January 2018

Page A4 JANUARY 2018 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A By Nancy Weil There’s No Business Like “Grow” Business Whether you work in a funeral home or a cemetery, you are in the business of helping people. You are in the busi- ness of providing compassionate service at all times. You are in the business of, well, running your business. As much as we pride ourselves in the impact our work has on others, it is a business. As we begin the year many have begun their year-end statistics, new-year budgets and projections and set goals for 2018. In order to reach those goals, it will re- quire sales skills to let people know who you are, what you do and how you do it. Having just purchased a car, I can attest that everything they say about the “used car salesmen” is true. Working in a highly regulated industry made me wonder why we allow these practices to continue in the auto industry. There is no GPL, no set pricing, no integrity. There are lots of broken promises, bait and switch offers, flim-flam and chicanery. Here is what I learned from the experience: • Act like you want to do business with me – I had nu- merous car dealerships take my information and never follow up to send me the pricing I had requested. In fact I never heard from them again. No follow up calls. No texts. Only silence. Moving on… Random Musings • Don’t act too much like you want to do business with me – One salesman began to cross the line into harassment. Multiple emails, texts, phone calls. Back off – following up is fine, but at some point it becomes annoying. • Answer my questions, not what you want to tell me – If I ask for a price on a Sonata, don’t try to sell me an Elantra. You may make a bigger commission, but that is not what I am looking for. • Don’t make promises you cannot keep – Telling me how you will sweeten the deal and then later tell me you can’t do it, won’t leave a good impression. • Be willing to go out of your way – One dealership sold the car I was looking at, because it was the salesman’s day off and he never called me back the previous day. I knew he could trade with another dealer to get me the same mod- el, but he could not be bothered. Other dealers offered to find me the car I wanted. Other dealers understood how sales are made and how to keep the customer happy. • Get personal – Let me get know a bit about you and I will feel a connection to you and want to do business with you. Twin toddlers? Musician on the side? Relocated from Ida- ho? These things let me know you are more than a sales- person, but also a person. You may not think these points relate to our industry, but they do. In every interaction with a family, you are there to take care of them in a way that makes them glad they came in your door. So be sure to: • Greet them sincerely • Follow up in a timely manner, but don’t “stalk” them • Listen carefully to what they are asking and answer in a way that they can understand. • How you do anything is how you do everything – act with integrity in all ways. • Do whatever is necessary to take care of your customer. There is no such thing as “going the extra mile” in our business. Instead be willing to go “across the globe” if that is what it takes to make them happy. • Let your inner light shine. You are so much more than your job title. You are an amazing person, so don’t be afraid to share some of your “awesome” with those you serve. As the saying goes: People do business with people they know, like and trust. Be that person and not the “used car salesman” of the funeral industry and you will have a suc- cessful 2018 ahead. WithcertificationsasaGriefServicesProviderandGriefManagement Specialist, Funeral Celebrant, as well as Laughter Leader, Nancy Weil is uniquely qualified to bring new perspectives into how to best meet the needs of the families you serve. A professional speaker, Nancy travels the country bringing effective tools to reduce stress, combat compassion fatigue and handle grief to companies, associations and conferences large and small. With a passionate interest in the healing qualities of laughter, she is known for her energetic, entertaining and content rich programs. In addition to talks geared to the general public, she has also been brought in by funeral directors to offer (CEU) programs to funeral staff, nurses, chaplains and social work- ers in their communities. Nancy has developed the most comprehensive aftercare program of any cemetery or funeral home in the country and is currently di- recting aftercare programs, community outreach and marketing at Veterans Funeral Care. She consults with industry professionals in how they can develop or grow their own grief support program in order to maintain contact with the families they serve and develop stronger relationships within their community. Her book, If Stress Doesn’t Kill You, Your Family Might , is filled with tools that work to reduce stress and find your “inner happy.” For more information on how Nancy can help you and your business grow, visit her website: www.TheLaughAcademy.com or by email at: Nancy@TheLaughAcademy.com . www.nomispublications.com Funeral Home & Cemetery News Contributors share insights and exchange ideas. B logs Gaffney Group Announces Significant Acquisitions TACOMA,WA— Following negotia- tions, Corey Gaffney, president of Gaffney Funeral Home and Crema- tion Society of Washington, acquired five funeral homes and a chapel mau- soleum earlier this month. The funer- al homes and chapel mausoleum ac- quired by the Gaffney Group are in Pierce, King and Kittitas counties, in- cluding: Cascade Funeral Home in Cle Elum; Powers Funeral Home in Puyallup; Powers Funeral Home in Sumner; Price-Helton Funeral Home in Auburn; Steward & Wil- liams Funeral Home and Crematory in Ellensburg; and Woodlawn Abbey Mausoleum in Puyallup. “Well over 50,000 Puget Sound fam- ilies have been very gracious and sup- portive of the Gaffney family for many years. In joining with these five historic funeral homes and chapel mausoleum, we reaffirm both our commitment and ability to provide top quality funeral and cremation services,” said Gaffney. “Many of these funeral homes have woven themselves carefully into their surrounding communities. To respect the years of service and dedication that it took, the changes that have been made should go unnoticed to families that call on us for assistance,” said Gaffney. For additional information about the Gaffney Group, visit their web- site at www.gaffney.group or call 866-572-6003. 1-866-847-8010 Directoroncall.com TANEXPO 2018 to be held in Bologna, Italy April 5-7 BOLOGNA,ITALY— TANEXPO, International Funeral and Cemetery Exhibition, taking place in Bologna, Italy on April 5-7, 2018 presents TANEXPO Education. Three days of workshops with international keynote speakers focusing on the most current, relevant issues for the funeral industry. Thursday April 5, 2018 workshops: Is Cremation the Cem- eteries’ Killer Application? The growth of cremation, trans- forming perception of cemetery roles, new generational habits and decreasing cemetery attendance will be discussed during this session. Attendees will be analyzing new archi- tecture solutions and the role of cemeteries in farewell con- cept as well as focusing on managing and redesigning cem- eteries and crematories’ international best practices. Cremation Growth: Funeral Homes’ Threat or Oppor- tunity? With cremation on the rise, funeral homes are in need of new arrangement offerings for their fami- lies. Learn how to manage the “revolution” and turn this challenge into an opportunity, capitalizing on cre- mation and boosting your profits. This workshop will help funeral directors stay ahead of the market trends and avoid getting burned by low-cost cremation. Friday April 6, 2018 workshops: Funeral Marketing: Blue- print. Attendees will walk through the process of creating their own funeral marketing plan covering the 7M’s of fu- neral home marketing: mindset, market, message, media, mechanics, metrics and motion. Analyze proven ways to in- crease the effectiveness of their advertising. A complete mar- keting plan for funeral homes with both offline and online channels such as print, website, social media, online reviews and reputation management will be included in this session. Saturday April 7, 2018 workshops: How to Face Gen- erational Succession: Opportunities, Transitional Steps and Critical Elements. Attendees will learn how to succeed in dealing with the first transitional steps and obstacles in generational succession. Tips on how to manage the suc- cession phases properly and practically focusing on criti- cal elements and benefits will also be discussed. Visit www.tanexpo.com for further information, 2018 exhibitors list and the complete workshops program.