The Power of a Word

The immediate reaction is the only reaction that matters.

When we meet someone new, when we introduce a new thought into a conversation, when we send a text, we are making a first impression.

As soon as we do that, people begin to make judgements about us - the same way we are making judgements about them. We may not intend to and they are mostly subconscious, but we are making them nevertheless.

You've probably heard the saying - "you don't get a second chance to make a first impression".

It's right.

What will your "first impression" be today? To your spouse, children, or other family members? To your boss, employees, or co-workers? To the neighbors walking the dog? To the barista at the coffee shop? To the checkout person in a long line at the store? And so on...

Make your first impression your best impression.

It may be the only one you will ever make with that person - and it may be a life-changing one.

If you want to get a hit...

...you've got to make contact.

Having the best team on the field means little if you can't make contact with the ball.

In terms of Guest Services, you have been successful in welcoming a guest to your services. They have been enthusiastically greeted and made to feel at home. As the service begins, you have a wonderful opportunity to get something from your guests: their contact information.

If you want to have any chance of an ongoing relationship, you cannot let them leave without knowing how to connect with them.

What's the best way to get your guests' information? How can you find out what you need to know without coming across as intrusive and pushy?

Nelson Searcy, pastor of Journey Church in NYC and author of "Fusion", has used one method that continues to prove successful time and time again: the Communication Card.

Well-organized use of Communication (or Connection) Cards will allow you to gather the pertinent information on roughly eighty percent of your first-time guests. What a great return, but especially when you consider it is coming from getting personal information from unchurched people.

Want to know how to use a successful Communication Card system? Check out Searcy's website here or get a copy of Fusion.

Swing batter!

Winning Teams...

... start with winning players!

A winning Guest Services team begins with making sure the right people are on the team. As Jim Collins said:

The old adage "People are you most important asset" turns out to be wrong. People are not your most important asset. The right people are.

Guest Services team members are the first face of your church - and as such, need to be chosen with care. They need to know how to connect with people, and they need to enjoy doing so. They need to be wow-makers.

Mark Waltz, Connections Pastor at Granger Community Church, uses the acronym SHAPE (developed by Saddleback Church) to discover and deploy Guest Services team members:

Spiritual Gifts - Spiritual gifts are divine enablements given by the Holy Spirit to equip each believer for significance and purpose and to be a witness of God's grace to the world. The gifts of hospitality, encouragement, administration, and leadership can be invaluable assets on your Guest Services team.

Heart - The H in the acronym is for heart, or passion. Every member of your Guest Services team should be passionate about relating to and connecting with people.

Abilities - There are literally dozens of skills that contribute to a successful Guest Services team: listening, communicating, question asking, counting, guiding, directing, and perceiving are all helpful abilities.

Personality - While an extrovert may seem to be a natural choice for a Guest Services team, that might not always be the case. Your team probably has a wide range of tasks, and the team member's personality needs to match the task.

Experience - Work experiences, former church ministry experiences - even painful experiences - all are helpful when encouraging people to serve on a Guest Services team.

When you help each person find the right place in which to serve, everyone wins.

Want to know more about the Guest Services team at Granger? Check out these resources by Mark Waltz: First Impressions and Lasting Impressions.

The clock is ticking...

Okay, maybe it's not as vivid as this picture would indicate, but the fact of the matter is guests coming to your church ARE on a time limit!

Nelson Searcy, in his book "Fusion", states that:

Seven minutes is all you get to make a positive first impression. In the first seven minutes of contact with your church, your first-time guests will know whether or not they are coming back. That's before a single worship song is sung and before a single work of the message is uttered.

It's not a logical decision.

They aren't weighing the pros and cons of your worship styles, theological viewpoints, or your dazzling speaking skills.

It's all about your first impression.

They are making their "return decision" based on your church's atmosphere and friendliness. Their subconscious is in overdrive, doing what Malcolm Gladwell calls "thin-slicing", or taking in dozens of observations and clues that will form the basis of their ultimate decision.

How can you as a church leader compete in this arena of the unknown and often unaware?

How about a little baseball analogy? Spring Training (for your church's guest services team) starts tomorrow!

The More Prepared a Church is to Receive Guests...

...the more guests it receives!

Call it a self-fulfilling prophecy if you want, but Nelson Searcy, writing in "Fusion", states that his work with churches of all sizes and types have proven this over and over. I have also found this true not only in churches I work with, but also my own church, Elevation.

If churches are faithful to prepare a warm welcome for the guests God has given (and those who will come), then He will be faithful to bless those churches.

So, how do you "prepare?"

Searcy thinks it all starts in pre-service preparation: a series of actions he calls "from the street to the seat." The pre-service is a church's first opportunity for interaction with everyone who sets foot on the property. The mission of the pre-service is to make every effort to take your guest's guard down, to make them feel welcome, and to put a smile on their face. He finds four initial areas of contact through which you can influence your guests during the pre-service:

• Greeted - welcomed with a smile
• Directed - Simply and politely shown and taken to where they need to go
• Treated - Shown respect, and happily surprised with full-service attention
• Seated - led to comfortable, appropriate seats

For a full discussion of these pre-service areas, pick up a copy of Searcy's book here. You can also look on his website here for more details.

Everything done in preparation for a church service works together to represent God's character to unchurched people. They may not know immediately why they like your church or why the feel comfortable, but it's because you've done your work to set them at ease before they knew they were coming.

Tomorrow: The Clock is Ticking...

Creating the CFIO...

...that would be the Chief First Impressions Officer.

Upon concluding a successful training event for a guest services team recently, I conferred on everyone participating the title of CXO (Chief Experience Officer) and an honorary GsD (Doctor of Guestology). While it was a light-hearted recognition of the group's hard work, it's really something you should consider in your organization.

Tom Peters, writing in "The Little Big Things", coined the title CFIO used above. It's a great action to take, because you should spend a lot of time and energy thinking through beginnings very carefully. Invest lots of time, money, and training in the creating and managing of first impressions.

Beginnings are overwhelmingly important - and you only begin once.

Your First Impression

We all know that first impressions matter - but do we really know it?

Author Tom Peters, writing in "The Little Big Things", has these comments about First Impressions:

We need constant reminding that first impressions matter - a lot. In his typical hyperbole, Peters goes beyond first impressions to the

Science and Art of the Construction of and Execution and Maintenance of Fantastic Beginnings

The oft-quoted claim of Fox News' Roger Ailes is that we have 7 seconds to make a first impression. He gives this advice:

• Amp up your attitude - square your shoulders, lean into the conversation, and make sure your eyes shine
• Give your message a mission - if you've got something you want to get from the interaction, stay on message.
• Recognize "face value" - engage in your conversation by being in the moment and focusing on the recipient(s) of your message

The bottom line? Pay mindful attention to how you engage - it's as important (or maybe more important) that content.