Michael Soon Lee

If your business has Filipino customers or Filipino business contacts (meaning people from the Philippines), knowing some Filipino cultural norms can keep your business culturally sensitive. Common greeting: Men and women shake hands with everyone present at a business meeting or social occasion and when saying goodbye.

If you identify the ethnic products and services your multicultural customers want or need to buy, you'll be able to stock up on their preferred selections — and succeed in sales with a diverse inventory. Offer everything, and then some. You can often attract customers from other cultures and boost sales by offering them everything they can get from your competitors, and then some, all in one convenient location, so they don’t have to run around so much.

Business owners often pledge support to activities and events that demonstrate the business's commitment to the community in which it operates. By serving as sponsors, volunteers, fund-raisers, or educators, local businesses can help make their communities better places to live and work. Here are a few opportunities to connect with the public within a community: Social service organizations: Programs such as Catholic and Lutheran social services, Goodwill Industries, and others already provide various services to underserved populations.

Sharing information about your products or services builds trust with the people who purchase from your business. Your helpfulness can boost their confidence in your abilities, knowledge, and motives. An educated customer is an appreciative customer. To be an effective educator, recognize that not everyone learns the same way, and culture can affect the way people absorb information: Auditory-verbal: In the United States, most sales presentations are delivered verbally — the salesperson talks to the customer, and the customers listens passively (hence the term auditory-verbal).

Customers give you contextual clues about the meaning behind what they're saying — or not saying. You just need to interpret those contextual clues to best serve your customers. Listen closely to both what the person says, and how he or she says it. Tune in to the feelings behind the words being said. Note who’s talking.

When meeting any customer or business contact, let that person set a comfortable personal space. If the person's tendency to move in close or stay removed physically doesn't correspond with your personal space preference, accept the fact that you’re not going to be operating in your comfort zone. You can become more accustomed to different comfort zones by practicing this exercise: Stand about 6 feet away from your partner.

When creating business advertisements targeted to a particular cultural group, you need to design your ads with images and messages that appeal to that culture. Here are some ways to attract the attention of people within a specific cultural group: Put people in your advertising photos who are in the same ethnic group (not sort of the same) as the people you’re targeting.

Puerto Ricans may require your attention as a business owner. Your business may have Puerto Rican customers, or you may work with Puerto Rican-owned businesses. Here's how to behave in business with this cultural group: Common greeting: Shaking hands is common for both men and women. Men and women who are friends may kiss each other on the cheek.

If your business has Cuban contacts — either Cuban customers or Cuban business associates, you should familiarize yourself and your business's employees with Cuban cultural practices when it comes to business interactions. Common greeting: Shaking hands is common for both men and women. Men and women who are friends may kiss on the cheek.