The Influence Game: 50 Insider Tactics from the Washington D.C. Lobbying World that Will Get You to Yes

by Stephanie Vance

Get what you want, every time! Imagine a world where you are offered every job you seek; every business venture you undertake is successful; and every potential customer you approach buys your product. Now imagine that all of this can be achieved―ethically and honestly. All you need is the help of one battle-tested guide, The Influence Game . Former Washington, D.C. lobbyist Stephanie Vance dispenses everything she's learned about effective (and, believe it or not, honest) persuasion. Learn how to apply this power to any situation by using D.C. insider influence strategies and applying a step-by-step, easy-to-understand process for success. Stephanie Vance has seen the influence game from every angle. Follow her lead to get past being heard to the real goal of being agreed with.

Genres: Politics

208 pages, Hardcover

First published May 4, 2012

About the author

STEPHANIE VANCE spent decades as a D.C.-based lobbyist, Congressional aide, speaker and grassroots consultant. She writes fiction and nonfiction based in the crazy world of Washington, DC.

Reviews

[Helena regan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Influence Game by Stephanie Vance is a practical, engaging, and surprisingly entertaining guide to mastering persuasion without crossing ethical lines. Drawing from her years as a Washington, D.C. lobbyist, Vance breaks down complex influence strategies into clear, actionable steps that can work in everyday life whether you’re pitching an idea, closing a deal, or seeking support for a cause. I appreciated how she combined real-world examples with insider tips, making the advice both relatable and doable. It’s not just about getting people to listen; it’s about creating genuine agreement. This is a book I can see myself returning to whenever I need a boost in communication and negotiation skills.

[Hunter Jackman-Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Experienced lobbyist, Stephanie Vance, teaches some of the basic do’s/dont’s on how to lobby in D.C. I definitely learned quite a bit and as a professional advocate can confirm that the book is spot on. It’s great for anyone not just wanting to “influence” their government through lobbying/advocacy but it also offers great tactics in general to increasing your professional influence.

-1 star because I was hoping to just learn a little bit more from the book and some of it felt too rudimentary, but overall very valuable lessons

[Djamel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good read with concise summary of very practical techniques.

[Vadim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Книга будет полезна всем, кто хотел бы повлиять на какое-либо государственное решение, но не является экспертом в этой сфере.

Вот некоторые из простых идей, которые можно почерпнуть в этой книге:
-- нельзя начинать кампанию с компромиссной позиции, дальнейшее развитие кампании независимо от исходной точки скорее всего потребует дальнейших компромиссов;
-- задача в том, чтобы убедить проголосовать "за" или "против", но вовсе не в том, чтобы "продать" собственное обоснование предлагаемого решения; в успешной коалиции сторонников идеи обычно поддерживают идею по несовпадающим друг с другом причинам;
-- избиратель или другое лицо, которое влияет на пребывание политика в должности, намного сильнее повлияет на него, чем эксперт-лоббист;
-- рассказывание историй -- один из очень эффективных инструментов влияния; истории делают предмет осязаемым, показывают, что тема затронула жизнь хотя бы одного живого существа; каждый американский президент начиная с Рейгана хотя бы один раз во время своего президентского послания давал слова специальному гостю, который рассказывал свою
историю.

Это только некоторые из хороших идей, которые можно встретить в книге. Единственный ее недостаток -- она скорее организована как поваренная книга, чем самоучитель по кулинарии. Тому, кто нуждается в систематическом изложении предмета, стоит поискать другую работу.

[Long Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't often get an insider's perspective on persuasion in Washington, D.C., and it turns out that what they do is like what we should all do: play nice, stay firm to our principles, be persistent, and work towards a win-win. Yes, there's corruption (at what level is there not corruption? Not just in politics, but even in your average job). Yes, it's easy to be cynical when some special interests have a shit ton of money. But the human representative doing the actual persuading work matters a lot too, and people tend to forget that.

The author proposes that if these tactics work at the highest level of influences, there's no reason why they can't help out any reader. After all, when is being respectful not a good thing? Sometimes, tactics are as simple as saying thank you.

[Caio Leonardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Government relations 101. Good reading.