When my grandmother passed away, I was astonished to learn that I had been named the executor of her estate. After splitting up her belongings amongst my aunts and uncles, I turned my attention to planning her funeral. I didn't know where to start. Fortunately, I was able to find an excellent funeral home that understood how to help people plan beautiful memorial services. It was amazing to go through the process of planning the music, the speakers, and even the set-up of the room. This blog is all about planning gorgeous memorial services for the people that you love so that you aren't left grappling with difficult decisions.
There's no doubt that cremation is a trend that's here to stay. Many choose cremation as a service due to its low cost, which can leave funeral homes seeing their profit margins decline. In fact, the cremation rate is expected to hit 50 percent in North America by 2015. As a result, it's important for funeral home directors like you to implement a cremation strategy that will help keep your business growing.
Offer A Bundle Package
As a funeral home director, it's important that you focus on the service end of your funeral home business. Instead of just offering a cremation, repackage the cremation as a "cremation package" which bundles many different funeral home offerings. This package could include photo albums, a web memorial, and a ceremony to remember a loved one. Try to relate the value of adding a few additional features to build a positive memory of a loved one and ensure they have the departure they deserve.
Focus On Your Language
It's important to ensure you avoid overusing words like "funeral" when you're dealing with families. Try to instead use words like "tribute" and "final goodbye" which place more importance on the meaning behind a cremation. This can help relate the value of adding additional service and impart why a fitting ceremony for a loved one is in the interest of everyone involved.
Expand Your Market Share
Since cremation tends to generate less profit than burials and more elaborate ceremonies, it's important that you work to expand your market share. Try to generate more cremations year after year. This may involve advertising in other markets or reaching out to hospices and other health centers for referrals. You may earn less profit per cremation, but with enough cremations you can still grow your overall profit and revenue.
Always Upsell Clients With Products
There are plenty of ways to still upsell clients with cremation products. You may want to consider getting rid of your cheapest urn, as this is probably a low-profit margin product that you sell. Instead, focus on adding high-end urns that generate more profit. You can indicate to families that they are already saving a lot of money by choosing cremation. An urn with a little more value is already much cheaper than most caskets, and it imparts a certain amount of respect and care for a deceased loved one.
Ultimately, the funeral home industry needs to evolve along with changing client needs. One of those major changes is the continued growth of cremations. Using the above tips, you should be better positioned to generate value from your cremation services.
For further assistance, contact a local funeral home, such as Pritts Funeral Home & Chapel PA.
Share10 November 2015
