June 27, 2023
Published by 
Chris Cruger on June 27, 2023
Chris Cruger on June 27, 2023Breaking free from old-school beliefs will lift your firm and the profession. Written By Chris Cruger and Alice Adams We’ll begin with the question, “Why are all funeral homes not the same?” Don’t they all remove decedents from the place of death? Don’t they all use the same equipment for first calls? Don’t licensed funeral directors meet with the next of kin? Aren’t the options for services and final disposition the same? Stepping back in history, opening an undertaking parlor meant having a wagon and team of horses to carry the decedent to the churchyard or nearest burial ground. Some combined undertaking with owning or working in a hardware, furniture or general store that doubled as their casket or coffin suppliers. Then they waited for someone to die. When the second generation showed up on the scene, there were telephones […]
June 27, 2023
Published by 
Gabriel Ngo on June 27, 2023
Gabriel Ngo on June 27, 2023Legal Reality Check: Case Study #5 Scenario: Peter Smith is a third-generation owner-operator of P. R. Smith & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory in northeast Florida. He’s in his first few years leading his firm, following in the footsteps of his father, Mark, and uncle, John, who had followed in their father, Paul’s, footsteps. Through the pandemic-heavy years of 2020 and 2021, Peter’s progressive thinking and technology-forward approach allowed the family funeral home to thrive and gain market share throughout the communities they serve. Investing in a complete website redesign in 2019 is one decision Peter attributes to his early success. It transformed the website into a topnotch, “front door” virtual site that truly informs the consumer of the business’ unique designations, options, features and value proposition. The site presents the funeral home’s pricing strategically and transparently. The website also […]
June 27, 2023
Published by 
Dan Isard on June 27, 2023
Dan Isard on June 27, 2023Part One During the past five decades of my career, I’ve had to learn the funeral service profession’s key performance indicators. (We cool geeks just say KPI.) Many of them I had to disprove. Many I had to segregate based on operating factors. Many of them I had to defend from stupid but assertive people. This month, I will try to influence you to follow these KPI as of 2023 and for the foreseeable future. First, you need to know what a KPI is and why we, as business operators, use them. A key performance indicator is a uniformly accepted analysis point that helps you run your business. These analysis points usually involve a computation of at least two key points of operation. For example, dividing revenue by total cases results in a well-known KPI called average revenue per call. […]
June 20, 2023
Published by 
Foresight on June 20, 2023
Foresight on June 20, 20232023 Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study Insights Summary DOWNLOAD NOW In response to the transformative impact of COVID-19, The Foresight Companies conducted our annual consumer behavior study to uncover key trends shaping the funeral and cemetery profession in the short and long term. As these trends become permanent, we are dedicated to helping you embrace and implement the necessary changes for future business success. Discover the actionable insights from our 2023 Funeral & Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study by downloading our Insights Summary. Gain valuable knowledge on evolving consumer attitudes towards the funeral and cemetery market and learn how operators can adapt to meet their changing needs. Adapt and thrive in the future of funeral service by meeting the evolving demands of today’s consumers.
May 30, 2023
Published by Chris Cruger on May 30, 2023
Chris Cruger on May 30, 2023Change is what will separate the firms that capture the opportunities ahead from the ones that simply fade away. Determining how much to reinvest in your business is never an easy task. It’s even more difficult when times are tough. The rising cost of doing business, an incredibly difficult labor market and rapidly changing consumer preferences are making these decisions more challenging. However, I would like to present these challenging times as times of opportunity! What we reinvest in our business is a combination of money and time. Today, both seem in limited supply. How we measure them is the most critical decision we make for our future success. Conventional wisdom would suggest that you reinvest 20%-50% of your profits back into your business. This figure shifts depending on where a business is in its life cycle. Typically, that amount […]