According to the U.S. Commerce Dept., the number ofminority-owned businesses in America increased by 46 percentbetween 2002 and 2007, the most recent years for which data isavailable. During this time, Asian-owned firms grew 41 percent,Hispanic-owned enterprises increased 44 percent and black-owned businesses grew 61 percent. This growing market is anopportunity for insurance producers.

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Firms with 99 or fewer employees account for 98 percent of allcompanies with employees, and 89 percent of U.S. businesses arefamily-owned. They need insurance to provide business continuityand continued income for their families in case of their death orincapacity.

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Building relationships with minority business owners is totallydifferent from with Caucasian clients. The first thing to realizeis that to relate to multicultural clients you must treat them withsensitivity to their culture. They're usually happy to work withany agent, regardless of what culture you're from, but you'll haveto learn a bit about their language, food, beliefs and otherpractices.

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With Hispanics, Asians and Middle Easterners, you'll want to letthem know a bit about yourself and your family. Then you can thenask a question such as, “Can you tell me where your ancestors arefrom?” They are likely to be very specific by saying such thingsas, “Mexico,” “China” or “Iran” because they are all very proud oftheir unique culture. Learn about each of the major cultures you'relikely to encounter in the area in which you practice. Many buybusinesses like convenience stores, nail salons and laundriesbecause it's a good source of income for people who have limitedEnglish skills or lack of familiarity with the Americanculture.

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Related: Read the article “Diversity in Insurance:Beyond the Quotas” by Darryl Paige.

When meeting black clients for the first time, be sure not tocall them by their first name as this can be perceived as tooinformal and even disrespectful. Always call them “Mr.”, “Mrs.” or“Ms.” until they either call you by your first name or give youpermission to use their given name.

When greeting Hispanic, Asian or Middle Eastern clients, don'tassume that they automatically want to shake your hand. While thismay be natural for you, it could be extremely uncomfortable andpossibly even insulting to someone from outside the U.S. Forinstance, many Middle Eastern, Asian Indian and Japanese women aregenerally forbidden to touch any man who is not her husband orrelative. The way to avoid this problem is to stop assuming thateveryone wants to shake hands and let the other person tell you howthey want to be greeted. Introduce yourself and let the otherperson give whatever greeting he or she is most comfortable withand then return the gesture.

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Take a short quiz to see how you would handle these culturalsituations.

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When greeting a minority couple, greet the man first. Wait tosee what kind of greeting he gives you. If he offers his hand, goahead and shake it, but be sure to drop your hand to your sidebefore turning to the woman. She likely will nod to acknowledge youand you should give her whatever greeting she offers you.

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Hispanics and particularly Asians do notexpect direct eye contact. In the U.S., we tend to think of lookingothers in the eye as essential when building relationships. Infact, we relate eye contact to honesty, sincerity and respect.However, some cultures consider it rude and disrespectful so toshow you respect these people will look down. This is common in theAsian and Native American cultures where people often avert theireyes while talking. So instead of feeling uncomfortable or tryingto get eye contact, if a client looks away, just do the same.

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Related: read the article “IIABA to LaunchDiversity Education Webinar” by Mark E. Ruquet.

Another way to make clients feel uncomfortable is by standingtoo close or too far away when talking. In the U.S., we stand abouttwo feet apart when talking after shaking hands. However, in Japan,people are more formal and will shake hands or bow then step backto give each other greater personal space. Americans find this istoo much room so we naturally step forward violating the Japaneseclient's personal space. This causes them to step backward and theAmerican could end up chasing them all over their store.

The way to deal with personal space differences is simply tostand still if a client steps backward or forward after yourinitial greeting. It may be a bit uncomfortable for you, but thekey is to do what's comfortable for the client. This is what goodcustomer service, in any language, is all about.

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Related: Read the article “Foreign BusinessInvestments Could Boost U.S. Economy” by Laura MazuccaToops.

Cross-cultural mistakes by uninformed agents can ruin arelationship with a new client before it even gets started. Be sureto let the client show you how he or she wants to be greeted. Ifyou don't get direct eye contact, don't expect it, and if thecustomer steps in or back after your greeting, just stand yourground and let them determine how much personal space he or shewants. If you just do these three things in the first 30 seconds ofmeeting them, it will put you light years ahead of yourcompetition.

Multicultural business owners work very hard at theirbusinesses, but often fail to develop a business continuity plan orconsider owner protection insurance. A financial advisor could beextremely helpful with these and other critical issues. By workingwith multicultural business owners you can not only learn aboutdifferent cultures but you could win clients for a lifetime who aremore likely than the average person to refer their friends andfamily to you.

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Remember, these people could be your clients if you are willingto adjust, just a little, to meet their unique needs.