Matt Blackwell
on
There’s no perfect script for telling your team you’re selling the funeral home—but there is a wrong way. That’s not addressing it head on, keeping things vague, or waiting too long and letting your staff hear it from third parties like their casket rep. In a profession built on trust and relationships, that kind of surprise doesn’t just bruise morale—it can erode the culture you spent a career building.
Selling your funeral home isn’t just a transaction. You’re handing over something deeply personal—a community institution, a brand your team helped shape, a space where families found comfort. When staff are kept in the dark until the last second, it stirs panic, invites rumors, and makes buyers wonder if they’re inheriting a team—or a time bomb.
Here’s how to do it better. These aren’t just bullet points from a handbook—they’re lessons from real transitions across the profession.
- Say It Early, Say It Straight
Every state requires some sort of approval process from the state governing board prior to change of ownership. The general rule of thumb is that the moment a state filing hits, the deal is effectively public. At this point, your team should hear it from you—before it starts circulating in the area from other funeral directors, or your suppliers. If there are some of your staff that have been with you for a very long time, it might be best to give them advanced notice, maybe the day or night before you plan on making your announcement to the rest of the team. They have been important to you for all of this time, so it makes sense to keep treating them as such.
- Explain the “Why”
You don’t need to share every detail of your exit strategy, but be honest about your reasoning—retirement, health, burnout, or just timing. It helps staff process the change and understand that this wasn’t a snap decision. And yes, it’s okay to acknowledge that it’s emotional. It may have been one of the hardest decisions of your life, and that goes a long way with how the staff may react.
- Introduce the Buyer Like You Mean It
Whether the buyer is a national brand, a regional group, or a local competitor—you chose them for a reason. Tell your staff why. Share how their philosophy aligns with yours. If you went through a marketing process like we do at Foresight, then sharing how you ultimately made a connection with the buyer will help create continuity. If the name stays the same, if the staff stays intact, if families won’t notice a thing—make that crystal clear. Ambiguity breeds fear.
- Kill the Job Panic
The first thing employees wonder: “Am I still employed?” If the buyer is retaining the staff—and most do—say so. If pay or benefits are improving, even better. Typically the buyer will be onsite with you and can address all of these employment related questions on the spot. That is why coordinating the timing is paramount so that days don’t pass on and employees are left thinking the worst.
- Say Thank You—and Mean It
Your team didn’t just work for the business—they helped build it. A heartfelt thank you goes a long way. Some owners go further, offering small gifts or bonuses after closing. It doesn’t have to be flashy. It just has to be sincere to show how much they are appreciated.
- Make Space for Questions. Then Steady the Ship.
Open the floor. Be honest—even if the answer is “I don’t know yet.” Then bring it back to stability. Let them know the buyer will be available to answer some of the unknown questions, and once the transaction closes they will handle onboarding, but day-to-day operations remain business as usual for now.
Final Thought
You only sell your funeral home once. How you communicate that sale can either protect your legacy—or puncture it. Take the time to do it right. Your staff, your successor, and the community in which you serve will thank you.