Champions Fax Archive

Church Champions, whether they are denominational workers, independent consultants or teaching churches, have customers. Usually these are church leaders. Few Church Champions meet all the needs of their customers or have all the business from churches that they desire.

David Maister, author of True Professionalism: The Courage to Care about Your People, Your Clients, and Your Career, again has good advice. Maister writes for management consultants, but church consultants can apply the same principles.

"First: Ask your clients how to serve them better." Many organizations and individuals neglect this simple step. Your clients know their needs. They may not be what you hope they are, but they are real needs to them. How can you meet those needs in a way that the client appreciates your work and ministry with them? Too often we design our processes to reflect our needs rather than the client's needs.

"Second: Invest heavily in your existing clients by demonstrating an interest in their affairs." Most management consulting firms know that the best business is repeat business. This does not mean creating co-dependency but rather an on going supply of new ideas and information tailored to each client. How have you assisted your existing clients lately? What was the last article, book, information tidbit or idea you sent to your top 10 churches?

"Third: Decide which new clients you would be willing to serve free." Champions in denominational organizations essentially do this anyway, but which ones do you want to work with just to learn from? Identify your dream clients and find ways to work with them.

"Fourth: Design a package to demonstrate - not assert - that you have a special interest in them, that you have something of value to offer them." Brochures, conferences, seminars and fancy letterhead is fine but it doesn't get most Champions in to where the real work is with churches. How can you or your organization really add value to your client? How can your materials, ideas and processes help that specific client, not the masses?

Fifth: According to Maister, is that once a client is interested, prove yourself to them by listening to their needs and not just talking about what you can do. Be helpful from the beginning. Don't wait until you win a contract or an engagement. Prove to the client that you are willing to help without expectation of return.

David Maister's new book, True Professionalism: The Courage to Care about Your People, Your Clients, and Your Career, is available from The Free Press. © 1997. Available through your local bookstore.