Zakho City, Kurdistan
Anzalone says. “It can be lucrative, but like anything else in your business, it’s something you have to make an invest- ment in.” Several consultants say that the practice is often more
lucrative for media consultants than pollsters. Polling firms have significant overhead costs—especially because most international surveys are done in person instead of on the phone as in the United States. Anzalone says he does not typically pitch international clients and instead they seek out his firm. “The myth is that there’s bunch of dollar signs involved
in it, and that’s not always the case,” he adds. Even in cases where clients lure consultants in with lavish offers, vet- erans of the international scene say all that glitters is not gold. Often less experienced consultants see unlimited opportunities and profits, particularly in countries that don’t have strict disclosure and fundraising regulations for elections. But, as the more seasoned consultants have discovered, the allure of stacks of dollars—or foreign currency—does not always pay off. “Just imagine a country without rule of law to enforce
your contract,” Fisfis says. “I know a lot of people who are dazzled by the offers, but disappointed by the follow through.” Copsey learned the hard way that it’s sometimes hard to cash in on international consulting. Declining to name
June 2010 | Campaigns & Elections 31
the client or the country, Copsey says he lost about “six figures” when a client recently wouldn’t pay up for his consulting fee and out of pocket costs. Since that incident, he says he’s found a legal solution to ensure that does not happen again. “That last invoice has got to be sent well ahead of Election Day,” Copsey says. “That’s sort of the na- ture of campaigns in the United States. It’s sometimes hard to collect the last little bit of money as it’s earned. And it’s doubly true overseas.” Copsey manages his firm’s international work, which
typically includes communications consulting around the world, including Iraq. He boasts that he knows more about Iraqi public opinion than anyone else. The firm’s work in Iraq was not nearly as profitable in the begin- ning as it is now, Copsey says. “When we first started, we were really sort of doing it for the cause of reparation and freedom there,” he says. But, he adds: “I don’t think we would have been there now for six years if we were losing too much money.”
Shira Toeplitz covers the campaign industry for CQ-Roll Call.
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