When you see the term, “merchandise”, most people think of the presentation of products in a retail environment, but I prefer to expand the definition… particularly when talking about funeral homes. Merchandising at a funeral home includes many techniques- from something as simple as lighting to something as complex as offering information to environmental […]
This new website tool, that new social media platform, this new technology… Baby Boomers, Baby Boomers, change, and Baby Boomers (did I mention Baby Boomers?)… they are all coming! Who’s next? what’s next? Oh, and low cost providers…. Slow down. Take a breath. Yes, these are all things making their way to our profession (arguably, […]
Most business owners would agree that one of the most important pieces of information consumers want during the buying process is price. So why are funeral home owners refraining from putting their pricing on their website? Although I have heard numerous reasons why funeral service pricing should not be placed on your website, it has […]
If I had a nickel for every time I heard that funeral service is a relationship-based industry I would (of course) be a rich man! Our historical experience has shown that relationship building with our traditional communities has been effective, but I fear we have invested in those relationships at the expense of many others […]
Anyone who lived through President John F. Kennedy’s assassination knows exactly where they were the moment it happened. I was four and a half years old, playing with the neighborhood friends on that gloomy November day. I was completely oblivious to the tragedy in Dallas, Texas. However, that evening at the family dinner I could […]
About 15 years ago, I had the privilege of being involved with a Batesville research project called the “Funeral of the Future.” One of the most important findings that came out that project was that less than 5% of all funerals were personalized in any meaningful way. We reached that insight by asking funeral homes […]
Almost every day, you can open up a magazine, read a blog or pick up a newspaper that tells you how you should change the way you run your funeral service operation. At the core of most of these “change” opinions is the Baby Boomers. The Baby Boomers have been altering the landscape that was […]
Too often we enjoy telling people what they should do with their businesses. “Chirping from the cheap seats,” as I like to call it. Instead of looking at trends to embrace, I thought I would go in another direction and talk about 5 trends in funeral service that you should look the other way […]
Why is it so damn hard to communicate the value of funeral service to the families we serve? Most people in the industry recognize that the end of funeral service as we know it is near if we don’t effectively educate families on the value we deliver. With that said, here’s a few reasons […]
Recently, in my cyberspace travels I came across the following status update which I found very interesting: This issue of lionizing or canonizing the person who died is a very important issue facing funeral service. Our desire to provide a positive life picture of the deceased through restoration techniques and the extensive use […]
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