The Hispanic population in the U.S. has been on the rise for decades and is only expected to grow. Diversity is a beautiful thing. It gives us an opportunity to expand our circles and learn from those different from us. But, the benefits don’t stop there. Diversity in our communities also creates new opportunities to extend your reach as a company. To do so, it is essential that key members of your team learn how to communicate with Spanish speakers. If you are a key employee, the information in this blog post is for you too! By learning to speak Spanish confidently, you increase your value and stand out, not only at your company but also in your field. In the next few paragraphs, I will share 3 reasons why key employees need to learn to communicate with Spanish speakers.
Reason 1: As an employer, being able to serve the Hispanic community means putting a stake in a market that other local businesses are not yet reaching. By taking advantage of extending your reach, you automatically distinguish yourself from the competition. As you can imagine, this can change the trajectory of your business. The authors of Blue Ocean Strategy, Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim, make the case that looking at noncustomers “allows companies to reach beyond existing demand to unlock a new mass of customers that did not exist before.” Removing a language barrier does exactly this. It opens up a new group of customers and creates demand.
Reason 2: It doesn’t suffice to have a third-party company market and get you sales within the Hispanic community. You must have key employees within your organization who can confidently serve these new clients. As all marketing and sales professionals know, obtaining new clientele is just the beginning of the customer lifecycle. How do you best serve a new client? You stick with them. You ensure that the product or service meets their expectations and needs. And, you continue to stick with them in hopes of repeat sales. Ultimately, you strive towards stellar reviews and referrals by these same clients. This is the definition of great customer service.
It takes work to follow a client through every part of the customer lifecycle. But, the end result is the opportunity for more sales and thus more revenue. When expanding your market to the Hispanic community, sticking with Spanish-speaking clients means having key employees that can effectively meet their needs. It means having key employees who can communicate your business solutions in Spanish. You can almost guarantee that a domino effect will result from this. One Spanish speaker to another will begin recommending the stellar service that your organization offers to the Hispanic community.
Reason 3: No one knows your business and your business solutions as well as your key employees. Training your key employees to speak Spanish saves the money in time and training that it takes to find and hire an bilingual individual. Being strategic with human resources can mean training your key employees, enabling them to reach and serve both English and Spanish speakers. Furthermore, providing an opportunity for your key employees to learn Spanish is perceived as an investment in their professional growth. As every employer knows, investing in your key employees motivates them towards the good and betterment of the organization.
In conclusion, what can you lose by making a small investment in your key employees and training them to communicate with potential and future Spanish-speaking clients? Well, I can tell you what you are losing by not investing in your key employees in this way. You lose the opportunity to drastically increase your market reach. You lose the opportunity to put your stake in the ground and create a competitive advantage by reaching the Hispanic market now before it is saturated by your competitors. Is it worth that kind of loss?
If you are a key employee, thank you for sticking with me. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to take the step to learn to communicate with Spanish speakers. As the Hispanic market in the U.S. continues to grow, organizations will be on the hunt for professionals that can communicate in both Spanish and English. Learning to speak Spanish confidently will set you apart as our communities and markets begin to shift. Be sure to follow our blog for more to come on this in future posts.
