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NOVEMBER 2014
FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS
S ec t i on A
Seven Words For Your
Business Practice
Eliza Doolittle sings, “Words, words, words. I’m so sick
of words…” I can understand her sentiments as there are
times when I wish life would just get quiet. Quiet allows
me to ponder, to consider and to plan. Quiet can also be
a warning…Parents of toddlers know that when the house
gets quiet, worry. Those are the times that trouble is brew-
ing. In our business life, quiet often eludes us with phones
ringing, customers coming in and sales people dropping by.
Words often take over our day and the busy-ness keeps us
from effectively running our business. At these times quiet
can be a welcome respite.
I have developed a list of seven words that I have found
help me to apply focused effort to improving our busi-
ness model. These words are true no matter the business
you are in, but they can be especially helpful in our field,
where days are unpredictable and time to look at business
planning can be short. By applying this list to your com-
pany, you can see where you come up short and where you
are “hitting a home run.” You don’t have to wait for quiet
times to create a business plan; all you have to do is look at
the list, determine what “word” you will focus on and start
working your plan to a better business operation.
1. Communication:
This is the most important aspect of
any business. If you do not have clear communication,
important details get missed. Staff does not know what
is happening and jobs are left undone. You must create
systems to ensure that every person knows what is go-
ing on, when it is happening and who is responsible for
getting it done…which leads me to our second word…
2. Accountability:
If you say you are going to do something,
do it. If you are assigned a task, complete it. So often oth-
ers are counting on you to get your part of the task done
before they can complete their piece of it. If one person in
the chain fails, the entire job stalls. This can create a dis-
satisfied customer, disgruntled staff, even lost business rev-
enue. Companies must put accountability high on their
list of importance. If a ball is dropped, look first at the
procedures in place to determine if protocol was followed
correctly, but the plan is flawed. If not, then the employee
(or manager/owner) must be questioned as to what went
wrong. Barring a plausible reason, steps must be taken to
make sure corrections are made so that this is not repeated.
Blame is not the objective, but understanding the reason
why and taking corrective action.
3. Customer Service:
At a recent Disney Customer Service
training I attended, the speaker said, “Since most people
have set their bar so low with respect to customer ser-
vice expectations, you don’t have to go the extra mile to
“wow” them, even the extra inch will do.” Pretend that
you are your customer and look at what they experience
through new eyes. Are people greeted warmly when they
enter? Are their questions answered fully? Do they feel
rushed? What is your policy on handling complaints?
Are there follow up phone calls or letters? Where can you
find that small, next step you can take to provide an ex-
perience that your families will share with others?
4. Appreciation:
Do you have a way to thank your custom-
ers for choosing you for their funeral and burial needs? Is
there a referral plan in place to track who is sending you
new business? Do your employees know how much you
value their commitment to your company? This can be as
simple as taking amoment to telling them that theymake a
difference and are doing a great job. Employees, do you tell
the management how much you appreciate working with
them? Do you ever say, “thank you” when pay day arrives?
5. Efficiency:
Where do your systems lag? Have you uti-
lized technology fully to make tasks easier? Have you al-
lowed technology to actually slow things down and make
it more difficult to get things done? Do job assignments
need to be moved around so that things run better?With
less people sharing more work, it is imperative that every
minute is spent judiciously and not wasted effort.
6. Consistency:
Make sure that each time a task is done it is
completed the same way, no matter who is doing it. This
requires having systems in place and training your staff to
follow them. Multiple locations makes this even more
important. In the early days of the KFC franchise,
Col. Sanders actually visited locations and would
take away his equipment and shut down any location
that did not follow his system exactly as he laid it out.
Consistency is key to an organized business plan.
7. Unity:
It is important that your staff feels like they are
a part of something bigger. When asked where they
work, the response should be one of proudly telling the
company’s name and knowing that they are a part of a
greater whole. A team works together and covers each
other seamlessly. They work as one, support each other
and love coming in to be with their “day time family.”
Review, ponder and consider these seven words and
how they fit in with your company plan. Take some time
before the new year begins to look at how you can make
improvements in the way your business operates in 2015.
I have provided a guideline that I use. You may have a
few words of your own to add to the list. If you do, share
them with me and I will include them in a future article.
Until then, find a system, tweak it until it works, then
tweak it some more…and some more…for there is no
end to improving our business models.
With certifications as a Laughter Leader, Funeral Celebrant, Grief
Services Provider and Grief Management Specialist, 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.
As Director of Grief Support and Community Outreach at the
Catholic Cemeteries, Diocese of Buffalo, Nancy has developed the
most comprehensive aftercare program of any cemetery or funeral
home in the country. 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. She is also available to conduct
staff trainings tailored to your specific needs.
Her book,
If Stress Doesn’t Kill You, Your Family Might
, is filled with
United States Supreme Court Denies Petition to
Review Pennsylvania Funeral Law
HARRISBURG,PA—
The United States Supreme Court is-
sued a “Certiorari Denied” decision in the Heffner, Ernest F.,
ET AL. V. Murphy, Donald J., ET AL case. The case, which
originated in 2008, challenged the laws governing Pennsyl-
vania state funeral directors. In February 2014, a three-judge
panel in the Pennsylvania Third Circuit Court of Appeals
declared that the law was constitutional. The plaintiffs in the
case sought to have the United States Supreme Court reverse
the decision of the Pennsylvania Court of Appeals decision,
but the high court denied the petition.
Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association
(PFDA) has been
representing its 1,200 funeral home members and the con-
sumers of the Commonwealth since the lawsuits inception.
Reacting to the United States Supreme Court’s decision
to preserve the state’s law,
Kathleen Ryan,
PFDA general
counsel and chief operating officer, said, “The biggest win-
ners in this decision are Pennsylvania consumers. The plain-
tiffs were attempting to dismantle long established laws that
were created to provide protection to consumers. The time
and energy that PFDA has devoted to this case has been well
worth it. Their mission is to uphold the professional stan-
dards for funeral directors and the main tenant of those stan-
dards are doing right by the families that are served.”
Organized in 1881, the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors
Association (PFDA) is one of the largest state funeral di-
rectors associations in the nation. With over 1,200 mem-
ber firms, PFDA’s mission is to inform and educate the
funeral director, the public and government about the
value of funeral service and licensed funeral directors on
a pre-need, at need
re informa-
tion is available onl
Holeton-Yuhasz Funeral
Home Completes Porte
Cochere Addition
NILES,OH—
Holeton-Yuhasz Funeral Home
recently
completed the addition of a new porte cochere. Since the
1960’s, the Yuhasz family has served the Niles and sur-
rounding communities. They always strived to have the fin-
est funeral facilities and provide the highest level of service to
those they help. They are located at 126 West Park Avenue
behind the historic William McKinley Memorial and Li-
brary in beautiful downtow
tion, call 330-652-4311 or v