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April 6, 2009

Seth Godin Shares “First, Ten”

Posted by finalembrace under Advertising, Client Relations
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In a recent post on his blog, Seth Godin shares the two-word new marketing concept: First, Ten.

Here’s what he says:

Find ten people. Ten people who trust you/respect you/need you/listen to you…

Those ten people need what you have to sell, or want it. And if they love it, you win. If they love it, they’ll each find you ten more people (or a hundred or a thousand or, perhaps, just three). Repeat.

If they don’t love it, you need a new product. Start over.

Your idea spreads. Your business grows. Not as fast as you want, but faster than you could ever imagine.

This approach changes the posture and timing of everything you do.

You can no longer market to the anonymous masses. They’re not anonymous and they’re not masses. You can only market to people who are willing participants. Like this group of ten.

Seth is describing marketing in the new world of social media. Don’t worry, I’ll explain that phrase too.

In short, social media is any “advertising medium” that includes a social component. When you build a MySpace page for your skateboard company, you’re taking advantage of social media. When I write posts for my Twitter followers, I’m using social media. When a company asks their customers for feedback via their FaceBook page, they’re reaching out through social media.

Social media turns the traditional version of media - I create and broadcast a message while you passively receive it – into a “conversation.” In social media, the message receivers are active and help spread the word, either good or bad.

Mr. Godin thinks this is the wave of the future, and I agree. To a point.

I think what he’s describing can also be applied to “word of mouth” advertising, which certainly can’t be lumped into the “new marketing” category.

In fact, haven’t all of us entrepreneurs felt the sting of negative opinion (”I don’t like it”, “this product stinks”, “it’s ugly”), whether it’s doled out by the news media, unhappy customers or, unfortunately, our closest friends?

Yes, Seth, people are always excited about products they love, but the “new” social media are just helping people fulfill a much older human compulsion to talk about what they like and talk really loudly about what they don’t.

February 24, 2009

Minnesota Funeral Director Opens Up About Effects of Cremation

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Cremation Issues, Recommended Reading
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Larger view

I just finished reading an interesting article about a funeral home in Minnesota and the effect that cremation is having on their business. You can read the full article on the Minnesota Public Radio website here.

While the article touches on how many people are choosing cremation because of new economic realities and the way the funeral director they’ve interviewed is weathering the downturn, the article fails to discuss the long-term ramifications for the industry.

I believe that cremation is a game-changer for the traditional funeral industry and that many firms will have to re-think their entire pricing models to make their businesses operate on cremation income.

Traditional burial is called by its name because that’s what drives it: tradition. Other than those who fear fire, most people aren’t afraid of cremation as an option; they simply choose burial because “that’s what the family’s always done.”

So what happens when grandma can’t afford a big funeral and there’s a choice to be made? What happens to the “tradition” when the patriarch or matriarch of a large family decides, for economic reasons, to choose cremation?

In my experience, “grandma’s getting cremated” means everyone else in the family is now free to be cremated. Cousins start asking the cemetery how many sets of cremated remains can be buried in a space in the family plot. At the memorial service, family begins discussing how much easier it was to plan a cremation (and cheaper) and, if you’re invited, you’ll hear five people say how much they’d rather have a party than a funeral.

While I don’t advocate battling cremation, I do think we, as an industry, have to realize that consumers are seeing the benefits of cremation, benefits to their wallets and their families, and they’re making the easy, less-expensive choice.

The current economy just gives them another excuse to make the decision sooner.

What are we doing to show our relevance to grieving families? Does our community know that cremation isn’t just direct? Do your neighbors and friends know that cremation is just a cheaper disposition than burial, not a completely new thing? Do they know that you can still provide them with viewing, services and closure?

February 2, 2009

Nobody Cares About the Jones

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Funeral Marketing
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My baby queeen by senli.

Photo by Flickr user Senli

Remember the phrase, “keeping up with the Joneses”?

Seems our current economic condition has many people rethinking the “spend-with-abandon” philosophy that had seemed to be engulfing our culture.

And while I can hardly believe that Americans will never, ever again try to outspend each other for social standing, I know that we’re entering an era where people will, at least, think twice before they make big purchases.

I can’t help wondering how this will affect “traditional” funeral homes. That’s the unfortunate part. The better part is all the opportunities this presents for funeral homes that are already listening to what consumers want and offering them services tailored to their needs and ability to pay.

I’m sure there are funeral homes out there who are still serving a traditional clientele and will feel the pinch as those folks who want “the same service we had for dad 20 years ago” become more introspective about their funeral plans and look for options that fit their new reality. And what happens to prestige funeral homes that are used to selling a well-known name and their standing in the community?

Recent reports show that luxury brands (and prestige or reputation funeral homes are just that) are feeling the heat from the economic meltdown. That doesn’t take into account the number of mid-level and entry products makers finding few buyers for their offerings.

Which brings us back to the amazing opportunities I see for the industry.

For years people have been telling us they want to “have a party” or “spend the money on my kids, not a casket” and we’ve responded with interchangeable cap panels and colorful register books. Some of us added butterfly releases or personalized memorial videos, in an effort to meet the new “personalization” trend.

