Go Ahead...Make Their Day

We all know how important it is to make new families feel welcome on their first visit.  But don't settle for just meeting their expectations.  Think about this.
How do you exceed guests' expectations?  One way is to make their day.  In other words, do something that is so far above and beyond what they would expect, that they never forget it.  Let me give you an example.

This past weekend, we met a new family.  As we were helping them get checked in, we began talking to the little girl.  She was precious.  4 years old.  We asked her what her favorite Christmas present was.  She answered with great articulation, "Chocolate!  I'm a chocolate girl!  I love chocolate!"  Her mom laughed with us about her enthusiasm for chocolate.

During service we went and got a giant chocolate, Hersey's candy bar (it was like a foot long).  When mom came to pick her up, the candy bar was handed to them with a handwritten note thanking them for coming.  They were blown away!

Think about the impact you can have if you do this for at least one family per week.  Try it...
  • Be on the lookout for an opportunity.  It may come by overhearing a conversation in the hallway between two parents, asking a new child what their favorite candy or toy is or by talking with the family while you are checking them in.
  • Totally surprise them.  When you make someone's day, it catches them by surprise.  The fact they didn't expect it, makes it memorable.
  • Make it personal.  It needs to be something very specific that connects with something you just learned about them.  Giving the little girl a chocolate candy bar because she specifically mentioned it's her favorite is an example.  This may mean making a quick trip to the store during the service to grab something they mentioned.
  • Make it no-strings-attached.  Don't make it conditional like "come back next week and we will give this to you."  Do it just to "make their day."  If you make their day, don't worry...they will be back.  
 Go ahead...make their day.