December 20, 2021
Published by 
Dan Isard on December 20, 2021
Dan Isard on December 20, 2021Competition is good, but theft by deceit and unfair business practices is anti-competitive. Sadly, the words “preneed” and “theft” can go hand in hand. I’ve seen people steal preneed deposits, falsify insurance claims and fail to make deposits into various trusts. These people, of course, are crooks. The thing is, they themselves would tell you they are crooks and knew they were breaking the law. There are others, however, who could be stealing preneed funds, but these individuals don’t think they’re doing anything wrong. They even commit their misdeed in the open, and if caught, will not be prosecuted. Who commits these nefarious acts, you ask? Some employees, when they leave a place of employment, choose to co-opt confidential business property and goodwill, then use it to try to convince consumers to move their established preneed arrangements to another funeral […]
November 23, 2021
Published by 
Chris Cruger on November 23, 2021
Chris Cruger on November 23, 2021Preparation is key when it comes to your strategic business plan for the new year. We were recently asked what steps are needed to take right now to plan for a successful year. Chris Cruger provides his insights to this important question below. Question: What do I need to be doing in order to set my funeral home up for success in 2022? Chris Cruger: First, I would suggest to take a moment to be grateful. This has been a very long, hard past couple years. The profession has gained new levels of recognition in the media and society. The emergence of the profession as the “last responders” has propelled the profession to new heights. However, this recognition does not come without a price. Many are worn out, stressed and on their last nerve. As we look towards 2022, many […]
November 23, 2021
Published by 
John McQueen on November 23, 2021
John McQueen on November 23, 2021Purpose, Plan, Passion & Persistence Lead to Pre-Need Marketing Success Throughout my 35-plus years of working in the family funeral business, I have written hundreds of pre-need contracts. I have also actively managed a multitude of sales counselors and sales managers. To grow our department, I had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented pre-need consultants in the industry, such as Gary O’Sullivan, Quinn Eagan, Rob Meredith, and others. During my funeral tenure, I funded our program with trust accounts and insurance policies, partnering with industry leaders such as Precoa and Funeral Services Inc. So why do I share all of this with you? Because I’ve tried to take the best that all of them had to offer, and now, I want to share what I believe is key to success in pre-need and beyond. I call […]
November 22, 2021
Published by 
Nicole Vullo on November 22, 2021
Nicole Vullo on November 22, 2021Customize Your Brand Recipe’s Ingredients for a Perfect Fit Mise en place is a French culinary phrase that means “everything in its place.” It refers to the setup required before cooking and is often used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients. A mentor of mine once told me that “your brand is equal parts of your reputation and your visibility.” This is something that always has stuck with me throughout my career. Having a strong reputation and high visibility solidifies who you are and what you do. It is only after you have your vision that you can begin to craft the elements of your brand, such as your colors, a well-designed logo, business tagline, and appropriate imagery. While it is acceptable to be aware of your competitors, do not let that influence what you […]
November 22, 2021
Published by Dan Isard on November 22, 2021
Dan Isard on November 22, 2021Estimating case count during/after a pandemic. Creating and implementing a strategic plan starts with estimating your revenue. While calculating revenue involves a simple formula, estimating it during a pandemic is very difficult. More on that later in the article. So, as I said, revenue involves a simple formula, R = C x $, in which revenue equals calls multiplied by $ or average dollars/call. For example, if you expect to serve 100 families annually and your average dollars/call is $6,000, then your revenue will be $600,000. Now, during normal, non-pandemic times, you would need to make two basic assumptions to calculate your revenue: Normal Assumption 1: Upon how many calls should I build my budget? Most people use a three-year average, while others look for trends up or down and make a pro forma estimate based on those trends. I […]