I know this is a politically charged topic. It is not my intent to influence anyone's perspective.  These words so ...
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End of Watch As I write this it is July 27, 2020 and so far this year more than 140 ...
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Covid - 19 and The Reinvention of Spring Burials Talking with funeral directors across the nation and Canada I am ...
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Blood Drives...Something You Can Do During the Pandemic Well there is a picture you can't unsee. Me giving blood at ...
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Callaway Jones Funeral offers "Stay At Home" Arrangement Helper. My friend, Cody Jones, of Callaway - Jones Funeral Home is ...
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CRäKN ELIMINATES CASE FEES DURING CORONA CRISIS TO HELP FUNERAL DIRECTORS WORK FROM HOME CRäKN is a relatively new funeral management ...
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This is an example of great creative thinking from O'Connor mortuary. CLICK ON THE PHOTO BELOW ...
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How To Know When You are Ready To Exit Your Business The answer to this challenge is both situational and ...
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Managing An Underperforming Family Member WOW! What a topic! If you have ever attended a county fair, you may have ...
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While I was involved in preneed marketing I observed an odd and, yet, consistent human behavior. Research suggests that many ...
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Sometimes people ask WHY we have funerals. Good Question. Unfortunately, many of our colleagues aren't quite sure themselves so they ...
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It has been almost two decades since the new millennium began. Much has changed. 20 years ago, copper caskets were ...
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Recruiting at Zaxby's The single greatest challenge facing funeral service is not cremation.  It is our inability to find and ...
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These two questions will help you set the stage and provide the service your families are looking for. Today, there ...
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Should You Join The Family Firm? When John decided to pursue his career by coming to work at the family ...
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What People Want According to the Law of Unintended Consequences whatever can go wrong...will go wrong. Last week I published ...
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Several years ago the Funeral Service Foundation commissioned an unorthodox market research project. They retained one of the foremost market ...
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Call it what you want: Career fatigue, burnout, and boredom. The truth is almost all of us go through times ...
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I have a book on my office shelf entitled “Perfectionism...Sure Cure For Happiness”. The reason this is important is that, ...
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Partnerships, by their very nature, are problematic. They are worse when there is not a clear vision of role differentiation ...
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Why I Am Not A Funeral Home Broker Jack B. Stalk has a special goose. His goose lays a single ...
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This week I was privileged to be interviewed by Sebastian Thalhammer of Austria. You may or may not have heard ...
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I have chosen to celebrate the re launch of my new website with an updated and improved funeral home valuation ...
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My apologies to my subscribers. We had a major glitch in the website subscribers Thursday and many (maybe all) of ...
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http://funeralhomeconsulting.yoursocialstrategy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/arguing-fds.jpg It seems like funeral service has been talking about change for my entire career of almost 40 years. Sometimes ...
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https://funeralhomeconsulting.orgwp-content/uploads/2018/01/hedcut-face-right-150x150.png What is an Intentional Funeral Director? Some years ago I attended a Men's Retreat at my church. The plan ...
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Big Question!! How much should the value of a funeral home be discounted if the facility is being sold for other ...
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Funeral directors are notorious for being conflict avoidant. Yet they have a job where they must engage in difficult conversations ...
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I think I saw my first Urn Ark around 20 years ago. I was immediately taken and still consider it ...
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It has now become routine for me to analyze what they are paying in "True" wholesale prices for caskets. In ...
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After the Newton Massacre I brought up the issue of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in a blog entitled: PTSD: The Slow ...
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The conventional incentive rewards the individual...usually with something monetary. Like so many things, incentives have evolved and become more complicated than ...
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In light of our recent presidential election this is especially fitting. The invective, threats and vitriol directed at our President ...
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I love the story of two little boys fighting over the last piece of cake. Mom comes into the kitchen ...
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Sociologists have discovered there is a saying in every culture that is best illustrated by the title to this article ...
