|
 uneral
directors need to be very delicate with their approach to
selling preneed. The public's re-luctance to think of
their own mortality makes preneed a hard enough sell.
Further they face a skeptical con-sumer who has probably heard
or read of one instance where preneed funds have mysteriously
disappeared leaving at-need heartache.
Funeral directors must overcome these obstacles to get
consumers to open up the door and invite this type of
discussion into their lives. Getting over these hurdles
goes a long way for a funeral home to ensure its future in
these ultra-competitive times.
To get their message out, Quinn Eagan,
President of Preneed Funeral Program, Metairie, La., suggested
that funeral directors take advantage of opportunities to
speak at their local churches and the different organizations
that target senior
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adults.
But,
when making a speech, Eagan suggested that they not speak
about themselves and what they do, but rather provide
information that the "senior public" would need to know in
order to take steps to making pre-arrangements.
"When speaking to a group of 20 in this setting, a funeral
director will at least get one person out of the group that
will raise their hand and say, "I want to go ahead and do
this," Eagan said. This approach has even more of a
success rate than mail-outs that are difficult to track and
follow-up. "This approach is targeted to individuals
where pre-arrangements have crossed their mind," he said.
Eagan added that it is important for funeral directors to
follow up with a potential client who approaches them in
out-of-office situations, such as at receptions, local
restaurants or even at the grocery store. |
Eagan gives credit to Well Greeley, a funeral director who had
the best follow-up method that he had witnessed. Greeley
created a double-fold business card that he would give to
anyone who approached him with a desire to come in and make
his or her funeral arrangement. It was a two-part card.
At the top was his contact information and below the crease
was a place for the inquirer to put their information so he
would know how to follow-up with them. |
