Hispanics will be significant market for remodelers

The better you know your Hispanic customers and the better they know you, the more likely you are to win a share of work from this rapidly growing and advancing population group. —Bridget Mintz Testa is a Houston-based freelancer who writes about residential construction, remodeling, technology, and business strategy.

Source: Selig Center for Economic Growth, University of Georgia

Source: Selig Center for Economic Growth, University of Georgia

Source: Selig Center for Economic Growth, University of Georgia

A Cautionary Tale If you want to alienate potential Hispanic customers, then you can do what an unnamed, national pizza company did in Los Angeles. According to Michael Lee, founder of ethnic research and market consulting firm EthnoConnect, the pizza corporation, which operates through local franchises, decided that it would reach out to Spanish-speaking households in the City of Angels. It launched a coupon mailing blitz, and thousands of pizza coupons were sent to households with Spanish surnames.

Unfortunately, the company neglected to let the local franchise owners know about the campaign. When the phones started to ring at the Los Angeles pizza parlors, no one at the franchises could answer the phone in Spanish.

“It created a PR disaster,” Lee says. “Marketing is not just the marketing piece. It’s the whole sales cycle. You must know how to build rapport, make presentations, and close in a way that’s comfortable for the customer.” In other words, before launching a marketing campaign of any kind to Hispanics, get to know who these customers are and what they like and don’t like. Make sure your entire marketing program is thoroughly supported end-to-end. Then sit back and let the referrals roll in.

Do’s and Don’ts for Marketing to Hispanics Do:

• Make an effort to understand cultural and national nuances.
• Put Hispanics in your marketing literature.
• Be prepared to have a Spanish-language translator or Spanish-speaking staff person on hand.
• Learn to say basic courtesies in Spanish if the area has a high population of Hispanics.
• Be prepared to take the time necessary to build rapport and a relationship with the customer.
• Be prepared for a closing to take several visits.
• Be patient and don’t rush Hispanic customers.
• Be prepared to explain American business practices, especially financing and credit, to Hispanic customers.
• Don’t:
• Put a Puerto Rican in an ad for Dominicans or a Mexican in an ad for South Americans. Everyone will know the difference, and they’ll be insulted.
• Expect advertising alone to be successful; you must establish a presence in the community.

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  Resource BoxHarvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
  www.jchs.harvard.edu

  Selig Center for Economic Growth, University of Georgia
  www.selig.uga.edu

  National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals
  www.nahrep.org

  U.S. Census Bureau
  www.census.gov

  Ahorre.com (English and Spanish, ahorre means “save”)
  www.ahorre.com