|
Hiring
Latinos to Increase Your Customer Base
By
Graciela Kenig--©2004-2007
With
rising awareness of the size and staying power of the Latino population in
the United States, organizations wishing to capture that segment have
begun to move beyond marketing gimmicks that may bring Hispanic customers
to their doors—but only once or twice at most.
 Retailers
and direct service providers, such as banks and insurance companies, are
now seeing the wisdom of hiring Hispanics/Latinos to attract and retain
this coveted customer base.
It
is Beyond
the Spanish Language
Clearly,
a bilingual employee can bring down barriers (or objections to sales)
almost instantly by speaking the customer’s primary language. But beyond
that comfort level, it is his or her implicit understanding of Latino
cultural values that will keep those customers coming back.
Here’s
why:
-
It’s
About Customer Service:
In a service oriented environment, the well-publicized brand loyalty
of the Latino community is more applicable to the employee than it is
to the company. In other
words, a Hispanic customer who develops a relationship with a personal
banker or teller, for example, may not transact business at that
institution on a day when that employee is absent. Likewise, if that
employee is lured by a competitor, the Latino customer might follow
him or her to the new employer company.
-
It
Provides Direction
for Effective Marketing and
Product
or Service Development:
Employees who understand the needs of their customer base—partly
because they were brought up with the same values and partly because
they know what questions to ask—are a great asset to their
employers. They can point out, for instance, that tableware sets for
eight people tend to be inadequate for Latinos who tend to have large
families and whose meals often include members of the extended family.
Or that it is important to offer a greater variety of petite
sizes when people tend to be shorter than the average dominant
culture. Or that a different approach is needed to lend money to
individuals who save considerable amounts of cash but have failed to
establish a formal credit history.
-
It
Expands and Develops Your Customer Base:
Being
community-oriented, Latino employees who are happy working for your
company are likely to become a valued source of new customers—and
additional employees. Small businesses, suppliers, and members of organizations
in need of your services are likely to choose your company over your
competitors simply because they trust your Latino employee.
These are only a few of the reasons why hiring Hispanic/Latino candidates
can give your business a competitive advantage.
Check back next month for culturally-sensitive tips that will
increase the effectiveness of your Latino hiring and retention practices.
###
Need ideas for multicultural
teams? Check this out.
|
Looking
for
bilingual/ bicultural
employees?
Post
Your
Jobs
Here!
Ask
About Our Speaker Services
Visit Our Article Archives
for more ideas.
Let us send you more culturally
targeted ideas--absolutely FREE!
How
is your Diversity at work?
Check
here to find out.
Visit
Our sister website: CareersForLatinos.com
Your
employees will want to know that you have.
|
