OK – so few FDs want to blatantly connect pre-need and aftercare. But you probably DO want to ethically balance the two - and some of you say you look to aftercare to evolve into pre-planning. Here’s the skinny on a new program that blends aftercare and pre-need into “family care.” 

A summary: Make pre-planning 1 item on a checklist of things you want to discuss with families after services. That’s what Quinn Eagan, Preneed Funeral Program, Metairie, La., is trying as part of a new aftercare program his clients use. The program seamlessly blends pre-need with aftercare. 

Details: Someone on the funeral-home staff – called a family-care counselor – comes to the family’s home 2-3 days after the funeral, preferably when the adult children are still in town. On behalf of the family, that person helps with paperwork and calls Social Security, life insurance, banks, credit card companies, car insurance companies and all other agencies that should be notified of the loved one’s death. The counselor will even ask what they may want to do with the loved one’s clothing and medical supplies 

Then, as part of their checklist of things to discuss, he or she will ask about their interest in pre-planning. If money is an issue, the rep can offer a payment plan of $100/month. Total time for the visit: Anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours. 

The person then maintains contact with the family about receiving checks and other relevant paperwork. Sometimes, pre-need is discussed again, too. 

Why Eagan believes in making the pre-need move so quickly after the funeral: If you wait until 8 months after the death, that person is just getting his or her life back together. The mention of pre-planning might bother them more at that time than it would right after they’ve gone through arrangements. “It’s like taking the scab off the wound,” he parallels.

Yet this is different from straight pre-need sales, Eagan emphasizes. Here’s how: It’s not the counselor’s goal to walk out of the house on that first day with a check. In fact, that’s just 1 thing to address from a long checklist. Eagan says sometimes they just encourage families to get their service preferences down on paper, even if they don’t start to pay immediately. That’s why the person who does this job is usually more details-oriented and methodical, not a straight salesperson. (In fact, the job is a combo salary and commission position.) 

Response to the program: Eagan’s amazed by the number of thank-you cards his funeral-home clients receive. The widows, especially, appreciate someone who handles all of their paperwork. He also sees less resistance than usual from adult children toward the pre-need. Reason: Perhaps they reflect on how tough it was to have just made those arrangements. As far as sales, the average immediate close rate is 15% and the long-term target is 30% to 35%. Cost to FDs for Eagan’s program: $2,500 for the program itself and training, plus an average of $20,000 for the rep’s salary (some of which the rep receives through commission). 

What do FDs think of Eagan’s program? “I like it because we kind of do that already. There’s nothing wrong with planting a seed,” says John Whitfield, Whitfield Funeral Homes (193 calls), Cornelia, Ga. For instance, many FDs say they’ve always helped clients with Social Security or follow up with insurance and related checks. Another FD remarks that this program probably works well in the South. Eagan says a structured program works best – not one that’s done inconsistently.