FUNERAL SERVICE
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February 5, 2001
 5 tips on merchandise changes and pre-need follow-up calls
           Sometimes, you have no choice but change what the deceased asked for:  The merchandise called for in the pre-need contract no longer exists.  In that case, pre-need pro Quinn Eagan has always advocated an "equal or better, at no additional cost" philosophy.  But if you're recommending replacement merchandise that fills the bill but costs you less than the product the pre-need contract stipulates, why not split the savings 50-50 with the family?  3 more tips:

  • If you want to upgrade families, try to do it in packages -- say a $600 package that combines a casket upgrade, with a casket spray and police escort.  The litmus test in any such upgrade, Quinn says, is this:  "Were the people happy after they upgraded?  If they felt pressure afterwards, then you didn't do it right."

  • Give survivors time before approaching them about their own pre-need.  One approach:  Eagan trains funeral homes to make an in-person visit 30 days after the funeral, to discuss how they liked the funeral, inquire about any additional needs and leave pre-need literature.  Or...

  • Send survivors a series of low-key letters after the funeral.  Eagan has developed a series of 10 letters, covering topics such as change-of-beneficiary and the value of prearranging.  The first one mails 2 weeks after the funeral, and the rest, about a month apart.  After the 4th, a funeral home rep calls the families to ask whether they find the letters beneficial and want to keep receiving them.  That call often turns into a pre-need sales visit.