Lessons from the Pulpit

We often forget the power of childhood images and memories in creating deeply seated meaning in our lives.  What images and lessons from your childhood still resonate with you today?  If a commercial for Slinky's or Etch-a-Sketch came on TV right now, would you smile and be swept back in time?  The truth is, basic human development requires us to find meaning and understanding through the symbols and messages which surround us each day and the messages we see as a child stay with us long after adult logic has set in.  I was reminded of the power of symbols in a recent visit to a church in my area.  Regardless of your religious beliefs or preferences, the key lessons of this experience should speak to you as a framework of questions you can ask yourself about your customers:  what images and core drivers do they hold in their hearts?  what are they searching for?  and how can your products or services provide it?

My story:

I've lived in the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina since 1998, yet I hadn't found a church that felt like home in all of those years.  I was searching for something, but I couldn't put into words exactly what that something might be.  Eventually, I stopped actively looking for a church family and focused my spiritual development in self-study.  

Then, this past Saturday morning, a 90-year old lady knocked on my door.  When I answered it, she was kind and gentle and shared her pleasure at some aspects of our community.  She was not there to evangelize about her church, she was there to get to know a neighbor.  (That's a lesson most brands forget, building connections and relationships before selling!)  But as our conversation continued, she asked about what church I attended in the area and I shared a bit with her about my plight at finding a church family.  (She was pre-qualifying me there, without even realizing it.)  It was then that she mentioned her church home and invited me to come with her the following morning.  

Sunday morning I came to find her in the 9am service.  The feeling there was more casual than I preferred, but the songs and symbols spoke to me and the folks there were welcoming.  (How many brands forget to make new customers feel appreciated and welcome?)  So, I decided to stay for the 11am service, a more traditional service in the main sanctuary.  It was there that the deepest message resonance occurred.  In the sanctuary were stained glass windows similar to those in the church I remembered as a young girl, a minister with story telling talent along the lines of what I recalled, and signs and symbols that revealed the messages behind the faith I'd grown up with.  Without even trying, the church felt like home.

I've since been to the church and the feeling was the same.  This time the messages were deeper as they had provided me with a booklet that outlined the meaning behind the symbols throughout the sanctuary and chapel, symbols I knew were powerful for me, but for which I had forgotten their intricate meaning.  And my experiences there got me thinking about brands and businesses.  What has gone amiss that so many forget the power of inviting new folks in, embracing their presence, educating them about what is available, and remaining with them to build a story together?  Business could learn much from my experience with this church, starting with the power of tapping into childhood memories, dreams, and beliefs.