Who Else Is Looking to Attract and Retain Hispanic Customers and Employees?

You want to reach the fastest growing minority group in the United States, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, but you haven't the foggiest idea as to where to start.

Well, the Census Bureau is an excellent starting point. According to their census data of 2000, the Hispanic population rate of 12.5% has surpassed the rate of African Americans that hovers at 12.3%. Likewise, the data also shows that the buying power of Latinos in the United States has surpassed the $800 Billion mark – and is estimated to rise to more than $1 Trillion by the year 2008, less than 2 years away.

The writing is on the wall. If you want to ride the tide of this projected big wave, now is the time to start attracting and retaining Hispanic customers and employees.

But how do you, Mr./Ms. Small Businessperson, best respond to the demographic shift and growing economic power of the Latino community? How do you gain awareness and loyalty among potential Latino customers?

One individual who has been extensively studying these same questions is Dr. Robert Rodriguez. As Chairman of the Board for the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement and Faculty Chair in the School of Business at Capella University, Dr. Rodriguez has studied what works and what doesn't.

According to Dr. Rodriguez, "With the tremendous growth of the Latino demographic in the United States, companies are realizing that Latinos have a lot of purchasing power. So companies want to tap into this market, but they are recognizing that in order to do that, they need more Latinos working within their organizations that understand the Latino culture. It's hard to market effectively to Latinos if you don't have any Latinos working in your marketing department."

"Latinos tend to be brand conscious and brand loyal when it comes to making purchasing decisions, so organizations with a strong employment brand will benefit. Employment branding does not refer to an organization's products or services, but instead to an organization's reputation as an employer."

With that said, here are 10 ways to attract and retain Latinos employees and ultimately customers:

1. Understand the complexity of the Latino demographic and develop tailored approaches to reach out to different Latino communities. Never assume what works for one segment of the Latino population will work with another.

2. Leverage Latino employee affinity groups for recruiting purposes. The word-of-mouth and connections of existing Latino employees are powerful assets.

3. Learn about and be sensitive to the intricacies of various aspects of Latino culture. For example, as an employer, take time to know and understand the differences between the terms "Baricua", "Chicano", "Hispanic", "Latino", and "Tejano".

4. Seek out and consult with Latino leaders in your community. Here the positive word-of-mouth marketing these leaders will foster along with the connections they have will prove to be invaluable to you.

5. Show that, although you value education and ethnicity, you still reward your employees based on their performance.

6. Place talented Latinos in senior positions. Doing so sends a strong signal of support.

7. Become involved in your local Latino community. Sponsor events, celebrate holidays, be visible and supportive.

8. Partner with academic institutions with high Latino student populations.

9. Partner your HR Dept. with your Marketing Dept. to ensure consistency of public relations messages and then leverage every opportunity to reach out to Latinos.

10. Partner with Latino associations and professional groups to build awareness among Latino communities and build strong networking ties.

Remember: When you maximize your potential to attract and retain Latino customers and employees, we all win. When you don't, we all lose.

About the Author:
Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Management Consultant and Trainer, known asThe Master Blog Builder, conducts lectures, seminars, and workshops, and writes articles on: . . . helping you maximize your customer relationship marketing potential for individuals, schools, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. Reach him at www.MasterBlogBuilder.com/ .

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A Good Tip For Dogs With Itchy Skin
Now that summer is in full swing, many dogs are experiencing dry skin and excessive itchiness. I know that my dog, "Forbes," certainly has been! Of course, the first thing you'll want to rule out is fleas. But barring fleas, I've found that the best way to alleviate itching is to:

Splash approximately 2 Tablespoons of either vegetable oil or canola oil in your dog's food.
The additional fat will give your dog's coat a soft, shiny look and will help alleviate dry skin and itching.
You can also try an over-the-counter product you can get at most pet stores called, "Lipiderm," which works pretty much the same, but costs a bit more.
Something else you might try: One of my newsletter subscribers writes, "Best thing for itchy skin is lemons. Slice a couple of lemons in a litre of water and boil it. Let it cool down for a day then you can spray it on. Works wonders and is cheap."

About the Author

Author, “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!“ which you can read more about at:
tinyurl.com/4efaq

Puppy Training
Puppies need to go to the bathroom after they play, chew, drink, eat or sleep. Start by putting them on a leash and tethering them to you. That way you can be aware of them when they start sniffing the ground (usually a cue the puppy needs to go potty). Pick them up and carry them outside. When they go potty, tell them "good potty" and give a cookie as a reward. Do not let your puppy off leash until they have finished going so they get into the habit of going potty, then playing. Many puppies will want to go outside just to play if you let them off leash first.

