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Author: Alan Creedy

Covid – 19 and The Reinvention of Spring Burials

Written by Alan Creedy on . Posted in The Creedy Commentary. 2 Comments on Covid – 19 and The Reinvention of Spring Burials

Covid – 19 and The Reinvention of Spring Burials

Talking with funeral directors across the nation and Canada I am hearing (as you are experiencing) that you are busy but the services are mostly abbreviated or direct. So your revenue is deeply affected. Many wonder what funeral service will be like after we struggle to return to normal.

I am a “true believer” in the value of gathering.  I believe that humans need to be together during times like these which leads me to conclude that, no matter what the proponents of electronic funerals say, nothing will ever really replace a human hug.  This social distancing thing is the proper approach but it ignores the need for human connection and is, therefore unnatural.  I suspect, at an unconscious level, many of your customers and their friends are feeling this.

At the risk of seeming arrogant, I think that if I were in your place I would seriously consider reinventing the spring burial.

Years ago funeral homes in colder climates would hold a funeral for those who died in winter and then postpone the burial until the ground thawed. They would store the casketed body.  Hence: “Spring Burial.” If I were you I would make a presumptive close with each family (including cremations).  I would say something like:

“It’s unfortunate we can’t have a full gathering and service with people present. We have learned that human interaction at the physical level is critical to the healing process. So we are scheduling memorial services for later this year.  We have openings for June 17.  Would that be a good date for you?  That way everyone would know when to schedule to come.”

For those that don’t elect to choose that option I would hold, at a date in the fall, a community gathering to celebrate all the deaths.  I might have a bell I rung as each name were read aloud.  I would invite not only the families but the community.  (remember, by then, people will be looking for human contact). I might even host a barbecue.  BUT VERY DEFINITELY, I would stand up and address the attendees to this community life celebration and remind them why gathering is so important to the healing process.

My two cents…take it or leave it.

Creedy Not Bloodless After All

Written by Alan Creedy on . Posted in The Creedy Commentary, General Topics. 2 Comments on Creedy Not Bloodless After All

Blood Drives…Something You Can Do During the Pandemic

Well there is a picture you can’t unsee. Me giving blood at Pierce Jefferson Funeral Home in Greensboro.

A few weeks ago I suggested to some of my clients they hold a blood drive. Several of them took me up on it. The first was Danny Jefferson at Pierce Jefferson in Kernersville and Greensboro, NC. In association with the Red Cross he is holding two blood drives. At this first one he had twice the volunteers give blood than they projected. Kernersville, will be this week.

This is a great way to give people in your community something constructive to do during the pandemic with you in the center. Sorry, but sometimes it’s ok to be self serving.

If you want to pick Danny’s brain you can call him at ‭(336) 993-2121‬

Blood drive set up in chapel. Note the “Share Life” Wall in the back.
Red Cross vehicles parked by the sign on Greensboro’s most heavily trafficked street.

Callaway – Jones Stay At Home Arrangements Helper

Written by Alan Creedy on . Posted in The Creedy Commentary. 1 Comment on Callaway – Jones Stay At Home Arrangements Helper

Callaway Jones Funeral offers “Stay At Home” Arrangement Helper.

My friend, Cody Jones, of Callaway – Jones Funeral Home is offering a guide for his customers to prepare for arrangement conferences, sign documents and make choices.  He has given permission to share it.  click on the link below. And while you are there explore his website.  It’s one of the best I have seen.

Stay at Home Arrangement Helper

CRaKN WAIVES CASE FEES

Written by Alan Creedy on . Posted in The Creedy Commentary. No Comments on CRaKN WAIVES CASE FEES

CRäKN ELIMINATES CASE FEES DURING CORONA CRISIS

TO HELP FUNERAL DIRECTORS WORK FROM HOME

CRäKN is a relatively new funeral management tool that enables funeral directors to coordinate all aspects of delivering services via smart phone and pc.  You and your staff and many of your vendors interact remotely in real time. CRäKN facilitates every part of arranging and coordinating a service in ways that are faster and more secure than ever before and it works even better remotely.  

CRäKN is the only funeral management tool to be introduced in funeral service that actually puts time back in your day and, because of its safeguard features, increases your confidence in your ability to execute seamlessly.  It’s electronic coordination features eliminate the need to make even one phone call to coordinate. This includes clergy, full time and part time staff.

