I just witnessed a disillusioning exchange on Twitter this evening between financial expert Suze Orman and a number of bloggers who questioned her about the benefits of her new prepaid debit card program.  I’ve been a fan of Suze’s for some time, but her (or her PR rep’s) responses on Twitter to her inquirers devolved into snarky, condescending, and unprofessional snips which left me disappointed in her.

One blogger captured the essence of the exchange in a post here:
http://20andengaged.com/suze-orman-approved-card-denied

The exchange, and Suze’s responses in particular, reminded me that all it takes is letting others get a little glimpse behind the curtain of our lives to see what really drives us, and we can either unexpectedly win over dissenters through witnessed actions of grace and care, or we can instantly lose hard-earned allies through the slip of a few reckless, insulting and careless words.  If character is what people see when they observe what we say and do when we think no one is watching us, Suze (or her rep) overlooked the size of the audience that witnessed that exchange, and she (or her rep) showed a side of herself that was less than flattering.

Disappointing, Suze.  You hurt your credibility with a lot of people tonight.  I can’t think of an easier way to soil your brand, especially when you are the brand, than by belittling members of your client base in your own words.

I’d suggest another PR move on your part.  Make some private apologies.

“Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything.”
~ Proverbs 13:3

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Post Update
January 11, 2012 3:02 PM

Good effort, Suze.  I’d probably suggest you change that “Even” to “Especially” addressing PT, since he seemed to be the target of the “idiot” slam, but the apologies seem fairly sincere.  It’s clear you want to stay on Ron’s good side, at least.

You might try and be a little more gracious and careful with your use of words in the future.