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We live in a litigious society. More and more practitioners are ending up in lawsuits.  Often it isn't really their ...
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Most of us know that success requires that we spend, at least, some time working "on" our business instead of ...
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Many years ago I fell prey to a "woe-is-me" episode. A friend made an offhand comment that changed my life direction ...
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The prevailing culture in funeral service is Passive Aggressive. I have talked about the "ten call man" before and how ...
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Some years ago a study was conducted. A group of people were divided into "tappers" and "listeners". The tappers were ...
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Every once in a while you run across something that is so sound that you can't improve on it. This ...
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I like the approach demonstrated in the attached picture. My friend, David Storke, shows this wicker green burial casket on ...
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Maybe you are anxious to exit your business. Or perhaps you dread the day you will no longer be involved ...
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I have lived in my house for 30+ years and we are getting ready to sell and move closer to ...
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There are 3 Universal requirements for a successful family business transfer: A competent successor The Business is ready The owner ...
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The message at the end of this video is the message I pray all my friends and family will embrace. Merry ...
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I seem to have a penchant for joining fights that aren't mine. Not long ago I was presenting a seminar ...
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A lot of my readers are curious about what their business is worth but aren't yet ready for a full ...
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Uhhh...NO! I got an email from Harvard Business Review today. It invited me to take an assessment on innovation readiness ...
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A client and friend of mine recently spent days revising the staff schedule to be more efficient and effective. He ...
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Last week's blog sparked a lively conversation on and offline about clothing. From those conversations I think it might help ...
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"My name is Alan and I am overweight!" Last week I was shocked when someone said to me, "Alan, you ...
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What happened to social etiquette? You spend a couple of million dollars on a new building and you let the ...
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The Hawthorne effect occurs when individuals modify or improve an aspect of their behavior in response to their awareness of being observed ...
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Most people in the funeral profession are almost pathologically averse to confrontation. As a result, the predominant internal culture in ...
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You're here...NOW WHAT! There are more ways to transition a business than just selling to a consolidator. You can transition ...
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Staff shortages among licensed professions have been successfully addressed by changing the model in the medical and legal professions. The ...
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WARNING! This is not about caskets! A couple of decades ago I was visiting with 3 funeral home owner friends ...
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Last week's post was about casket discounting. I just want to make myself clear. I still meet people who believe ...
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So, it's not my hunt...not even my dog; but I just hate being played. A few weeks ago I was ...
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Lessons From Radar O'Reilly Some years ago there was a nationwide nursing shortage. Then some very wise doctor's and hospitals ...
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Many consider the advent of the Internet to have ushered in the "Age Of The Consumer." The balance of power ...
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As we prepare to celebrate Easter author Walter Wangerin, Jr. offers us a poignant allegory of Christ's glorious work for ...
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I subscribe to the Harvard Business Review Blog and an interesting article came through today that I wonder might have ...
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While I was in college I spent a summer as a Merchant Seaman on a Great Lakes iron ore carrier ...
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Why Adaptation May Not Be the Right Strategy  “You Can’t Manage Change…You Can Only Get Ahead Of It.” Peter Drucker ...
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"The best way to break a negative stereotype is to shock the stereotype" The Funeral Profession plays to the negative ...
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Why is it so important in the funeral service culture to find blame? Blame is always a counterproductive force that ...
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There are two fundamental assumptions you must make in order to compete effectively against low price competitors: Some people buy ...
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Happened across this excellent advice the other day. Some things really are worth sharing. "Now, when I spell jerk with ...
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I am glad I don't have to compete with Frank Dawson. His use of social media for the past 50 ...
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Gonna keep this positive. So just a word for background. Any casual observer would see that the declining results funeral ...
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...
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Sometimes the course of our lives depends on what we do...or what we don't do. Will my kids be able ...
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We need to quit talking about change and figure out HOW we need to change if we are going to ...
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When it comes to customers funeral directors are often the nicest people. But being nice and being kind are two ...
