Issue No. 52 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting marks a full year of publishing for us. To celebrate, you’ll understand if I sink into self-promotion and suggest you buy my book—and give me some feedback via the online survey at the end of this enews. And this reminder: you can read the mini-reviews of all 52 books at my Buckets Blog at www.JohnPearsonAssociates.com.
What is your unique selling proposition (USP)? Are you just the eighth lemonade stand in a row of nine? Have you clearly differentiated your organization from everyone else? It’s not easy. Browse magazine ads, websites and your junk mail—the truly unique program, product or service jumps out at you. All the other copy cats and clones add to the collective boredom.
When Bob Hisrich and I wrote Marketing Your Ministry in pre-Internet 1990, many church leaders were still uncomfortable using the word “marketing.” Google “marketing your ministry” today and more than 1,700 options appear. The book’s 10 critical principles are as relevant today as they were 17 years ago—maybe more so.)
My favorite principle: “One clever direct mail piece does not a marketing plan make. People buy a total package.” Example: many churches mail innovative outreach postcards to 5,000 or 10,000 homes in their communities (a good idea). Yet when a new prospect calls the church on Sunday morning for more information, the call goes to voice mail—the church office is closed on Sundays (a bad idea). Yikes!
Good news! I found some copies of Marketing Your Ministry: Ten Critical Principles (hardback, 116 pages) in my garage this weekend. Buy one or a dozen direct from me for just $4.99 each, plus shipping and handling. Just email Orders@JohnPearsonAssociates.com and include your name, organization, address and phone—and we’ll bill you.
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
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1.How are we differentiating our programs, products and services from all of the other lemonade stands? Is it time for a two-day think tank retreat?
2. Rate our organization on delivering the “total package.” Are we great at graphics but mediocre in customer service?
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Insights from the Management Buckets Workshop Experience
Critical Principle #3 in Marketing Your Ministry is “Ask people what their real needs are—then shut up and listen, listen, listen.” It’s best to do this BEFORE you launch a new program, product or service—but you must also create a marketing culture of continuous feedback.
Does the customer at the hardware store need a quarter-inch drill or a quarter-inch hole? What are the real needs of your customers? What are you pitching?
Feedback is the breakfast of champions, according to Bob Hisrich. He’s right—because your customer (donor, parents, student, member, etc.) is constantly changing and being exposed to new ideas and new opportunities. If your last focus group or survey took place in the dark ages, this is a great month to ask your customer about their real needs. (Idea for churches: conduct exit interviews in the parking lot after each service this month.)
I frequently survey customers, board members, staff members and volunteers for my clients using the tools at SurveyMonkey.com. This week, now with 52 issues of Your Weekly Staff Meeting out the door, I’d like to know what you think. If you have time, click here and give me feedback in this Three-Minute Survey. I’m listening.
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
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1. Peter Drucker said you must ask two questions about your customers: Who is our customer? What does the customer value? Let’s discuss them today.
2. If you could ask our customers (donors, members, etc.) three questions, what would they be?
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The Customer Bucket is just one of 20 buckets we’ll dip into at the next two-day Management Buckets Workshop Experience, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 2007, in Orange County, Calif. Plus, there are two Nonprofit Board Governance Workshops planned this fall: Sept. 20 (Chicago area, co-sponsored by Awana) and Nov. 2 (Orange County, Calif.). Registration forms are posted at www.JohnPearsonAssociates.com.
Download the Management Buckets brochure
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