So many of these answers were really just shots in the dark, hoping to hit the crazy, moving target that is the American funeral consciousness.

We have the chance, now that consumers are more likely to buy only what they need or truly want, to find out what the modern American funeral really means to today’s client family.

January 13, 2009

Are You Still Conducting Processions?

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Legal Issues, Our Philosophy
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After reading the headline 1 Killed in Funeral Procession Crash, I wondered how many funeral directors are still gladly leading funeral processions and what it will take for us to encourage our clients to eschew this time-honored (and, nowadays, dangerous) practice.

In my days as a funeral home administrator, I seldom led funeral processions, since I was often charged with cleaning up after a funeral had left the chapel. But before I headed back inside to scrub green oasis stains from beige carpeting, I usually had the harrowing task of stopping three lanes of 55-mpg+ traffic for the procession.

The cussing, honking and rude gestures got so bad that I finally printed this Florida statute on a piece of poster board:

316.1974 Funeral procession right-of-way and liability. 3(a): Regardless of any traffic control device or right-of-way provisions prescribed by state or local ordinance, pedestrians and operators of all vehicles, except as stated in paragraph (c), shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle which is part of a funeral procession being led by a funeral escort vehicle or a funeral lead vehicle.

Holding up the sign for oncoming traffic at least gave them something to read as they waited. Still, there were numerous times that I was either verbally accosted or narrowly missed by a vehicle that didn’t care about the law. One driver, a visitor from Georgia, actually hit my arm with his black BMW X3 as he drove around me and skirted the procession.

Other times I’d get the procession safely on the road, only to get a phone call from someone complaining that they had to wait in traffic for our procession. One man complained that he had the right-of-way (a green light) and we should have told our procession members to stop at red lights. Even after I read him the law and told him that our procession, in fact, had the right of way, he tried to complain that we shouldn’t do processions because he, and others like him, didn’t know the law.

We could argue that ignorance is no excuse, but truth is, ignorance gets people hurt. On better days, ignorance only ends up in a fender bender or hurt feelings. On the worst days, a little ignorance can end in death, like the news story I cited earlier.

What responsibility do we, as funeral professionals, have to the people in our care during a procession? Lawyers can tell me all day long that any injury or death that occurs in a procession is not the liability of the funeral professional, but I wonder how I’d feel if someone died in one I was leading. Would I find comfort in the law? Would the negative effects of such bad publicity be mitigated because the law says I’m not responsible?

If I were still running a funeral home, I think I’d counsel families against processions. I’d encourage use of printed directions. Maybe we’d station staff cars at landmarks along the way, with a note on the map: “If you get lost, meet up with a funeral home staffmember at the following locations.”

What would you do?

January 12, 2009

Just Another Celebrity Cremation

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Cremation Issues
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When word spread that John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s son, Jett Travolta, had died in the Bahamas, I immediately wondered how they’d handle his funeral arrangements. Would they bring his body back to Ocala, Florida (their current home) for a burial or would they opt for cremation with viewing?

I was mildly surprised to learn that they had him cremated in the Bahamas and brought his cremains home for a private memorial service.

I was saddened to learn that my friends and family didn’t see any problem with this.

My immediate reaction was “how will his friends and family members get closure without his body present?”

Truth is, most Americans are becoming quite comfortable with “no-body” funerals and even more comfortable with the idea that funeral homes just handle the disposition.

And once again, they see a high-profile case where the family (regardless of their wealth) choose to handle services at home or away from a traditional funeral establishment.

This seems to be an important topic, as I’ve covered it on the blog many, many times in the last 2.5 years, so why don’t we spend whole conferences dealing with this issue?

If you own or run a funeral home, how are you planning to deal with the increasing number of people who don’t choose you, but instead opt for direct cremation and private services?

Are you stubbornly sticking with “what you’ve always done” and resenting the choices today’s consumers make?

If we are ready to confront this shift in society, how do we tell consumers that there’s another way (traditional cremation, perhaps?) or that funeral homes are about more than just body disposal?

And if we can’t change the direction, where do we fit into this new reality?

December 11, 2008

Hosting a Holiday Remembrance Service: 2008 Edition

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Our Philosophy
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*its beginning to look a lot like christmas* tree by Chris_J.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Chris Jones

Lots of funeral homes offer holiday remembrance services and most of them know one important point: it’s already too late to plan your service this year!

But the great thing about being so close to the holidays this year is that you can start planning the 2009 service now and then put the preparations aside until next October.

Here’s the things you should do now, before Christmas 2008:

CHOOSE A DATE. Set it now. One successful service I attend every year is held on the first Friday of December, regardless of what other events might be happening in town. Why does this help? Because those who attend the first years always know when it will be held again and those you tell during the year can remember “1st Friday in December” better than “December 5th.”

BOOK A MUSICAL ACT. A friend of mine just had costumed carolers at his event. They sang songs before, during and after the service. Dressed in Victorian costumes, they charged less that $300 for the quartet. But book now, while they’re doing gigs this year, because their schedule will fill up quickly and you want your special date.