What if my puppy has an accident?
He will. Do not punish your puppy though. If you catch your puppy in the act then clap your hands or pick them up - this will make your puppy stop going. Get him outside FAST and let him finish up out there. Reward him for going outside. Clean up the mess with petzorb which will remove the odor completely.
Do NOT rub their nose in it, swat them with a newspaper, or isolate your puppy. It will only teach them to not go in front of you.

If your puppy is going frequently in the house you are probably not supervising them enough. Watch and learn their cues. If you feel you are watching and your puppy isn't getting it you can always have them checked for a Urinary tract infection.

If your puppy piddles when you greet them, this could be submissive urination. This would be a problem that is usually cured by ignoring the behavior and letting your puppy calm down before touching them when you first see them.

This article not only applies to puppies, but it is how you should train a dog of any age. If you can't supervise your dog, please put them in a crate to help curb accidents. Remember, dogs go where they go most!

This can be a trying time, so have patience and you will get through it.

About the Author

Amy Dunphy, CPDT is the owner and operator of the www.dogtrainersearch.comDog Trainer Search

Online degrees - Cutting through the hype
Online degrees ï¿½ Some questions you need to ask yourselfï¿½

ï¿½ Are they really easier?

If they are, then employers will soon learn this and will not consider applicants with a degree from an online university. If that happens then your time studying will have been totally wasted.

ï¿½ Why is there all this hype about online degrees, then?

They are very profitable for the institutions offering them. Thatï¿½s why so many online universities have sprung up.

ï¿½ Why do you see ads all over every website about the benefits of an online degree? WIFT? (Whatï¿½s In it For Them?)

Every time you click on one of those ads, the advertiser pays between $2 and $10 to Google or Yahoo, or a similar advertising program. Google or Yahoo take an unknown percentage, generally thought to be a third, and pass the rest on to the website owner.

Some ads pay website owners more than others, and Online Degree ads pay particularly well, partly because there are so many providers and the field is very competitive.

ï¿½ Why havenï¿½t you read this anywhere before?

The World Wide Web may be free, but website owners are on it to make a few bucks. Most sites have Google Adsense ads on them as part of the monetization process. One of the terms and conditions of having these ads on your site is that the site must not encourage visitors to click on the ads. You will never read this article on any site showing Google adsense ads, because its contents could be construed as ï¿½encouragement to clickï¿½

ï¿½ Why am I telling you this? WIFM (Whatï¿½s In it For Me?)

The links from this article and others like it lead to my websites and help them appear higher in search engines. One of the links also leads to a new education discussion forum that I am trying to grow by encouraging new members to join and contribute.

Pete Gallagher, taught Chemistry for 28 years. He has now left teaching to concentrate on writing. He has an education website with a forum that you are welcome to join. For general information on education degrees www.only-education-degree.info/online-education-degree.html ">this specialist resource site.

Traditional Jamaican Recipes & Food
The flavors of Jamaica are the product of the island's history combined with a verdant, lush climate. The Spanish, British, African and East Indian have all had an influence over what is today a unique island cuisine made colorful by the many tropical fruits that thrive here.

The waters off Jamaica have always teemed with fish and seafood is the primary protein source for islanders. Snapper, grouper, sea bass and other reef a deep sea fish are caught daily by the many fishermen whose boats line the beaches. Spiny lobster, shrimp and freshwater crustaceans are readily available and cooked usually in a thick sauce. Chicken and goats are well suited to the small mountainous island and are kept by many families but cattle are rare and beef is not the predominant meat.

Many of Jamaica's fruits, including pineapple, mango, banana and avocado were brought to the region by slave traders and plantation owners experimenting with crops. What were once sugar cane fields are now being used to grow fruits and ackee for export and domestic use.

Few other cuisines mix such a range of spices and tastes - sweet, hot and savory - as Jamaican cooking. Jamaican food wouldn't be the same without the spices, seasonings and colors from: Allspice, the pimento berry.

Among many of the spices grown in Jamaica are nutmeg, ginger, thyme, scotch bonnet peppers, which are integral distinct flavors of Jamaican cooking. The pungent thyme grows rampantly on the island and is found in the majority of Jamaican foods.

Favourite Jamaican foods are those for coconut cake, rum punch & beef jerky recipies.

Real Jamaican food, when cooked with feeling, is a soul-satisfying experience.

For further tips and ideas for cooking great and traditional food from around the world, visit rel="nofollow">a href="http://www.worldwide-recipes.com/jamaican-recipes.html" target="_blank">Jamaican Recipes

This article was submitted by Jen Carter, owner of the World Recipes website. Jen has travelled around the world and enjoys collecting and sharing recipes from other countries.