Over the past 10 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet a lot of remarkably successful funeral directors and funeral home owners and how they’ve achieved success.

While there’s no magic formula to success, but if you focus on committing to one (or better yet, all) of these easy, actionable statements, I can promise you you’ll experience success – both in your personal and professional life.

With that said, here’s a collection of some of the most actionable statements I hear successful funeral directors say, and how you can easily incorporate them into your everyday life!

1. “I’m really sorry.”

We all have bad days, but why let the situation fester? All too often, we see our own client families feeling guilty about a mistake they made before a loved one passed. No one wants to live with that kind of regret.

Luckily, there’s an easy answer for all of us – say sorry. Think about it – is what happened worth losing a cherished relationship? If not, be the first to apologize and help to put things right – and if others are apologizing to us, we can graciously accept.

2. “There’s no looking back now!”

T.S. Eliot said “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far to go”. Playing it safe is the easy option, both personally and professionally. Maybe there’s something you have wanted to do for a long time – a new hobby or a funeral home innovation.

Be bold and brave and try something new at your funeral home. However it turns out, you will learn something valuable just by doing it.

3. “YES!!!”

Speaking of risk, the older we get, the less likely we are to want to do things out of the ordinary (well apart from people like Richard Branson pushing towards space!). But you don’t have to follow that path.

The next time a new opportunity comes along, surprise yourself – and everyone else – by saying yes and throwing yourself into it with verve and enthusiasm. It’s a great way to clear the cobwebs and get you feeling energized and more alive!

4. “No.”

Having said that, don’t just be a yes-person – it’s a one way ticket to feeling burned out and under-appreciated. A little bit of negativity goes a long way – we’re not talking about being depressed, but about saying no to things that don’t work for you. If you don’t have time to put another thing on your plate at your funeral home, don’t be afraid to say no!

It’ll help you stay laser focused and do a better job at what you actually need to do. Plus, in your personal life, you’ll have more time to focus on the opportunities you actually WANT!

5. “You did a great job on…”

How do you recognize the people in your life that make a difference? Whether these are friends, family or people working in your funeral home, everyone deserves praise when they do something right. It’s a great motivator and you don’t have to spend anything on it.

Just saying “great job” at the right time makes a world of difference to people’s morale. And while you’re at it, don’t leave yourself out. Remember to recognize the things that you do right.

6. “You’re fired.”

Turning more to the business side of your funeral home, now is a great time to assess what’s working and what isn’t – and that might mean who’s working and who is not. Our businesses are often family businesses, and we may employ family members and friends as a favor to someone.

That might be good for relationships but it’s bad for business and can jeopardize the financial viability of your funeral home. If there’s someone who’s not pulling their weight, then it’s time to say “we’re letting you go”.

7. “Why am I doing this?”

At least once a year, take some time to examine every aspect of your funeral home. Look at everything you offer to client families and all the behind-the-scenes business actions and ask:

• Why am I doing this?
• Who benefits from it?
• Am I solving a problem for client families or for my business?

Everything you do should be meaningful and should improve things for client families or for your business. If not, it’s time for them to go.

8. “Why am I NOT doing this?”

The flip side of this assessment is seeing what opportunities you are missing out on. Perhaps your competitors are offering new types of funeral services or customizations that are proving popular with client families. Is this something you should do?

Maybe you need to beef up your marketing and interact with your customers online so you don’t become irrelevant. Take a good look at yourself and your business and be honest about what’s holding you back, then break through the barrier and try something new!

9. “Is there a better way to…?”

Sometimes it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. We find something that works, so we do it – and we keep doing it. But let’s face it, if any of the great inventors had simply stuck with what worked, we’d probably still be using gas lamps instead of electricity and an abacus instead of a computer. That’s the risk of playing it safe.

As a funeral home owner, you should always look for ways to improve your business, even if (especially if) it means embracing change. Your business could be in the forefront of change – isn’t that much better than constantly playing catch-up? Even if you’re not ready to innovate, you might be able to make small improvements in your day-to-day business.

10. “I’m finished! I did it!!”

One of the hardest things to do for many funeral professionals is to implement change. Not just talking about change, but putting change into action. It’s time to stop talking and start doing – and you can pick any one of these action-statements to get you started.

Commit to making these changes a part of your life and your business and you won’t just be happier, but you’ll be more successful than you ever imagined– exactly what we wish for you!

How will you incorporate one of these statements into your personal or professional life? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joe Joachim is the CEO and Founder of funeralOne, the first global solutions firm leading a movement of change for the funeral profession. For the past 10 years, he’s developed game-changing solutions that help funeral professionals increase the value of their service offerings, connect with the families of today, and become more profitable. funeralOne’s solutions include: website design, aftercare, funeral eCommerce, and personalization software.

Joe Joachim

funeralOne

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