Eight Lessons We Learned from Developing AV Solutions for Growing Churches

With over a decade of experience serving more than 1,000 churches and ministry organizations, we've picked up several key insights into helping religious institutions with their AV solutions. At PhoneLive.io with our simple traditional telephone to live stream interface, we've been able to leverage these eight principles, turning our sales calls into pleasant and helpful conversations.

1. Win the Problem and Potential Mindset Understanding whether the key person you're addressing is motivated by fear or opportunities is crucial. At PhoneLive.io, when a pastor is concerned about members not being able to watch live streams, we alleviate this fear with our offline solution. Conversely, if they are focused on growth opportunities, we discuss how they can reach "offline groups," including shut-ins, those with dementia, rural residents, the inner-city poor, parolees who cannot be online, and the blind.
2. Enhance Communication and Engagement Clear communication leads to action and engagement. We quantify this by addressing current issues the church faces or opportunities they haven't accessed yet. At PhoneLive.io, we excel in this area by addressing the needs of members who cannot watch live streams or by opening doors for ministry growth through outreach to community groups.
3. Facilitate Church Growth There are two avenues for growth: mass audience reach and focused growth by addressing the needs of specific groups. PhoneLive.io specializes in helping churches grow by removing obstacles for unique groups, enabling targeted growth.
4. Transparency About Technical and Acoustic Challenges Being upfront about technical and acoustic needs ensures that AV solutions are designed and implemented effectively, managing team expectations and avoiding potential issues. For example, music quality over phone lines is a challenge we address when presenting PhoneLive.io.
5. Simplify Staffing and Training Needs Outline the staffing and training requirements clearly. At PhoneLive.io, the default setup requires no staffing (it's fully automated), but adding subscribers and customizing greetings requires minimal training. This simplicity allows for a quick turnaround for churches.
6. Make the Maintenance Plan as Simple as Possible Inform churches about common maintenance issues they might encounter, including routine checks, cleaning, and troubleshooting connectivity issues. PhoneLive.io leverages cloud technology, requiring no hardware or app installations, thus eliminating maintenance needs.
7. Give Confidence for Expected Results Clearly define what churches can expect from implementing new AV systems. PhoneLive.io offers detailed reports on listenership, ensuring there are no vanity metrics, and even allows subscription cancellation if the system is not being used.
8. Align Revenue with the Relationship While financial gain should not be the primary motivator in a relationship, the most successful ones often involve a high-value exchange that yields financial benefits. The key is to focus on the quality of the relationship and the value you contribute, rather than merely chasing revenue. Prioritize building meaningful connections and delivering genuine value, and the financial benefits will naturally follow. With PhoneLive.io our customers don't mind the monthly subscription because we maintain the value of our relationship.

Conclusion

We have learned invaluable lessons from our success with PhoneLive.io, using it as a model for developing other systems. These principles have proven effective and can be applied broadly to help more churches achieve their communication and growth goals. We hope this article encourages AV sales professionals to leverage these insights and contribute to the success of their clients.

By implementing these lessons, AV sales professionals can transform their approach, turning challenges into opportunities and fostering meaningful growth and engagement within church communities. Keep these principles in mind, and you'll find your conversations and solutions are not just successful but truly impactful.