Showing yourself to be a regular, faithful customer builds trust with your vendor which in turn allows them to trust you with a demo and/or a free rental.
Getting something for free is the “holy grail” for any person in technical ministry at a church. We constantly struggle with budget constraints and technical needs. Well, there is a way that you can get demos or free rentals on gear, and I’m going to tell you the secret to getting it. Here it is… my church and I do not deserve something for free.
I bet you’re thinking, “Whoa! You can’t say that after telling us that you know how to get something for free!” I most certainly can. Why? Because to get free demos of gear, you must start with being a good steward with your current equipment and your current budget dollars.
Don’t ever ask your vendor for a free rental. Asking for something for free breaks the stewardship principle and signals to your dealer that you feel entitled.
We all know the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 but putting it into practice in our technical ministries takes hard work. I firmly believe the Lord wants to see us take care of what we currently have entrusted to us, so that He can bless us with more to fulfill the vision of our church’s ministry. That’s the lesson in the parable of the talents.
To put the principles of this parable into practice in your technical ministry, ask yourself these stewardship related questions… do I perform regular maintenance on all my gear? Do I have the gear closet and any tools neatly stored away where I can find things in a pinch? Am I devoting enough time intro training my volunteers and caring for them? Do I constantly trust the Lord to help our tech team not be a distraction and instead be a ministry partner to help reach people for Christ? Consistently practicing the application of the parable of the talents gets you in the right mindset and practice for the Lord to bless.
Do you perform regular maintenance on all my gear? Do you have the gear closet and any tools neatly stored away where you can find things in a pinch? Are you devoting enough time training your volunteers and caring for them?
The second step to getting that free rental or demo for your technical ministry is to develop a genuine business relationship with a vendor/dealer/integrator. This can be the tricky step to this process because many church boards require bids for just about everything that is purchased. If you’re in this situation, ask your church board if you can begin purchasing small items like gaff tape, cables, and other items from one vendor who also does demos and rentals. The reason you do this is to develop a business relationship with a dealer by being a regular customer, paying your bills early or on time, and asking for advice on gear. Showing yourself to be a regular, faithful customer builds trust with your vendor which in turn allows them to trust you with a demo and/or a free rental.
However…
Don’t ever ask your vendor for a free rental. Asking for something for free breaks the stewardship principle we previously discussed and shows your dealer that you feel entitled. Entitlement kills business relationships. Instead, ask for a rental quote. Or, even better, invite them to come to your church to demo something for your church leaders. I haven’t come across someone who would turn an invite like that down.
Proper stewardship and a good customer relationship with a vendor will put you into a position for God to bless your technical ministry with something unexpected. Whenever you do see God bless your church with that free demo or rental, don’t forget to rightfully thank God for the blessing. And finally, make sure you return the gear on time and in better condition than how you received it.
