Market Research

I am going to provide you with specific ideas about how to create a simple but effective marketing plan. No, not a cookie-cutter step-by-step guide you could find anywhere on the internet, but insights that are funeral-business specific. Despite offering such insight, I realize this is an exercise in futility, and for the most part a waste of energy and ink. Why? Because sharing this information is very similar to a funeral director telling a family how to conduct their own funeral, from removal/transfer to interment. Most likely the family will not have the discipline to follow the plan as instructed. They will waste time trying to figure everything out, and end up having to spend more than expected for “DIY.” The same thing is true for funeral directors developing their own marketing plan. Most will fail to follow the plan, […]

In the funeral business, change happens slower than snails traveling though peanut butter. In fact, many of our colleagues still operate in 20th century mode as they refuse to use technology, still employ arcane operating practices and even still advertise in the Yellow Pages. Is it that the deathcare environment is not conducive to creativity and there is no talent for innovation? Or are we simply just stubborn and resistant to change? Not much has changed in the funeral profession and supporting industry. There are new gadgets, upgraded buildings and vehicles and such, but the basic functionality of the business remains. Funeral directors care for the dead, with a final disposition of either burial or cremation. What does it take to be innovative and creative enough to come up with new ideas? I suppose there are people among our ranks […]

Considerations to help you prepare for a family seeking discounted pricing. Dear Dan, My funeral home is on the Cape. That means I deal with Yankees every day. I don’t mean the baseball team; we love our Sox here. I’m talking about stubborn, frugal people. I get requests all the time to match my competitor’s price. How would you recommend I handle this? That Guy From Nantucket Dear That Guy, I love the Cape, having just discovered it last year. I wish I had received your letter sooner so I could have expensed my vacation. As I sat at a crab shack with some of those slimy things you guys eat, I would have said to the waitress, “Hey, Red Lobster sells these gross, gooey globs for half of what you sell them for so I would like you to […]

Why is it that consumers don’t revere caskets and urns like the vast majority in the funeral profession? Undoubtedly, caskets and urns are elements of a funeral. But, unless there is some form of spectacular customization, both are containers for human remains. Marketing by the big casket companies shifted focus away from services to their manufactured products, thus attempting to make caskets and urns the centerpiece of a funeral. Unfortunately, while this brilliant marketing was taking place, the price of caskets skyrocketed and prices for services stagnated. The tragedy is many professionals drank the Kool-Aid. Their own service charges lagged, thus contributing to the now-lackluster funeral home profit margin of around 7 percent. For those that do not know, there was a time I worked for a big casket company. Thus, I have firsthand knowledge regarding products, contracts, marketing and […]

Cemetery Impossible How can you tell if a cemetery is priced right? by Daniel M. Isard, MSFS Dear Cemetery Impossible, I own a small cemetery in a two-cemetery town. The other cemetery is larger, and I am very familiar with it. About a decade ago, it was bought by someone and then acquired by another company, then was acquired by another company, and so on. I asked the current manager of the property to let me know if his company ever wants to sell it. Well, I recently received an offering memo, with financial data, from the company. It turns out that they own hundreds of cemeteries and funeral homes. I thought the asking price looked reasonable, so I took it to my accountant and lawyer. They both agreed that it was a great deal. I then took it to […]