Thread: Hispanic America

Hispanic America
by Steve LaFerre


December 2005

Cover Story
Today, 48 million Hispanic people reside in the U.S. – about 17% of the population – and they’re not going anywhere. In fact, experts say that number will grow dramatically.


http://www.tirereview.com/?type=art&id=4642

By 2050, 100 million people will trace their ancestry to the Spanish-speaking Latin American and Caribbean worlds. We’re in for some big changes.

Unfortunately, history reminds us that Americans are not particularly good at accepting newcomers and their cultures. Even though this country was built on the backs of immigrants – other than the Native Americans, there are no native Americans – our 230-year history is riddled with instances when our welcoming shores weren’t so welcome.

The fact is that the U.S. is really the only country founded by and mostly populated by immigrants. And, that continues today, as we witness the largest migration of people in the history of the Western Hemisphere – Hispanics immigrating to the U.S.

Already the Latino population in the U.S. is larger than the entire population of Canada, and our country will soon be home to the second-largest number of Latinos in the world, after Mexico.

Critical for Business

So, what does all of this mean to you, the independent tire dealer? Plenty, both in terms of your customer base and your employment rolls.

First, we don’t want to delve into the political arguments over closing borders and illegal immigration, or even discussions about language. That’s not the point here. Suffice it to say, Congress and the president are considering a variety of tactics to combat illegal immigration.

Most of us are far too young to remember heavily divided ethnic neighborhoods and the multiple cultures and languages of urban areas. In today’s world, diversity is a fact of life. And if tire dealers want to survive in a multicultural market, they must be more diligent at finding ways to work with Hispanic customers and Hispanic employees. It’s just good business sense.

Easier said than done. Being an American in the 21st century is difficult. Just 100 years ago, the world looked at us in wonder, and the U.S. was the destination for those “yearning to be free.� But, today, we’re worried about low cost labor and jobs moving overseas. We’re seeing the world catch up to us and even, gulp, trample over our long-held leadership position.

The word ‘frustration’ comes to mind: Americans are feeling frustrated that they’re somehow losing their edge and their way.

Personal fears aside, though, tire dealers have to be ‘people savvy.’ And, like it or not, people come in all shapes and sizes and in all ethnicities and religions. Knowing how to deal with a diverse group of people is a necessary skill for a profession that deals directly with the public – through consumers and employees.

We don’t have to bungle the job of working with immigrants unless that is our clearly stated purpose. A better idea is to shape our future with those who will share it with us.

With Hispanic employees and customers becoming an increasingly larger part of your business life, there some critically important steps you can take to make the load a bit lighter.

How Others Adapt

Contrary to some beliefs, the U.S. Hispanic population is not confined to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California. Every state in the union has a growing Hispanic population, fueled by job and lifestyle opportunities lacking in their home countries.

Georgia, for instance, has one of the largest and fastest-growing Hispanic populations in the U.S. Even old-line Midwestern steel towns like Cleveland, Ohio, are reacting to burgeoning Hispanic communities.

How exactly are they reacting?

In Cleveland, there is a grade school where all the children spend half the day learning their lessons in English and half the day in Spanish. There are also adult classes in greater Cleveland high schools with courses designed to teach both Spanish and English. Also in Ohio, where Hispanics make up at least 65% of the state’s nursery and landscape industry, Ohio State University’s Horticulture & Crop Science Department provides training sessions on horticulture and life skills to Hispanic workers at eight Ohio nurseries.

Besides the basics of plant growth and care, the OSU courses also deal with meeting family needs, social support in the community and communication.

“We believe this training will lead to better working relationships between employees and employers and decrease Hispanic worker turnover by increasing advancement opportunities,� OSU says. “We want to see increased productivity while creating a happier and more motivated workforce.�

This kind of thinking is spot on. Big companies like Hershey’s, Citibank and Proctor & Gamble roll out products just for American Hispanics and have moved into a new advertising sector called ‘Latino-centric mainstream.’ It is happening in the same way hip-hop urban culture has pervaded the general advertising market in the past decade.

Crest, Proctor & Gamble’s flagship toothpaste, just named five-year-old Cuban-born Enya Martinez as its new “Crest Kid,� the all-American icon represented in a 1950s Rockwell drawing.

In a Houston neighborhood that has become 85% Latino, Kroger, the nation’s number-one grocery chain, spent $1.8 million to convert a 59,000-square-foot store into an all-Hispanic ‘supermercado.’ Now, Spanish-language signs welcome customers, and mainstay products line the aisles.

