If you haven’t read it yet, I suggest everyone get the book “Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. He demonstrates how everyone responds to others in light of FIVE love languages. They are: quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, physical touch, and words of affirmation. Those are pretty much self explanatory.

So, what does that have to do with ‘why’ I do what I do. Well, I took a step back and asked myself if I really enjoyed graphic design. As the Creative Director here at ShowCase, you would think I would be in love with design. But, it would surprise you to know that that’s really not what drives me. You see, there is an underlying reason why I do what do.

Years ago I interned at a small college that offered several on-campus and correspondence classes. They were in need of someone to take the manuals and do a better job making them look professional. So, I bought a computer when I was 20 years old and did my best to help them out. I learned fast and people were amazed at what I could create on a computer. They constantly told others what a great job I had done and how creative I was.

You see, what drove me then (and still drives me!) is not so much a passion to create something new, but it fulfills my love language (words of affirmation). I realized that the ACT of creativity fulfills a NEED I have. If no one ever commented or “affirmed” me and my work, would I still do what I do? The answer is, “probably not.”

So, ask yourself, “Why do I do what I do?” If you’re honest with yourself, you probably will realize that a NEED you have drives the ACTS that you do. It might tell you a lot about yourself. It might also cause you to rethink what you do.

Written by Chad McMillan, Creative Director

How true. But when did the church officially dumb down our interpretation of “wealth” to be JUST money? For decades, Fortune 500 companies have invested significant marketing research dollars into the study of how consumers do 3 things: Receive information, spend time, and spend money. 

The church has, until now, generally shunned the idea of “marketing”, while the world’s economy, culture and belief system have been shaped by companies launching cutting edge branding & ad campaigns, resulting in increasing consumer acceptance of products from Nike to Budweiser. The result: Products, disguised as lifestyle choices, have secured a position in the hearts and pocketbooks of several generations of people. 

The good news…The information on how they do it is now available at warp speed! And with the “greatest product on the face of planet earth”, the church for the first time ever has a unique opportunity: To actually market the greatest product ever offered without having to re-invent the wheel…We can look at decades of failed and successful product launches, new market development, ad campaigns and more, and apply tried and true principles to reach the world with the message of the gospel.

So, next staff meeting, ask the question…do we understand the behavior of the very world we’re trying to reach?

Last I checked, when the bible cautioned us not to “forsake the assembling of the saints” as a timeless principle.

So what’s the problem? The Church is. At least our perspective. Assembly of saints isn’t dying because the principle no longer applies. Attendance is dropping because the emphasis on assembling is out of position in the way people perceive its place in relationships. Used to be, the only way I chose to discover a company, a product, a relationship, was by….well, trying it. No longer. Consumers engage in a relationship with your product way before the 1st date. If you don’t believe it, ask E-Harmony. Or ask yourself why you didn’t let your spouse meet your entire family (yes, your crazy aunt too) on your first date. Why? It was out of order in the process.

Businesses who win customers understand “caring before commerce.” Demonstrate you care about me before I should buy what you’re selling. People might visit Church quicker if they had a chance to engage in the relationship first. So, in essence, the worst thing you might do to grow is invite people to Church FIRST. Instead, figure out a different point of entry into their life; join a conversation they’re already having, in a relevant way. Fewer people are looking for a church…they’re too busy looking for answers to life’s problems. Bring ‘em answers and they’ll bring you the rest of their life.

A Church marquee sign off the highway read, “Praise Jehovah…He shall return for his lost sheep!”. 

I couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering my “B.C. days”, and thinking…who talks like that? More importantly, who wrote it and did they actually think it was the key to increasing attendance this Sunday?

How easy it is, the more time we spend in an environment, to allow the environment to shape our thoughts, actions and words. How ironic, that the very environment the Church tries to pray people into produces a language that confuses the very people it has a heart to reach?

