December 2018

Page A34 DECEMBER 2018 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A ® Free Marketing Support for Today’s Funeral Professionals The Funeral and Memorial Information Council (FAMIC) created Have the Talk of a Lifetime ® – a national campaign that encourages people to find out what matters most to their loved ones, so they can celebrate life when the time comes. We’ve prepared free marketing materials for use in your community, including: print and digital ads, PR materials, social media, and more. FAMIC members can download materials at: FAMIC.org Have questions? Email us at: HavetheTalkofaLifetime@gmail.com Caring for every need, every day. Experts in: Domestic Shipping International Shipping Cremation Removal & Embalming Flight Arrangements 800.321.0185 natlmortuaryshipping.com Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Discover your Strategy for Success at the 2019 Wide World of Sales Conference News Association ContinueD STERLING,VA— The International Cemetery, Crema- tion and Funeral Association’s (ICCFA) Wide World of Sales (WWS) Conference will be held January 23- 25, 2019 at Bally’s Las Vegas in Las Vegas, NV. Themed “DEAD Talks: Strategies for Success,” and based on the popular TED Talks, attendees will hear the best action- able advice in 18-minute presentations designed specif- ically for family service counselors and sales managers working in the deathcare profession. When asked about the conference format, ICCFA sales and marketing chairman John Bolton, CCE, CCrE, CSE, said, “Since the progressive members of ICCFA look be- yond the status quo, we had to take the Wide World of Sales to another level; thus, DEAD Talks were born.” Sales training expert and keynote speaker, Tim Wack- el, will share how to help client families discover what they really want in his talk, “Stop Pitching, Start Solv- ing.” Tim will also host a back to back breakout session specifically for suppliers on the anatomy of a lousy pitch. Speaker of the house for Zappos Insights, Erica Ja- vellana, will share the cul- ture of service that is Zap- pos’ story and how excellent service can build strong connections with those you serve. The DEAD Talks series will feature five main categories all focused on sales, with industry professionals sharing their best practices on: how to kill it in sales, bury the bad habits, don’t let cremation opportunities go up in smoke, heat up cremation sales, and unearth potential customers. “Having over 15 deathcare professionals share their best practices is going to be an educational event you will not want to miss,” states program co-chair Delana Pratt, di- rector of outreach and development, Cairn Partners. “The combination of the incredible learning opportuni- ties along with the excitement of being in Las Vegas gives our attendees the best of both worlds,” adds co-chair Tim Fish, vice president of field sales, Global Atlantic Finan- cial Company. In addition to the DEADTalks, attendees will learn from sales legend Gary O’Sullivan during his traditional Fire- side Chat, as well as be able to take advantage of numerous networking opportunities throughout the conference. Complete program, hotel and registration information is available at www.wideworldofsales.com. Early bird rates apply through December 17, 2018. there are underemployed college graduates. The funeral home and cemetery manage- ment tour of Larkin Sunset Gardens drew nearly 90 participants. Saturday offered a combo Funeral Home/Cemetery Management Network- ing Breakfast for members to gather and discuss the unique challenges faced by these operations. The membership business session featured Lisa Baue, Selected’s secretary/treasurer and Kimberly Farris-Luke, Selected’s incoming and first-ever female president. Presented by Robert B. Tucker, the Fu- tures Session was Managing the Future: Capitalizing on the Driving Forces of Change. His presentation energized and empowered members with powerful strat- egies to seize opportunities amidst the un- certainty of exponential change. During the annual meeting, members also completed a community service proj- ect supporting the Red Cross and the Sound the Alarm Safety Campaign, sponsored by Homesteaders Life Company. Selected’s 2019 Annual Meeting will be held in Nashville, TN on September 23 -26, 2019. For more information, visit www.selectedfuneralhomes.org or call 800- 323-4219. Selected Executive Director and CEO, Rob Paterkiewicz, presents the association’s strategic plan during the Association Update. Continued from Page A33 Selected Celebrates 100th Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City The Association Update was presented by Rob Pa- terkiewicz, executive di- rector and CEO and out- lined the association’s new strategic plan. The general session fea- tured Dr. David DeLong’s presentation, Building To- morrow’s Workforce in To- day’s Economy. He shared his insight into how to ad- dress the challenge com- panies’ are facing in find- ing skilled employees while