Ask the Owner

Are You Part of the Death Care Industry or Are You Part of the Funeral Profession or Are You Playing in the Middle of the Road? In our next installment of Ask the Owners, Diann Anderson, formerly of Anderson Funeral & Cremation Services asks you to consider what category your business model falls into.  She encourages you to pick one lane and get out of the middle: What sets a business apart?  What drives a consumer to choose one business over another business that operates in the same sector?  When it comes to purchasing real estate most everyone agrees that the biggest determination of a property’s value is “Location… Location …Location …”  Of course, there’s many more factors that must go into the decision, but most realtors agree that location is one of the most important aspects of a property.  […]

In our next installment of Ask the Owners, Diann Anderson, formerly of Anderson Funeral & Cremation Services discusses the importance having the right team outside of your internal team to help you be a success: Trust is something that you do every day.  To trust is to have a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. While the concept of trust seems simple on the surface — it’s about believing in someone’s reliability, integrity, and competence — it involves various layers and nuances that make it intricate. One of the greatest challenges Steve and I faced when we started digging into changing the paradigm at our funeral home was “Who can we trust?”  I’m not speaking about which employees are trustworthy.  I’m speaking about the importance of having the right team outside of your […]

In our next installment of Ask the Owners, Stephen and Diann Anderson, formerly of Anderson Funeral & Cremation Services discuss the importance of funeral home owners and cemetery operators having a strong understanding of what their consumers wants and needs are: Ask the Owners: Rethinking Consumer Needs in the Funeral Profession As we continue to look at Strategic Evolution it’s my hope that there will be something you read that will ignite or reignite within you a desire to challenge or go beyond the established norms, traditions, or practices within the funeral profession.   As I mentioned in last month’s article “Developing a Mission of Legacy” we are going to start thinking about the importance of understanding your customer’s needs and challenges. Let’s begin with a critical issue-the gap in what the funeral profession offers. Challenging Consumer Desires Henry Ford’s famous […]

In our next installment of Ask the Owners, Stephen and Diann Anderson, formerly of Anderson Funeral & Cremation Services discuss strategies funeral home owners and cemetery operators must take in order to create a lasting impact and legacy: Forging a Lasting Impact: Crafting Your Enduring Legacy Through Your Mission “I don’t know if we each have a destiny, or if we’re all just floatin’ around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it’s both. Maybe both is happenin’ at the same time.” Forest Gump It started very subtly, the first sign happened when I visited my hairdresser, and she asked me if I wanted to put a few highlights in my hair to help cover the gray hair that was starting to grow instead of my natural color.  And it continued; one day I noticed when I tried to […]

The Strategic Evolution Blueprint for Funeral Home Owners In our next installment of Ask the Owners, Stephen and Diann Anderson, formerly of Anderson Funeral & Cremation Services discuss strategies funeral home owners and cemetery operators must take in order to elevate their businesses: Embarking on Strategic Evolution We are continuing in our series of articles; we hope that last month’s insights prompted you to have meaningful reflection.   We laid the groundwork, urging you, as a business owner, to embrace the transformative journey of strategic evolution. We explored the historical backdrop of our profession, the pitfalls of resisting change, and current funeral industry trends. Introducing the concept of Purpose Beyond Profit, we encouraged you to ponder the profound impact of your work. In this installment, we delve deeper into Strategic Evolution, emphasizing its pivotal role for your company. We’ll also underscore the […]