Posted By allen on February 22, 2010

What is “Bait and Switch”?

“Bait and switch” is an illegal and unethical sales tactic that has been employed by some stores to enhance their sales. In its simplest form, the potential customer is lured into the store for an item that is on sale at a very low price. When the customer arrives at the store to purchase that item, they are told it is sold out. The salesperson apologizes and then points out an alternative model that only costs “a few dollars more”.  If the advertised item was actually never in the store, then the store may be guilty of bait and switch.

It may surprise you to find out that some churches are employing similar techniques to boost their church membership and encourage visitors to become regular members.

Before continuing, let me say that this article is not pointing out the tactics of any one church, but a combination of tactics that has been employed by many different churches and denominations. 

The Bait 

Upon arriving at the church, the visitor receives a warm greeting from the usher and is usually given a visitor’s packet. The contents of the package will vary depending on church, but will definitely contain a form asking for information about them and their family. I have seen these packages include other items such as a pen, comb, brush, or makeup mirror (all these items will probably have the church’s logo and contact information on them). Depending on the church resources and membership, there may also be a coupon for free donuts (from a shop owned by one of the church members) or a discount at one of the local restaurants.

Armed with the visitor’s packet and a sticker that says “VISITOR”, the visitor is then escorted to a visitor’s reception area. In this area, they are greeted by a well trained group of people with coffee, donuts, and pastries. This coffee will probably NOT be generic, instant, store-brand coffee. The coffee and other items will be of only the best quality.

As the service starts, the visitor will then be shown to the sanctuary. At some time during the service, someone from the pulpit will thank the visitors for attending and encourage the members to make them feel welcome.

I have seen some churches that will invite the visitors to stay after service for a special lunch with the church staff. If no lunch or after service reception is available, the visitor can expect to be greeted by several church members as they leave the building.

The visitor leaves the church with a feeling that they had been to an extremely friendly church that really cares about them. In many cases, the visitor may have already decided to return the following Sunday.

During the week, the visitor may well receive a card or visit from the church. This will only help to “close the deal” on their return visit.

To this point, nothing I have described is bad. Several of the things I mentioned are taught in workshops that teach churches how to turn their visitors into members.

The visitor may experience similar treatment(with the exception of the visitor’s packet) over the next 3 – 4 Sundays that they attend the church. This is the “bait” period. The transition into the “switch” is about to take place.

The Switch  

After a month (or less) of attending the church, the person may notice that they are no longer greeted by the same people at the door. Instead, they are “handled” by those that work with the regular church attendees. They are now invited to a different fellowship area where the coffee tastes a little different from the coffee in the visitors area. The donuts are in a box (hopefully the “day old” label has been removed) and there are no fancy pastries.

 The “former visitor” heads to the sanctuary and takes a seat. He is no longer pointed out as being special; he is just one of the crowd. As he leaves the church, he will be lucky if anybody speaks to him.

The mail no longer contains a card thanking him for being at the church. It is replaced by an invitation to volunteer at the church or to take part in a special offering. The handwritten address has been replaced by a computer generated mailing label.

What has happened? The friendly, caring church has been “sold out” and switched for the corporate church. The bait and switch is often so smooth that the former visitor will not even notice the change.

Warnings 

There are two warnings here.

If you are a church leader, take some time to examine your church. Do you treat your visitors radically different from your regular members? When was the last time you sent a personal letter to one of you members? When was the last time you visited them? Are your regular members getting day-old donuts while the visitors are getting fresh, homemade pastries? The visitors are important and should be made to feel welcome, but don’t forget your regular members.

If you are looking for a church, pay close attention to how you are treated on your first visit. Compare that treatment to your second or third visit. If there is a drastic difference, you may want to be concerned. If you really like the church, talk to the pastor and see what he says. There is a real chance that he does not even realize what is going on.

Categories: General
Tags: challenge, marketing, members, retention, visitors