CRäKN enables you to take all your files with you wherever you go on your smart phone. Need to look up a past customer you can do it from any where.

Watch this video. Then call 844-382-7256.  NO CASE FEES for the duration of the current emergency.

Click on the logo below to go to the CRäKN site directly.

How To Know When You are Ready To Exit Your Business

Written by Alan Creedy on . Posted in The Creedy Commentary, Money: Getting it and Keeping it. No Comments on How To Know When You are Ready To Exit Your Business

How To Know When You are Ready To Exit Your Business

The answer to this challenge is both situational and personal.

Whether you plan on leaving the business altogether or you want to work as long as you are able, most people agree that achieving financial independence should be a primary goal. You may want to work until your 80 but you shouldn’t HAVE to work if you don’t want to or can’t.

I have created this matrix for my clients to be able to know where they stand.

Not able, Not Ready

Your business cannot be sold for full value and you are dependent on the value of the business to give you financial independence. If you have it, you need more time.

You need a plan to increase cash flow, create wealth independent of the business and create value for a potential buyer.  

Ready, Not Able

The sale of your business will not result in financial independence. You are ready and the business is ready but you need time to develop alternative cash flows. 

Able, Not Ready

The net proceeds of a sale combined with personal investments will enable you to be financially independent.  However, you and/or the business are not ready to exit. If the business is not ready to optimize value then you need a plan that will get you there.

Ready and Able

Congratulations! This is the best of all possible worlds. You can choose your timing and know that you will be able to accomplish what you want. You need a plan to mitigate the risks of continued ownership.

 

Managing An Underperforming Family Member

Written by Alan Creedy on . Posted in The Creedy Commentary, General Topics. 1 Comment on Managing An Underperforming Family Member

Managing An Underperforming Family Member

WOW! What a topic!

If you have ever attended a county fair, you may have witnessed a Mule Pull. This is a contest of mule teams pulling a weighted sled. Sometimes you will see an interesting and metaphorical phenomenon: A team of two mules will be pulling the sled. One mule is pulling with all its heart but the other may give an occasional tug but is really not contributing to the effort. If allowed to go on, the mule pulling with all its heart will be driven to its knees. To me, this has become the symbolic visual of families with an underperforming family member on the team. Eventually, those who are truly committed will be driven to their metaphorical knees.

When a family member underperforms on the job it has significant ripple effects for the business. At a minimum, it creates:

  • Frustration among other family members
  • Lowers morale among employees
  • Reduces respect for the company
  • Underserves customers
  • Increases cost by requiring “work – arounds” like additional staff and outsourced labor

But it isn’t an easy problem. In my experience, underperformance is often tolerated by the family because:

  • Everyone knows they couldn’t make it elsewhere
  • After all it’s your son, daughter, brother, sister, cousin
  • Funeral homes are notoriously passive-aggressive. Since they don’t think they can/should fire them they ignore the issue.

Underperformance in a family member is further complicated by the internal dynamics of the family. Frequently, there is an “Alpha” sibling/cousin who tends to dominate. Just as frequently, they have expectations of themselves they believe should be shared by all. As you might expect, it is often they who are defining underperformance? I have to say that in the majority of cases they have enough perspective to be right…just not as right as they think they are.

Personally, I am wired to be a workaholic. I actually like working hard, solving complex puzzles, stress. I need to feel I am making a substantive contribution. I have reached peace of sorts with my idiosyncrasy.

But what if my brother is not as driven as I am? Maybe he is willing to work hard; but, not AS hard. Maybe he contributes in different ways than I do. Or he has different priorities. Is it right for me to impose my work neurosis on him? Equally important, is it right for him to resent my driven behavior which may, in fact, be enabling the company to thrive?

So, the first question we have to ask is:

What constitutes underperformance?

Simply stated: “If you are paid a full wage, you should be expected to carry a full load. If you are in a management position in a small business, you also must accept the responsibilities that correspond to your level of leadership.”  The latter implies you must do more than show up and accept orders…you must also think and anticipate.” In other words, you must contribute in some way proportionate to your income.