BOOK A MINISTER. Same as that musical act, your minister’s schedule is often planned months in advance. Don’t get stuck because your minister is doing a wedding on your special day; book him/her now!

DESIGN YOUR INVITATION. Got some extra time this year? Draw up your invitation now. You’ll be sending this to families who have experienced a death the previous year, so keep that in mind for your wording.

START AN ADDRESS SPREADSHEET. If you don’t have other software, create a spreadsheet where you can enter a family’s name and address for your invitee list. When you serve families throughout the year, take a second to enter their name and address here, along with the date of death of the deceased. That way, when it’s time to print your invitations and envelopes, you’ll have a list already compiled. Just make sure you start adding to the list on December 25th of this year.

BUY DECORATIONS AFTER CHRISTMAS 2008. Get yourself a nice tree and some good decorations. If you plan to give away ornaments to each family (one year, I gave away origami doves that our staff had folded), buy those now while they’re on sale 75% off.

Later, we’ll discuss what you’ll need to do throughout 2009 and next October, to prepare for your holiday remembrance service.

December 8, 2008

Random Flowers of Kindness

Posted by finalembrace under Advertising, Big Ideas, Client Relations, Funeral Marketing
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PEARL HARBOR MEMORIAL CEREMONY by escapedtowisconsin.
Photo by Flickr user EscapedtoWisconsin

Yesterday was Pearl Harbor Day. Don’t feel bad if you didn’t remember. I didn’t turn on the TV all day and didn’t think about it until my head hit the pillow last night.

Reflecting on what Pearl Harbor means to me, I was struck by how far away (in time) the event feels, and yet, how relevant it all still seems.

The attack on Pearl Harbor helped push our country into the thick of WWII. Those first bullets and torpedoes fired from a Japanese plane occupy such an important place in our history, as their effects reverberated through the lives (and deaths) of so many young men and women of the era.

Without the Pearl Harbor attack, my grandfather, who I wrote about in the post, A Death in the Family: Part 2, might not have enlisted in the Army and would not have been shipped off to England. He wouldn’t have married an English woman and had two children before divorcing and returning to Michigan.

How many others found their lives irreversibly altered on December 7th?

I thought about this because we don’t “commemorate” the victims of Pearl Harbor on December 7th the way we commemorate all military forces on Veteran’s Day. Placing flowers or flags on the graves of those who experienced the attack firsthand might honor their memory, but identifying and locating the graves might be harder to do.

But so many others were affected by that day! Why should we reserve the “commemoration” for only those who were in Hawaii that day?

So I thought I’d tell you blog readers to put some flowers or U.S. flags on the graves of all WWII veterans this week.

But then I realized that I’ve already talk about this and many funeral homes already do that at other times of the year. So I researched the blog (over 1,000 posts on lotsa topics, so it took some time) and realized that I’ve shared a lot about placing flowers on graves, like these posts:

Memorial Day: A Fistful of Flowers and Flags
A Trunk Full of Flowers

But then my thoughts took a wide turn toward a bigger idea (falling asleep really jumbles up my brain!). Why should we restrict flowers or flags to military personnel? And why do we have to put our name on the bouquet?

What if there were a “secret flower giver” who started putting beautiful arrangements on graves? Would people start talking?

Better yet, what if your community were struck by a “secret memorializer” who placed a wreath, with a photo and life story, in public places every few weeks? Would people talk, tell their friends, report it to the police? Would the local news station run a story on the sitings?

What am I saying? Heck, I’m saying that someone ought to be that “masked memorializer” and start sharing these life stories in places other than just the funeral chapel.

Want to do it? First, you have to forget about publicity. This isn’t about getting your name in front of every person who sees your work; your aim is to create a strong impression with those interested enough to find out more. You’re also looking to create buzz.

Secondly, you can’t just memorialize people whose services you handled. It would become pretty obvious that you were only looking to publicize yourself if you do that.

How would this work? You’d select some people to remember. They can be city founders or influential neighbors. Why not choose some local teachers and church members who always worked behind the scenes?

Next, you get some beautiful wreaths made by your local florist. But make sure you swear the florist to secrecy! Heck, you might negotiate a good discount from the florist for the publicity he/she will get when the story breaks.

Alternately, you can use an artificial wreath and change it every time you change the person being remembered. If you plan to continue this even after you’re discovered, it would be nice to lower your recurring costs.

You should print a photo of the person (if available) and their story. You might include relevant sources for more information about their life or the work they did while alive (”To donate to Johnny’s favorite charity, contact Hospice at…”).

Now, choose a popular local place to situate the memorial. It should be on public property, unless you can swear another local business owner to secrecy. Just make sure that wherever you put it, it won’t be easily removed by a code enforcement officer. Hopefully, the sacred nature of a memorial will make any public officials think twice before removing it.

And don’t tell anyone that you’re the person doing this! It should be a quiet gift to your neighbors. In fact, humans are so curious, if this is a truly interesting project, they’ll work to find out who did it. You will probably have more trouble trying to keep your identity hidden!

