Helping your church or ministry share the good news in ways that get attention and invite response from the people you want to reach

Coaching Session Eight Develop a follow-up process Understand what are prospecting, filtering and assimilation . Get feedback to improve your ministry Evaluate your ministry marketing Close the Loop

Develop a follow-up process

Understand what are prospecting, filtering and assimilation .

Get feedback to improve your ministry

Evaluate your ministry marketing

Warm Up You have developed a ministry marketing playbook You have clear goals and have begun to share the Good News. You need to take the last step toward the Ministry Marketing Mindset: Close the Loop

You have developed a ministry marketing playbook

You have clear goals and have begun to share the Good News.

You need to take the last step toward the Ministry Marketing Mindset: Close the Loop

The Bowtie Drills

Case Study A church planting team has a block party near where the new church plant will be located to promote the Vacation Bible School the following week. Everyone praises the Lord when 90 kids enroll in the VBS! The church carries out the VBS and hosts a family night service. Two new families join the church. All in all, a great event. Since everyone is tired from the block party and VBS, the church planting team all take the next week off. When they get back in action it is time to start planning the back to school calendar. They also know they need to follow-up on the families of the 90 kids from VBS. But they haven’t even had time to talk about the block party, let alone the VBS, who knows what else needs to be done!

Case Study The church planting team decided to do some evangelism training to prepare themselves for the follow-up. They take three weeks in their mid-week Bible study to prepare. Then, on the fourth week the entire church planting team goes out two-by-two and visits in the homes of the parents of the kids who came to VBS. But a problem arises, each team is met with resistance. None of the families seem as open to the church as they were after VBS. None of the teams were able to bring a single family of the 90 kids to visit in the church. What went wrong?

The Issues The block party was a great way to get kids into the VBS The parents appreciated the VBS program for the kids. But the church didn’t do any thinking about how to meet the needs of the parents. In addition, they were not ready to follow-up on the parents until 5-6 weeks after the VBS. Many of the parents had forgotten about the VBS and had lost the good feelings they had about the church. The church could have used the block party and VBS to learn more about the parents in the area to try to determine their needs. The church planters could have built-in ministry that introduced the parents to the new church. The names and addresses of the parents could have been used to send out special letters or other materials to keep the name of the church in front of the people so they would not forget the new congregation was starting. Perhaps the personal testimony of the two families who joined the church could have been a part of the marketing plans

The block party was a great way to get kids into the VBS

The parents appreciated the VBS program for the kids.

But the church didn’t do any thinking about how to meet the needs of the parents.

In addition, they were not ready to follow-up on the parents until 5-6 weeks after the VBS. Many of the parents had forgotten about the VBS and had lost the good feelings they had about the church.

The church could have used the block party and VBS to learn more about the parents in the area to try to determine their needs.

The church planters could have built-in ministry that introduced the parents to the new church.

The names and addresses of the parents could have been used to send out special letters or other materials to keep the name of the church in front of the people so they would not forget the new congregation was starting.

Perhaps the personal testimony of the two families who joined the church could have been a part of the marketing plans

Need to learn more about Closing the Loop The backdoor of churches are often left wide open for three reasons Lack of follow-up There is no place for feedback Evaluation is not a part of the regular planning process of the church If your church can do these things you will close the backdoor of your church!

The backdoor of churches are often left wide open for three reasons

Lack of follow-up

There is no place for feedback

Evaluation is not a part of the regular planning process of the church

If your church can do these things you will close the backdoor of your church!

Prospecting

Why do all this marketing? Need to think in terms of getting response from people Value when people respond Reward with personal attention when people respond They raise their hands and show their interest Your ministry is to build deeper relationships with them Too many churches treat getting visitors as the end When a person participates in your church that is the beginning The goal is to use “ filtering ” to identify prospects for your ministry

Need to think in terms of getting response from people

Value when people respond

Reward with personal attention when people respond

They raise their hands and show their interest

Your ministry is to build deeper relationships with them

Too many churches treat getting visitors as the end

When a person participates in your church that is the beginning

The goal is to use “ filtering ” to identify prospects for your ministry

Neg. Pos. Attitude 1. 10 Knowledge Marketing in Action

Impersonal Personal Emotional Attachment, Commitment, Need for Information, Loyalty 1. Initial Awareness 2. Initial Contact and Impressions 3. Surfing Information 4. Beginning to Learn 5. Willingness to Consider Joining 6. Limited Participation 7. Forming Relationships 8. Joining 9. Adapting to Being a Member 10. Ready to Teach

Filtering Terms Field: The entire target audience you want to reach Prospecting: Filtering for people in the community who are responsive Prospects: People who have been identified as responsive through your searching

Field: The entire target audience you want to reach

Prospecting: Filtering for people in the community who are responsive

Prospects: People who have been identified as responsive through your searching

Types of Prospecting Blind Prospecting Advertisements Events Selective Prospecting Referrals Lists Observation

Blind Prospecting

Advertisements

Events

Selective Prospecting

Referrals

Lists

Observation

Follow-up

Creating Interest 1-4 Participation 5-7 Involved 8-10 Response Filter Response Filter More Info. Less Info.

