You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

5 PR Tips for Martin Shkreli AKA the 'Most-Hated Man' in America The man who achieved youthful infamy jacking up the price of life-saving medicine seems incapable of not alienating everyone not on his payroll.

By Tor Constantino

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Martin Shkreli | Twitter
Martin Shkreli

Former pharmaceutical company CEO, Martin Shkreli can't seem to help himself.

Shkreli is the 32-year old one-time Wall Street wunderkind who went on to launch a couple drug companies and was subsequently dubbed the "Most-Hated Man" in America a few months ago when he jacked up the price of a life-saving drug by 5,000 percent.

Since then he's been busy self-immolating.

Consider that within the span of 60 days he publicly lamented the fact he didn't raise the aforementioned drug price higher; had a federal indictment handed up against him for securities fraud as well as engaged in Twitter throw downs with all comers including hip-hop artist Ghostface Killah.

Bombastic GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump seems milquetoast by comparison.

Shkreli's latest shenanigans occurred when he testified before a congressional committee on drug-pricing practices where he refused to answer questions, on the advice of legal counsel, and instead exercised his constitutional rights against self incrimination.

Despite some of Shkreli's head-scratching, jaw-dropping antics, there are some critical reputation management lessons to be learned from his ongoing personal implosion.

1. Get a new attorney.

Shkreli's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, has a strong track record of legal success; however, he did not serve his client well during their visit to Capitol Hill. For example, during the middle of congressional questioning---completely ignoring parliamentary procedure---Brafman stood and demanded from the gallery to be recognized by committee chair, U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.

The chair immediately rejected Brafman's request and instructed the counselor to take a seat.

Following the hearing, Brafman then held an impromptu news conference where he said the following, "Mr. Shkreli is not a villain, he's not a bad boy, at the end of the story, he's a hero."

A hero? Really? That level of hyperbole would be laughable if it wasn't so absurdly offensive to bona fide heroes such as our military service personnel or firefighters.

Brafman should go.

Related: 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli Steps Down as CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals

2. Stop all social media interactions.

After Shkreli's appearance before the congressional committee he tweeted the following:

What's even harder to accept is that Shkreli felt compelled to tweet anything while facing a federal criminal indictment, or that he was publicly commenting at all after repeatedly pleading the Fifth Amendment before congressional leaders.

For his own sake, he needs an indefinite social media hiatus.

3. Get a body language coach.

Seriously, get a body language or physical acting coach.

Despite Shkreli's decision to not answer questions posed by the congressional committee yesterday, his body language and non-verbal cues screamed contempt at the lawmakers. Shkreli's perma-smirk, eye rolls, inappropriate chuckles, heavy sighs, closed body posture and indifferent eye contact could only be interpreted as disdain for the proceedings.

While lawyer Brafman tried to dismiss and explain away his client's unspoken middle finger to the congressional panel as merely "nervous energy" -- Shkreli's aforementioned tweet confirmed his derisive attitude toward the group of lawmakers.

If nothing else, this guy needs some kind of body language coaching before his federal trial begins.

Related: 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli Arrested on Securities Fraud Charges

4. Grow up.

Perhaps the most stunning aspect of Shkreli's persona is his unabashed immaturity.

The enemies he's making at every turn are powerful. The circumstances in which he's embroiled are incredibly serious. The consequences he faces are real.

However, his attitude toward it all is childish at best. Unfortunately, maturity seems to be a glaring deficient of this man-child.

5. Apologize.

This is the easiest thing that Shkreli could do. He should apologize to alienated patient groups. Apologize to the congressional committee members. Apologize to the public for creating such an unsavory spectacle.

Regardless of how badly individuals behave, genuine contrition goes a long way in the court of public opinion and sometimes can even carry over into the court of law---especially during the sentencing phase. It's safe to say that he'll need as much goodwill as he can muster if legal proceedings don't go his way.

While apologizing might be the single smartest thing Shkreli could do---it looks like smarts are in short supply based on his pattern of petulant tomfoolery.

Related: U.S. to Focus on Holding Individual Execs Accountable -- Not Just Their Companies -- in Criminal Cases

Tor Constantino

Former Journalist, Current PR Guy (wielding an MBA)

Tor Constantino is a former journalist, consultant and current corporate comms executive with an MBA degree and 25+ years of experience. His writing has appeared across the web on Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fortune and Yahoo!. Tor's views are his own and do not reflect those of his current employer.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

Sam Bankman-Fried Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Multibillion-Dollar Crypto Fraud

Southern District of New York Judge Lewis Kaplan said that the loss amount to the victims of Bankman-Fried's crimes surpassed $550 million.

Side Hustle

This Mom Started a Side Hustle After a 'Shocking' Realization in the Toy Aisle. Her Product Was in Macy's Within the Year — Seeing Nearly $350,000 in Sales.

Elenor Mak, now founder of Jilly Bing, didn't plan to start a business — but the search for a doll that looked like her daughter inspired her to do just that.

Growing a Business

To Achieve Sustainable Success, You Need to Stop Focusing on Disruption. Here's Why — and What You Must Focus on Instead.

Instead of zeroing in solely on disruptive innovation, embrace a pragmatic approach to innovation, recognizing and leveraging the potential within ongoing industry shifts.

Marketing

5 Ways to Get on the Media's Good Side (and Stay There)

When you're trying to make a name and a mark for yourself and your business, it's really important to get on the media's good side — and stay there.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Told Meta Engineers to 'Figure Out' Snapchat's Privacy Protections: 'We Have No Analytics on Them'

Recently unsealed court documents detail "Project Ghostbusters," Meta's project to work around Snapchat's end-to-end encryption to intercept data.