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Ever since it was revealed that SCI enjoyed a big discount the discussion around the convention lunch table has been ...
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I am out of my comfort zone.  It's ok.  But it's like learning to write your name with your left ...
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"one cannot manage change.  One can only be ahead of it."  Peter Drucker The Cornerstone Assumption of the funeral side ...
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A Scarcity Mentality is the zero-sum paradigm of life. People with a Scarcity Mentality have a very difficult time sharing ...
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Most people speak of those they work with as a team. But, in my experience, people rarely understand what a ...
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The saying goes, "It's lonely at the top." Who do you talk to when you're the boss? Edgar Schein, Professor ...
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Many Funeral Directors consider themselves caregivers. This article causes me to see a two way street. As you read it ...
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I found this ad on youtube. Produced by Boeing it is, in my mind, the best tribute to veterans I ...
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My friend, Howard Beckham, responded to last week's video on customer service at Starbucks with the following comment. I feel ...
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Here is a great video that you should watch with your staff and talk about. QUESTION: How do you mentally ...
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Most of us do, especially those in the helping professions. Yet, we all know that our jobs require that we ...
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A while ago I wrote on the subject of funeral directors and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the belief that ...
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Nothing brings greater clarity than an impending death. You have spent a career writing obituaries for others. Now it turns ...
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People are wondering what impact Baby Boomers will have on DeathCare. I believe one trend you as a practitioner can ...
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The Regressive Elements in Pennsylvania have apparently won a victory...or have they? Last week's Circuit Court Reversal regarding the Pennsylvania Funeral ...
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This week we finish our discussion of barriers to succession with: 4. Serving more than one master. Change is hard ...
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Last week we began a discussion of the ten things that are the most frequent barriers to real succession planning ...
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Speaker and family business expert John Davis made this comment as he addressed the St. Thomas Center For Family Enterprise: ...
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With almost 30 year's experience I think I can safely say I know something about Preneed selling and marketing.  Sadly, ...
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As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ I hope this video brings you a little ...
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Unlike most other professions funeral practitioners must operate within an often sensitive emotional environment. Let's call it emotionally charged. We ...
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Equalize Price Points to Crystallize Personal Relevance. This is the first recession to show a measurable impact on DeathCare.  Most ...
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There are, in fact, many firms today that remain in denial that our profession has changed dramatically and will continue ...
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Are you a shop foreman or a leader? In recent years a new focus has crept in to the profession ...
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One man sat at a stop light. The woman in front of him was going through papers on the seat ...
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Are you addicted to helping others or are your customer relationships creating unhealthy responses? Perhaps you’ve fallen victim to the ...
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I am a little annoyed with myself. As I address this topic of Leadership i find that I have fallen ...
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Protecting the Past and Perfecting the Present Does Not Equal Finding a Future. Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic ...
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As I travel about the country I encounter a lot of good ideas and some bad. It seems to me ...
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Insights come from the strangest places. This time from why women dress the way they do. My wife has bad ...
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OR WHY FUNERAL DIRECTORS ARE NEUROTIC A pastor friend once told me: "The test of love is whether or not ...
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Alternative Title: It's Time To Get Over Yourself! Not long ago I was part of a group studying the challenges ...
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Did you know that money is not a motivator. It is only a hygiene factor. Paying too little creates dissatisfaction...paying ...
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I started out too many weeks ago addressing the virtues of a senior leader making themselves unnecessary and I ran ...
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Sometimes you read stuff and it fits so perfectly all you are left with is: "I wish I had said ...
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Funeral Service is simultaneously over managed and under led. The key to overcoming the "Being Necessary" complex is to recognize ...
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Saturday morning, January 7, 2012 my phone rings at home. "Al, this is Bob. Guess where I am?." Bob Neiman ...
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Recently I read something that triggered an insight.  In my Funeral Home Consulting practice it is clear that businesses don't ...
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Here is a short video for Good Friday to remind us that Jesus lives. Watch it, you might be surprised ...
