I am out of my comfort zone. It’s ok. But it’s like learning to write your name with your left hand if you are right handed. Try it. It’s hard. you have to think about it.
Hopefully, by now, dear reader you have figured out my true passion. I believe in funeral service and I believe in funeral directors…most funeral directors any way.
What has me out of my comfort zone is this:
Our profession is broken and I want…desperately want…to help fix it. But I am like you. I like being nice. I like being liked. I like being respected.
I have spent years trying every thing I could think of to open your eyes and help you see first what needs to be done and second how to do it. In effect, how to fish. But I wasn’t moving the needle.
Then I began to notice that many of the “Pied Pipers” you so avidly listen to weren’t as kind and gentle as I try to be. In fact, they are downright rude and often demeaning. So, I thought: “OK, I don’t like it but I will try it.” and BINGO it worked.
I shared my perplexity with an old industry friend. He told me why it worked.
It turns out that you share all my same frustrations. You are neither blind nor stupid. but you don’t realize that you…YES YOU…are part of the problem. So, on those occasions when I am rude and confrontational you think I am talking about everyone else and, in your mind, you are saying: “yes! Give it to ’em!”
But, I am talking about all of you…or better…all of us. I don’t like talking (writing) in a confrontational style but if that is what it takes for you to listen then I will.
But you are not innocent. You cannot remain the same. You CANNOT put new wine into old wine skins. You must learn to do new things in new ways. You must stop listening to the “pied pipers” with “dogs in the hunt” and just dressing up yesterday’s business model. Quit it…will you?
It’s your livelihood. It’s your future.
Futility is a sad way for you to end a career. It is neither over, nor too late. There are things you can do to change the trajectory your business is on. Given the nature of human beings only a few will actually do it. But those who are able to re invent themselves will enjoy renewed prosperity and, best of all, have fun. BTW, be careful not to throw the babies out with the bathwater. Some of the things you do are good, very good. Differentiating the important from the obsolete is the key.
If I die on this hill, so be it. What hill are you willing to die on?
Mr. Creedy,
just a few quick and I do mean quick thoughts come to mind after reading this article.
I have seen the enemy, he stares me in the face each morning ……..in the mirror
” It is not necessary for a man to be actively bad in order to make a failure in life; Simple inaction will accomplish it. Nature everywhere written her protest against idleness; everything which ceases to struggle, which remains inactive rapidly deteriorates. It is the struggle toward an ideal, the constant effort to get higher and farther, which develops success and character.
just my two cents
Scott Wheeler
and a grand two cents it is
Nice read, Alan! 🙂
From what I have experienced, many people, including myself, often are paddling as hard as they can just to keep from being pushed back down stream that they do not have the time, or energy to pull into the marina and invest in the outboard motor so they can we can make significant head way against the currents. (or the whirlwind at the folks at the Covey Leadership Institute call it)
I find myself frequently wondering what can I cut out of my schedule so as to concentrate more energy on what is most important and where I can do the most good.
To effect real change real change one must be more than an influencer, one must have real authority to make change happen. I can read, study, learn, exchange ideas, but without authority, I can only suggest change to those who can implement it. An often frustrating situation, seeing that patience is not a well developed virtue with me.
Mr. Wheeler’s comments are very true. As are the memorable line from the Pogo Comic Strip from years part, “I have seen the enemy and they are us.”
Those of us in the Funeral Business are the only ones who can make effective changes in the funeral business that can effectively “save” the funeral business.
This means make fundamental changes in the way we think and do business. It requires thinking differently and from the consumers prospective. It requires us to think of new ways to serve families and to attract them to what we can do to help them.
It requires us to step out of the whirlwind of the day to day firefighting and look hard to discover our most important goal and then focus on a plan to reach it by a certain set date.
The choice is yours, to stay in the whirlwind of day to day confusion or focus like a laser on moving your business forward.
Alan, you could not have stated it any better. The Funeral Industry is killing itself from within. It is sad to watch third and fourth generation funeral home owners sit back with high prices and low service standards because they have HERITAGE. It is worse to see the new guys opening and fight for volume rather than strive to prove their services are worth a decent price. I can only imagine how confused the consumer is, because as an industry we can’t even create a clear message.
Jeff, So true. The funeral home I work with owners think it is a really big deal that the business is turning 100 years old with the same family in charge. I realize this is a milestone, but to Who is it really important? Does this really matter to families in the community we serve? You could not prove it by the call volume.
The now not so new guys as I predicted would in 5 or 6 years match or come close to matching our call volume (which they have) and they mainly compete on price as their advantage. I often think that someone could come into the market if they positioned themselves right build up a health call volume from both the existing firms.
Most multi generational firm owners think they know all there is to know about what they need to do it seems. And the new guy do not know how to market either except on price in order to take volume from someone else.
I reality I do not see much changing. Some rare firms will be able to survive, some even prosper, many may attend their own funeral.