November 14, 2016
Published by 
Dan Isard on November 14, 2016
Dan Isard on November 14, 2016Many facets of your business are confidential, including credit card and Social Security numbers of the deceased, the names of families served and all prearrangement business relationships. Dear Dan, The craziest thing has been happening. I own a 180 call business with two rooftops. I run one location and my manager of 10 years runs our second location that is 15 miles away. Two weeks ago he tendered his resignation. He did not give me a reason for his departure. He did not answer any questions about what he was going to do or if he was leaving funeral service. Last week, I heard at a Rotary meeting that he bought a building and is working to open a funeral home. Yesterday, I started receiving calls from several of my Preneed families who have received a letter from him announcing […]
October 14, 2016
Published by Dan Isard on October 14, 2016
Dan Isard on October 14, 2016I have learned that many of the 300 articles I have written over the past three decades have required the reader to have a dictionary, a computer with Microsoft Excel, and an abacus or calculator nearby. Well, if you typically will not read past the opening paragraph since you do not possess these tools, you are in luck. This article does not require any math. Yep, my challenge is to explain a difficult financial concept using no math. Experience has taught me that if I cannot use math to explain a concept, I should rely upon logic to make the conclusion convincing. Logic requires all parties to have an open mind. When dealing with the logic of business, the biggest obstacle is the logic-blocking mechanism called fear. Funeral management operates with a great deal of fear. Today, rather than trying […]
October 11, 2016
Published by Dan Isard on October 11, 2016
Dan Isard on October 11, 2016A Lowdown on Lending Why the choice of bank controls the means of financing. Dear Dan, It was time to sell my business. I was approached by a nice person who actually lives in my town and works for a nearby business. We quickly reached an agreement on price and terms for my funeral home business and the real estate. It was simple. That is, until the bank got involved. The bank said that I had to take more money as a carryback and defer the amount for two years! Who are they to tell me what the terms of the sale are going to be? Mad at the Bankers in Bennington Dear Mad, Life is simple: If you have the money, you make the rules. Please remember to get that as a tattoo following your closing. Bankers are easy […]
October 5, 2016
Published by Dan Isard on October 5, 2016
Dan Isard on October 5, 2016Selling memorialization to cremation families involves not only implementing a “good, better, best” pricing strategy but also learning how to reach people who, unlike traditional burial families, do not automatically choose final disposition as part of the process. How to increase yourniche and inurnment sales If you have not updated your cemetery master plan in the last 10 years, you are making a grave mistake (pun intended). The cemetery of the 19th century was a simple land-use master plan. You had an acre of land with between 1,000 and 1,200 graves. Each grave equaled one interment. However the master plan of today should focus on inurnment rather than interment. If you want to increase your number of urn placements you have to change your master plan. We have learned so much about the mind of the cremation-choosing consumer in the […]
October 5, 2016
Published by Dan Isard on October 5, 2016
Dan Isard on October 5, 2016Figuring out what your cemetery could be worth on the open market is a good idea if you plan to retire in a few years. But your local commercial real estate appraiser might never have valued a cemetery in his life. Cemetery Impossible Figuring out what your cemetery is worth and how its sale can fund your retirement Dear Cemetery Impossible, I own a 60-year-old cemetery started by my parents. It was a farm before we established the cemetery. I have about 100 acres, of which 10 are fully sold out. Within the remaining 90 acres, six are plotted and the balance remain undeveloped. I do about 200 sales a year with 150 interments. The cemetery is all ground interment with no above-ground options. I am reaching retirement age and thinking about selling. I had it valued by a local […]