What is the one thing that makes or breaks your business within the South Asian community in Houston, or for any South Asian community for that matter?  If you don’t know the answer to this question, then you need to ask your brown neighbor ASAP!Every business owner knows that he/she must master the “word of mouth” marketing strategy prior to rolling out any product or service to the South Asian community.   But why is our community so black and white?  Why do businesses owners have to put extra efforts into ensuring their business image is well taken care of by their South Asian customers?  Here are the golden explanations behind our theories, and we, SABAsearch.com, do accept any monetary “gifts” from non South Asian businesses who may benefit greatly from the disclosure of this highly valuable information

OK, so here it is:  South Asians work in very tight networks, and strongly rely upon each other to disclose prior experiences before going through it themselves.  We expect our fellow community members to open doors for us and share their knowledge, not because we cannot learn it for ourselves, but because that is what’s written in our “unwritten” laws.  This culture was established by the first group of first generation Indian immigrants who came to the U.S with $5 dollars in their pockets and a phone number to call as soon as they landed at LaGuardia airport.  The man who picked up your first immigrant family member was somebody who reaped the same cultural benefits 3 months before.   But what comes around goes around, and if you help another, you reap some benefit at some point in the future - mutually beneficial.

From that point forward, the South Asian communities within the U.S. have thrived and become powerful through the sharing of knowledge, which is a strong component of any successful business practice or organization.  If something is harmful, we know about it by noon.  If something is great, we know about it by 3pm and use it to our advantage.  When there is something that is being given away for FREE, we learn about the loophole so we can get it 3 times over

So, what does this mean for businesses looking to pierce this transparent market?  Simple:  Make sure you serve the South Asian community with the 3 F’s.  Be Flexible, Be Friendly and be FREE.

Be Flexible - Get ready to bargain.  More than likely, the client coming to your door has more information about you than you know.  If you’re not flexible, you’re not winning their business.  Save your shirt, but don’t steal theirs.

Be Friendly - If you make a friend with a South Asian customer, you’ve just made friends with 10.  If you send a customer out of the door in a bad mood, you’ve just lost 10 customers.  South Asians highly regard friendships as a trust factor.  Make a friend, make a buck.

Be FREE - Yes I said it, be FREE.  Let certain individuals within the South Asian community experience your product or service for FREE or at a deep discount.  We love FREE stuff, and it’s a great way to get your product strategically placed on the next train to South Asian consumer loyalty.  But be careful, make sure you put limitations around your FREE offer.

Word of mouth marketing is definitely IN within the South Asian community.  Master the art of spreading a strong word about your business within the South Asian community and you’ll be impressed with the ROI, with the Investment being the simple execution of the three F’s.  If your image has been tarnished by disgruntled South Asians, don’t leave it alone.  Fix it!  Make an extra effort to win over the those South Asian consumers and you’ll benefit from your efforts tenfold.

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