Make sure you change out the wreath at an appropriate time when no one is expecting it. You want to create buzz over a few weeks before it’s revealed that you’ve been the one working to remember so many fine people from your community.

Hopefully, this type of random, unmotivated sharing will encourage others to see you as someone who truly appreciates your neighbors and their important life stories.

Of course, if you try this, let me know how it turns out!

December 4, 2008

Mixed Signals at the FAIL Blog

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, What in the World Wide Web?
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The FAIL Blog gathers pictures and videos of bad ideas or crazy juxtapositions. For some of these examples, I’ve added a real world admonition that you can apply to your own business. For others, I was laughing to hard to write anything intelligible. Enjoy!

“Going out of business” or “clearance” sales can be effective gimmicks to boost revenue. Just don’t confuse people with other signage:

fail owned pwned pictures

Here’s an example of creating an expectation, then destroying it by charging too much:

fail owned pwned pictures

Technology is great, but only if you use it correctly:

fail owned pwned pictures

What controls do you have over your advertising?:

fail owned pwned pictures

The definitions of company names and product titles are actually important:

fail owned pwned pictures

People can see through unrealistic claims. Think about that before you stake your business on a slogan:

fail owned pwned pictures

Fix things right the first time. People notice stuff like this:

fail owned pwned pictures

Another industry-related name issue, kinda like AMIGONE funeral home:

fail owned pwned pictures

I laughed hard at this one:

fail owned pwned pictures

Fight back:

fail owned pwned pictures

This is like driving around for 20 minutes to find a closer parking space at the gym:

fail owned pwned pictures

How about knowing your clientele before you market to them?:

fail owned pwnd pictures

December 2, 2008

Can Part-Time Employees Replace Advertising?

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Funeral Marketing, Our Philosophy
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As part of my end-of-year accounting – yes, I started early - I’ve begun reviewing how much my part-time workers have cost so far.

Surprisingly, I haven’t paid a single part-time worker more than $3000 this year, with the whole lot of sewers and assistants costing less than $10,000 for 11 months work.

The fact that I’ve only paid Kim, my part-time office assistant, a tad over $2000 for 11 months of constant work suprised me because it seems like she’s always around. Truth is, she only works a few hours a week and I pay her a small hourly wage.

It also struck me that so many funeral homes spend thousands of dollars on un-measured advertising (church bulletins, printed school programs, yellow-page directories, etc.) without a second thought but are often reticent to add even a single part-time employee.

And yet, so many funeral directors run around doing minor, unimportant tasks because there’s not enough help.

So my solution is: hire a part-time employee! Drop some of the un-measured advertising, have a part-time employee work a few hours a week (maybe Thursday afternoons) and get yourself out into the community to advertise in person!

Have trouble making it to the Kiwanis luncheon each week? Missed the last three Episcopal church functions because of paperwork? Spending too much time on mundane tasks that someone other than the brains of your operation could accomplish?

There’s already plenty of evidence that part-time employees aren’t that expensive and they can help you free up important time to socialize (read: advertise for your firm) and build important relationships in your community. But I’d also suggest that employees can help advertise on their own.

I’ve already discussed turning your part-time employees into ambassadors in the posts, Ten Ways to be Seen as a Community Contributor #9: Hire Spouses of Movers and Shakers, Ambassadors Aren’t Just for the U.N. and DAILY NAG: Hire Some More Part-Time Help.

To reiterate: part-time employees who are treated well can become mini-billboards for your company. By hiring well-connected, well-known “ambassadors” for your company, you dispatch advocates into the field who will tell their friends, neighbors and other acquaintances about your firm.

As I was considering the topic of this post, my mind kept going back to the time I spent working for Hospice of the Comforter. Because of the non-profit business model, HOTC has very few extraneous employees, so they work super-hard getting volunteers to come work for them. These folks work for no monetary compensation. What they do get is love, recognition and appreciation. And it works!

Now, I don’t mention HOTC because I think you should look for volunteers, but one of the jobs that volunteers do there is quite appealing: they bake Otis Spunkmeyer cookies!

Several times a week, a volunteer will go to the kitchen at HOTC and bake five or ten dozen cookies. The wonderful smell fills the second floor of the administration building! Once they cool enough, the volunteer will put ten or more into a small display bag (white with a clear window) and attach a HOTC sticker that explains the mission of hospice and the work done by the employees and volunteers of Hospice of the Comforter.

These cookies are taken by the development staff to area organizations and doctors offices to encourage groups to discuss hospice and doctors to consider hospice when treating patients with end-of-life concerns.

Translated to the funeral industry, wouldn’t a “cookie ministry” like this one go a long way toward building a strong opinion of your funeral home in the community?

Imagine “Ethel” coming in on Tuesday afternoons and baking cookies for three or four hours. Maybe a second part-timer (or even Ethel herself!) goes out on Wednesday and delivers cookies to area nursing home residents and staff or the secretaries at local churches.

The really ambitious might plan to distribute fresh-baked cookies the day they’re made.

