Creating Engagement with Visitors

Do You Need a Sales Funnel?

Should you create a sales funnel for your church? Probably not. BUT are there principles you can learn from sales funnel marketing that can help you see more new people enter your doors on Sunday? Definitely.

According to Donald Miller, a sales funnel is a way to capture and convert leads. He says that you will not be able to build an effective digital marketing plan without a sales funnel. While this may be good for business, what does it mean for churches not selling anything?

The first thing to remember is that a sale is an exchange of money for a good or service. Churches ask people to make exchanges every Sunday. You want members and guests to exchange their time for your church's worship experience. If you want someone to be at your church on Sunday instead of sleeping in, going to the golf course, or watching television, then you are asking them to make an exchange. 

Ministry Is About Relationships

In his book, Marketing Made Simple: A Step by Step Storybrand Guide for Any Business, Donald Miller shares three stages of a relationship between a customer and a business. These three stages can be helpful for pastors as well. After all, ministry is about people, and managing people is about relationships. 

The three stages of a customer relationship are:

1. Curiosity

2. Enlightenment

3. Commitment

Steps to Commitment

If you want people to commit to your church, then you will have to begin by creating curiosity. You may have heard that you cannot convert a lead with one touch. It takes multiple encounters to pave the way for a commitment from a potential customer. It is the same for seeing new people visit your church. Pastors must be willing to walk on a journey with people instead of expecting an immediate decision because of one conversation, good deed, or advertisement. 

Seeing relationships this way shows that you value people, not just what they can offer you. Jesus valued people. He took his time with them. You must do the same as you build trust over time. Doing this will lead to the exchange you want with outsiders attending your church gatherings.

Let us look at each of these steps to commitment in more detail.

Step 1: Curiosity

"If you don't tell somebody how you can help them survive, they will set you aside-or worse, discard you." - Donald Miller, Marketing Made Simple

A church can use the principle of creating curiosity by addressing people's "felt needs." Doing this in your series titles and marketing communication is one way to meet people where they are instead of expecting them to value the things a believer does. If you want the opportunity to lead new guests into discipleship, then you must be willing to create curiosity by speaking to their perceived needs and priorities, not yours.

How does this work? It may help to demonstrate what does not work. Promoting a series about fasting will not create curiosity in people not currently in a church. Why? Because they do not perceive that topic as something that will help them survive. It sounds like another chore on a list of things they are already not doing well. But what if your message was on Family 101? Now you are talking about something that will get their attention because you are solving a problem they perceive is important. 

Step 2: Enlightenment

After you have piqued someone's interest, the next step is to enlighten them. This is where you begin to build trust by showing a potential guest how you will solve their problem.

We can go back to the Family 101 series example to explain Step 2. If the Family 101 series had the subtitle: Restoring the Joy in Your Family, then you would be "enlightening" a potential visitor to how you will solve their problem. The felt need is family security. The problem is the pain that comes when family expectations are not met. You are a guide taking them on a journey one step at a time, from not interested, to curious, to how God's word will help solve their problem. The goal is not to show them everything at once but to extend the bridge from where they are to your church doors. 

Simple stating, "We will be teaching on Ephesians 5 to learn more about what Paul says about the correct model for family order," does not create curiosity or enlighten an outsider to how you will help them survive. They may be wondering what is Ephesians 5 and who is Paul? Is he the gardener, a sandwich shop owner, a family counselor? Will he be speaking this Sunday? Following the steps of a relationship will take people on a journey. Over time, they will learn all about Paul, but one step at a time.

Step 3: Commitment

Take your time, but do not be afraid to take action. Make the invite! Give a clear ask for people to follow. Do not assume that everyone knows they are invited because you made a post about your church service. Some people grow up where only certain people who believe a certain way are allowed to attend particular churches. 

Ask people for a commitment, but make it easy on them. Make it clear what they should expect at your church and where they can find out more information about your gatherings. Plan a guest experience that fits everyone instead of just doing church for your committed members and hoping others will come along and understand what is going on. 

Talk to your new guest in your marketing and your church gatherings, but also allow them to remain anonymous. Be willing to let someone attend several times before identifying themselves so that they can get a feel for you and your church. 

The road to commitment is winding and sometimes long, but it is not complicated. Serve people by building a relationship that uses the three steps of curiosity, enlightenment, and commitment, and you will build lasting trust.

Josh is a ministry leader, communicator, and creative who helps train and coach church planters at the Association of Related Churches (ARC). He has written Believe Again: Finding Faith After Losing Religion and has contributed to many ministry publications, including Relevant Magazine. You can stay connected to Josh through his blog JoshRoberie.com and Social Media at @JoshRoberie.