When it comes to church, I’m used to a lot of “bells and whistles:” Multi-talented band and vocalists whose chops rival the rich and famous of the music industry; cool staging effects and multimedia that are on a par with – and often surpass – what any TV network could manage; my pastor in Nashville is from the south, but looks like he just washed up on a California beach (with hipper, drier clothes).

The church I visited in Atlanta Sunday (my old home church) had none of that. Traditional Baptist Church. And by traditional, I mean organ, choir, sermon … much more subdued. The executive pastor who delivered the Sunday sermon is what you might expect: Older, suit & tie … looks like, well, a Baptist preacher.

But for all the differences, the ultra-hip contemporary cutting-edge Cross Point Community Church and its antithesis, John’s Creek Baptist, had one important thing in common.

The message.

At the heart of Cross Point is great teaching. So I found at John’s Creek. The message was simple but powerful: Use your uniqueness to draw people to God.

The important point here – as so aptly illustrated by these two contrasting churches – is that to succeed at whatever you do in business, the core message you communicate to your customers – via Websites, social media, etc. – is a VITAL key to that success. Because, I can tell you, from personal experience, that your business can have all the peripheral bells and marketing whistles money can buy, but if you don’t have a core message that resonates with your customers, then brothers and sisters, you ain’t got nothin’ …

My friend Ian Black recently forwarded this familiar story, one worth repeating:

A woman approached Picasso and asked him to draw a portrait of her. Picasso quickly sketches her. She is pleased and asks, “How much?” Picasso replies: “$5,000.” The woman screamed, “But it only took you five minutes!” Replied Picasso: “No, madam, it took me all my life.”

If you ever have need of a writer – for websites, fundraising letters, blogs, social media, etc. – one thing to keep in mind: If that writer’s main attraction is “cheaper than the others,” there’s probably a reason. As in anything in life, cheap investment can often mean mediocre results.

Really good writers bring to the table their lifetime of experience and expertise to solve your issues and make the best presentation possible. As my good friend, photographer Steven Long, once told me, “You (the customer) are not just paying for the words used. You’re also paying for the words not used.” That’s the kind of discernment – and ultimately success for your venture – that a great writer brings to the table …

Excellent, well-written radio ad from ServPro, a cleanup and restoration company based in Middle Tennessee. Many ads try (and mostly fail) to capture the humanity of a crisis (i.e., Nashville floods). Few successfully articulate a positive, hopeful message. ServPro’s tagline: “This is not just what we do, this is where we live.”

Connecting the heart and humanity of people in crisis to your product … that’s what’s called EXCEPTIONAL writing …