March 2017

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Page A20 MARCH 2017 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A
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By MaryAnne Scheuble
Designing
Woman
Step Into
My Office
A family has just arrived to meet with you. You of-
fer coffee and graciously invite them into your office
or consultation space to discuss plans. While waiting
they may anxiously fidget, grip documents or finger a
loved one’s jewelry. They look around and study the
surroundings. “So, THIS is what a funeral home or
cemetery office looks like!” they think. Hmmmm.
Your professional attire and demeanor may inspire
trust but is that mirrored in the office or consultation
space? Does your physical space reflect the same care and
attention to detail you exhibit every day? What conclu-
sions might someone draw from a visit to your office?
We know that first impressions can build or erode our
trust. Being human we make judgements based on what
we see and feel. For example, think of any medical or legal
offices you’ve visited and remember how you felt in ones
that were sparse, cluttered, dated – or nicely decorated.
A dated medical office causes me to think that the doc-
tor might not be current in his knowledge or that he is
cheap. Using his office as a measure of his thought process,
I would fear that he might not consider a more expensive,
newly proven, less invasive treatment.
Awell-designed office can improve your company im-
age, enhance productivity and help to certify you as a
top-notch professional. Well-planned, organized office
space is also beneficial to your staff. Studies show that crowd-
ed spaces make people unhappy while good office layouts
increase efficiency.
If this is not an area of expertise, you may want to bring
in a Professional Office Designer. These designers study
traffic patterns, work movements, storage capabilities,
lighting, usable open spaces, capacity (people and stuff),
technology needs and décor. A floor plan is essential.
Office designers are alert for how an office ‘speaks’ for a
business. To be your own office designer, evaluate:
Lighting
• Natural lighting from windows increases productivity and
enhances mood.
• Appropriate task lighting for paperwork and computer ar-
eas reduces eye stress.
• Ambient lighting from overhead or wall lights should not
create dim, shadowy areas.
Defined office spaces
• Each person should have ‘home base’ for detail work and
file management.
• Be mindful that ‘open office’ spaces are distracting and
noisy.
• Desktop storage for each person organizes work flow.
• Wall-mounted storage works well for small office spaces.
• Off-site (or out-of-office) storage for older files frees up
valuable space.
Other important considerations
• Good traffic patterns prevent ‘file cabinet congestion’.
• Avoid stress and injury with appropriate furniture and
storage.
• Attractive design honors your employees and guests alike.
• Display only a few personal items.
• Hide those cords – no snake pit tangles of wires!
• Locate ‘action boards’ (chalk boards) in private areas.
• Keep work area CLEAN (snacks in drawers).
• Ask for employee input!
To note - Physicist Albert Einstein was known to have an
exceptionally messy office. If, like him, you need a ‘creative
space’, close the door – just as there’s no need to welcome
guests to a room where the ‘magic’ is created.
Ideally, the office layout should reflect company culture and
MaryAnne Scheuble, graduate of Wheeling Jesuit University, is
the Hekman furniture specialist to the memorial industry. Her de-
sign experience began in the fabric industry which served as a great
basis for the transition to Interior Decorator with Ethan Allen in
Pittsburgh, PA. After 5 years in the education field, she began her
career with Cressy Memorial Group. For more than 10 years she
has worked with funeral and cemetery business owners, managers
and marketing directors as well as interior decorators. Her credits in-
clude presenter at ICCFA, two-time speaker at OFDA, author of ar-
ticles for The Independent, ICCFA Magazine, and regular columnist
for Funeral Home & Cemetery News. A proud mother of two sons
who are best friends, she currently resides Mishawaka, IN. Contact
MaryAnne by email at or call 866-
763-0485.
goals. Stick with a theme that echoes throughout your
facility i.e. ‘traditional’, ‘Zen’, ‘contemporary’, ‘local col-
or’, etc. Great office design bespeaks of good organization-
al skills, timely action, clear thought processes, and invit-
ing spaces.
Visitors will judge – just from looking at your office -
that you run a well-managed operation which honors
employees and visitors alike. Your office should speak
loud and clear that “This is an efficient, updated place
where arrangements and memorialization are han-
dled with compassion as well as attention to details.”
Don’t forget to enter the INTERIOR DESIGN AWARD
for Best Conversation Area. Find Entry Information on
Page A36. Enter NOW!
Office Don’t – Don’t expect people to work here! Office Do – Do promote professionalism with office design.
How Much is a Funeral Director Worth?
By Scott O’Rourke and Cristina Terc
Our Board of Directors for a nonprofit
called Array of Hope was recently asked
to decide how much to pay our Executive
Director. It was a bit tricky (not as tricky
as insurance assignments but…). Funeral
home owners probably struggle with how
much to pay themselves too. As a funeral
home owner, you have the responsibility
of deciding how much is right for you and
your business.
You will need to earn enough from your
funeral home or cemetery to cover your
personal expenses and retirement, without
requiring unnecessary financing for your
firm. The answer will be different for every
funeral director, but here are some topics
to consider.
How Much is a Funeral Director Worth?
When we decided on a salary for Array
of Hope’s Director, we researched what
competitive salaries were in the market-
place. We also compared earning capac-
ity for this position and experience with
other businesses of this type. You can find
what other funeral homes are paying their
director and other functions such as “Fu-
neral Home Director”, “Funeral Home
Manager”. Search , and other
employment sites for reference.
How Much Can Your Funeral Home Af-
ford to Pay its Owner?
Even funeral directors want to make
as much money as they can (surprised,
right?). Start by looking at where you can
improve. What are your accounts receiv-
ables? Are you accepting insurance assign-
ments? Are you able to convert your receiv-
ables into cash by having an experienced
company process and fund your insurance
assignments? If so, you have forever con-
verted your receivables into cash, a big cash
win for your funeral home.
Next, take a look at your business as if
you were buying it. Look at what the to-
tal financial benefit is to the director. Then
subtract necessary funds for capital im-
provements such as limousines, building
improvements, equipment, etc. What is
left might be in the ballpark of where your
funeral home can pay.
Do Funeral Home Directors Retire?
Every funeral director/owner must have a
retirement plan. The amount you’re able to
save can depend on how you pay yourself.
The owner salary has a direct impact on re-
tirement savings. For example, if a funeral
home owner has a SEP IRA, 25% of his
compensation can be contributed. A lower
salary will reduce the possible contribution.
Having a good insurance assignment
funding company on your team is essential
to maximizing insurance and increasing
revenue and profit. Funding companies are
generally very knowledgeable; they verify
and fund thousands of policies and many
fund your funeral home the same day.
The authors are the founders of Trini-
ty Funeral Funding, an insurance assign-
ment funding company that provides same
day verification and funding of life insur-
ance assignment claims exclusively for fu-
neral homes. Trinity Funeral Funding is a
family owned company located in New Jer-
sey, 201-750-1117. Cristina Terc has veri-
fied and processed thousands of insurance as-
signment claims for funeral homes and is an
expert in resolving even the most complicated
insurance claims including, group, federal,
employee, union or individual policies.
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