December 5, 2017
Published by 
Dan Isard on December 5, 2017
Dan Isard on December 5, 2017A Cautionary Tale Tax planning is legal. Tax fraud is not. Dear Dan, I’ve read your articles my entire professional career. I’m writing now in hopes that you can help me. I used to think tax planning was easy. If I had a good year, I didn’t open envelopes with payments in them for the last two weeks of the year and paid all of my expenses. Therefore, by December 31, revenue was down and expenses were up. I would then deposit the payments in early January so they’d be next year’s problem. If the following year was good, I stopped opening envelopes the first week of December and paid all bills. When I started this planning process about seven years ago, it seemed like a smart idea. Unfortunately, we’ve grown. Now I don’t open envelopes any time after September! […]
November 15, 2017
Published by Dan Isard on November 15, 2017
Dan Isard on November 15, 2017Three things you must understand to successfully market your firm for growth. Dear Dan, I have been in funeral service for 40 years. I own my own place and have been doing about 120 calls a year for almost 30 years. I have not gained or lost more than a handful of calls in any one year. I have three competitors in my town and we all have the same market share today as we did 30 years ago. I have a website. I have newspaper ads. I have a billboard on our main intersection downtown. I am active in my church and have more than 20 years of Rotary attendance. I don’t understand how to market my business in this present age. Oh, one more thing, please disguise my name so my competitors won’t know I’m asking for help. […]
November 15, 2017
Published by Dan Isard on November 15, 2017
Dan Isard on November 15, 2017I am going to provide you with specific ideas about how to create a simple but effective marketing plan. No, not a cookie-cutter step-by-step guide you could find anywhere on the internet, but insights that are funeral-business specific. Despite offering such insight, I realize this is an exercise in futility, and for the most part a waste of energy and ink. Why? Because sharing this information is very similar to a funeral director telling a family how to conduct their own funeral, from removal/transfer to interment. Most likely the family will not have the discipline to follow the plan as instructed. They will waste time trying to figure everything out, and end up having to spend more than expected for “DIY.” The same thing is true for funeral directors developing their own marketing plan. Most will fail to follow the plan, […]
November 15, 2017
Published by Dan Isard on November 15, 2017
Dan Isard on November 15, 2017Dear Dan, I was recently in the process of selling my cemetery. The lawyers produced a sale agreement. When it came to the representations and warranties of the seller (me), there were items that I know are accurate and I can opine to. However, on some items I asked my lawyer to insert the phrase, “to the best of my knowledge.” The buyer would not allow this modification. They wanted an unlimited statement from me which I felt unqualified to give. I called off the sale. I know you are not a lawyer, but I also know you have been through hundreds of transactions in your lifetime. Was my lawyer wrong or was the buyer’s lawyer wrong? X Dear X, In any business transaction, there are fears and insecurities present for all parties involved. The seller’s fear is that they […]
November 15, 2017
Published by Dan Isard on November 15, 2017
Dan Isard on November 15, 2017In the funeral business, change happens slower than snails traveling though peanut butter. In fact, many of our colleagues still operate in 20th century mode as they refuse to use technology, still employ arcane operating practices and even still advertise in the Yellow Pages. Is it that the deathcare environment is not conducive to creativity and there is no talent for innovation? Or are we simply just stubborn and resistant to change? Not much has changed in the funeral profession and supporting industry. There are new gadgets, upgraded buildings and vehicles and such, but the basic functionality of the business remains. Funeral directors care for the dead, with a final disposition of either burial or cremation. What does it take to be innovative and creative enough to come up with new ideas? I suppose there are people among our ranks […]