From my earliest involvement in business, which was clerking in my father’s hardware store when I was 8 years old, I have been told and reminded countless times that there are three things that never should be discussed in business - sex, religion and politics. What good advice that was!
A beer company decided to discuss all three and lost nearly $20 Billion! A professional sports team did the same and now is heavy into damage control. A couple of national retailers are scrambling to keep the damage they did from costing them Billions of dollars more.
Lawsuits for workplace bad behavior have cost many their jobs and billions of dollars awarded to victims. And today the three areas overlap and cause much more confusion and potential damage to your business. Politics (and the media that supports it) has become an enthusiastic supporter of religious doctrine. If in the activities of your business you suggest that your opinion, belief or practice differs from your customer - they won’t be your customer for long.
I am trying to decide if writing this article means I am discussing these three areas or not. Suggesting that they be avoided can’t be the same as discussing them can it?
Alienation of customers certainly is the basic consideration, but turn it around and ask yourself what benefit does your business receive by your comments on sex, religion or politics? Obviously there are exceptions like campaign materials for elections, fund raisers for the church down the street or the battered women's shelter and the benefit to your business are easily seen. For customers/clients in general, nothing improves when you label yourself!
Marketing 101 is based on the reality that marketing is everything that happens before a sale takes place. That can include your suggestions, samples, advertising, references, conversation about the great golf outing or other friendly “small talk”. Negative comments can cost you the sale and the customer. Unless you are the town mayor, clergy or gangster and promotional product media is just your “side gig”, your focus should be on YOUR business.
This article is the result of a person who is a full time professional one-person distributor who was asked by a customer/client what her position was on a political-religious topic. She obviously gave the wrong answer and lost the business. Here are some of the things we discussed and I recommended.
The first consideration is the existing relationship with your customer, short term, old reliable, relative, friend first or customer first and is the relationship today more friendship than business? If you have a longstanding friendship you likely know where the conversation is going and any impact on your business is unlikely.
For new customers the most straightforward answer/remark is “We do not discuss non business related topics as it may end up with someone being less comfortable”.
I also suggest that if a customer is insistent on having a conversation about topics you prefer not to, tell them that you need to complete the business at hand to prevent any mistakes and then you can get into other discussions.
When you vote, it is your choice to tell someone who or what you voted for. The same holds true for your position on topics that many people are hyper-sensitive to. Most people will respect your desire not to declare your position. If they do not you may want to consider if keeping them as a customer is ultimately a good choice for your business.
Gregg Emmer managed Kaeser & Blair’s marketing, catalog publishing and vendor relations for more than 30 years. Prior to arriving at K&B in 1991 he owned and operated a graphic communication company featuring promotional products and full service printing. Today Emmer’s consulting work provides marketing, public relations and business planning consulting to a wide range of businesses including promotional industry suppliers, venture capital and market research companies. If you are interested in growing your business (or privately commenting on articles) contact Gregg at gregg.promopro@gmail.com.