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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3 Simple Steps For A Healthier Dog
We all want what is best for our pet. Yet sometimes because of your hectic schedules, we tend to put our dog’s care at the bottom of the list or it just becomes a habit of chores we perform every day without giving it much thought. We stumble out of bed in the morning, let the dog out, fill the water bowl, dump some food in the dish and go on with our daily routine. Let’s face it this can get very boring for you and especially for your dog.

In order to maintain your dog’s health there are really only three simple steps you need to follow:
1.A good diet
2.Plenty of fresh water
3.Exercise

A good diet is essential to your dog’s health. Be careful what you buy! Read the ingredients label not just the name of the dog food. An all natural dog food is what you should be looking for, not one that contains filler and by-products. Remember you get what you pay for. Although an all natural dog food may be more expensive, studies have shown that your dog will in almost all cases eat more of the “bargain brand” than the all natural, nutritious dog food. The “bargain brands” will pass through your dog more quickly because they do not contain as much of the daily nutrients your dog requires. This leads to your dog being hungrier more often and thereby eating more. Your dog will retain more of the nutrients contained in the all natural food which means they will be less hungry, have healthier coats, more energy and better overall health.

Give your dog plenty of fresh water. Change it as often as you can. A good rule to follow is that every time you get yourself something to drink, add new water to your dog’s bowl.

Exercise your dog daily. This is good for you also. Take long walks, throw a ball or stick around the backyard or park. Remember your dog’s cardiovascular system, heart and muscles need exercise just like yours.

About the Author

Jim De Fazio is the successful webmaster of www.natural-pet-supplies.com. A site that offers all natural food and supplies for your dog or cat.

What Would Eminem Put In His House?
I've often wondered what Eminem might have in his house. I wonder what decor a rapper from Detroit would want. I read his bio in several places, watched his movie 8 Mile and I've thought about this a lot. I actually grew up a block from 7 Mile. I think my life was quite a bit different than what I read about him, but still, I visualize 8 Mile, I know I traveled daily down 8 Mile's east and west side on my way to school (which was across town for me).

I have some collectible items that I imagine would suit him. I might be way off the mark. I'd like to think someone like him would not indulge in mega bucks for sofas, paintings and extreme high ticket items because he's seen success, but rather would want to live amongst a more down-to-earth collection or decor. I've read descriptions of his early years as being part of the "white lower-class experience". Somehow, this doesn't line up with a home decked out from fancy Design Center furnishings, but oh well. This is my fantasy:

I think Eminem should have his walls covered with tin signs - memorabilia - like one for Ford Trucks (made in Detroit), or a tin sign of a Remington Shotgun and Duck. I have no clue if he drove a Ford or went hunting, but I do know these are big things in Michigan. And if he is a hunter, maybe he likes Deer things - a Deer Key Rack, or a shelf with a moose head.

I picture him in a kitchen with some corny things - I know he has the best appliances and cabinetry available, and maybe his counters are costly granite imported from who knows where. But I just hope he has a Kitchen Fairy on a Pie to bring it all down to reality. And a Half Eaten Apple Salt and Pepper Set. Those fans he raps to, they are more likely have that in their kitchen than an original Andy Warhol painting.

Well, maybe not. We don't mind our celebrities living it up to the hilt. We just want to relate to them and in Eminem's particular case, he's carved himself a space in the limelight that draws attention from ALL walks of life, not just those in his newly acquired (hopefully) wealthy class. I just hope he keeps some reminders of those early years by surrounding himself with some of the simple delights around.

Loretta Logan is a freelance writer. Visit her favorite things at www.shop-tilludrop.com

Internet Wealth through Affiliate Programs
Oil tycoon, J. Paul Getty stated, “I’d rather one percent of the efforts of 100 men than 100 percent of the efforts of 1 man.” He also stated, “money is like manure. You have to spread it around or it smells.” So what does this have to do with affiliate marketing and what is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is the revenue sharing between online advertisers/merchants and online publishers/salespeople, whereby compensation is based on performance measures, typically in the form of sales, clicks, registrations or a hybrid model.

Many sites on the internet earn more income from affiliate sales than they do from sales of their own products. Some site owners don’t even sell their own products; they only market the products of their affiliates. Take a look at most any site and you’ll see what I mean.

The Amazon associates program was the first online affiliate program of its kind when it launched in 1996. Today, it is the largest and most successful online affiliate program with over 1,000,000 members world-wide. They pay 10% in referral fees on all qualifying revenue made through their links.

An affiliate relationship with major site owners can raise a virtually unknown to a major player in a short period of time. This is the reason intelligent marketers know that affiliate relationships are a smart business decision. Instead of the marketer paying for the advertising, his affiliates take care of that when they market their own site--a win/win situation.

An example of an affiliate only website would be fatwallet.com Here you will see links to anything from books and magazines, computers, video games to Viagra. They even pay you $5 in cash back when you sign up to learn more about their hot deals.

Some sites provide information only and use their affiliate status to generate income.

Starting a site can be something even a novice to the internet can do. With a little bit of ingenuity and creativity, you could be on your way to a part-time or even full-time income thru just your affiliate relationships.

See what I mean about J .Paul Getty’s quote in my first paragraph: you have many people carrying the burden of advertising with affiliate marketing, thus taking the burden off the product seller. And by having many affiliates marketing for him, many people may see his advertising several times before they purchase.

For more information and a free e-course, visit www.internetwealthmethod.com

Home Schooling the Preschool Children
Each child has unique interests and learning needs, not to mention attention spans. Therefore, for parents who are pondering whether homeschooling is for them, it is best to do an initial evaluation of what the preschool child's needs are.

Several online resources provide lesson suggestions for preschoolers. Parents and tutors will most definitely find these materials very helpful. However, consider them only as a guide to give the children's learning some direction. It is highly advised on most of the popular homeschooling websites to be aware of the learners' interests, be it an inclination to writing, sports, arts and crafts, or any other subject. You can then incorporate these interests into the learner's list of "things that a home schooled child should know."

For different age groups of children, parents and tutors may need to employ different methods and techniques for homeschooling. And in order to know which methods and activities best suits the child under a specific age group, this short list may be of help.

Children of age 2 are found to be the most difficult. The child often gets bored and at times frustrated when being taught. Stimuli are needed in order to catch their interests. Children of this age group are most eager to learn, often walking around, and climbing steps. Common behaviors of this age include self-centeredness and possessiveness. Their sense of humor also develops. Do activities relating to these capabilities of the child.

Homeschooling three-year olds is even more trying. At this point, the child is more physical in affection and in play. They don't mind change, love having friends to play with, and they take verbal instructions very well. Use these to stimulate them to participate in learning activities. At this age, they are already capable of communicating their needs.

Four-year olds are usually capable of working with scissors, hopping around on one foot or skipping. They start to learn to draw and possess a lot of physical energy. Let them try new things, as this will be their number one interest. They are very imaginative so give them an opportunity to develop and express this creativity.

Remember that all children grow at their own rate, and in their own ways. To achieve maximum benefits for the home schooled preschooler, parents and tutors should trust them and give them sufficient freedom to explore, inquire, and ultimately learn.

Gerri Stone publishes recent news, articles and updates about home schooling on her site www.discoverhomeschooling.com