An Assimilation Plan Ongoing Prospect gives contact information First Visit Newcomer Friendly Outreach Every 6 Weeks Newsletter Birthday Notes Outreach Events Phone Call Visit Gift First Week Invitation to Newcomers Fellowship First Month Put information in database Send Letter Next Day

Why Assimilation? Prospect needs time to decide Prolonged contact builds rapport Personalized touches make person feel special Helps you take advantage of contacts you make It is relational evangelism

Prospect needs time to decide

Prolonged contact builds rapport

Personalized touches make person feel special

Helps you take advantage of contacts you make

It is relational evangelism

Tools You’ll need Visitor Cards Database Reports (Weekly, monthly, etc) Contact content Training for workers Programs, projects, and events information

Visitor Cards

Database

Reports (Weekly, monthly, etc)

Contact content

Training for workers

Programs, projects, and events information

Document These Five Things: Who they are (name, relationship, address, phone, e-mail, etc) What they responded to (an ad, phone call, signage, friend, etc.) What their response was (comments, requests, feedback, decisions) When and how they responded (date of phone call, e-mail, etc.) What our actions were (Give information, send materials, visit, etc.) or will be

Who they are (name, relationship, address, phone, e-mail, etc)

What they responded to (an ad, phone call, signage, friend, etc.)

What their response was (comments, requests, feedback, decisions)

When and how they responded (date of phone call, e-mail, etc.)

What our actions were (Give information, send materials, visit, etc.) or will be

Getting Visitors is the Tip of the Iceberg! 10% Visitors and New Referrals Attracting People 30% Following-up on Prospects Establishing Participation 60% Assimilating Existing Contacts Getting People Involved

Feedback

Feedback Keep learning about the people as you reach them Confirm if your research findings are accurate See if the media you use are working Learn from complaints and feedback surveys

Keep learning about the people as you reach them

Confirm if your research findings are accurate

See if the media you use are working

Learn from complaints and feedback surveys

Feedback should be: Planned for (from the beginning) Collected Compiled Analyzed Reported Acted upon

Planned for (from the beginning)

Collected

Compiled

Analyzed

Reported

Acted upon

Evaluation

Bull’s Eye? When evaluating something, you must always have a standard. Not having a standard is like an archer who flings an arrow into the forest. He then finds the arrow stuck into a tree, paints a target neatly around it and shouts, “Bulls-eye!” In ministry we often fling programs blindly at our communities and congregations. Then, when someone claims that some good happened somewhere, we shout, “Bulls-eye!” “Praise the Lord!”

When evaluating something, you must always have a standard. Not having a standard is like an archer who flings an arrow into the forest. He then finds the arrow stuck into a tree, paints a target neatly around it and shouts, “Bulls-eye!”

In ministry we often fling programs blindly at our communities and congregations. Then, when someone claims that some good happened somewhere, we shout, “Bulls-eye!” “Praise the Lord!”

Ten Evaluation Questions Has this marketing program helped us to accomplish our mission? If so, specifically how? Be specific! If not, why not? Be specific. What expectations were set for this ministry/event/program? In what ways were these expectations reached or missed? What resources did we use? What resources did we lack? What resources did we have but didn’t use? What changes should we make for the next time? What things should we do again for the next time?

Has this marketing program helped us to accomplish our mission?

If so, specifically how? Be specific!

If not, why not? Be specific.

What expectations were set for this ministry/event/program?

In what ways were these expectations reached or missed?

What resources did we use?

What resources did we lack?

What resources did we have but didn’t use?

What changes should we make for the next time?

What things should we do again for the next time?

Practice Time Develop a prospect follow-up plan for every event Look at the data you have an see what your back door looks like Evaluate at least one event from this year. Marketing Playbook

Develop a prospect follow-up plan for every event

Look at the data you have an see what your back door looks like

Evaluate at least one event from this year.