Dan O’Deens Blogspot

First Impressions or GUEST SERVICES?

July 28, 2009 at 11:29 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

I have to start out by sharing my disdain for the term “First Impressions.” At first the phrase is catchy.   …And then, you read into it and it appears to be a bit “Shady.”  What I mean by that is that the term seems to convey an un-honest reality.  We will work hard at the façade and the ‘gimmick’ to get you in, and then it’s business as usual.   I will for this blog sake, assume that we are all genuine and truly care for each person that is checking us or God out!   I might also throw out a better name for your “First Impression Ministries.”  I like “GUEST SERVICES.”

With that said, it is true that people make their decisions based on what they see first.  So, in that light, let’s revisit the subject of “marketing.”

At the core of Marketing is:

•The ability to understand how people perceive you

•A vision of how you would like to be perceived

•Making the necessary adjustments to execute the desired outcome

A “GUEST SERVICE MISSION STATEMENT: “Helping people take their next step toward Christ and on toward a life of full devotion.  We purpose to create an atmosphere of warmth and personal acceptance; providing a “safe” environment for people to see, know and follow Christ.

First Impressions Matter

•First Impressions are Automatic

•First Impressions are Lasting impressions

•68% of customers who go elsewhere do so because of their perception of indifference

•96% of customers tell others –not the organization about a bad experience

Queen of Sheba – For those who like to see what the Bible says!

When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed. She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. (1 Kings Chapter 10)

When we begin to consider what we’re “showing” in the little things, maybe we can understand why people do not see our churches the way we do.  We know our intentions, they only see our execution.

“Taking It To The Streets” Marketing or communicating to the outside continues to support those on the inside and provides confidence to those “salespeople” who truly love the “company” they work for.

Perception Contrtibutors

•Name

•Website

•Vocabulary

•Decor

•Dress

•Style of Service

•# of cars in the lot

•Type of cars in the lot

•Leadership “team” vs. “board”

•External promotion techniques

•Current membership

•Past membership

•Signage

NEXT: Create An Open Forum for IDEA Exchange on Better Ways/Creative Ways/Successful Ways To MARKET the CHURCH!

Perceptions: They Matter Too!

July 22, 2009 at 11:05 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Perceptions can be formed from 2 major components:

1. What people see and hear about us

2. Where they are in life

The un-churched cannot be expected to understand

our intent from the outset.  Why would a person visit

your church?  What is it about you that would make

them think you have “the answer” ?

Would you be embarrassed to invite someone to your church?

Marketing must affect who we become before it can

affect who we are pursuing.  What is the result if this

is not achieved – we are perceived as hypocrites.

The Starbucks Experience

Remarkable organizations grow because of two main reasons:

1. People discover them, they not only become great fans but they also tell

others

2. Their customers, clients, members and visitors find more reasons to

come back and come back often

NEXT: First Impressions

Marketing Matters

July 19, 2009 at 10:54 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Over the next few blogs I want to think and discuss ‘outloud’ the value of marketing the church.  What is marketing?  Should the church be involved in marketing?   Is there any value in marketing?  How do we market the church?

In short:  Marketing is simply letting people know that we are here and that we have something  to offer.   It is the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service.

For the church we might say that we should be involved in managing people’s perceptions of the Gospel toward a hopeful end that they will respond positively to it.

So the real question:  Is my church or is the Gospel worth promoting?

Let me hear your thoughts.

NEXT:  PERCEPTIONS…They Matter Too!