March 14, 2017
Published by 
Dan Isard on March 14, 2017
Dan Isard on March 14, 2017I recently gave a seminar to about 40 funeral home owners and rather than providing answers to all the questions, I asked a few questions of my own. I asked the group, “How many of you know what a Strategic Plan is?” I followed that up by asking, “How many of you performed an annual Strategic Plan for each of the past 3 years or more?” Then I asked, “Of those of you that have performed a Strategic Plan, did you write the plan down or just do it in your head?” Lastly, I asked, “Of those of you that have created a Strategic Plan on paper or in your head, did you communicate it to your staff?” Why did I take the time to do this? Well, I had an article to write on the subject and now the […]
March 14, 2017
Published by Dan Isard on March 14, 2017
Dan Isard on March 14, 2017If your salespeople think your cemetery’s prices are too high, does that mean you need to adjust them? Not necessarily. Maybe you need to take a look at what you’re selling beyond interment rights and how you’re selling it. Dear Cemetery Impossible, My salespeople are telling me that our pricing is too high. Should I lower prices? What should I do? Price Sensitive in Sedona Dear PSS, There are two issues involved in this simple question. The issue of pricing is critical. Your salespeoples’ sensitivity is another issue. Let me address each. I have written previously about the concept of “good, better, best.” In designing a cemetery’s inventory, we are creating consumer options. People can spend what they want. They will ultimately find value. It might be with you, or with another cemetery. That being said, […]
February 17, 2017
Published by Dan Isard on February 17, 2017
Dan Isard on February 17, 2017How do you decide what merchandise to stock for cremation? Clue: Don’t rely solely on your casket sales rep. Dear Dan, My casket company salesperson has been a trusted adviser of mine for 30 years. He helps me with everything from merchandising to pricing, even hiring. He keeps me informed on industry news more than most of the industry periodicals. However, with my profits declining for the past three decades, I’m wondering if maybe I need another perspective. My cremation rate is increasing, and my rep recently introduced me to a new line of “cremation caskets.” He says families like them for cremation services and buy them more often than rental caskets. According to my rep, families don’t want the reusable outer shell with the replacement liner. My intuition is that the rental casket is much cheaper and therefore will […]
February 15, 2017
Published by 
Catherine Belliveau on February 15, 2017
Catherine Belliveau on February 15, 2017We’re already more than a month into 2017, so it’s too late to do any tax planning before filing 2016 returns, right? Not so. Now is the time to sit down with your accountant and consider depreciation and your 2016 tax bill. New Year’s Day has come and gone. We are rolling along in 2017 and coming upon tax season. Most businesses work to complete tax planning before year-end, when you can make deci¬sions about bonuses and expenditures that need to take place before December 31. For most business owners, tax planning ends there, but there are still decisions to be made now that can have a huge effect on your tax bill. Depreciation is a vague, nebulous concept to many. You know that it shows up as an expense on the profit and loss statement and that it will […]
February 14, 2017
Published by Dan Isard on February 14, 2017
Dan Isard on February 14, 2017Dear Dan, Come on, man, be honest with us! You’ve said price shoppers are not a big segment of the market, yet every day or so I get a call asking, “How much is a cremation?” How is it that I am getting these calls and you keep saying, “It’s no big deal”? Signed, Be Honest Dear Be Honest, You are sitting in the front row of the Shamu splash zone and I’m in the arena telling you that only 10 percent of the attendees are getting wet. Which of us is right? Allow me to address this analytically, historically and with an eye to the present and future. In order to do your question justice, let us establish that there are three levels of price consumers: Price sensitive. Price sensitive means someone is aware of price and uses it […]