I’ve now spent two full days on my feet telling people about KidsTown and RomeoKids.com. I’ve come up with a few interesting observations about "booth stuff."
- Even though KidsTown is about kids, having kids in the booth doesn’t always help.
- You have to have a reason for people to engage you in conversation. It can be as simple as a balloon or finger puppet, but they won’t give you more than a "hello" if you aren’t handing them something.
- It’s obvious, but making a kid smile is the key to a parents heart.
- Universally, parents are interested in teaching their kids about God… but they aren’t too sure about asking a church for help. (We’ve only had one flat refusal out of the 1000 or so people we’ve talked to.) Giving them a website where they can do it on their own… they can do that.
- Having a steady flow of fresh helpers helps a lot. Since I’ve been there all day I really am feeding off their energy.
- If you can get all the booths around you "awake" and just as excited as you are… everyone will do better.
- Not every vendor is there for the same purpose. Some people are there to turn a quick profit and others are there for leads to follow-up on. For some, 1 lead a day is exciting. Others, 7 makes for a great day. Still others purely want to get their name in the community. For us… this is "a touch" in the process of getting people to the foyer. All we’re asking people to do is check us out. It’s a lead and a "get out" thing combined.
- For every dad I talk to I talk to 5 moms. It’s an old story but dads aren’t leading their families in many ways. But grandma is! Grandma is very interested in the spiritual formation of her grandkids.
- We’ve gotten into the most conversations with two types of people. First, the "mom/female" who is very friendly and engages. Second, the people who are really connected to the community. A fresh familiar face goes a long, long way.
- People from other churches have been very engaging and polite. (At least 5 people yesterday told me they were children’s directors at churches.) I can pick out a Christian family in about .5 seconds. Interestingly, almost everyone who is involved in a church (even staffers) is also willing to be looking at a new church.
- "It’s free" is the most awesomest words a parent will hear at the fair.
- Stand up and smile. Sitting down is death to a booth. (Which is why volunteers help because everyone needs a break!)
- 3Story. 3Story. 3Story. Everyone has a story and it’s just one open ended question away. Being creative, listening empathetically, and not having a script is still the best.
- You can only communicate a single message. Everything else must be built on that. This is what Seth Godin calls "your lie." "What is it that you are trying to tell people about your business?" We’re telling the best kind of "lie." One that is simple and authentic. The best marketing "lie" is a true one.
All-in-all, the booth at the fair is an amazing step for our church. I am learning tons about our community in the conversations we’re having and not having. The bottom line will be "does it work?" And the thing about marketing a church is that it’s not always immediately visible that it worked.
A former student of mine recently blogged about a metaphor I use for evangelism. And I think it applies here. Everyone non-believer has a wall between them and God. In each interaction with a Christian we either have the chance to put another brick in that wall by being something they expect us to be… judgmental, mean, secluded… or we can take a brick off that wall and be something they don’t expect us to be. [Insert your own] Each time we take a brick off that wall that brings a person one step closer to experiencing God. We don’t know what our role is… we may be the first person to ever take a brick off that wall or we may be the person who God has chosen to remove the last brick and introduce them to a life-changing relationship with a risen Christ.
Romans 1:20 My mind has been focused on this passage lately. It’s not our job to convince people there is a God since God has revealed Himself to all people. It’s our job to show them how they can cannot with a holy God.
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