E Myth (part 5)

Interesting. As I was reading through The E-Myth Revisited today I found myself wrestling with the difference between a commodity and a product. Gerber states, that “the product is never the commodity. The commodity is actually the thing the customer walks out with in his hand. The product is what your customer feels as he walks out of your business” (153-154). Could the same hold true for the church as well?

What is our product at Willoughby Hills Friends Church? Do we provide a positive emotional experience? What feeling will new attendees walk away with? Hope? Peace of mind? Order? Power? Love? Perception often times becomes reality and emotion plays a big role in the matrix of perception.

As the world becomes more complex and the commodities more varied, the feelings we want become more urgent, less rational, and more conscious. How your business anticipates those feelings and satisfies them is your business product (155). In the business arena the art and science of identifying the emotional or perceived needs of customers is known as psychographics. If the product of the church is to provide a rich emotional experience for attendees then the utilization of psychographics is imperative.

In the church leaders have a tendency to just look at the demographics of an area and discern if it will support the needs of the church. They wonder, “Are there enough people living in our geographic sphere of adequate means that we can attract a percentage of to support our business plan? What is their age? Are they young couples raising families that we can attract to fill up our class rooms and use our gymnasium? What is their income level? Is this a community that will attract other professionals and people of means to support our financial needs and pay down our church debt or fund our budget?”

Demographics are often times employed for selfish reasons in the church. Either consciously or not, what church leaders are looking for though demographic studies are various ways the community can service the church’s needs. However, if the product of the church is “positive emotional experience” then demographics are for the purpose of developing psychographics first and foremost.

In the future all of the ministries at Willoughby Hills Friends Church will answer the following questions: What is the “product” we intend to offer to the people who we will service through this outreach ministry or class we offer? What is the psychographics of those who we will attract to our worship service and how can we best meet their felt need? What key things can we build in to every activity, every encounter with people to assure a positive emotional experience?

The quality of the commodity we offer will not wane and will continue to be relevant to the specific needs of people today. However, a richer emotional, experiential factor will be developed church wide. My goal for Willoughby Hills Friends Church is to maintain a consistent level of excellence in all we do!

Thanks for stopping by!
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Adrian