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I think I can make a very strong case that funeral service as a profession makes a vital social contribution ...
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to dismount." Archimedes once said, "Give me a lever long enough and I will move the world" For the last ...
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As we enter our 3rd month following the Newtown disaster our nation has long since settled back into its routine ...
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I am an accountant. As I have watched the financial metrics of funeral service continue in their long slow decline ...
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I have to admit I tense up whenever someone begins using the Ritz Carlton as an example Funeral Service should ...
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There is a way to a better future for Funeral Service. In fact, for those who are willing to closely ...
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WHY WE CAN'T AFFORD TO FOLLOW YOUR LEAD ANYMORE Alpha Dogs are frequently those "Type A" personalities that exercise undue ...
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Did your funeral home achieve all of its goals for 2012? Does the increasing number of families selecting cremation with ...
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On my office wall I have framed photos of three men.  If I asked you what they have in common ...
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If you were not able to access the video on this week's post, "THE WIND IS CHANGING" it is now ...
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For months now I have been telling DeathCare that the wind is changing in our favor.  The public attitude toward ...
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With all the hype about our nation's pending FISCAL CLIFF, I was recently asked when we could expect funeral service ...
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My discussion of reinvention / transformation has sparked more comment (online and offline) than most any other topic. Clearly it ...
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What is the link between Terrorism and Funeral Service? Well, you have to read a very short story and watch ...
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In Old Testament Days the Hebrew Temple contained the "Holy of Holies" behind the "Veil of The Temple".  The Ark ...
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There is a level of neglect in our profession that will (and is) causing too many to approach the end ...
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I once heard a sermon that now seems appropriate to this last in my series on reinvention. We all know ...
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Last week I referred to Andrew Grove's comments relative to the reinvention of Intel in which he referred to the ...
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Reinvention will soon become the latest catchword in the DeathCare professions.  I agree! Reinvention has been a long time coming ...
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The Funeral Service Foundation has just released the results of its "Bleeding Edge" research project with world renowned Olson-Zaltman Associates ...
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This question and its brother: "How much does a funeral cost?"  Are non questions.  When we attempt to answer them ...
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My hero, Peter Drucker, believed: "For the organization to perform to a high standard, its members must believe that what ...
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Here is an interesting perspective on implementing change within your own organization. Most funeral homes and cemeteries are at level ...
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Why do DeathCare Practitioners get these "Deer In The Headlight" looks when you use the word "Strategy" in their presence? I ...
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Peter Drucker was the first to draw a parallel between Leadership and Orchestra Conductors when he observed: "A great orchestra ...
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In the near future the difference between winning and losing in DeathCare will be a result of one factor: LEADERSHIP ...
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I feel like maybe I have backed myself into a corner. Price-Led-Costing A simple concept; but for an industry steeped ...
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Last week I addressed our broken pricing model referred to as Cost-Led-Pricing.  Apropos of everything this article came to my attention ...
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I know you are busy but YOU HAVE TO READ THIS!  If you want to know what our future is ...
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This image illustrates so well the folly of our more than century old pricing model.   All was good until ...
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It was between sessions at  an NFDA convention and busy in the bathroom.  An  older  gentleman approached  me and asked ...
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A few years ago I was meeting with a husband and wife who operated a very successful funeral home. Like ...
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My friend, Ed Mazur of Kapinos-Mazur Funeral Home, ran a very successful PR / Public Service program in his local ...
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Why is bigger better when it comes to creating memorable experiences? Look at any successful service business, whether it’s a ...
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One of my favorite bloggers is Caleb Wilde who writes "Confessions of A Funeral Director."  He recently Posted this photo ...
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Funeral Directors are increasingly distressed about being treated rudely by families. This rudeness often causes practitioners to lose control of ...
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Here is an excerpt of an interrogation of a witness in a Massachusetts trial court: Lawyer:  Doctor, before you performed ...
