RECHARGE YOUR FUNERAL HOME

How badly do you feel when one of your families choose another Funeral Home?  What’s important is finding out “why” they went to Smith’s Funeral Home and not yours.  Is it your pricing, sales approach, an insurance assignment funding concern, your offices or rooms, your staff or something else?

One benefit of being in the Mortuary or Funeral Services Industry is that you do not have competition from China or India or some far off land.  However, your local competitors can be tough enough.  The following ideas will help you freshen up your business and improve the experience your customers have with your funeral home.  Pick one or two of these ideas and see what happens:

Funeral Home Makeover time?

No need for a major renovation but even a few inexpensive changes can give your funeral home a new and clean look.  Take down that old wallpaper.  Paint your walls.  Ask your local Benjamin Moore or Sherman Williams rep to visit and provide you with color suggestions.  Reupholster old furniture.   Reupholstering with more modern fabrics that match your new paint colors will update your look and feel.  Replace old, dark drapes; let the sunlight in.  This will create a more open and welcoming feel.

“Funeral Home” Can I help you?

Is your staff “phone friendly” and welcoming?  Are they trained to be polite, speak clearly, encourage a rapport and set up an arrangement conference visit with your Funeral Director?  Is your staff knowledgeable about insurance assignments and other forms of payment?  Is your staff able to develop a relationship and trust over the phone with new families who call?  If not this is likely costing you business, right?

Your home should be teaching everyone who answers your phones to help lead callers through your sales process.  Don’t just quote prices, rather sell benefits and the concept of collaborating together on a fitting and beautiful send-off.    Do you have a script you use when answering the phones?  Is everyone on the same page? Is your script working?

Educate Every Family

Assignment funding is a simple process where a 3rd party like Trinity Funeral Funding funds the cost of funeral services through an assignment of proceeds from an insurance policy. Here’s how it works.  A one page insurance assignment is completed by the beneficiary and the Funeral Director, a claim form provided by either the insurance company or Trinity and a death certificate are sent. There are times where a funeral bill is needed as well. Trinity Funeral Funding will let you know what is needed for each claim. Once these documents are completed the policy is verified (normally within a day or two), funds are wired to your funeral home. The payments from the insurance company are then sent to Trinity and any additional proceeds are sent directly to the beneficiary. For more information visit http://www.trinityfuneralfunding.com/ or call Scott at 201-750-1117.

Speak passionately on why a fitting service is so meaningful.  Make your presentation so powerful that no one would consider a direct cremation or some other alternative.

Teach your employees and staff to carry this same vision.  Make sure they understand what it means to do things the “Conner Funeral Service” way, or the “Edwards Mortuary” way.  You’re special, why?

Do it Face to Face

When can we meet?   Get together with your beneficiaries where ever and whenever you can.  Show compassion, care, love and passion for what you as a funeral director does.  You will forever be a part of this families journey, show it.  Many people think that the funeral industry is not made up of the most trustworthy people.  Show everyone you’re not anything like this.

Make every arrangement conference uplifting and an educational, loving meeting with your families.  Talk from your heart, listen to their need and wishes.

Go Beyond the Call of Duty

Doing an extra thing does not have to cost anything.  For example: If your service cost is $6000 and an insurance policy will pay $7500, offer to accept an assignment for the full amount so that the family can have ready cash for travel, food or other needs to make this time easier.   Sending a thank you letter that is handwritten might say a lot, but cost almost nothing.

Please share your ideas, success stories and failures with us and please contact trinity Funeral Funding for your insurance assignment funding questions.