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...]
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...]
Managers Vs. Leaders: Which Are You?
January 24, 2011 By 1 Comment
As a student of leadership and as a “Benchmark” Assessor for the Center for Creative Leadership, I am well aware of the impact poor leadership has on results. The problem, in my mind, is the historical emphasis on styles more appropriate to factory settings than businesses that actually interface with the public. The difference between a manager… [Read More...]
The Emperor Has No Clothes
January 11, 2011 By 5 Comments
What employee turnover reveals about your leadership. Employee turnover can reveal a lot of things. Surely turnover is normal but both too much and too little are signs of serious management issues. The pressures of the last ten years have led many in DeathCare to be frustrated with their employees. An attitude has sprung up… [Read More...]
Are You Too Proud to Succeed?
December 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A problem, certainly not unique to DeathCare but just as certainly profoundly prevalent, is an artificial sense of professionalism. Born out of defining success by what people might think of us, it blocks our ability to succeed by making us unwilling to “Stoop To Greatness”. I just received this two page post from Patrick Lencioni’s… [Read More...]
This Could Save A Life
August 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Here is a public service announcement that you can really use. One of the things that occasionally happens at funerals, visitations, arrangement conferences and graveside services is that people have heart attacks. So, I think this would be important for your staff to see. As a PR idea I would post it on my website… [Read More...]
The Tyranny of the Ten Call Man
August 10, 2010 By 5 Comments
A Management lesson from the bible One of the most common and pervasive staffing problems in funeral service is the man or woman who undermines almost every current and future issue management tries to address. They are the “Mayor of the Prep Room”. No matter what initiative you attempt, they quietly work behind the scenes to… [Read More...]
How Do You Handle Price Shoppers?
June 14, 2010 By 2 Comments
As I was preparing this week’s article my friend, Dale Clock, posted this question and a followup on his blog Dale Time. (please click on the highlighted words and read his full comments) This is a phenomenon that has become all too familiar and one that deserves discussion and feedback. How do you handle price shoppers? … [Read More...]
How I Learned To Stop Pushing Strings Uphill
June 1, 2010 By 9 Comments
Breaking The Cycle DeathCare is in its 13th year of declining profitability. Last year is reported as our worst year ever and it’s beginning to tell. Answer these questions: ___Do you sometimes feel trapped? ___Do you sometimes dread going to work? ___Is it easier to do it yourself than tell someone how to do it?… [Read More...]
Are Funeral Directors “wired” to Lose in The “New Normal” Part 3
Last week in part 2 of this series we learned that “Challengers” don’t educate, they teach. They are not afraid of pushing their customers to think in new ways. We also learned that while people may like those who are nice to them, they like those who help them gain new insights even more. But… [Read More...]