Tag Archives: Mark Waltz

8 Ways for the Introvert to Serve on Your Guest Services Team

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Bob

and I’m an introvert.

Hello, Bob!

The introduction and response above would be my way of introducing myself at an IA Meeting – Introverts Anonymous…

  • Susan Cain’s Quiet is one of my favorite books…
  • I’ve been told to come out of my shell so much I look like a turtle…
  • Speaking in front of 500 people is less stressful than mingling with them afterwards…

I could go on, but I think you get the picture.

My passion for Guest Experiences may seem strange to those who think all Guest Services teams must be filled with outgoing people-persons. There is certainly a need for many of those types of people, especially in the more visible, front-line positions.

 And yet…

Not everyone must be a “people magnet” to serve your Guests. Many folks in our church have a passion to connect people to God and to one another, but they aren’t wired to greet Guests. Find a way to include them, for they, too, are invaluable to the success of a Guest Services ministry. – Mark Waltz

Mark Waltz, Pastor of Connections and a Campus Pastor at Granger Community Church, wrote the book on Guest Services – literally. Actually, he wrote 3 of them, and this “hat trick” of Guest Services books ought to be the first 3 books you buy when building your Guest Services Resource Library. They are: First Impressions, Lasting Impressions, and How to WOW Your Church Guests. Put them on the top of your Christmas list now!

In First Impressions, Waltz lists 8 ways that less gregarious members of your church can connect people to others and God through your Guest Services teams.

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On the eighth day of Christmas Guest Experiences, your Guest Experience peers give to you:

8 Ways for the Introvert to Serve on a Guest Services Team

  1. Mail reminder postcards to team members
  2. Purchase or prepare food for serving teams
  3. Prepare programs for the weekend
  4. Set out parking lot cones and signs
  5. Pray for the weekend teams and Guests
  6. Update team rosters and profiles
  7. Coordinate systems that ensure all ministry information is gathered for the Guest Services center
  8. Stock the Guest Services center with information and registration jackets

 How will you involve the quieter members of your Guest Services Teams?

inspired by and adapted from First Impressions by Mark Waltz

First Impressions

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Your Church has Competition…

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…and it’s not the church down the street.

Like it or not, we live in a consumer-driven society, and the people who come to our church – you and me – and the people we are trying to reach are consumers. With consumers comes competition. If your church is going to be effective in its mission, you must beat the competition.

Pretty strong words by Mark Waltz, author of “First Impressions.” But dead on accurate.

The good news is that our “competition” is not the other churches in your town. As a matter of fact, they’re on your team. So who is your competition?

Here is how Waltz sees it: Your competition, the rival that will keep people away from your church, is any business, services, or experience your guests have encountered in the past few weeks.

That competition includes restaurants, malls, golf courses, amusement parks, movie theaters, sporting events, and so on.

Bottom line: the competition for your guests began when they were wowed in another environment. Your guests have high expectations that are formed every day from new encounters with excellence and conscientious care. Although too much of their world is merely adequate, they know excellence, and they return to place where they experience it.

Bottom bottom line: Will your guests’ experience in your church be worth getting out of bed?

Thanks, Mark, for a challenging word on the critical importance of understanding who our competition is.

Now it’s time to do something about it.

Making Your First Impression a Lasting Impression

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Mark Waltz, author of “First Impressions,” suggests the following word-association exercise: Look at the following list, and jot down your first thought about each place. Don’t spend a lot of time on this – just write the first thought that comes to mind.

  • McDonald’s
  • Your last hotel stay (not the name of the hotel, but your impression of it)
  • Your last airline experience (again, not the name of the company)
  • Your bank
  • Your local church
  • Starbucks

Now take a moment to evaluate the impressions you jotted down. Which reflect your feelings from initial encounter, and which ones describe your thoughts at the end of your experience with that organization? What does this tell you about the impressions we retain?

Organizations that understand the lasting nature of first impressions also understand that people matter. When people matter, guests are wowed. And when guests are wowed, they know they matter.

What kind of lasting impression is your first impression making?

Want to know more about Church Guest Services? The single best resource for Guest Services available today is the book “First Impressions” by Mark Waltz, Connections Pastor at Granger Community Church near South Bend, IN, and campus pastor of their Elkhart campus. If you want to know about Guest Services, get a copy of this book today!

Another helpful resource: “Customer Satisfaction is Worthless; Customer Loyalty is Priceless” by Jeffrey Gitomer, a sales and customer service expert. His primary market is the business world, but I’ve found dozens of applications to ChurchWorld in his writings.

Looking Ahead: Who is your competition? and Turn the Ordinary into EXTRAORDINARY!