I recently read a blog post on the Funeral Directors Life (FDL) blog written by Todd Carlson, Executive Vice-President and Chief Sales officer at Funeral Directors Life.  The article was titled “Three preneed trends your funeral home should know about” and I found it very informative and a good starting point in looking at strategic options for anybody in the funeral home and preneed business.

 

You can access the article here.

 

As I was reading the article I realized I was continually nodding my head in agreement with Mr. Carlson and simply recognized that I didn’t see some of the situations as well as he did.  I used to think that Preneed was “valuable” to funeral homes but the article has convinced me that it is also “absolutely necessary” going forward.

 

Preneed has changed, not for what it can do for the consumer, but what it can do for the funeral home and Carlson points that out very well.

 

Our funeral home, for over thirty years, has had an active seminar and mail generated lead system.  My take on preneed during my managerial career was that it gave us an “informational” topic that we could use to get in front of consumers to let them know about us, it could help build market share, and that it could help on accounts receivables because we got payment almost right away on preneed deaths.

 

Carlson points out that in today’s funeral home world, “shifting demographics and consumer preferences” have made At-Need cases less predictable making not only the market share growth component of preneed necessary, but the income component of preneed as necessary as well to the long-term stability of the business.  I think he is right.

 

And getting that preneed account is no longer as easy as having older members of the community walk through your door or wait for a sales rep to call.  Many older couples are starting the search online and if your funeral home does not have a presence there, you might simply get skipped over by one of your  long-served heritage families looking to preplan.

As many online preneed experts have told me, the contract is not always signed online because many still need a human component to their experience before they part with their money.  One online provider told me that the percentage of “carts” with preneed product in them and then not moved forward with a credit card payment are very high in relation to the total number of “carts” that proceed with payment.  It’s his opinion that potential preneed accounts just don’t want to sign up with a $3000-$12,000 purchase without consenting a human about the ramifications of the purchase that they don’t totally understand.

 

However, the process is “beginning online” and moving from there.  So, funeral homes without online tools to attract preneed “explorers” may find themselves playing catch-up moving forward.

 

Carlson ends by telling funeral homes to “Build a preneed program for what comes next”.  I think that is really great advice and probably means moving your funeral home into a profitable dedicated and active program that includes lead generation through online activity and then a way to close those leads with a human touch.

 

Collaborating with suggestions from Artificial Intelligence:  The online portion of this discussion collaborates what artificial intelligence told me.  Some time ago I plugged the following question into my AI portal:  “Using research available from the National Funeral Directors Association and others tell me how I should organize my funeral business to capture the trends coming from today’s consumers?” 

 

The answers I received included these three subset suggestions under a topic headline of “Adopt a Hybrid Digital and In-Person Planning Model”

• Build your digital front-door – AI told me that 30% of families now begin their funeral arrangements online
• Offer hybrid workflows — AI said that 31.8% of consumers prefer a hybrid approach that blends independent digital planning tools with direct professional guidance.
• Integrate virtual connectivity — AI said that nearly 64% of families expect livestreaming capabilities to accommodate distant relatives.

 

If those artificial intelligence suggestions are not enough to move you to enhance your digital offerings, Carlson’s “human” article should be.

 

More news from the world of Death Care:

• The High Cost of Dying:  Why funeral costs in America are hitting $15,000.  Hypefresh
• Cornelison Funeral Home issues statement arguing Bannock County’s cremation form oversteps state law.  Idaho State Journal (ID)
• New owners working to make cemetery improvements.  Kentucky New Era (KY)
• Rethinking death, remaking funerals:  A new generation changes how China says goodbye.  Channel News Asia
• Dignity in Death:  Funeral directors put Death Care on the Election 2026 agenda.  Waatea Digital (New Zealand)
• Is it time for this Great Pyramid of London?  The Times – London (Great Britain)

 

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