Jim Bauschke of Life Story Funeral Homes shares his thoughts on the recent article, Michelle Carter on “The Funeral Director Mindset”:
It’s not about Wilbert or Batesville or discounts. Your future is about the people sitting in the pews and chapel chairs. Remember them?
If you provide a funeral experience worth going to they will continue to be ‘fed’ by what you do.
Know what a funeral experience worth going to is? It’s about the story of the life that was lived. It’s an experience that is relevant for the people attending–giving them ways to reconnect with the life that was lived and what it meant to them; maybe even helping them to realize how their own lives influence others.
When you (yes, you!) transcend the functionality of death, caskets, burial, cremation and funerals and start creating visitations and funerals that people want to go to and are willing to pay for you’re no longer just another funeral director.
Our funeral homes are all Life Story Funeral Homes now. Every life is significant and has a story that needs to be told, with memories that need to be shared. The consumer already knows this and his heart is aching for it. You can see one of our Life Stories by clicking here.
When you let go of the casket, the vault, and whether it’s burial or cremation you can move on to where the consumer is, life and memories. And when you do this (create and deliver a relevant funeral experience based on the life story), the casket and the vault and the urn will come along for the ride.
Think about it. We have, which is why Life Story Network writes a life story now for every family we serve.
October 23, 2007 at 10:12 am
When you let go of the casket, the vault, and whether it’s burial or cremation you can move on to where the consumer is, life and memories. And when you do this (create and deliver a relevant funeral experience based on the life story), the casket and the vault and the urn will come along for the ride.
I agree with you to an extent. If you saw my first guest post on this site, you’ll see that I know a funeral is not about the merchandise at all.
However, just because it’s not the most important aspect of a funeral doesn’t mean it’s not important at all. The fact is, if there is a burial, at some point your family is going to have to make a choice about what kind of casket to buy. Likewise for urns, vaults, etc.
Just as a consumer has an obligation to shop around and find the place they feel will best suit their needs, we have an obligation to find the best merchandise at the best price for them. My point was that as an industry, we’re not doing a whole lot to push for better merchandise or better prices..we’re just riding the wave and dealing with what shows up on shore.
October 23, 2007 at 11:03 am
[...] October 23, 2007 Negotiating Lower Prices from Suppliers Posted by finalembrace under Be Our Guest , Funeral Home Financials , Michael Manley , Michelle Carter , Our Philosophy , Recommended Reading One of the recent discussions here in posts and comments has been negotiating lower prices from suppliers. It all started with a guest post, Michelle Carter on “The Funeral Director Mindset”. Several comments were added by our readers (and we appreciate comments!), including one I reposted as Jim Bauschke on “The Funeral Director Mindset”. [...]
October 23, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Michelle, you’re totally on point about our obligation to deliver the best product quality at the best price. Many of the firms I visit are stuck there, though; it’s the way they’ve always done business and it’s hard not to do it that way, especially when profitability is declining. To do it quickly and smartly and then get on to the experiential side of the equation is a major change and is not easy. Only a few end up being able to do it and do it well enough to affect consumer preference. Plus, the ‘experience’ we’re talking about is intangible and involves funeral director participation in ways never done before. It’s obvious you are already on the experiential side of things. Isn’t it wonderful? When we ask ourselves the question, “Could we survive without disposition?” and we can answer unequivocally yes, then we are beginning to see our real potential for getting past the function of what we do and truly help people grieve by telling their stories and archiving their memories.