This kind of advertising does two things. First, it reminds people that your firm can do more than just handle death. You provide for the living by creating a welcoming, home-style environment. And what says “welcome” more than the smell of fresh cookies baking?

Second, it extends your care past the day of a funeral. It tells people in your community that you care about them while dispatching a non-vested person (the cookie deliverer) into the field to talk up your firm. Imagine the looks on peoples’ faces when they get free chocolate chip cookies from a funeral home employee!?!

While you can get an oven and the cookie dough from Otis Spunkmeyer or other companies, why not search out a local person who loves to bake and has a few good recipes. Ask around; someone’s bound to know a little old lady or retired man who bakes the most awesome cookies around. You provide the ingredients and a place to prepare the cookies and he/she provides the skills.

I don’t expect many to take up this idea, but just hiring a part-time employee to accomplish any mundane tasks will at least free you up to do some of the important community relations work needed. And if you treat the employee well, you might even see some off-hours advertising done by an employee who tells their friends and neighbors how great your company is.

November 20, 2008

2008 NFDA Convention: The Tired, The Hungry and The Bored

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, NFDA Convention, Our Philosophy
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Since this post is about the various states of convention exhibitors, I probably should add “the newbie”, “the worried” and “the over-it” to the title.

Still unsure what I’m talking about? Let’s go over how each of these six conditions can negatively impact the interaction between vendor and attendee and how to overcome them.

THE TIRED. Yes, it’s physically tiring to rush to the convention floor, set up a complicated booth, shower, get dressed and get back to the show before it opens, which may explain why so many exhibitors look tired even on the first day.

That’s why I always get to a convention site at least a day before the show starts. Is this expensive? Between time away from home, hotel rates and meals on the road, it certainly is. But how many sales might I lose by looking tired or letting fatigue keep me from giving the precious few exhibiting hours my best attention?

And I don’t suggest doing a lot of partying or sightseeing in the hours away from the expo floor. Standing for five or six hours is hard on your body. Don’t complicate it or overdo it by going out to a tourist nightclub to drink the night away, just hours before the next full day of exhibiting. Save the partying for after the show, when you’re celebrating success.

THE HUNGRY. A few conventions have started to offer food on the floor, but I would caution against partaking in the food while the doors are open to guests. Invariably, the minute you step away to get a piece of roast beef, some interested attendee will be ready to place an order at your booth. Even worse, you may offend paying attendees by being in line ahead of them.

My solution? Eat ahead of time. Before the last few shows we’ve done, I get our booth finished a few hours before the show starts and hit a local restaurant (usually at an off hour, so less traffic) before heading to the hotel to get changed. That way, I don’t spill anything on my good clothes and the meal has time to digest before we start talking to potential clients.

THE BORED. Yes, shows can sometimes be slow. But you need to find booth-related things to do to pass the time. No, you cannot read a book, unless it’s an exciting book about your industry. I suggest you fluff merchandise or, if you make a product, bring some to work on during the show. One of the blogs I read is by Luann Udell, who does a lot of art shows and talks about making her art in the booth during slow sessions.

THE NEWBIE. These folks have been pushed into a booth without any experience and no idea what to expect. To combat this, I always pair a new person with a pro. I’ve trained the last four of my product experts that way and it works.

In Vegas, Robin accompanied me and learned, by watching, how to interact with our customers and bring people over to our booth. At the 2007 IFDF, Lynn found out how I like to show off our product and which features he should highlight. During the 2008 Kentucky show, Linda watched as I lured people into our booth and found out how to “ask for the sale.”

Most recently, at the 2008 NFDA show in Orlando, Kim learned how all the great features of our covers and marketing messages we craft (she helps me out in the workshop and the office) come together to entice funeral professionals to buy a cot cover from us.

Now I feel comfortable sending any of them out to sell covers on their own, because I know that they won’t be newbies, but seasoned veterans with the skills and knowledge necessary to anticipate what a convention will bring their way.

THE WORRIED. There’s a transformation that happens on the second or third day of a show, when those who haven’t met their goals or are unsure of how the show will pan out begin to wonder if it’s all over for their product/service. Unfortunately, their panic and concern usually telegraphs to the attendees and they seldom recover and turn the show around.

There’s not much you can do about becoming one of “the worried,” except understand what is happening at the show (no one wants your information, no one will enter your booth, attendance is down) and attempt to figure out what contribution you are making to the problem. Are you aggressively inviting visitors into your booth? Is it the product? Are you explaining the beneficial features accurately? Do you have body odor? Is your nervous smile creepy to people?

Or you can do what a lot of exhibitors do when they get a case of “the worrieds.” You can complain about the bad turnout and commiserate with the guy in the next booth.

THE OVER-IT. These folks have clearly had enough and they’re just waiting for the signal to break down their booth and hit the road.

This can be exhibitors who have had a terrible show and even those who have sold more than their goal. In fact, I felt this the last day of the 2008 NDA show and had to convince myself that we could still make more sales in the afternoon, even though I was ready to pack it in and rejoice over our great success.

