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As I picked up my rental car, I noticed that the company had doubled the size of their lot. At the gate, I commented on this to the employee as he checked my paperwork. His response: “It’s all about the money. If they get more cars in here, they can make more money.”
His comment made me wonder, “What message does the public receive about your church?” We may think of the lead pastor or certain staff members as the messenger. While it’s true that he or she is most visible, the many people who make up the congregation carry the message farther. They are the ones who interact with visitors, talk to neighbors and more.
It is well known that word-of-mouth “advertising” is much more effective than paid-marketing programs.
I am sure I have received carefully written emails from the rental car company, which I immediately delete. That brings me back to the employee at the gate. He was the rental car company’s primary messenger to this customer. His statement was factual—their expansion would allow the company to make more money.
But the company missed a golden opportunity to say, “You probably remember how crowded the old lot was. With this expansion, we can serve our valued customers better.” He didn’t. He made it sound like they didn’t care about me and only cared about making more money.
What are your takeaways from this story? Do you make sure that your team and congregation understand the message you want to communicate? How do you encourage and inspire them with this message and mission?
I’m sure that the rental car company had no idea of what their employee had communicated.
Photo source: istock
 | Mike Bonem is an author, consultant, speaker, church leader, businessperson, husband and father. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a breadth of experience in ministry and business, including 11 years as an executive pastor, consulting with Fortune 100 companies, and leading a start-up business. This article was first published on MikeBonem.com. Used with permission. Learn More » |
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