A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a person who worked for about 30 years in death care — both as a funeral director and on the supply side of the business.  First he complimented me with some of the articles that I write about the results of funeral homes — specifically the public companies — and my take on why they did what they did from a financial perspective.

 

Then, he threw this at me, “Do you know that most funeral homes don’t even know why they get the calls that they do?”  He challenged me to tell funeral home owners that they need to look at their own operations and figure out why client families choose them over a competitor.  Without knowing that fact, he said, they operate blindly.  He added that “knowing why clientele comes to you is a huge advantage on the playing field of market share”.  “If you don’t know that, how do you reach out to that clientele”, he added.

 

And then, just last week I was visiting with a female hair stylist who told me that her modus operandi was charging premium prices for premium services.  It is working very good for her.  Marketing “Premium Services” is how she gets her clientele.  In the same retail building the barber I use cuts my hair.  I asked him what was his modus operandi for acquiring and keeping customers. . . he said he was “inexpensive” so that he drew the retired clientele over and over again. . . I guess that’s me.  He added, “That works for him”.

 

What is interesting and brought me back to my funeral service friend was that both of these “barbers” had a plan and the differing approaches to customer acquisition appeared to work even while their shops were in the same building.  And, while they had different plans, they were not operating blindly — they know who their customer is.  What about your funeral home?  Who are you trying to draw and is it working?

 

In the funeral business, I was fooled for a long time.  I worked really hard, had great facilities and great staff. . . yet, I thought low-price was the reason our firm was being used.  We always kept our prices low thinking that was what attracted client families to us. . . and was the reason our market share was growing.

 

Then, prior to building our new funeral home we had focus groups and asked them why they would choose Anderson Funeral Home over our competitors.  You know what? . . . .Nobody mentioned price.  In essence, here’s what they told us:

1. Anderson’s are fair
2. Anderson’s are not ostentatious and over the top
3. Anderson’s will get the job done right

 

While the “being fair” answer maybe alluded to it, not one of 24 focus group members brought up price.  In building our new funeral home we used their answers — we didn’t put in showy chandeliers and we raised our prices.  You know what?  Our business was better than ever.

 

So, I admit that I didn’t know my customers like I should have.  From then on, we have known that we have the “blue collar reputation” in town and we have worked hard to keep it.  And, I took the “Getting the job done right” to equating to unparalleled service, including after the service.  We now know that it is that service and the work ethic that people see from our management and team members that brings them to us.

 

What is it in your funeral home that can bring better results?  You need to know.  It might not be what you think.

 

For instance, one funeral director I know swears by “Themed Murals” such as provided by Reflections by Duey.  He has families pick out their preferred mural during pre-arrangements and he will swear that providing them when his competitor doesn’t builds clientele for him.

 

Or maybe it is your incredible hospitality room. . . .whatever it is, you need to know it and capitalize on it.  Look around, you might have assets that your client families see but you don’t.  Figure those assets out and use them to your advantage.

 

More news from the world of Death Care:

• The bonds with those in the cemetery are unbreakable.  AgWeek
• Mears Family Funerals partners with Funeral Safe.  Mears Family Funerals website blog (Great Britain)

 

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