Donald Trump’s been in the media a lot lately, and for all the wrong reasons. He’s brash, loud, obnoxious and ruthless.
Not only do his antics offend entire demographics, they cost him business deals. In response to offensive comments about Mexican immigrants, Macy’s dumped his product line, prime networks Univision and NBC booted his beauty pageant, and NASCAR are refusing to hold ceremonies and parties at the Trump National Doral Miami luxury resort.
On the surface, it seems like a rational idea for Trump to stop doing what he’s doing, apologise and try to make amends. He’s losing money and popularity—two things that seem like no-brainers when it comes to running a business.
But despite Trump’s larger-than-life personality, questionable ideas and offensive delivery, there’s one thing that he’s absolutely doing right: He’s cultivating a loyal following by speaking directly to his audience.
He could apologise for his comments—many of them certainly warrant apology. He could try to make amends with the businesses who have opted out of deals with him—he could certainly make more money by doing so. He could even take back the things he’s said or at least reframe them to appear more reasonable to those that would call him unreasonable—he certainly has a shot at increasing his popularity.
But each one of those actions would be a direct betrayal to his audience.
Trump followers follow Trump because he’s the way he is, not despite the way he is. As soon as he betrays the image that his followers were attracted to, he loses his core audience in an effort to please people who aren’t going to follow him anyway.
Being polarising is a good thing when it comes to business—it really is. You don’t want as many customers or clients as possible, you want as many qualified customers or clients as possible. Quality over quantity matters, especially when poor quality customers or clients drain your time and put your reputation at risk—the most valuable resources you have.
And the very best way to qualify people out is to be yourself. Represent your values in everything you do. Be transparent about what matters to you, even if—ESPECIALLY if—it means driving people away from you who would only turn into bad customers or clients.
Trump is Trump. If you love him, it’s because you see who he really is and what he represents straight away and you like it. If you hate him, it’s because you see who he really is and what he represents straight away and you dislike it. Either way, you know where you stand.
And for his loyal followers, that love collapses the very moment he betrays what drew them to him in the first place. If you’re a business owner, betraying your own morals and values in favour of higher numbers will produce the exact same result.
We’re not saying you should be like Donald Trump, but here’s an important question to ask: Are you putting yourself out there when it comes to your business? Register for a free media audit today and we can show you how to define and target your ideal prospects.