Hopefully, whoever is concerned about underperformance has thought through the level of expectation at which the underperformance would, at least, become performance. So, what do you do? At a minimum, Mr./Ms. Alpha leader, YOU should:

  1. Create a safe place where you can all explore the issues
  2. If one of you doesn’t want to or can’t assume management responsibilities, then adjust and find meaningful ways they can contribute
    1. Do not lower expectations below those of other employees
  3. Communicate clear expectations relative to job performance. For instance:
    1. Be on time for work
    2. When the company is busy, be ready to pitch in to help others
    3. Act with respect towards all associates and customers
    4. Take personal responsibility
    5. Be willing to be held accountable
  4. Be willing to provide regular feedback
  5. If necessary, get counseling or mentoring for YOU and the underperformer
  6. Be Humble
  7. Think about getting a professional coach

What to do when they won’t step up to the plate:

  • When a family member will not step up to the plate it is time to answer these questions:
    • If this person were not a family member what would you do?
    • Are there some alternatives to being involved in the company that make sense?

Not long ago I was working with a firm struggling with this issue. One of 4 family members was simply not carrying their weight.  In conversation, the others shared with me that he really didn’t want to be in the funeral business but couldn’t earn as much where his passion was. I observed that it seemed to me that his passion was High School Coaching. They were surprised at my insight and affirmed the observation. I shared with them that, as family members, they should have similar expectations relative to the contribution they make tothe family firm and that maybe they should consider encouraging him to pursue his passion and then subsidizing the difference in compensation. In this case, that made sense and the problem was solved. Family harmony was preserved.

ONE MORE THING:

Family drama always carries into the workplace.   It is not uncommon that the underperformance issue is more a result of siblings not getting along or being frustrated with each other.  Again, funeral homes are notoriously passive-aggressive. This is also a common trait of families where family harmony is important. I have experienced situations where family members are each fully capable, but simply shouldn’t be working together. There are several options I recommend they explore. These include:

  • Acquiring different locations and letting each person manage specific locations so they can stay apart
  • Sell the firm and let the parties get a fresh start without each other.
  • If they have multiple locations, divide the assets and go separate ways.
  • Retaining a professional coach that would help them mediate their issues.

Is there any hope?

Yes there is!

But, there is one universal, non-negotiable requirement:

ALL parties (mom, dad, son, daughter, uncle, aunt, cousins) must be EQUALLY committed to a solution. No EXCEPTIONS!

Online Funeral Arranging: What I think and a Harvard Study that Supports It.

Written by Alan Creedy on . Posted in The Creedy Commentary. 6 Comments on Online Funeral Arranging: What I think and a Harvard Study that Supports It.

While I was involved in preneed marketing I observed an odd and, yet, consistent human behavior.

Research suggests that many people would prefer to plan their funeral with someone other than a funeral director. YET, when a death occurred they don’t want to talk with anyone BUT a funeral director.

So as the internet has taken hold and predictions of capturing large blocks of business by using it to help people avoid interacting with a human being proliferate, I was and am skeptical. Yes, I am certain a block of people will be attracted to the “convenience.” unfortunately, if online arrangements become the norm, we will end up underserving the public. As a result, we will drive even more away from what we do with the eventual consequence of unresolved grief.

Today, I read an article in the Harvard Business Review and, while it is mostly about the financial services industry, it has application to the belief that we should go electronic.

It seems that when a transaction is anxiety-producing (and I believe funeral arrangements are often anxiety-producing) working with a human reduces anxiety.

Read the full article here:

Why Anxious Customers Prefer Human Customer Service

What would I do?

I think I would target some of my marketing to stress the importance of interacting with real people in an already anxiety-producing situation. I am sure some advertising genius can come up with something that compares making funeral arrangements with Alexa and a real person.

Collaborative Healing: Our Real Purpose

Written by Alan Creedy on . Posted in The Creedy Commentary. 1 Comment on Collaborative Healing: Our Real Purpose

Sometimes people ask WHY we have funerals. Good Question. Unfortunately, many of our colleagues aren’t quite sure themselves so they stumble.

With almost 40 years under my belt (and you thought I was overweight?) I have come to a conclusion and have coined a phrase I welcome my readers to adopt:

Collaborative Healing

My friend Karl Jennings of the Acute Loss Center observed a frequent and common behavior in major catastrophes and celebrity deaths. In these events, humans display a visceral need to participate in mutual and common behaviors. The strongest of these is the need to gather, honor and interact physically with others. What made this observation so vivid for Karl, and anyone who understands his theory, is that the need is no less strong in those who don’t even know the affected parties.

