EthnoConnect Newsletter Q2 2008
By: Michael Soon Lee, MBA, CSP
Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Question from James C. in Golden, Colorado: "Minorities are becoming a larger part of my market. Should I hire minority salespeople to better connect with them?  If so, how do I find them?"

James: Unless there is a language barrier, minority customers don’t necessarily want to work with someone from their own culture. Some may be afraid that if they share personal financial information with a fellow countryman that they might share that knowledge with others in their community. However, hiring minorities throughout your company says to all of your customers that you are sensitive to culture.

Frankly, it’s not easy to find multicultural salespeople. Many minorities, especially new immigrants, look for jobs with a steady paycheck when they first arrive here. Commissioned sales can be a bit risky especially when you have a family to support. On the other hand there are new immigrants who are very entrepreneurial and accepting a sales position would not be a problem for them.

One challenge is that you cannot market to minorities in the same way as white salespeople. Traditional advertising outlets are often not very effective in reaching multicultural sales professionals. They tend to rely more on word of mouth because they don’t just want a paycheck, they want to join a family where they feel at home. You must become part of their social network so they know you’re not just using them as window dressing.

This means getting involved in their churches, social activities, chambers of commerce and more. It requires a long term investment to build a strong relationship with multicultural customers and employees.


Look for more information on hiring multicultural staff and selling to culturally diverse customers in my new book "Cross-Cultural Selling For Dummies" coming out later this year.

Best wishes,

Michael Soon Lee, MBA, CSP
President - EthnoConnect
www.EthnoConnect.com>

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