Feature Editorial: Embrace Cremation
"The knowledge that current cremation rates continue to increase within the funeral industry is nothing new. However... (Click image to view article)
Current Issue
Cover Feature: Looking for solutions to your cremation challenges? Turn to Options® by Batesville.
There is little doubt that cremation poses a major challenge to the funeral industry. At the same time, it is clear that cremation has become – and will continue to be – the preference of many families in the US and Canada. The reasons for this shift are numerous, but the bottom line is that funeral directors must learn to better serve these cremation families. When it comes to cremation, there... [Read more]
Feature Editorial: Embrace Cremation
“The knowledge that current cremation rates continue to increase within the funeral industry is nothing new. However, in order to stick with the times, funeral homes must discover new ways to market for cremation and produce services around the alternative to burial that can counteract the decrease in revenue. There are many different benefits to cremation as a service and those need to be embraced... [Read more]
Feature Editorial: Going Green
One of the biggest business moves on the planet that is guaranteed to continue into the future is “Going Green.” The term itself is used from everything to bioengineering plants to household items. For the funeral business, it could only make business more respectable and gain higher volumes of customers. The solutions aren’t complicated, but they do take a little thinking outside of the box.... [Read more]
Evaluating Mortuary Cosmetics: What You May Not Know
In this ever changing death care profession, we as funeral service practitioners, encounter all kinds of difficult cases that require special cosmetic attention, and special embalming procedures. As busy as we may be, sometimes we overlook the Material Safety and Data Sheets that accompany our cosmetics that we may purchase from embalmer supply companies. Cosmetic ingredients can have chemical agents... [Read more]
Buying Basics – Due Diligence
The purchase of a business takes the cooperation of several parties including a lender, an appraiser, an attorney, an accountant, and a consultant. The lender is needed to underwrite and finance the transaction. The appraiser is hired by the lender to determine the real estate value. The attorney is needed to prepare and review the purchase agreement, bill of sale for the business and deeds for the... [Read more]
Who’s Afraid of Wal-Mart
Were any of you startled or surprised to see or hear that Wal-Mart is now offering caskets to the general public? That is right. Wal-Mart is offering bronze, steel and stainless steel caskets to the general public through their website. The caskets start at $895.00 for an 18 gauge steel with a 100% bronze selling for $2,899.00. If you would like to see Walmart’s offerings, just google Wal-Mart caskets.... [Read more]
Cremation Lawsuits: Why Do They Keep Happening?
I have to admit that every time my secretary tells me there is a reporter on the line, I cringe. I wonder what has happened now, and who has done what wrong. Given all the crematory operator training programs available today, it’s hard for me to understand why I still receive phone calls almost monthly about another situation that has gone wrong with a funeral home or crematory. One would think after... [Read more]
The New Funeral Consumer
I was skimming the funeral ads on one of the major job posting sites a few weeks ago. Sorting through the cemetery sales and “family counselor” positions was less than exciting, until one posting grabbed my eye. “Event Planner” I never thought I’d see the day. But it’s here, bigger than life, or death, as it were. A few years ago, I was sitting at a Starbucks with Mike, one of the real... [Read more]
Women Shoppers and the Secret to Web Site Success
It is no secret that death-care is a male dominated industry. That 65-75 percent of people doing the shopping around for death-care service providers are women is no secret either. There is a secret that eludes most death-care providers. That secret has everything to with how a few businesses win a higher percentage of the service calls from the female shoppers that use the internet to find and evaluate... [Read more]
