November 17, 2016
Published by 
Dan Isard on November 17, 2016
Dan Isard on November 17, 2016DO IT FOR THE HEALTH AND SUCCESS OF YOUR BUSINESS I recently presented a seminar to some 40 funeral home owners, and rather than providing answers to all of their questions, I decided to ask a few of my own. I asked the group, “How many know what a strategic plan is?” I followed up with, “How many performed an annual strategic plan for each of the past three years or more?” Then I asked, “Of those who have performed a strategic plan, did you write the plan down or just do it in your head?” Lastly, I queried, “Of those who have created a strategic plan on paper or in your head, did you communicate that plan to your staff?” Why did I take the time to do this? Well, I had an article to write on the subject, […]
November 14, 2016
Published by Dan Isard on November 14, 2016
Dan Isard on November 14, 2016Funeral home owners and managers typically do not plan well. They provide exceptional care for their families, except their immediate family. Now, today you need to immediately plan for 2017! December 2017 will be here soon enough and you can look back on the financial harvest or barren bank accounts based upon your work NOW! In planning for next year, there are five areas to focus on: Staffing Pricing Merchandising Marketing Accounting I will NOW explain each in greater detail. Staffing Even those of you who only perform 40 calls a year have staff. They might be part time or unlicensed staff, but you must plan around them. How much will you pay them for 2017? A Cost Of Living raise is a good place to start. However, there might be employees that demonstrated performance worthy of a Merit Raise […]
November 14, 2016
Published by Dan Isard on November 14, 2016
Dan Isard on November 14, 2016Dear Cemetery Impossible, My cemetery is almost 80 years old. We use a well for our groundwater source. The wellis starting to dry up. My city has told methat if the well dries up, I will be requiredto use a low-lying area for a retaining pond.The alternative is to buy water from the city,which is very expensive.The retaining pond idea scares me,because I have not developed that area yetand the local land architect estimates it wouldcost about $250,000 for a quarter-acre lakesite. What can I do? Sincerely, High and Dry Dear High and Dry, Frankly, based upon today’s interment market, you are lucky that you need to create a lake. I say this from the perspective of cost, features and revising your masterplan. The city water could cos t$20,000 a year in perpetuity. Alternatively, you can finance the cost of […]
November 14, 2016
Published by Dan Isard on November 14, 2016
Dan Isard on November 14, 2016Many facets of your business are confidential, including credit card and Social Security numbers of the deceased, the names of families served and all prearrangement business relationships. Dear Dan, The craziest thing has been happening. I own a 180 call business with two rooftops. I run one location and my manager of 10 years runs our second location that is 15 miles away. Two weeks ago he tendered his resignation. He did not give me a reason for his departure. He did not answer any questions about what he was going to do or if he was leaving funeral service. Last week, I heard at a Rotary meeting that he bought a building and is working to open a funeral home. Yesterday, I started receiving calls from several of my Preneed families who have received a letter from him announcing […]
November 3, 2016
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on November 3, 2016
Stephanie Ramsey on November 3, 2016T here are a wide array of guidelines, articles, books, and workshops on ways to effectively train employees. In fact, there are some very common catch phrases found in reference to training such as: Identify resources for your training Develop a training program Evaluate the effectiveness of training materials Strive for continuous improvement What these catch phrases really mean is open to interpretation. Rather than define these terms, it is more productive to approach training from the “who”, “what”, “when” and “how” perspective. Stop and consider the main intent of providing training to anyone for any position. Are you not sure what that is? Training intends to pass knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) from one individual to another. The real key to success for training employees is the sharing of these elements. There are many reasons for sharing KSAs among […]