to be recognized when their efforts make a positive difference in people’s lives. It is by this recognition that legislators will take a greater interest in your issues. As Ms. Helms said, “During our recognition banquet, as our honorees met more of our folks, each of them said to me ‘tell me how I can help you in the future’.”

©joe gagen. Used with permission.

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Mike Lewis

Mike Lewis is a Premier Rental Purchase franchisee with multiple stores and currently serves as Vice President of Operations. With 33 years of experience in the rent-to-own industry, he has spent the past 20 years working closely with franchisee owners and previously spent 12 years in Corporate RTO, gaining a strong foundation in the business.

For the past five years, Mike has been sharing his knowledge by teaching managers and franchisees at the company’s Training Center.

Outside of work, he enjoys time with his family, kids, and grandkids, and appreciates the simple things in life – especially riding his Harley Davidson with the sun on his face. If you know, you know!

Lauren Talicska

Arona Corporation dba Arona Home Essentials

Lauren Talicska is an experienced multi-channel marketing specialist and the Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Arona Home Essentials. She has found her home in the RTO community, supporting stores in branding, growth, and increasing traffic.

You may recognize Lauren as a former RTO vendor, including her time as a partner for Nationwide RentDirect, or her previous participation in the APRO Vendor Advisory Committee. Lauren calls Columbus, Ohio, home and spends her workday crafting and executing marketing promotions from inception to realization, all while supporting the branding and social media needs of all the Arona stores in 12 states (plus Puerto Rico!).

Charles Smitherman

APRO

Charles Smitherman, JD, PhD, CAE, became CEO of APRO in 2023, bringing years of legal and executive experience in the rent-to-own industry. 

Prior to joining the association, Charles served as COO, General Counsel, and Vice President of PTS Financial Services, where he played an active role in the rent-to-own industry by representing his company through PTS’s club program offering with APRO member dealers. Charles is an attorney with two decades of experience across a wide variety of areas, including RTO, consumer financial services, antitrust, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, franchise law, and privacy law. Following law school at the University of Georgia, Charles earned a Master of Legal Studies and PhD in Law from the University of Oxford in England.

Charles is credentialed as a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with the American Society of Association Executives, a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) with the International Franchise Association, and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals. As APRO’s sixth CEO in its 45-year history, he brings a collaborative, member-focused approach to association leadership, emphasizing transparency, advocacy, and value creation. Outside of work, Charles is an active ultra runner and open water swimmer.

Mike Kays

Ashley Furniture Industries

As VP of Rental Sales for Ashley Furniture Industries, Mike thrives on building relationships with our RTO industry veterans, and helping businesses grow through new product, new marketing, and new supply chain options.

Mike works to leverage a wide breadth of relationships and influence, intimate knowledge of market trends, and unique knowledge of what RTO dealers need from a supplier to be successful.

The saying goes that a high tide raises all boats, and our goal is to leverage the world’s largest furniture manufacturer to drive the continued growth of the RTO industry and all the suppliers.

Mike Tissot

Countryside Rentals Inc., dba Rent-2-Own

Mike grew up in the rent-to-own industry under the guidance of his father, former APRO President and RTO legend Darrell Tissot. For nearly 25 years, Mike’s innovative leadership has helped expand the family business to more than 40 stores across Ohio and Kentucky while also shaping the industry as a whole.

He has served as President of the Ohio Rental Dealers Association, an APRO board member and Treasurer, and President and Treasurer of the TRIB Group. His contributions have earned him the APRO President’s Award of Excellence and the title of APRO Rental Dealer of the Year.

Outside of RTO, Mike enjoys time at the lake house or in Orange Beach, Alabama, with his girlfriend, Angela Strong McCool. A passionate Cincinnati Reds fan, he rarely misses a game, whether watching or listening alongside his parents. He also takes every opportunity to visit Arizona, where his daughter is currently attending Arizona State University.