How Well Do You Know Your Cost Sensitive Families?
February 9th, 2012
It’s no secret that the rise in cremation rates caused a bit of a stir in the funeral industry, forcing funeral homes across the country to revisit their traditional way of marketing to families.
Today, you’re faced with an even bigger problem—cost sensitive families.
Now, I know you’re all familiar with them, but what you don’t realize, it how many different types of cost sensitive families exist. Contrary to popular belief, not all cost sensitive families are alike.
Once again, funeral homes across the country are needing to adapt their marketing and services to address the needs of the cost sensitive families of today.
9 Types of Cost Sensitive Families:
Indigent
Indigent families are people who are poor and often homeless. They qualify for funding provided by the state, county or some other governmental agency for their funeral expenses.
Worthy Poor
The “Worthy Poor” are a step up from “Indigent” families because they tend to have a job and a place to live, but they don’t have the money or resources to pay for a funeral service. They often see the value in a funeral, but simply can’t afford one.
Entitled Poor
The “Entitled Poor” families don’t have the money or resources to pay for a funeral service, but feel entitled to get a full service at no cost.
Unprepared
The “Unprepared” families are just that. Whether faced with an unexpected death or cash flow problems, they aren’t fully prepared for the expenses associated with a funeral service.
Frugal
The “Frugal” families are just naturally conservative when it comes to spending. They are always trying to save money—no matter if they see the value in your services or not.
Stuck with Bill
The “Stuck with the Bill” families are somewhat dysfunctional families. For whatever reason, the deceased has no immediate family to cover the cost of the funeral service, so a distant relative or friend steps in because they feel compelled to help.
Do-It-Yourselfers
The “Do-It-Yourselfer” families tend to not understand the role of a funeral director or see the value in holding a funeral service at a funeral home. They think they can do it all themselves and handle everything on their own.
Value Conscious
The “Value Conscious” families are people who don’t perceive value in the funeral services you offer. They tend to look for lower cost over quality of service.
Bargainers
Even if you offer the “Bargainer” families the lowest cost possible, they will still try to negotiate with you for a lower price. Bargaining is just in their nature, it’s almost as if they do it for sport.
Now that we’ve identified the types of cost sensitive families, it’s up to you to adapt your funeral marketing and services to better meet the needs of these families.
In my opinion, there is a huge opportunity for growth with the “Unprepared”, “Value Conscious” and “Do-It-Yourselfer” types of cost sensitive families.
Give it a try! Next time one of these families approaches you, see what a difference a little education on the value of your funeral services and the benefits of pre-planning can make!
Be sure to share your experience with us! We always love to hear from you!
This was well-written, and insightful! Thanks, Kelly.
Thanks Kim! It really changes your approach when you start thinking about the individual sub-groups, instead of trying to tackle cost sensitive families as a whole!