February 26, 2019
Published by 
Dan Isard on February 26, 2019
Dan Isard on February 26, 2019A firm has a tremendous advantage if it studies its community and understands that most consumers simply have not yet decided on a funeral provider First Things First Prior to beginning development of any marketing plan, it’s wise to analyze funeral home performance to ensure proper initiative deployment and allocation of financial resources. Consider when you’re not feeling well. Do you visit a physician who only listens to your symptoms and doesn’t perform any diagnostic tests? Interestingly, tests can reveal not only the original source of your symptoms but possibly other and more serious health issues. When was the last time your funeral home underwent a complete financial health assessment? This doesn’t mean a scan of your annual profit and loss statement or year-end balance sheet. Understanding the financial strengths and weaknesses underlying your monthly P&L reports will assist with […]
February 26, 2019
Published by Dan Isard on February 26, 2019
Dan Isard on February 26, 2019Four key points to understand about your building and its relationship to your business. Welcome back, worthy readers! By acknowledging another column (after last month’s throw-down), I believe you are committed to working for a successful 2020 and beyond and willing to take a sledgehammer to your business model over the course of a year. In the end, we will all see the future more clearly. This month, I will demolish your building. One of the biggest issues with the funeral home building is that it is a single-purpose, specialty building and one that often predates community members. Even if you put in a reception center, it’s still the reception center at a funeral home. If you rename the business with some unfuneralish name, it’s still a reception center in a funeral home. That doesn’t mean people won’t use it. They […]
February 13, 2019
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on February 13, 2019
Stephanie Ramsey on February 13, 2019A Conversation with Stephanie Ramsey By Jennifer Padilla Sexual harassment has been a problem that continues to plague workplaces across industries – and funeral homes are no exception. The #MeToo movement spiraled in late 2017 in an attempt to break the stigma and promote dialogue of unwelcome sexual behavior – with prominent men in entertainment, media and politics bearing the brunt of the scrutiny. A Pew Research Center study conducted in early 2018 found that when it comes to sexual harassment in the workplace, 50 percent of respondents are concerned about men getting away with sexual harassment; 46 percent are concerned with women not being believed; 34 percent are concerned about employers firing accused men before finding out all the facts; and 31 percent are concerned with women making false accusations. The survey also revealed that 51 percent of respondents […]
January 30, 2019
Published by 
Kevin Kruger on January 30, 2019
Kevin Kruger on January 30, 2019The funeral service business used to be more about service than about business. Almost all bodies were casketed and once the family picked the casket, the bulk of the funeral arrangement pricing was already determined. Many family owned businesses also had a trusted accountant or other advisor who would meet with the owners to discuss pricing, managing expenses and measuring profit. The FTC rule requiring an itemized GPL ended the decades of easy pricing systems. The increase in cremation as a disposition choice has altered the economics of death care. The trusted family accountant is also more often a memory of a different era than a reality of today’s world. Unfortunately, the economics of running a business are not adequately taught in mortuary school and many owner/operators do not have the knowledge to make the best choices when it comes […]
January 11, 2019
Published by Dan Isard on January 11, 2019
Dan Isard on January 11, 2019A new lineup of coverage in this column for 2019, starting with cash and receivables. I am a child of television. When I was born, it was black and white, just three channels, it fed into my house through the air and perfected on the screen by how I’d twist the antenna wires. (I know, that explains so much…) Today, there are a thousand stations brought in via satellite, super-duper color and even 3-D watching! The audio is movie theater-quality surround sound. But still I am fixated on home repair, restaurant makeover and hotel refurbishing programs. If the star of the show can’t wield a sledge hammer, I flip to one of the other 997 channels. Business is the same way. The Director has introduced the 2020 Vision concept to raise the bar on the importance of planning for the […]