Buying Power

While we’re not advocating an all-out business transformation, we are suggesting that you can’t ignore your Hispanic customers. Ignore them, and you ignore a potential profit source.

Hispanics have increased their family incomes and are affecting buying power trends from the food they eat, to the cars they drive, to the clothes they buy. According to one report, Hispanic disposable income has jumped 29%, double the pace of the rest of the U.S. population. They are the fastest-growing demographic in numbers and buying power.

American media clearly recognizes this, with national television and radio networks devoted to the Hispanic population, and local market TV and radio stations doing the same. Manufacturers offer product instructions in Spanish, and some localities practice varying forms of bilingualism.
Note that revenues derived from Spanish-speaking TV ads will climb by more than 15% this year, more than any other media segment. Moreover, the audience for Univision, the No.1 Spanish-language media conglomerate in the U.S., has jumped by 44% since 2001.

So, how are you making yourself more attractive to the Latino buyer? Hispanic money is going to play a more significant role in your cash drawer. Should you advertise in Spanish-speaking publications? Should someone on your staff be bilingual? Do you have Spanish-language tire information available?

If there is a Latino community in your area, you may want to invest in opening a location there, particularly if there is no competition. Your business presence would not only add to the growth and stability of the area, it can create many opportunities for sales and growth – as long as you approach it the right way.

You don’t need to be 100% bilingual, and you don’t have to kowtow. But some accommodation that can help this group of customers feel more comfortable making buying decisions can only pay off in the end. Think about what would make you feel at ease if the roles were reversed. Even if you spoke some Spanish, wouldn’t you appreciate dealing with a salesperson that spoke your native tongue, or having English-language literature?

And there isn’t much that you need to do differently. When a Hispanic customer enters your store, why should the greeting be any different than it is with any other customer? “Good afternoon, Mr. Gonzales. How may I be of service to you?� It is virtually impossible to be upset with someone who is trying to be nice to you, even if you don’t speak the same language. A smile is the same in any language.

New Cultural Workforce

People make or break your business. It’s a fact, especially in small dealerships. So, considering you may already employ people of Hispanic origin – or soon will – it pays to know how best to communicate with them.

It is important to recognize that Hispanic customers and employees come from cultures very different from our own – and often different from each other. There are linguistic and cultural differences between someone from Mexico and another from, say, Costa Rica. That can pose difficulties if you take a one-size-fits-all approach to customers or employees.

On the cultural front, many Hispanics do not recognize our system of rewarding the highest-achieving student or worker. While the U.S.-born worker looks at the job as a place to achieve and obtain satisfaction for winning awards or raises based on work achievements, the same can’t be said for Latino employees.

For them, personal praise or awards handed out in front of co-workers is to be avoided. This can also include education and training, unless it involves the entire team. They are intensely family- and group-oriented and do not like being singled out. If one person did well, then everyone did well.

To the Latino, personal respect and friendly attention are stronger motivations than a system based on personal achievement. There are stories of near mutiny when a company set up a pay-raise system based on an individual efforts and success. The answer is to handle such matters at a very personal and private level.

Also, they prefer clear communication about job tasks and performance expectations and are uneasy with impatient bosses who use profanity.

In a workplace setting, how do Hispanics and Anglos move ahead on the way toward the betterment of both cultures? Here are some tips from one forward-looking company that has enjoyed great success melding Anglo and Latino employees. Quality Milk Production Services in Ithaca, N.Y., which has laid out a plan that not only helps assimilate Hispanic workers, it builds a sense of team that crosses cultural lines. •

Greet workers every day with a handshake or a smile. It’s common in Central America to greet people when you pass by, whether you know them or not.

• Have all your employees learn a few words – both English and Spanish – every week. Post the words in a visible area, and encourage all employees to use them at least once in that week.
• Have periodic educational sessions to increase product knowledge and clear up questions or doubts.

• Have each English- and Spanish-speaking employee work together for at least an hour when someone is first hired. It can break the ice, reduce segregation and foster respect.

• Have staff parties on holidays and include food from both cultures.

• Take Spanish-speaking employees on a weekly shopping trip for food and other items.

• Provide outings such as soccer games or to a church or tourist spot for employees. This gives them a break from the daily grind and can increase productivity. It also teaches employees about U.S. culture.

• Post pictures of employees and their families on a bulletin board. This builds morale.

• Provide newspapers from the employee’s home country. (Contact the country’s embassy to get papers.)

