I've been in sales and sales management training for the last 15 years, and I am continually struck by one unchanging situation: sales forces don't reflect the ethnicity of the working world.
Here's what I mean. I live in Toronto, the most multiculturally diverse city on the planet, and I recently became a Canadian citizen. On that day, 113 other people from 22 countries also took the citizenship oath. As I looked around, five of us were white. Only three of us spoke English as our first language (two
Bulgarians were the other part of the white contingent). I was surrounded by a sea of interesting looking faces of various colours and hues, and I was so proud to be part of this crowd.
I ride the subway whenever I get the chance, and the other passengers who are going to work (executives, middle management, administrators, blue collar workers, men, women, recent grads, the nearly retired) mirror the crowd at the citizenship ceremony.
I have worked with over 6,000 sales professionals in the past 15 years in a wide variety of industries including technology, packaged goods, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, health care, travel, banking, insurance and manufacturing. Yet only a handful of people in all my training classes have been black, Asian, East
Indian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, etc.
Why?
This lack of diversity makes no business sense. Every day, companies struggle to develop their competitive edge and increase their customer base. They are operating in a global marketplace, made up of a vast range of cultures, customers and customs. Most companies declare in their corporate statements that their people make the difference, yet they haven't found practical ways to ensure that their sales forces reflect the marketplace realities of diverse races and cultures.
Some voices have started recognizing the benefits of diversity, such as Bill Minix, director of learning and development for Fisher HealthCare. As he says in a recent article in Selling Power magazine, "The more diverse your environment, the better your sales." "If you get 10 medical technicians together for
brainstorming, each with 18 years of experience, what kind of ideas do you think you'll get? But if you introduce a junior military officer with a background in leadership, someone who sold copiers on a commission-only basis, and someone who emigrated from another culture who had to learn how to do business in a new language, you might get new ideas on how to drive, motivate, and persuade your
customers."
BRIDGING THE GAP:
How can managers encourage, recruit and nourish culturally diverse salespeople? Here are some ideas:
1. DECLARE YOUR INTENTION TO HAVE YOUR SALES TEAM MIRROR THE POPULATION
When hiring for sales positions, start paying close attention to company policies that encourage or mandate a diverse environment. Tell others (including your sales team) of your intentions, and ask if they know good people to hire.
Perhaps members of minority groups are not applying for sales jobs in your industry, or aren't being promoted into sales management. The same was said about women 25 years ago. Depending on the industry, many sales forces now include significant numbers of women. Change can happen.
2. QUESTION YOUR OWN PERSPECTIVES
Ask yourself some questions. What are your assumptions about races and cultures other than your own, or about the prospect of working with people who may look at the world and human interactions through different lenses? When you hire or promote someone from a minority group, do you feel as if yo u've done that person a favour? Unconscious attitudes can unwittingly lead to exclusionary actions.
3. BE A MENTOR MATCHMAKER
Research indicates that employees of minority cultures in an organization may have more difficulty finding mentors than employees of the prevailing culture. Find out if an employee would prefer to be partnered with someone of the same background, and then offer to connect that person with an appropriate resource within your organization.
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