Keep Your Political Talk Out of Your Business, Unless You Can Afford It
A few years ago, I was out with friends. We are of different political stripes, and there was a sign in a window for a political candidate that I liked, and they didn’t. This got me thinking about the choices we make and how they affect people.
I wouldn’t do something to hurt my friends’ feelings, so we decided that we would not go to this place. When we saw a place that supported their candidate, I declared that spot equally off limits. We went to a place that didn’t have any political signage and appeared perfectly neutral.
When we sat down, I remarked that people’s politics and religious beliefs should be kept at home, and that was something we could all agree on.
What’s amazing in this day and age is that people remain ignorant of the ripple effects of things like political, religious or other hot-button statements.
The way I size it up, if you can withstand turning off 40 percent of your potential clientele and take the revenue hit, then plaster your place with signs. If you want that extra revenue boost, keep your mouth shut, don’t talk politics, and save your campaigning for home.
It’s interesting how ill-advised comments can have lasting effects. To this day, I have not eaten at a Chick-fil-A restaurant and have bad feelings toward the place. (Some of their sandwiches do look really tasty, though.) Their CEO’s comments about gay people offended me although I’m not gay.
There’s also the Harvard Business Review case of the fictional Natural Foods Markets (link). An investment made in a political action committee came with an unanticipated twist. The PAC, which was investing in candidates with a pro-business position, supported a candidate who was also virulently anti-gay. The candidate’s position was unknown until it became a public relations disaster for the company.
By way of full disclosure, I have worked on the marketing for a lobbying effort that benefited a company I once worked for. It involved a tax credit, and I never viewed it as a harmful program. The program was never going to achieve any lofty social objective, but it did encourage the company to grab people off the unemployment lines and put them to work. I don’t doubt that few of those workers became long-term, productive employees, but it’s good to at least try to recruit from an oft-ignored labor pool.
Losing customers and dealing with a public relations problem when you are a small business, especially a small professional services practice, can severely damage your reputation. Finding ways to metaphorically bar your door to potential clients or sending clients fleeing for the exits is not going to benefit you. What’s more, the time and money you will put into finding replacement clients is going to make you uncomfortable in the short term.
You may feel the urge to make statements – especially if you’re an avid consumer of talk radio, podcasts or politically motivated news outlets – but you would be better advised to find a way to center yourself, stay focused on providing the best advice to your clients, and staying away from third-rail issues. Finding ways to avoid the old adage “open mouth, insert foot” will serve you and your business well in the long run.