February 19, 2018
Published by 
Dan Isard on February 19, 2018
Dan Isard on February 19, 2018Adjusting your funeral home operating model for maximum continuing business viability. There is a time when every business needs to evaluate its effectiveness from every facet to maintain financial viability and relevance to customers. Operating a funeral home and adjusting a business model can put owners in a quandary because of the hindrances surrounding the physical property. But a quandary does not mean impossible, and a funeral home building does not necessary need to be razed to make changes. Re-engineering your funeral business starts before any construction or wallpaper changes. The first priority to be addressed must be the business of doing business. Before considering any changes, conduct an in-depth market research study to understand the consumers who support your business. How do you do this? Surveys are the best way to find out what your community thinks about your […]
February 19, 2018
Published by 
Steve Zittle on February 19, 2018
Steve Zittle on February 19, 2018The evolution of funeral service has presented a sea of changes over time, so we must not simply mourn the past and hang on but move forward to give today’s consumers what they want. The traditional funeral, as funeral service so lovingly defines it, is gone. And it’s not coming back. In 2018, can we all finally agree on this point? Sure, there are some rural pockets of the country that have remained more stable in their practices, but are any among us honestly holding out hope that we’ll see families in the future choosing better quality merchandise and putting more emphasis on memorialization? When it comes to the “traditional” funeral, I encourage us all to get to the last and most important stage of grief – acceptance. But please don’t accept that changing consumer attitudes are all your fault. […]
February 14, 2018
Published by Dan Isard on February 14, 2018
Dan Isard on February 14, 2018Dear Dan, I’m getting old, about to turn 62. I have owned my business for 30 years. I’d like to work until age 66 and sell the business at that time. I have a key person who wants to buy my business. The sale could coincide with my birth month, and I would like to take my Social Security at its full value. As my location is rural, I have had trouble attracting staff. My key person has been with me for 20 years – just the two of us doing everything. I told him I would be happy to stay on after the buyout for a modest salary, assuming I am only doing modest labors. I don’t want any surprise to my Social Security retirement benefit due to my continued working status. What advice can you give me? Old […]
February 13, 2018
Published by Dan Isard on February 13, 2018
Dan Isard on February 13, 2018Dear Dan, My cemetery is 60 years old. We have 40 acres of land to develop and about three acres developed for sale. We average 300 sales a year. The issue is, how do we determine what to develop these 40 acres into? Developmentally Delayed in Des Moines Dear Triple D, Your quandary is very easy to resolve. I strongly recommend doing two things: Survey your existing consumers. Hold public meetings. Never in the history of communication has conducting a survey been easier than it is today. Today we can send a survey to families and ask them questions about how they see their relationship with us. You should be surveying your families throughout the year. Ask them how satisfied they were with the process of working with your cemetery. This can include questions such as: Why did you elect […]
February 9, 2018
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on February 9, 2018
Stephanie Ramsey on February 9, 2018Is your funeral business at risk of an EEOC investigation for sexual harassment/sex-based harassment? When I ask funeral business owners and managers this question, most immediately indicate that they do not have a problem with sexual harassment in their businesses. When I inquire about their confidence on this issue they proclaim, “our business has a professional atmosphere and we have great employees”. Unfortunately, a professional work environment does not mean that everything is perfect. Even “great” employees are accused of harassment. More importantly they are found guilty of such harassment. If your employees have not been given training to specifically understand what constitutes sexual harassment your business might be at risk of facing a complaint. This is especially true given the current public climate that is supporting those who come forward with stories of harassment. Funeral business owners need to […]