I have come to believe that human psyche is wired to respond to human suffering in a certain way and that way involves collaborative healing. Funerals, ceremonies, ritual, parties…whatever you want to call it…function for that purpose. In our far-flung, post-industrial world funeral homes function to organize, orchestrate and focus this need.

Those who doubt the value of what you do are simply ignoring an observable and verifiable human need. I will leave the rest of this conversation to Karl. He gets it better than anyone.

Funeral Service: It’s All In the Attitude

Written by Alan Creedy on . Posted in Practitioner Forum: Insights and Ideas. 4 Comments on Funeral Service: It’s All In the Attitude

It has been almost two decades since the new millennium began. Much has changed.

20 years ago, copper caskets were still being sold…today, we feel lucky when we sell a casket at all.

20 years ago, only 1 out of 3 or, even, 4 chose cremation…today, it is more than 1 out of 2.

20 years ago, funeral homes were selling at 8 times EBITDA or more…today, it is 5.5.

STOP!  Isn’t this typical?! Too many of us tend to think negatively.

20 years ago, we were heading into a 15-year decline in available calls. Today, we are looking at a year over year increase for the next 50 years.

20 years ago, the overwhelming preference in cremation was direct. Today, that trend is shifting as funeral directors assume more assertive roles and increase the average sale while creating more satisfied families.

20 years ago, most funeral directors operated out of their “hip pocket”. Many still do. Today, a growing number of intentional practitioners are finding they can be as profitable or more so by managing for results.

I generally find two types of funeral directors:

  • Those who passively let life happen to them…victims!
  • Those who actively impact the life they are living…Intentionals!

The former tend to think negatively and assume a victim mentality.  I find that “victim – thinkers” typically have made peace with their circumstances. They have learned to live in their world. Hope is not part of their perspective.  As such, they have become comfortable with the status quo. Not only do they not believe things could go better they will actively work against efforts to prove them wrong. They will associate with people who think like them. And if I spend too much time with them, I begin to think like them. It’s contagious.

Intentional people, however, aren’t always the most creative or the most aggressive. They are simply people who look for the best and don’t make the assumption that all change is bad.

When I was preparing to take the CPA exam my instructors hammered into me a simple principle: “The answer is always in the question.” In a general sense, I find this to be true in life.

How would your perspective change if you focused on finding the answer in the question? What might you find?  How might it help?

This leads me to a corollary observation: “If you want to change your circumstances you have to look beyond your circumstances.”

When you study a problem looking for answers (or at least hypotheses) they tend to appear. As you work toward some of those answers, they begin to bear fruit. As they bear fruit more answers appear and, after a while, you reach a new level of understanding and achievement. A more fruitful and rewarding level.

For example:  A large part, perhaps even a majority, of practitioners equate cremation with direct cremation. Yet a small number of practitioners are more than proving them wrong. All these contrarians have two things in common which suggest a way out of our “stinking thinking.”

By taking a more assertive role in the arrangements conference and abandoning the “order-taker” persona, they become teachers and guides. As a result, they are finding that people actually want more service and are willing to pay for it.  More important, they are experiencing increased volume which they credit to the positive experience their families have when they choose to actually honor their loved one.

So, while many in funeral service believe our best days are behind us, I stand with those who believe our best days are ahead. I call them Intentional Funeral Directors.

Besides, I don’t see any constructive purpose in hopelessness and blaming others.

Recruiting At Zaxby’s

Written by Alan Creedy on . Posted in General Topics, The Creedy Commentary. 3 Comments on Recruiting At Zaxby’s

Recruiting at Zaxby’s

The single greatest challenge facing funeral service is not cremation.  It is our inability to find and recruit and retain good quality funeral directors. Fully 2/3 of the current licensee labor pool is over 55. Our inability to replace this work force has very nasty consequences.  Not only will families be underserved but the pressure on the remaining workers will ultimately exceed the capacity.

What Should we do?

When faced with a dilemma no one is working on it is best to take matters into your own hands. I believe the answer is in our past.

If you know a first – generation funeral director who is in his or her 70’s, chances are they entered the profession through the ambulance service. Younger than that, many of them were engaged in their late teens to do mundane work around the funeral home like mowing lawns and washing cars but the owner bought them a suit and they started helping out on funerals. Many of these recruits grew to love the work and ended up getting licensed. In my opinion, the ones I have met who came in this way represent our best practitioners.

