Personal Touch
Today, we wake up to check the news report for an update on the coronavirus pandemic that has halted the world from moving as we know it.
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| Louis Hoffpauir loves people. He is helping me start men's Crew groups at Stuart Campus. |
Business-as-usual has shifted to watch-and-wait. All of us who had mastered our business skills are sitting paralyzed at home wondering how to get anything done. The way of the world has been to show up to our job site to plan events and gatherings. Commuting to places of businesses and lunch meetings was the daily routine. But with social distancing becoming the recommended practice, gathering in groups is prohibited. And, even in a small group of 10 or less, experts are strongly cautioning to keep within 3 feet from one another. This makes interacting quite difficult.
While many were already using social media as part of their life, they are now completely dependent upon it. People who have never created a profile are learning in record speed how to create usernames and passwords so they can log on. Older generations are having to navigate where to find the elusive link to join a video conferencing call so they can talk to loved ones.
What do we do now? How do we get work done if we cannot work?
Not knowing what to do next is frustrating.
Once we get past the feeling of confinement and frustration, we eventually start using the greatest business tool that we possess: our mind.
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| Ashely Murphy brings the fun to our church family. She makes people feel loved and special! |
Rather than staying stuck on the limiting question: what do we do now,
we then begin to ask the activating question: what could we do now?
At Christ Fellowship, we asked this question: what could we do now? One of our leaders had long desired that our pastors and staff team could call each and every person who was part of our church family, simply to check in on them, tell them we love them and ask how we could pray for them. He reminisced when years ago he and his wife had started attending Christ Fellowship, one of the pastors, Todd Mullins had called him during the week to personally welcome him and get him connected within the church. My friend, Bill shared what a powerful impression that made on him, that the pastor would take time to seek him out for no other purpose than show a desire to get to know him better. That connection kept Bill and his wife not only connected to Christ Fellowship, but committed to the mission of the church. That was over 20 years ago.
What if our pastors and staff could make use of this time when we are having to work from home and start calling our church family? What would it take to prepare the lists of our people and re-organize our work schedules and focus to do this?
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| Verania Velazquez just joined our team at Christ Fellowship Stuart Campus. She is a joy to work with! |
Suddenly, our team began working through a large list of phone numbers, reaching out to people, making notes from the conversations. The result has been that people are elated to get a call from their pastor or church leader. Especially with the anxiety that people are facing, they are very open to a listening ear and a caring prayer.
Pastor Todd shared with some of our business leaders how he was re-focusing his team on these connect calls within our church. The business leaders thought this was a brilliant idea! They said that they needed to emulate this idea by having their teams reach out personally to each of their customers and clients.
While we can’t touch people physically, we can touch them personally. And, while Social Media posts and videos are a great strategy to connect with people, they still lack the feeling of touch. Video conferencing is a great tool for holding face-to-face meetings where distance is a barrier. But even these lose the sense of community and sharing that meeting in person affords.
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| Greg Gorman and his son, Josh are great friends of mine. |
In this unique season where the world has stopped, what could you do to reach your audience?
I would suggest that this is an opportune time to go old-school. Make personal calls. Write hand-written notes. There is power in reaching one at a time. Even though digital platforms allow us to reach many at once, it dilutes the level of connection that comes in reaching the one.
Psychology of Connection
Take a moment to think about the psychology of how someone feels when they feel connected to another person. How did that come about? What made the connection so powerful?
I think back to significant people who took the time to make a personal connection with me. It impacted me. I think of them as very special moments in my life. And, I have a sense of love and appreciation for them.
I remember when I had the opportunity on two occasions to meet Senator Rick Scott of Florida. At the time, he was Governor Rick Scott. The first occurrence happened when I was scheduled to play the piano and sing at a home gathering of financial donors for the Governor’s Senate race. I was not a guest, per se; but rather, the “help.” I was to play and sing soft music in the background. My musical set up was set off to the side of the reception area. When the Governor arrived on the scene, he was greeted by many donors. However, he was intentional to greet every worker serving refreshments. When he noticed me over in the corner playing the piano, he made his way to welcome me. He took a moment to ask my name and thanked me for providing such nice music. At the end of the event, he again came over to shake my hand and thank me for doing such a great job.
The second time I interacted with Governor Scott was at a small meeting I was invited to with two other young leaders in Martin County. He sat down with us to hear the concerns of Martin County. He was warm, not in a rush, and down-to-earth. I reminded him of my first meeting at the reception. He remembered. A week after this meeting, I received a hand-written note from the Governor thanking me for the time together.
Wow. Can I tell you that I am now a BIG fan of Rick Scott? Not so much because of his politics, but because of my personal interaction with him. He did not promise anything to me. He did not do me any favors. But his intentionality to reach out to me made an indelible impression. Now, I have a positive view of him. There are politicians that may have gifts that Rick Scott does not have. But, their gifts do not impress me. Rick Scott impresses me.
If you would get a list of your people, your customers, and clients and start calling them personally through this season, you will make an indelible impression. Don’t try to do business as usual. Don’t try to sell or market. No one is buying right now anyway. Simply care. Listen. Get to know them a bit more. Don’t try to learn their business needs. They will sense that you have an agenda. Simply make your agenda as getting to know them as a person.
I believe that the businesses and ministries that take time to reach out personally to their people will create such a sense of care and attention, that they will have earned a higher sense of trust and loyalty. When the time comes for people to “buy” or buy-in, you will have so much business coming your way, you will have to double your staff and company!
If you can’t touch their hand, touch their heart
Make a personal touch
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