May 30, 2022
Published by 
Chris Cruger on May 30, 2022
Chris Cruger on May 30, 2022Many of us think of leadership and management as being synonymous, but they really are not. Moreover, leaders and managers potentially possess very different skill sets. While management and leadership often have overlapping functions, they should not be used interchangeably. Peter Drucker said, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” A very subtle, yet profound difference. The good news, bad news – You do not necessarily need management skills to lead, and vice versa, you do not need leadership skills to manage. What you do need is a clear direction and plan to execute on. Management is the how and when, while leadership is the what and why. Now, the interesting thing about these two functions is that they play a role in every organization. Whether you are a team of two or have 200 employees […]
May 29, 2022
Published by Chris Cruger on May 29, 2022
Chris Cruger on May 29, 2022Things in your business have changed, and owners may need to refocus their plans. The last couple of years have been quite the wild ride as the world as we knew it was turned upside down. The ways we’ve done things for decades have changed and so must our thinking when it comes to reinvesting in our business. What we reinvest in our business is a combination of capital (money) and your most valuable resource, time. There is only so much of each, and the way we use them is vitally important in securing the future of our business. We have been filled with revelations about consumers and their propensity for convenience, transparency and preneed. Their wants and needs are different now, so we must adapt. We are plagued by staffing challenges and many of the same factors impacting the […]
May 29, 2022
Published by 
Dan Isard on May 29, 2022
Dan Isard on May 29, 2022I got my start in the financial services world by selling life insurance across the kitchen table to young families. Once, as I met with a 20-something couple, the husband told me it was ironic we were meeting because they had just found out the day before that his wife was pregnant. Sensing an opportunity, I immediately started to explain a family life insurance policy that offered coverage on the husband, the wife and any and all children once they were born. The premium was $25/month, however, which was a lot of money for a young couple in 1980. The husband said, “We will probably wait on this until the baby is born.” In hindsight, I now understand why my reply caused them to evict me from their home: “Why wait? Do you want to see if you like the […]
April 28, 2022
Published by 
Curtis Rostad on April 28, 2022
Curtis Rostad on April 28, 2022Have you ever been asked to provide information on your former employees? This is a common occurrence and can be complicated depending on what is being asked. Curtis Rostad provides his insights to this important question below. Question: I had a firm call me asking for information on a former employee who had applied for a job with them. I didn’t know what I could tell them. I have been told only to confirm that they used to work for us and their dates of employment. What is the law? Curtis Rostad: There is no federal employment law restricting what you can say about a former employee. The advice to disclose only employment dates comes from (overly) cautious attorneys that fear you might be sued by the former employee for defamation over what you might say. But you are not […]
April 28, 2022
Published by 
Nicole Vullo on April 28, 2022
Nicole Vullo on April 28, 2022To strengthen your business and be prepared for changing times, you must accept and embrace innovation. They say hindsight is 20/20, and while no one could have predicted the long-lasting impact the pandemic would have on our businesses, the truth is that most of these “new” marketing trends across the funeral and cemetery professions are actually not that new. Social media has been around. Google Ads were available as an advertising platform. Branding was always crucial, and having a functioning website was the norm. It’s just that, at the time, they were things we’d get around to implementing “eventually.” They were considered “nice to haves.” Now, when it’s vital to connect with client families in every way possible, these “new” trends have now become “need to haves.” I don’t want to bear bad news or be alarmist, but if you […]