I subscribe to the Harvard Business Review Blog and an interesting article came through today that I wonder might have application to those of you who might be challenged by low price competitors. It is a way to separate those who are truly price shoppers and those who are looking for value. It also might [...]
While I was in college I spent a summer as a Merchant Seaman on a Great Lakes iron ore carrier. Some of the crew "took me under their wing" and while in port one time invited me to join them on a trip into town. On the way one of them turned to me and [...]
Why Adaptation May Not Be the Right Strategy “You Can’t Manage Change…You Can Only Get Ahead Of It.” Peter Drucker Joe Weigel Last year, for the first time in the history of the annual Best Global Brands report, it was reported that Coca-Cola was no longer the most valuable brand in the [...]
When will we stop fighting AMONG ourselves and start fighting FOR ourselves? Why is it so important in the funeral service culture to find blame? Blame is always a counterproductive force that slows us down and PREVENTS us from the personal accountability we need to move us to a higher plane. Some years [...]
There are two fundamental assumptions you must make in order to compete effectively against low price competitors: Some people buy solely on price...but it is the smallest part of your market Most people buy on value Let's talk a minute about the value buyers. People want value for their dollar. You do. Most people you [...]
Gonna keep this positive. So just a word for background. Any casual observer would see that the declining results funeral service is experiencing signal a much greater problem: A growing segment of the public isn't sure why they need us or, worse, what they need us for. Now to better news: Statistically, the odds are very [...]
Sometimes the course of our lives depends on what we do...or what we don't do. Will my kids be able to enjoy the same rewards and lifestyle as I have? What am I supposed to do with the investment I have in facilities and rolling stock? How can I get myself, much less my [...]
When it comes to customers funeral directors are often the nicest people. But being nice and being kind are two different things. It takes courage to be kind. There is risk to it. You don't really have to be more than just agreeable to be nice. Smile, never say anything bad about anybody and NEVER, [...]
Ever since it was revealed that SCI enjoyed a big discount the discussion around the convention lunch table has been preoccupied with the subject of discounts and rebates. For more than 15 years I have heard a lot about percentages but never about dollars. It's not my dog much less my hunt but I think [...]
"one cannot manage change. One can only be ahead of it." Peter Drucker The Cornerstone Assumption of the funeral side of DeathCare is that being nice is the same as being effective. Our "worldview" of being nice people is that we must never, ever make waves or create awkwardness. We run pell-mell from any form [...]