The toughest thing for a company to do is market their product in a way that their target consumer says, “I gotta have that!” It’s why shoe commercials don’t break down the chemical composition of the rubber sole, beer commercials don’t simply list ingredients, and car commercials don’t describe for us every component of the engineering process in great detail. They match the product’s most attractive features with a lifestyle a consumer desires…in language from the customer’s world, not from the manufacturer’s warranty.

So, the next time your Church has a great event designed to reach the lost…remember to translate from Christian-ese to Average Joe! He might actually want to come…and bring his family with him.

Little did they know that way before the crisis started, God had plans to use wise men from a long way away…wise men they didn’t know, who in fact were sent by Herod to find him and report back to the King his whereabouts so the King could have him killed…to bring the funding for the journey.

6 Christmas Lessons for leaders: 

1. Sometimes your breakthrough comes from the very people or thing designed to take you down
2. Open your door to wise men along the journey
3. Don’t let funding stop your destiny. If you have vision for where you’re going, you’ll have provision when you need it.
4. Answers usually will come when you least expect them to show up because solutions are in motion way before problems are
5. As you take advice and follow your vision you’ll seem out of place along the way, and probably have to leave people and things behind
6. If an Egypt is labeled one time (especially by your own family/lineage) as a place of oppression and pain, there’s danger in writing it off as a place we could never find value in, no matter how popular or how much pressure to label it. We miss great opportunities in life, with people, places and opportunities, by refusing to consider that change is possible…or that sources of pain can also be sources of tremendous refuge and quite possibly a place destined to raise our destiny while it’s still in its fragile infancy. 

Growing up, I loved the famous commercial with a star-struck boy in the stadium tunnel, stopping to offer a Coke to Mean Joe Greene, who’s hobbling to the showers. Mean Joe reluctantly takes it, drinks it, and speaks the famous words, “Hey kid…Catch!”, trading his jersey for the drink. “Thanks mean Joe!”, and the jingle takes us out in tears. 

Ironically, coke didn’t experience any incremental sales increase as a result! But, sales of Steelers memorabilia went through the roof! What happened? While creative, the message was off strategy; it missed the mark. 

Consumers were told not to place value on the Coke, rather on the jersey that the kid got. It told us, “Product’s ok, but it’s all about the shirt!” An expensive lesson: Before advertising, make sure your Ministry isn’t shifting people’s focus away from the impact of your Ministry, out of our desire to be entertaining, creative, and different. Communicate your heart, not your personality.

Most marketing mistakes are made in a rush to “get our name out there”, or what I call the “Ready, fire…aim!” approach. Before you spend money advertising your ministry or conference, list your objectives, and hold your team accountable to measuring any ideas back to one question: Will this directly help us achieve any of our objectives?

If not, you may just be helping someone else sell a whole lotta jerseys…

Seems like most Church bookstores sell breath mints right at the register. Logical, since it’s one of the top requested items. And how convenient…I can get in line, get my mints, and head into service without having to walk through the store. 

Which is great! This way, I’m not tempted to walk past all the Pastor’s messages on CD, music, books, T-shirts and other resources my family might purchase and ultimately have our life forever changed.

OK, you get the point. Ministries can learn valuable lessons from grocery stores and retail superstores, where brands spend significant dollars to move their products to eye-level shelves, ends of aisles, and other spots where consumer research proves purchasing potential to be higher. Notice how you have to pass ice cream and other impulse purchases to get to the bread and milk!

Merchandising should be strategic. Your team spends time & money making resources available…Why not make your bookstore a more profitable resource center, ultimately impacting people more by positioning key resources in their path? Compelling POP displays for conferences, and posters promoting your leadership’s “favorite teaching series” recommendations are just 2 of many ideas that can take a bookstore to another level if you develop an ongoing marketing strategy.

The answer is both. This was a classic case of “right medium, wrong message.” Successful companies know there’s a time to market to prospective 1st time buyers, and another time to market to people who don’t shop with you because they don’t know you’re product is better than the one they’ve always had. Their level of revelation is limited by their exposure.

