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McCain says Latinos should trust him. Why don't they and how do you gain trust with Latinos?

This is really not a political post. It is a post about gaining trust with Latinos using a story in the news. Sen. McCain and Sen Obama have now made their rounds to NALEO , LULAC and NCLR, the three leading Latino advocacy organizations in the country. They have both now made all of their promises to solve immigration reform, overhaul education for Latinos, etc. They are both desperate to win the swing votes in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Florida. Those states can easily be determined by the Latino vote.

The most telling thing that came out of those speeches, at least for me, was Sen. McCain's statement at La Raza's convention that he feels he has earned the trust of Latinos regarding the immigrations issue. See a wrap up of his comments in the following video:



The question here is two-fold:

1. Has he gained the trust of Latinos?
2. How do you gain the trust of Latinos?

Has he gained the trust of Latinos? It certainly doesn't appear to be the case. Polls have him down to Sen. Obama with Latinos by a margin of 2:1 to 3:1 depending on which poll you read. Keep in mind that this is the same Sen. Obama who lost the Latino vote to Sen. Clinton by the same margins. One thing is for sure, John McCain saying he has earned their trust and them giving it are two entirely different things.

Second question. How do you really gain trust with Latinos. The answer is you tell them you are going to do something and then do it. Also, and very important, you do not do one or two BIG things and then expect that to gain you trust. You must do many smaller things over time to gain trust. Again, promise something (not necessarily a big thing), do it and then look for another opportunity to promise something. You have to tell them first, not just do it or it may look manipulative. The whole point is that you develop the identity that your word can be trusted.

Exactly here is Sen. McCain's problem. At least from what most Latinos know, he has only one big thing he has tried to do for Latinos and that failed. To top it off, no matter what he says now, he did say in a debate that he wouldn't vote for his own bill again. You and I understand political gyrations but this one is costing him. I feel for him because I believe in his heart he really does want comprehensive immigration reform. He would be better off giving a laundry list of all the things he has tried to do for Latinos over the years — if such a list exists.

Anyway, here's the point; to gain trust with Latinos you must keep your word with them on many small things over time. Forget the one big thing. It usually will feel like political or corporate expediency to them. Go for many small things that you can consistently fulfill. Always tell them first, then do what you say. If you do this you will truly gain their trust. Always remember, when Latinos trust a brand or person, they are very loyal.

By the way, Obama is not holding this lead based on his own brand or because they trust him. He is holding it based on the perception in much of the Latino community (developed over time) that Democrats have done more for them. Whether this is true or not is not the point here. Sen. McCain should find a way to do several little things for the Latino community quickly if he wants to reverse this trend. Also, in these speeches, he needs to highlight a whole list of his accomplishments for Latinos. He is, after all, a Senator from Arizona!

Almost all turnover, for example, can be traced back to a lack of trust in management. Trust is a big deal for Latinos. We are from countries where trust does not exist. Trust me on this advice.
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posted by Ricardo González on July 10, 2008.

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