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It’s as valuable to you and your successors as it is to your customers. There is a moment, somewhere between the first phone call and the final goodbye, when grieving family members decide whether they feel truly taken care of. You don’t get a survey response from them in that moment. You don’t get a second chance to change their answer, either. The funeral service profession has long prided itself on compassion and professionalism. And in many ways, that reputation holds. The 2026 Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study (FCCBS), which surveyed more than 5,000 consumers and 1,100 industry professionals, confirmed that our people are perceived as professional, comforting and responsive. Those are real strengths. But this same study, now conducted for seven consecutive years, also revealed a more complicated picture beneath the surface. Consumers want more. And the operators […]

Featured in American Funeral Director by Kates-Boylston Publications When selling a funeral home, timing matters. Owners spend decades building reputation, market share, staffing relationships, and operational consistency. That lifetime investment often creates a sentimental perception of value that buyers may not fully support. Sellers sometimes become anchored to a target number and convince themselves that if they wait just a little longer, the “right buyer” will eventually appear. What many owners underestimate, however, is how quickly business value can deteriorate once they mentally decide they are ready to sell. The following case study illustrates a pattern that has become increasingly common throughout the funeral profession in recent years: a business owner receives a strong offer while the company is operating at peak performance, delays the sale in pursuit of a higher valuation, gradually disengages from operations, and ultimately watches both […]