Don’t be offended, I’m not advocating “stealing members”. But there’s a principle here: Successful marketing targets different messages to different groups. Ministries have 2 audiences to reach, with completely different strategies. One needs salvation. The other might need to be challenged beyond the tank they’re currently swimming in. 

While reaching the ‘lost’, are you also infecting your community in a way that awakens those needing more out of “same-old, same-old” Church? Are you modeling passion and impact that challenges a person to want to BE church, not just DO Church? If pain of current circumstances (Church, relationships, business) is measurable, with nothing better in sight, people rarely make change. 

When a thread of discontent surfaces in a person’s life, are you there… with the right, relevant message?

I believe two significant market shifts–the emergence of social media, and the economic downturn–have been catalysts, perhaps even creating a tipping point, for the power of building and connecting with authentic relationships. It’s always been important, but the economy has forced businesses and non-profits to challenge every premise, reconsider every dollar spent on traditional ways to touch new prospective customers, members and donors. What got you here, what easily generated success in the past, won’t get you there, won’t move you to where you envision your organization’s potential.

An interesting by-product of this economy, as I talk with CEO’s, Pastors and Leaders all over, that you really need to know especially if you’re in sales: Leaders are more and more fearful, disconnected, and in many cases, lonely & isolated…now matter what they actually tell you. The emergence of social media has become a cost effective way to connect, listen to consumers and competition, and connect authentically with people. The organizations who emerge intact, poised for growth and with larger market shares will be the ones who aggressively position themselves as “relationship first, sell second”. Connectors, relationship builders, servant leaders who seek to give in the tightest times, who look to help others success during tough times before taking, win because their vision is clear and their authenticity, tested during tough times, is seen for what it is: transparent and genuine.

So, as tough as it sounds (and feels), the best growth strategy when times are tough? Sow where you wanna go. Give to your clients like never before, reach out to your prospects and give where THEY hurt, help solve THEIR problems even (especially) if it means connecting them with a solution BEFORE selling them what you have. Start a blog advising them in areas you can help. Host a business after hours of your own, connect clients with clients. Take 2 clients for coffee who need to meet. Look for relationship first, sales 2nd. 

Here’s a great 30-second read from Seth Godin, Marketing guru & bestselling author, that beautifully illustrates this, in a way that creates a great visual you’ll be glad you took a “pause” to check out…the Panhandler’s secret: 

http://tinyurl.com/av6xpk

Here’s what I mean: When you ask someone to take action on something, consider your discomfort with being clear and concise, and the consequences of it. It’s so easy to fall into the trap, and then be upset with everyone else later, except for the person who created the frustration in the first place. Here’s a few ways to avoid paying the price later:

1) Replace “Hey, can you look this over, tell me what you think when you get a chance,” with “I’d love your input on this. I will be finalizing it by Thursday. Is it realistic to expect you to review it and share any changes or insights with me, via email, by Wednesday at noon? Great. Can I hold you accountable to that?”

2) Replace “If you have any ideas on this, let me know…call me, shoot me an email, write them down and let’s discuss sometime,” with “I’d love to get your input. Give me a day & time you can carve out 20 minutes to share your findings with me; pick a date that allows you enough time to breathe, research, think through it, and give me your best.”

3) Replace “Can you handle this for me,” by “When can I expect this from you, and before you commit to accomplishing it, can you glance over the assignment and push back on me by sharing any stumbling blocks/obstacles you see now, before you commit to accomplishing it?”

4) Replace “No, this isn’t what I asked for” on the back end by clarifying on the front end: “What actionable step are you planning on taking to accomplish this? let’s talk through them, so I can help with resources, ideas or people to help you.”

5) Replace “Can everyone look over this, and see what you think,” with assigning it specifically to the person most gifted and resourced to pull it off. Let him/her champion hitting the deadline, exceeding your expectations, and make it clear that your role along the way, as leader, to help them accomplish the task is timely barrier removal.

There’s a cost to doing something, and usually a much bigger cost in choosing to do nothing. Being vague, unintentional, or not choosing to establish a deadline and a champion up front is, in essence, a choice…and a much more costly choice.