There is no doubt that the death care industry continues to consolidate and there is also no doubt that while being large, slow, and methodical may create some problems, it can also use economies of scale to its advantage.  For about 35 years I was the owner/operator of a small town funeral home and I always considered it an advantage that I could make decisions in an instant without going to the next level for an okay.  I felt that decisiveness gave our funeral home a competitive advantage where the consumer could talk directly to the owner.

You learn in business, however, there is always another side to every issue.  Being large can have its advantages too.  I noticed a Press Release on June 9, 2017, whereas the Neptune Society indicates it is now offering a consumer webinar to talk of the values of cremation.

The press release states  how you can pre-plan your cremation with Neptune Society to be done at any location across the United States.  It also indicates to the consumer that a Neptune Society funeral director is available to talk with pre-need or at-need families at any time 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

Guaranteed prices – at a $2500 intimated price point  – are also discussed which lets a consumer know that with Neptune Society they can pay their cremation costs today and be locked in at that price point and, finally, the press release states that the webinar explains and offers many more free resources for the potential consumer families including a guide e-book, how to get started, and a click-thru to all Neptune Society offices nationwide.

Funeral Director Daily take:  As I opined at the beginning of the article — there are certainly times when being small and quick are great assets to have in business and there are times when being large and well-financed are also good.  The Neptune Society case in point here can work as a 1,000 pound gorilla on the back of the small individual operator.  By leveraging their 45 nationwide offices and power of their parent company, Service Corporation International, Neptune Society is able to flood the media – getting the attention that they need to bring in call volume.  For single operators to maintain this type of comprehensive services, such as webinars and the like,  would be very expensive for a single roof firm.

However,  this is exactly where the kind of shared cost that associations or buying groups or a “buy by market” professional produced advertising purchase could be affordable and the kind of “guerrilla” marketing that a small firm could prosper from in meeting a large operator.  It’s always good to know what options are out there for you.

As the funeral and cremation business continues to evolve make sure that you stay up-to-date on how you want to fight the battles that are sure to be looming between the big consolidators and your own firm.  By being smart, you can win many of the battles with proper planning and execution.[wpforms id=”436″ title=”true” description=”true”]