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last week in my article "Funerals as Counter Culture" I made a bold statement: "After 50 years of steady decline ...
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Are we rapidly moving toward a "Post-Funeral"culture? I don't think so. After 50 years of steady decline in public attitudes ...
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I read a lot and sometimes I preorder new books.  This Winter I preordered "THE REINVENTORS, How Extraordinary Companies Pursue ...
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Marketing experts tell us that we should be able to express our unique selling proposition (USP) in such a compelling ...
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I was visiting with a friend last week and the conversation went, briefly, to some mutual acquaintances. We noted how ...
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Most DeathCare Practitioners are aware of their need to change to accomodate a changing consumer.  What many lack, unfortunately, is ...
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No One Dies So Poor He Doesn't Leave Something Behind. Blaise Pascal Ya wanna know how to make a difference ...
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Earlier this year Rick Baldwin used a comment by famed hockey player, Wayne Gretzky, in his post: "How To Be ...
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In the past few weeks I have used strong negative language: Cowardice...Fight... Neglect   Please understand: this is not an ...
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Game-changers are those events that intervene in our lives, on athletic fields, and in our businesses that forever change everything ...
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Is it possible that in some markets people no longer care? In this series on Funeral Apologetics I have pointed ...
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Apologists must be aware of 4 generally accepted fallacies: Consumers think in a well-reasoned rational way In fact, emotions are ...
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"The Dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.  The occasion is piled high with difficulty and ...
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How interesting! As I step out to encourage this profession to not give in but take a stand and fight ...
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[Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of ...
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...The problem is cowardice!! There, it's been said. Plain and simple:  We have been unwilling to stand up for what ...
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When Growth Stalls, How it happens, why you’re stuck and what to do about it. By Steve McKee, Jossey-Bass 2009 “when ...
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I serve on the Board of Directors of a community bank based in Orlando, Florida. In that capacity I receive ...
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A few years ago we came to the realization that there was a real necessity to review our system.  Not ...
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I recently joined several industry discussion groups. I had heard that Selected Independent had a great one and, since I ...
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Remember that bill congress needed to pass to see what was in it?  Well, surprise!!  The Medicare Tax has been ...
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When asked what it was that made him so exceptional a hockey player, Wayne Gretzky is said to have responded, ...
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Last week in part 2 of this series we learned that "Challengers" don't educate,  they teach.  They are not afraid ...
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Last week, in Part 1 of this series, we explored the idea that funeral Directors, as consummate relationship builders, may ...
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DeathCare has been losing ground relative to consumers for almost 30 years.  Now comes research that may explain why and ...
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Here are the year's top favorites: a tv ad that will move market share To Guarantee or Not Guarantee Preneed Trust ...
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Having trouble with your Christmas Spirit? Watch this video ...
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Don't know what happened but it seems Amazon pulled the promotion before it really got started. My thanks to Tom ...
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Well it had to happen. You have a new competitor.  Merry Christmas!! As of Monday December 12 Amazon is offering ...
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Google adplanner is a site analyzing any site for those thinking about buying advertising.  I doubt you will find either ...
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A week ago I published a post that suggested humor would work in funeral service but expressed doubt anyone would ...
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I do my best to keep these posts short.  I know your time is important.  But, on your behalf, I ...
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The article linked below appeared in the August 2010 issue of "Plaintiff Magazine"and was brought to my attention by my ...
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Race To The Bottom is more than just a phrase, it is a political theory and Funeral Service seems to ...
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In this article in the Wall Street Journal we learn that the IRS is getting serious about the misuse of ...
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There is  a difference between a disciplinary interview and a termination meeting.   Disciplinary meetings are about second chances and ...
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One of my techie friends told me recently that the term "Home Funerals" is the second most searched term relating ...
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When I first began negotiating with insurance companies some 25 years ago I made the same mistake now common in ...
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Having addressed, last week, assumptive fallacies let's look at the actual mechanics of comparing products. Here is an apples to ...
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