Transformation and Relationship

After visiting with a number of Christian stores recently, a common theme runs through the
conversations: We’re doing everything right, but nothing’s happening.

Operating a business in today’s economy and technology-driven world is one of the most demanding challenges any person might take on. The traditional systems and processes may be honed to a razor’s edge, but they don’t seem to cut anymore. Something’s missing.

You’ve mastered your ordering cycle, but it seems that it doesn’t always align with our customers’ timing. You’re blogging, Facebooking and Tweeting, but birdseed isn’t paying the bills. What’s going on?

Retail has always been about trust. But today it seems to take more to gain that trust, and trust extends beyond just fair weights and measures. It’s about connecting on a heart level.

One of the saddest things I’ve heard when a retailer is in trouble is that there are no strong relationships with local church leadership. The store is thought of more like an adversary than a partner and not even considered.

Some of the barrier seems to be built on old-school marketing. It’s one-way messaging, not dialog and relationship. If the conversation only becomes price and item, we’ll lose in that context. However, if the conversation can move to ministry needs and common connection, this is where we can find alignment.

If you host a pastors’ breakfast as a marketing strategy, you might as well serve powdered eggs and cold toast. It’s like those boring time-share meals where you eat free in exchange for 90 minutes of commercial and a hard-sell pitch for dessert. If you host a pastors’ breakfast as a way to build relationship through your testimony of like mission and to hear from pastors about their needs, then even powdered eggs might become eggs Benedict. I might be stretching the analogy a bit, but the point is that one-way marketing and advertising aren’t going to build the trust you need at retail today.

Retailers generally are looking for ways to connect better with customers. However, while the metrics of impressions and exposures still may have value, it’s the ability to engage people on common ground and be a partner to help transform them into something they want or need to be that drives retail success.

In the church relationship, it must be about understanding a pastor’s needs and coming alongside in mission for the people you both serve. A good question to dialogue with a group of pastors is, “How can we win this city for Jesus? How can we collectively leverage what we have been entrusted with to change this community?” Just being a product supplier doesn’t work any more. Churches increasingly are decentralized with many decision-makers at larger churches, and both large and small churches face relentless cost pressures and time constraints. But they all have a need to build individual faith walks, to reach the lost, and help with the harvest without a lot of workers in the field.

The Christian store is an extension of the church in many ways. The obvious extension is the availability of many powerful resources that change lives. However, the value a store brings is matching those resources to specific needs, whether with and for the church or for Christians in general and then beyond to those who don’t currently profess a relationship. Your knowledge and expertise builds trust because you understand your customers’ needs and can select just the right resources to help them.

Your store also creates a sense of place, a location, and a destination that serves as a community hub where like-minded people can connect with each other. That might be a frontliner with expertise in a subject or product area, or other Christians who gather at your store to talk about local concerns in the church or in the community. Community builds trust in the sense of shared needs and passion, and enabling a customer to find a comfortable spot to fit or to engage in bigger-picture concerns, such as life transformations.

It’s very difficult to shift from the old one-way marketing delivery to a dialog and relationship. But when sales are down, a new brochure or a new ad won’t always be enough to generate the long-term relationship that sustains your community hub. In the new retail, especially for independent specialty stores like Christian stores, it’s about transformation and relationship, not about the purchase. The purchase comes as a result of the knowledge, trust, and engagement the store creates as added value, something that can’t be duplicated online or in a discount store. It’s not just about the cheapest transaction.

Knowing how to help your churches grow or fulfill their ministries will help you fulfill yours. Our help comes from the Lord, His joy is our strength, and our work is the fulfillment of His work. We’re in this together. 

Curtis Riskey
CBA, Association for Christian Retail
Executive Director 

Comments

[Bill Greig III]

Thanks Curtis for reminding us all that our focus needs to be on local churches, because that is where our brothers and sisters, our primary customers, gather together multiple times each week.

Also, let's keep in mind that the past few years have been challenging for most churches as they have been for most retailers and publishers.

The good news is that, when we go through the fire, we will be refined and made stronger.

My prayer is that local Christian retailers will partner with and serve local pastors and churches as they lift Jesus up in their communities.

The future is bright!

God bless you,

Bill Greig III
Gospel Light, Regal Books
Ventura CA USA

[Dan Dutilly]

Excellent, relevant, and a candidly honest message from Curtis Riskey. The focus on church relationships is making a difference for so many of the Christian Retailers we serve. We’re hearing from them that coming alongside the Church really does help position the store as a trusted source, an ally who shares their Higher Calling and purpose.

It’s encouraging that Christian Retailers can simply do what they do best and see relationships grow with their strongest customer, the Church!

Thank you, Curtis, for reminding us why we serve.

Dan Dutilly
Director of Church Sales & Marketing
Innovative, Inc.

[Coach Outlet Store Online]

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[UGG]

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[Philadelphia House]

i believe in this "The Christian store is an extension of the church in many ways" sure it is, thanks for posting