Page A27 MAY 2023 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Section A Breakout Sessions Be sure to Stop by Booth 235 tUESDAY, MAY 16 2:00 – 2:50 PM Gas to Electric Panel Discussion Andrew Bray, National Association of Landscape Professionals; Don Winsett, Davey Tree; and Roger Phelps, Stihl Inc. Gas. Have you seen the price of it lately!? It’s no secret that many states and local businesses are making strong moves to transition their operations from an aging gas-powered system to an ever-improving electric one. States like California are even beginning to require 35 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in the state by 2026 to be powered by batteries or hydrogen. As we come to terms with this new reality, business owners are faced with a great deal of questions. “Look What I Inherited” Nina Perry, Park Lawn Corporation New generations are requiring funeral professionals to think outside the box more now than ever before. Cremation is between 50 and 60% with several states being above 60%. So, I ask you – where are all those urns going to end up in 10 – 20 years? We are losing generations when we don’t place loved ones or at least place a memorial plaque with names and dates. Every option, Every time, to Every family because they just don’t know what they don’t know and that sums up our responsibility to our families. 3:00 – 3:50 PM Leveraging Social Channels and Strategies for Cemetery Pre-Con Sales Tim Fish, Ring Ring Marketing/Coldspring Mike Harens, Ring Ring Marketing/Coldspring The post-Covid world has inventory depleted across the industry. Work with Tim Fish and Mike Harens to learn how to leverage your marketing and social media strategies to capture sales BEFORE you’ve even begun building and developing your next cemetery inventory project. By changing your mindset, leveraging technology, utilizing vendor relationships, 3D modeling, and marketing, Tim and Mike will provide you with an action plan for effective development and pre-construction sales growth. Create World Class Sales Teams through Retention and Loyalty Programs Sammy Villanueva, Archdiocese of Los Angeles This session will outline a roadmap for creating and maintaining a successful sales team. A stable, tenured, confident sales team is critical to your location’s reputation and long-term success. Attendees will receive pointers and tips for the interview process, onboarding, new hire training and ongoing training. Techniques for preparing a sales counselor for sales management will also be discussed. tHURSDAY, MAY 18 1:00 – 1:50 PM Finding and Retaining Top Talent: Lessons Learned from Recruiting Over 250 Million Dollar Producers Tyler Anderson, Precoa With the seismic shifts and changing demographics of the job market, funeral homes are struggling to attract high-quality candidates. In this session, you’ll learn about three recruiting challenges facing funeral homes and which strategies are proven to generate top talent from both within and outside the profession. We’ll share the dos and don’ts we’ve learned after 10 consecutive Top Workplace awards and nearly two decades of building networks of the most talented preneed professionals. You’ll learn how to create remarkable experiences during hiring and onboarding and how to develop talent to be ambassadors and advocates for your funeral home brand. “Pediatric Funeral Care” Amanda King, B.C. Bailey Funeral Home This presentation will explore in-depth ways to serve families that have experienced the death of a child either unexpectedly or expectedly. It will specifically demonstrate ways to work alongside Hospice for imminent pediatric cases before the death occurs and how to have those early conversations with families. Options for ways the transfer can be done, as well as final viewings both with and without embalming will also be shared through personal cases that I’ve handled – each one unique in circumstances for services ranging from being a liaison to the child’s school to exploring newer methods of disposition. Specific ways to honor the child within the family’s chosen service will be reviewed for: direct cremations, home funerals, green burials, witness cremations, traditional services, shipment of the body, and aquamation/water cremation. Continued on page A28 LEGAL & LEGISLATIVE LUNCHEON Poul Lemasters, ICCFA/Lemasters Counseling It is said that when something works, you stick with it. Apparently, a free lunch served with a side of legal and legislative updates is one of those models that works. Join us again for the annual Legal & Legislative Luncheon. This is THE place to be if you want to hear about and contribute to what is happening on the Federal and State levels of deathcare. We will talk about taxes, OSHA, employment, and FTC, plus state issues and changes in funeral, cemetery, and crematory regulations across America – we may even talk a little about Canada, too. In addition to hearing about legislation that might affect you, this is also the place to share the issues that are currently affecting you. With a roomful of those in the know you will want to make sure to put this session on your calendar.
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