A new family walks in the door. How exciting! You do your best to make them feel welcome...but then you never see them again. How disappointing!
How can you see guests return?
Let's talk about this. Here are some steps you can take to increase the percentage of families who you see a second time.
Don't make them wait in line.
People hate to wait in line. Have a separate check-in area for guests. Give them the VIP treatment. Make checking in as easy and quickly as possible.
Give them a great first experience.
A first impression truly is a lasting impression.
You only get one opportunity to make a first impression so make that first visit count. If a guest family has a poor first experience...they are not going to come back no matter how many times you call them, write them and invite them to return.
Use their name.
You want to make their first visit as personable as possible. Train volunteers to use a first-time guest's name often. Guests love to hear their name spoken and it makes them feel special. Obviously make sure they have a name tag on. Indicate on their name tag that they are a first-time guest.
Send them a hand-written post card.
In the day of digital communication, a hand-written post card is golden. Kids love to get mail. Sit down and write them a personal post card.
Offer an incentive to return.
Give first-time families a gift when they return for a second visit. One of the things that has worked well for me is to give guests a t-shirt on their second visit. Have your children's ministry logo on the t-shirt. Often they will wear the t-shirt in the community and to school. This not only blesses the family, but it also helps spread the word about your children's ministry.
Call them.
On the Tuesday or Wednesday after they visit, call the parents. Make the phone call brief unless they ask questions and you can tell they want to talk longer. Simply thank them for coming and let them know they are welcome to come for a second visit.
Take these simple steps and I promise you that you will begin to see more guests return. If you can get them back for a second visit, then there is a good chance they will become a part of your ministry.
Do you have a copy of my new book "Be Our Church Guest?" It contains lots of ways you an improve the first time experience of guest families. If you want to see your guests' experiences go to the next level, then this book is for you. You can get it at this link.
