Dan Isard

The Right Fit Placing personnel where they will flourish and training them for success.   By Jeff Harbeson   The funeral profession is facing a crisis, and it’s not cremation, it’s not foreign caskets, it’s not even online funeral providers, it’s ­people! Right now, there are more funeral directors leaving the business, either by retirement or simply quitting, than are entering. In my lifetime, I have been bombed, shot at and cut, so if readers get their starched boxers in a twist, so be it – I ain’t scared. The truth is that we (in the profession) are our own biggest enemy. That’s right – the king is butt-naked. In this country, each state has individual requirements to enter this profession. The regulations range from zero licensing to dual licensure with a four-year bachelor of science degree. I’ve been around […]

The world of funeral service requires financial conservatism in its approach to business. This world, inhabited by multigenerational audiences of providers and customers, also requires authenticity and is in dire need of concise and clear communication. Finally, in the funeral world in which we exist, relationships come first. If you agree that these viewpoints are on target, can we embrace, with our technology environment, the consequences of socially evolving? Although I am not a legend in the profession, I have memories of funeral services from my childhood on my father’s side of the family. For the small South Carolina town, where 11 generations of my relatives rest in a church cemetery, a funeral was indeed a social event. A front porch light left on at the local funeral home was a signal to the community that a body “was in […]

Consider the many variables that come into play when making this decision for your firm. Dear Dan, I have a new funeral home and am ready to decide between two preneed insurers. Each has its own marketing company that will do the local selling for me. One gave me a good pitch that focuses on the strength of its financial assets. The other told me that all insurers are the same but that they have a better marketing plan. So, if it were you, which would you choose – strong financials or the ability to put more business on the books? Signed, Preneed Dependent in Portland Dear PDP, You have narrowed down your search to two very candid and easily differentiated third-party marketing (TPM) companies. If one is going to focus on more sales, that will help you build your […]