Bryan Chandler, owner of Chandler Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Ohio, has been a long time reader of Final Embrace.  In fact, his kind words about our podcasts got me started on the interviews and other features you’ll find today on our Podcast Page.

Bryan runs one of the “new breed” of funeral homes.  Not content to simply offer the same funeral service to every client, Bryan is constantly learning new techniques and improving on old ones.

In his first contribution to the BE OUR GUEST series, Bryan shows us how to make inexpensive memorial candles.  As a value-added free gift to a client family, a memorial candle can generate other sales and impress other members of your community.

Bryan’s got even more coming our way.  Look for more “On A Shoestring” features and other great articles that detail his experiences in the industry.  He’s also started his own blog, Chandler’s Corner, where he’ll share even more with his readers by “offering simple advice for funeral directors.”

The video above is a commercial Bryan made for his local news media.  And while the copy (the words being spoken) is not revolutionary, the staging of the commercial is, as it shows real people in the funeral home doing real things.  Too often, pictures and video used to advertise funeral homes are filled with nothing but empty rooms and empty chairs.  But an empty chair cannot sell “we take care of people” or “our services celebrate a person’s life” because people have a hard time imaging items or people in an empty space.

I’m preparing a longer article about this strange funeral home phenomenon, but until then, notice how Bryan’s commercial skillfully shows the steps to plan a funeral and the amenities his firm offers.

Thanks for joining us, Bryan.  Your perspective is invaluable.