Earlier this year Rick Baldwin used a comment by famed hockey player, Wayne Gretzky, in his post: “How To Be Exceptional In The New Normal”. Here Bruce Buchanan, CEO of The Buchanan Group adds his perspective to Rick’s. As funeral professionals we are torn by two forces when we take on a client. One, we… [Read More...]
The Real Victims of Our Cowardice
April 23, 2012 By 11 Comments
In the past few weeks I have used strong negative language: Cowardice…Fight… Neglect Please understand: this is not an emotional reaction on my part. Instead, it is an intentional effort to call you out. And it is this “intentionality” that I encourage you to undertake as well. It is time we, as a profession,… [Read More...]
Funeral Apologetics 101: Stop Clinging To Your Despair
March 19, 2012 By 13 Comments
[Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of information.] Much of my career has involved business turnarounds. This experience serves me well as a funeral home consultant. Over the course of more than 30 years I have learned a lot about human nature…. [Read More...]
Book Review: When Growth Stalls
March 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
When Growth Stalls, How it happens, why you’re stuck and what to do about it. By Steve McKee, Jossey-Bass 2009 “when growth stalls, everything begins to break down. Confidence wanes, and it can be difficult to tell which problems are cause and which are effect.” This simple statement hits too close to home in an industry… [Read More...]
Are Funeral Directors “Wired” To Lose In the “New Normal”? Part 1
January 2, 2012 By 6 Comments
DeathCare has been losing ground relative to consumers for almost 30 years. Now comes research that may explain why and what to do about it. To many observers (myself among them) what we sell seems well on the road to becoming a commodity. As a means of moving market share, differentiation based on price seems… [Read More...]
This Is Your Wake Up Call: Litigators Focus on DeathCare
November 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The article linked below appeared in the August 2010 issue of “Plaintiff Magazine”and was brought to my attention by my friend Ernie Heffner. It is a MUST read for all DeathCare Practitioners. My Recommendation: print it out and require all your funeral staff to read it. Just some highlights from this attorney author to his… [Read More...]
IRS Cracks Down On Independent Contractor Status Abuse
October 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In this article in the Wall Street Journal we learn that the IRS is getting serious about the misuse of Independent Contractor relationships to avoid classifying certain workers as employees subject to all the rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act. This is important for many funeral homes because most still treat preneed sales people… [Read More...]
Things Not To Do Or Say When You Fire Someone
October 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
There is a difference between a disciplinary interview and a termination meeting. Disciplinary meetings are about second chances and action plans. Termination meetings are about neither. 1. Never reconsider in a termination meeting. Firing is always a last resort. Hopefully, you have already given warnings and second chances. Some employees will try to negotiate… [Read More...]
Preneed Math 201: How Many Counselors Do You Really Need?
August 22, 2011 By 1 Comment
Last week I shared with you that the general rule of thumb is one counselor per 200 calls. I also pointed out that this is more a political question than a mathematical one. Here is why: All counselors believe in their hearts that there is not enough business to go around. If you serve 150… [Read More...]
Why Burning Platforms Are Necessary for Change
Most DeathCare Practitioners are aware of their need to change to accomodate a changing consumer. What many lack, unfortunately, is the motivation to change. According to a November 2011 article in The Harvard Business Review by Peter Fuda and Richard Badham the motivation for change requires us to view our circumstances as if we were… [Read More...]