Creative Thinking During the CoronaVirus Pandemic
This is an example of great creative thinking from O'Connor mortuary. CLICK ON THE PHOTO BELOW
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Should You Join The Family Firm?
Should You Join The Family Firm? When John decided to pursue his career by coming to work at the family funeral home he thought (as did everyone else) that someday he would succeed his parents and own the firm. John is now 46 and his parents are in their late 60's. In retrospect, [...]
What To Do When Your Heart Isn’t In Your Work Anymore
Call it what you want: Career fatigue, burnout, and boredom. The truth is almost all of us go through times when we feel our heart isn’t in it anymore. In fact, research shows that only one in three of us are actually engaged at work. I realize there are circumstantial issues that contribute to this; [...]