Unfortunately, the over-its often miss great opportunities that appear on the last day. In their rush to get their booth packed before everyone else and be out of the convention hall just as the final buzzer sounds, many ignore the thoughtful, interested clients who walk the expo floor on the last day. As I’ve shared before, our booth neighbors at the 2007 NFDA show packed up a full 3 hours before the show ended, missing at least 5 interested visitors who wanted to know more about the diamonds they make from cremated remains (not LifeGem).

In conclusion, companies spend a lot of time and money to attend trade shows. It’s sad to see all the hard work wasted because the human element (the part with all the cool ability to interact and impress clients and make the sale) is pre-occupied or too nervous to be “on” that day.

November 18, 2008

Brian Shares Geib Funeral Home’s Open Merchandising Plan

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Funeral Marketing
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During my presentation to funeral directors at the 2008 OGR conference, I discussed how to merchandise products and services within the open, public areas of funeral homes.

I specifically shared the practices that Brian Hanner and the staff at Geib Funeral Home use to show off their products and services. I had a few pictures to share, but here are more that Brian sent me.

Here’s a nice flag case display:

geib 3 by you.

Even more impressive is where that flag case display is located. This is the reception area of the funeral home:

geib 2 by you.

Isn’t it awesome how much is visible for anyone who walks in the door? Instead of hiding the products and services they offer, the staff proudly displays their wares. Incidentally, the office manager at this location (that’s her desk!) sells a BUNCH of Thumbies from the display on the left.

The Relections Gallery is accessible from the other public areas at the funeral home. In fact, you have to go through this gallery to access the Coffee Lounge:

geib 9 by you.

Talk about merchandising your product and encouraging browsing!

geib 7 by you.

November 17, 2008

Creating Expectations is the Key

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Funeral Marketing, Our Philosophy
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At a recent Order of the Golden Rule conference in Key West, I reminded the 55+ attendees that merchandise pricing is as much about creating expectations as it is about the actual prices listed.

By grouping prices (in a Good, Better, Best arrangement or other type) you can create specific expectations for clients.

Imagine, for a moment, that I’ve told you that a specific model of flat screen TV costs $3000. Without some reference point, you might be shocked.

But now imagine that you see an entire display of televisions ranging from $1500 to $6000. What happens when you see this array of product? Do you give up and complain that all of them are overpriced? Or do you settle down and figure out which one you want to buy / can afford?

Consumers (even funeral consumers) want benchmarks and will tailor their choices to meet those expectations. For more about how families react when your quoted price doesn’t match your final price, see the post, Reducing Sticker Shock.

Ask any person on the street how much they’d pay for printed funeral service items and you might get answers ranging from $25 to $100.

But present the same person with a range of register book packages, priced from $100 to $300 and the answer gets closer to $200.

And consumer expectations can also shift over time.

Consider the standard or base features people expected on a car from 1988:

Manual windows and locks
Manual transmission
AM/FM radio

That car sold for $5000 or less. Today, people expect far more as standard, including:

AM/FM radio with CD player
Power locks and windows
Automatic transmission

Even more interesting, that entry-level car now costs between $12,000 and $15,000. Using the inflation calculator, I figure that a $5000 car in 1988 would cost $8650 today.

How did the concept and price expectation of a “basic” or “entry-level” car change in just 20 years? I’d venture that much of it was powered by consumers and helped along by car companies.

This is a fascinating topic and it’s even better in person. Don’t forget, I’ll be presenting “Good, Better, Best Marketing” at the IFDF Convention in June 2009, along with a discussion titled “Stop Fearing Cremation.”

August 25, 2008

Educating Your Community on eHow

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Funeral Marketing, What in the World Wide Web?
1 Comment

The website, eHow, bills itself as a resource that teaches “how to do just about anything.”

I recently found an article titled How to do an Online Funeral, but a user named Pianistic.

The article is simple and straightforward, with a few tips that should be relatively obvious to any thinking person. Things like, have someone videotape the funeral, seem simple enough.

And while this article didn’t do much for me, it got me thinking about how funeral directors interact with their community.

Posting articles on eHow is free and the writer retains copyright of the materials offered. Why not write a few eHow articles about important funeral planning details and connect with your community? You can add a link on your website that points to your eHow articles.

Better still, the articles can do immediate good, while also helping you build a portfolio of important information to share with your clients.

Click here to visit eHow.

August 22, 2008

How to NOT Make a Local Minister Your Ally

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Recommended Reading
[2] Comments

Minister Cathedral by vgm8383.

Here’s an interesting story:

The Archdiocese of Louisville and a priest are being sued by a Nelson County funeral home director.

Ron Rust, a funeral home owner in New Haven, says a new church policy will interfere with his business coordinating funerals. The Rev. Jeffrey Leger, pastor at St. Catherine Church, has a new policy that funeral directors must work with him when planning services at his church.

The story, reported by the Lexington Herald-Leader, doesn’t explain a whole lot more, except to say that the Mr. Rust is asking for damages because the new policy will hurt his business.