A few weeks ago I was working with a client and we took a break to go down the street and have lunch at Zaxby’s. I am confident that you, dear reader, have eaten in a “fast” food restaurants and the overall experience is…shall we say… underwhelming. This experience was remarkable. The young man who took our order was probably 17 or 18, well groomed and extraordinarily personable. He greeted us by looking us in the eye, he engaged with us, asked what we were doing for the holidays and sincerely thanked us for our order. WOW! He made an unmemorable experience memorable.

When my client and I sat down I asked him what he noticed about the young man and I was surprised to realize he hadn’t really noticed.  Sometimes we have our focus so intent on our own challenges we don’t see what’s around us. When I pointed out my observations he realized what I was talking about. When I told him I would have introduced myself and given him my card and asked him to stop by he got up and did it.

So, what should we do? We should do what our grandfathers did. We should be intentional about looking for solutions wherever we can find them.  We may not be able to solve the profession’s labor shortage but we can solve our own by recruiting locally. Yes, you will have to kiss a few frogs to find your prince or princess but you will be helping yourself along the way.

Two Questions Professional Experts Ask Themselves Before Meeting With Clients

Written by Alan Creedy on . Posted in The Creedy Commentary. 2 Comments on Two Questions Professional Experts Ask Themselves Before Meeting With Clients

These two questions will help you set the stage and provide the service your families are looking for.

Today, there are two schools of thought on how to attract more families:

  • Low cost
  • Hyper service

To be financially successful as a low-cost provider requires a level of discipline and cost control rarely seen among funeral directors. So, these practitioners tend to work themselves into the ground just trying to keep things together.

The Hyper Service approach also requires discipline and fits the funeral director persona better but is often exhausting and because of the funeral director’s own price sensitivity doesn’t produce the rewards they are looking for.

It turns out that people who sell services for a living recognize the elemental issues in client transactions are simpler than we might think.

The client is seeking a solution for a problem they have little competence in from someone they believe has the competence they need. 

This wasn’t always the case in funeral service. 40 years ago, society dictated much of what we did when someone died. Families engaging in the process had only two fundamental decisions to make:

  1. Which funeral home to use
  2. What merchandise to buy

Our selection rooms did most of the heavy lifting when it came to controlling revenue. We simply orchestrated the family’s preferences as to where and when.

Meeting with today’s families takes significantly more skill than ever before. Not so much in efforts to convince them of the value of traditional funerals, but in helping them make choices that will actually contribute to creating meaningful experiences and, consequently, valued services.

Since I entered the workforce during the last century I have had a habit of asking myself two questions when I took on new responsibilities. Today I ask these questions each time I take on a new client or am in a new situation:

  1. Who am I?
  2. How can I contribute?

I fully understand that these are both ambiguous and abstract. But, applied situationally, they make a lot of sense.

Early in my career, I answered them this way:

  1. Who am I? I am a trained and willing worker who wants to succeed here.
  2. How can I contribute? I can listen carefully to instructions. I can figure out what is expected and how I will be judged. I can look for ways to accomplish my assignment quickly and accurately. I can look for ways to make my boss’s job easier.

Later on, the answers changed:

  1. Who am I? I am a seasoned and experienced executive with special gifts for resourcefulness and analysis and problem solving.
  2. How can I contribute? I can use my experience and gifts to identify root issues and develop strategies to overcome challenges to restore viability and sustainability to enterprises

So, how would I apply these two questions if I were a funeral director meeting with families? This might not be what you say (it is vitally important that you are totally authentic in answering these questions if you want them to work).  So, you need to find your own voice. I offer this only to help stimulate your own thinking.

  1. Who am I? I am an experienced and knowledgeable funeral professional who is able to guide families in making choices that will help them avoid regrets and honor lives in ways that are meaningful to them. I believe that meaningful services contribute to the fabric of our society.
  2. How can I contribute? I can listen carefully and reflect on my experience to offer meaningful options. I have the confidence, courage and expertise to provide direction and input that will empower families to avoid mistakes and carry on in healthy ways. I help people begin the journey to their new normal.

So, play with it. It’s fun and being deliberate in these two questions will lead to better service, greater appreciation from those you serve and more job satisfaction.