Because we often need able hands immediately, we sometimes rush workers into a job too quickly. This happens as often with non-Hispanic workers as it does with Latinos. Carlos Conejo, author of Motivating Hispanic Employees, suggests following the 1:3 rule. “Resist the temptation to put people into new jobs quickly. Practice the 1:3 rule instead: for every hour invested in upfront training, communication and feedback, we save three hours on the back end.�

Legal Pitfalls

Beyond cultural challenges, employing Hispanics comes with legal issues, too. Certainly you have to consider the potential legal issues surrounding illegal immigrants as employees. Even with perfectly legitimate immigrants, cultural differences can make for a bumpy road.

One piece of strong advice, though: Avoid hiring illegal immigrants. Hiring illegals and paying them “off the books� can only lead to trouble, experts suggest.

Quality Milk Production Services also offers some tips that may help you avoid claims of unfairness or discrimination:

• Treat all workers equally and fairly. If something is done for one employee’s birthday or other holiday, do it for all. Don’t stop doing things you did when you had an all English-speaking staff.

• Post the following information in English and Spanish:

- Standard operating procedures

- Goals and mission statements

- Work schedules

- Safety rules and warnings

- Organizational chart

• Establish a disciplinary process and explain it to all employees. Conduct training and develop a grievance procedure.

• Post all equipment-specific safety warning signs in Spanish and English. There is a strong and ready workforce available and highly loyal and hardworking individuals there to fill positions in your business. If you become established as a fair employer of Latinos, the employees and their community will stand by you.

You didn’t get into business because it was easy. In many things, you at least have a choice on how you conduct business. But, when it comes to 17% of the entire population – and growing – you need to adapt.

And, the tire dealer who thinks creatively about reaching this growing market segment will begin to see more Hispanics in his store. They are the ones who have elected to vote with their dollars at your place of business.

Remember, it can be as simple as: “Hello Mr. Gonzales. How may I help you today?�

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MY SCREAM OF OUTRAGE
GOES OUT ACROSS THE WORLD-
KISS A** ARTICLE OF 2006 SO FAR

I'm going to puke.

Why are we not doing this for the Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Russians? Why the big catering to the Hispanics?

OH YES LETS JUST ACCOMODATE THEM ALL, WHILE WE'RE AT IT, LETS LEARN GERMAN, RUSSIAN, CHINESE, WHY SPEAK ENGLISH IN THE WORKPLACE, ITS ONLY AMERICA. Why should all that hard work by previous legal immigrants be recognized by making others do it?????
Someone needs to tell this guy, WE ARE NOT MEXICO AND WILL NEVER BE!!
Personally, if I were a business owner I would never accomodate anyone languagewise, I am an American, my ancestors back 6 plus generations have been Americans, so I will contine in that manner till the day I die.
Have we been so not welcoming? I suppose who's point of view you see it from. From the illegal aliens point of view, then yes, we're not so welcoming.
I personally refuse to acknowledge anyone that does not want to integrate and become American, isn't that what they came here for?
As for that Native American part, many Americans, now by inter-marrying over the centuries have Native and European mixed backgrounds. Does this man not know what a "Matis" is?
Our resources are running thin, this country can only support so many people before we end up becoming a third world economy as well.
The reports on Hispanics (pro-Hispanic) have all stated how proud they are that Hispanics are becoming one of the largest populations, well whats there to be proud of? Just because American women are not popping one kid per year out till menopause, makes the Hispanics feel superior. American women do not feel they have to prove themselves by producing more children than they can support.
People like this really need to get their heads out of their back-ends, and really look around them, and see what mass illegal immigration is doing to this country.
Talking about that baby thing, a lady I know of works at one of our local hospitals and said, in admissions nearly 100% of the Hispanic women (and yes there are other races using this system too, but not in the alarming numbers as Hispanics) coming in to give birth have state funded health care to cover the birth. So this financial burden falls on the people of the state, not the parents that created that child.
Well, then there is WIC and foodstamps. If a person were to know the numbers in one state alone (of suspected illegal immigrants), find out the amount in each family getting any government funded assistance and add it all up, I bet the numbers would be staggering.
Personally I am sick of this kind of pro-illegal alien mentallity these so called "intellectuals" spew all the time. They need to be down in the trenches with the rest of the working class for about a year and see if they feel so warm and cuddly about the subject???? Better yet, I will let them live in my unit in my complex for a year, THAT OUGHT TO DO IT!!!