When I wrote the article, Thou Shalt Not Use This Firm, I was discussing this very issue: a minister who doesn’t like you or wants to exert more control.

But that doesn’t mean you sue him!

I imagine it’ll be a long time before the Archdiocese recommends Mr. Rust’s funeral home to their parishioners again!

July 21, 2008

More Internet Amplification

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, What in the World Wide Web?
1 Comment

Our friend, Michelle Carter, shares this rant from an agitated consumer:

Our families first contact with this funeral home was a woman by the name of Linda Roy. After introductions, the first thing out of her mouth was, “We need the money up front”. No wonder, after what transpired afterward.

There’s a lot more of the rant here, which is hosted by a site called Pissed Consumer.

One more example of the Internet giving consumers a much-bigger stage upon which to vent their disappointment, anger or resentment.

July 17, 2008

Oops…Wrong Tag!

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Recommended Reading
1 Comment

Central embalming facilities (like those utilized by SCI or Stewart funeral home clusters) can really save a substantial amount of money by consolidating supplies, equipment and staff.

But they can also cost a lot of money, especially when an overworked or underpaid and inattentive staff-member mistakenly switches the ID tags on two bodies.

That’s what happened to an SCI firm in Stickney, Illinois, as detailed in this Chicago Tribune story.

SCI spokesperson, Jennifer Brandino, responded to the story, saying ”We continue to work with both families involved and are committed to resolving the issue to their satisfaction.”

When I worked for SCI, “resolving the issue to their satisfaction” usually meant paying money or refunding the cost of services.

It’s one of the pitfalls of running bigger operations where the person doing the embalming has never met the family or the deceased: mistakes are made more often.

I wonder if the negative impact of this story can be dismissed because of all the money they saved by consolidating their embalming and preparation processes?

Editor’s Note: This story is not an indictment of SCI or any other corporate firm. If anything, I hope our corporate readers will consider that the way they’re consolidated brings different challenges than a smaller, family-run and family-sized operation.

June 3, 2008

Buried in a Pringles Can

Posted by finalembrace under Big Ideas, Client Relations
1 Comment

Fredric Baur, of College Hill, Ohio, was such a fan of the Pringles can, that he asked his children to bury part of his cremains in a can next to an urn containing the rest.

His children complied, since Dr. Baur was the designer of the recognizable snack container. He died on May 4 in College Hill at the age of 89.

You can learn more about this interesting man in his full Cincinnati Enquirer obituary.

Of course, this story makes me wonder about the nature of the containers we use in funeral service. What rule says a family has to buy a traditional urn?

Can we offer other alternatives that will spark a family’s interest? How many families that would normally forego an urn would reconsider if you offered something different?

Take a look at your current shelf of urns and ask yourself: How can I add variety to this selection? What might catch my customer’s eye?

May 27, 2008

American Airlines Needs a Discount Brand

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Email Response, Our Philosophy
[3] Comments

Jodi Clock of the Clock Life Story Funeral Home, responds to my thoughts in the post, Discount Selling and Full-Service Don’t Mix, by saying:

In my opinion I do agree that AA doesn’t know what it wants to be, however I do agree that there is room in the airlines and even with AA for a discount brand or version.Major hotel chains have proven that model Marriott, Courtyard and Fairfield for example. It seems AA’s debacle isn’t brand confusion it’s a cash issue combined with consumer panic. AA are desperately re-acting to gas prices, lack of customers and their bottom line. Sound familiar? How many funeral homes do we see panic and re-act to the competitor,rather than stay on course?

Photo courtesy of Flickr User smenzel

Jodi has a point: many companies have discount portions of their brand. However, most have found it necessary to separate their discounted brand.

TED is the discount version of United. Instead of separate compartments, they have separate fleets.

Courtyard by Marriott is a lower priced version of the famed hotel chain. But Courtyard’s rooms aren’t housed in Marriott hotels; they’re in separate facilities.

Anderson-McQueen operates their lower-priced Cremation Tribute Center separate from their funeral homes.

Except at super-mega-dealer properties, General Motors separates their Cadillac and Chevrolet dealerships to reduce confusion between their luxury and discount brands.

And almost every company that offers full-price services and discount versions also keeps their marketing efforts separate.

Ads touting the luxury of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel will neglect to mention the great prices at Hampton Inn, even though both are part of the Hilton family of brands.

When typing your needs into the carfinder at the Lexus website, you will not find a single Toyota or Scion in the search results, even though all three belong to the same megacorporation.

If American Airlines wants to continue appealing to full-price and discount buyers, they’ll need to separate their disparate business models.

It seems to me that the only reason to charge discount fliers more to check a bag is to further alienate them so they will stop buying your product.

Why not simply stop selling to them?

May 23, 2008

Discount Selling and Full-Service Don’t Mix

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Funeral Marketing
[2] Comments

American Airlines is working double-time to tell their discount passengers that they’re not welcome. How? They’re using the not-so-subtle additional charge for basic services.

Starting soon, AA is charging discount passengers a $15 fee to check their first bag. This is on top of the $20 fee that most airlines are charging for a second checked bag.

Photo Courtesy of Flickr User deadeyebart

And while the news reports about this new fee detail the billions in losses the airline industry faces because of rising oil costs and several leading publications have looked at the effect this will have on the already pathetic customer service record of the industry, few have made any reasonable suggestions for how to fix the real problem.

What is the real problem?

You can’t be both a full-service airline AND a discount airline.

American wants to keep their full-service clients (business class, full-fare coach, AA Rewards members, etc.) AND nickel and dime their discount fliers.

So why offer a discount rate at all? Because they want to compete with the discount airlines (Jet Blue, TED, Spirit, etc.) on price.

But buying a ticket from a discount airline means you’ve accepted the discount philosophy and you’re shopping on price. You know that you’ll pay extra for a meal and to rent headsets. You understand that there will be certain limitations on things like baggage and onboard amenities.

So why does American even offer discount tickets? Why don’t they just forget the discount rates and focus on the customers who are willing to pay more for a better experience?

Because they’re afraid. If they charge a reasonable fee for their services (meaning raising fares to cover their fuel bills) they might lose a lot of customers, even if continuing on their current path means losing a lot of cash – they lost $330 million in the first quarter of 2008 alone! – and alienating customers.

Seems to me that they’re already on a path toward jettisoning true discount shoppers by seeing how much the quasi-discount fliers will put up with.

A quasi-discount flier is someone who logs onto Travelocity or Orbitz and finds the cheapest flight listed that meets their time/date requirements without considering other costs.

Except a simple review of the types of people who buy airline tickets will show that, while true-discount fliers will never convert to full-pay or luxury customers, some quasi-discount fliers DO transition to a higher-paying customer.

Why, then, charge a fee that will alienate true-discount fliers AND annoy the quasi-discounters?

Because American Airlines is thinking short-term. Because they need a quick fix to staunch the stock price bleed.

Everyone agrees that solving such a bold problem ($330 MILLION is a BOLD problem) requires a bold solution.

Here’s mine:

Bow out of the discount ticket wars. Make your planes the best in the business, with complimentary everything on every flight. Find real perks to give first class, business class and frequent fliers (a pillow is not a perk).

Launch an ad campaign touting that flying is part of the “American Dream” and that they can fly the same way folks did in the golden age of air travel.

Run 30-minute infomercials that show off the new “American” way to travel.

Push “green” initiatives by offering tips on how to pack light and how fewer pounds per passenger helps save thousands of gallons of fuel everyday.

Banners and billboards would ask people to “Rediscover what it means to be an AMERICAN.”

(I’d love to make part of each plane the no-children zone, but I can imagine the backlash that would create.)

Funeral homes know that it’s just too hard to offer a full-service experience and a discount price at the same time. True discounters don’t knock on your door if you advertise full-service, and most full-service buyers don’t want to go to a discount firm.

It’s about time that the airline industry figured it out. Before we taxpayers have to spend hundreds of billions of dollars saving their skins.

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May 20, 2008

Personal Finance Advice Books Create Distrust

Posted by finalembrace under Client Relations, Our Philosophy
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Once upon a time, the only folks who asked for a discount on their funeral bill were destitute people or those from cultures where haggling and bartering are more commonplace.

In fact, every Hindu funeral I ever helped arrange was negotiated by the family, even though they were often wealthy business owners driving expensive cars and living in upscale neighborhoods. But we were never offended, as we understood that bargaining is a part of the way Hindu business owners in our part of the world (Central Florida) do things.

However, more and more Americans of all cultural backgrounds are being fed a constant diet of advice from financial consultants and personal finance writers who encourage their minions to demand discounts, since “it never hurts to ask.”

Personal finance writers claim that “paying full price” = “throwing money away.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR USER distinguish

At one time, the embarrassment of asking for a discount at such an emotional time would deter families from seeking a discount. In turn, the tacit understanding that clients would not begrude a fair price, coupled with the honesty required by the profession (since most firms operate in small communities, dishonesty is usually sussed out quickly and the firm shunned by the potential clientele) meant that the price on the GPL reflected the costs required to keep the business running, with a tidy profit added to keep the owner comfortable.

Unfortunately, I’ve been hearing more and more reports from funeral directors who are getting counteroffered when they present the bill during an arrangement conference. While some of these folks claim they have not prepared for a death (remember the days when Americans actually saved for the future and knew that they would die one day?), many are simply looking to save a few bucks because they’ve been told how deceitful and underhanded morticians are.

This selfish attention to “getting the best price at any cost” and the belief that a businessperson who expects a 4-8% return on their investment is a huckster, means that most funeral directors will have to build discounts into their GPLs, which will actually cause more pain for the consumer who doesn’t ask for a discount and doesn’t want to haggle.

Consider: how many people LOVE going to a car dealership? In my experience, few people do, because they know how the game works. They have to fight and scratch to get the best price, for fear that they’ll be taken advantage of.

Add that unpleasant experience to an already-difficult time at a funeral home, and you have the perfect reason to skip the funeral home altogether.