Pg. 86 Preneed Touch Points.qxp_Pg. 00 Ben Franklin 5/6/19 3:42 PM Page 87
Q“
Many people will say they like the idea of preplanning and doing preneed but they aren’t ready to commit to it. What are the best ways in moving them to actually doing it?
A
Tyler Anderson, vice president
”
of business development, Precoa
Whether you’re filing your taxes or flying to Hawaii, preparation is essential. Making plans helps us organize our lives, keeping chaos at bay, and a good plan can curb worry. More than that, a good plan lets us enjoy the moments that matter. For most customers, preplanning a funeral makes sense. Of the 90% of families who know that preneed is an option, 70% think that it’s a good idea. We all understand that decisions are best made when cooler heads prevail, when we’ve taken the time to weigh our best options. Does anyone say, “I prefer to make decisions under emotional duress?” Probably not. Preneed customers see the appeal and logic of planning in advance, but they still lack one key ingredient: a clear purpose. Think about the last time you acted without good reason. If you ever purchased a gym membership because it just seemed like you ought to, chances are your ID card gathered dust after two or three months. It is almost impossible to stay motivated when your motives aren’t clear, and this is also true of funeral service. In our profession, more and more customers intend to opt out of service. When asked about a funeral, many customers claim they would rather not have a ceremony. How often do funeral homes nowadays hear, “What does it matter? I’m not going to be there. Just cremate me.”?
Have Funerals Become Commodities? Take a moment to put yourself in the consumer’s shoes. You’re sitting down at home with an advance funeral planner whom you have come to know, and now you moved on to the details. Who will be responsible for arrangements? What do you prefer for interment? There are viewing costs to discuss, burial American Funeral Director • June 2019
merchandise options, and your planner assures you that their funeral home provides end-of-life services with licensed care specialists, using first-in-class facilities. The planner smiles and offers you a pen, but you refuse to sign. What happened? The funeral planner knows that talking about loss is difficult. You sense their concern and compassion, but they have only explained what they do and how they do it. The problem with this approach, as motivational speaker Simon Sinek would say, is that “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.” If a funeral home frames its value in terms of its credentials, it echoes a common message.Yet many families don’t appreciate the need for funeral service. They might not yet grasp how everyone who has ever loved the deceased will have a chance to heal. By sharing this perspective, you provide a good reason, and good reasons lead to meaningful action.
Do I Even Need a Funeral? When people think about funeral arrangements, they think mainly about themselves. They would like to be remembered, but they are taught that this comes down to choosing the best casket, the right dress, or the perfect song. If there’s a ceremony, they hope it will be memorable, but they expect it will mostly be transactional. The funeral becomes yet another commodity. No one informs them that this perspective is reductive, that it impacts healing, and so they hesitate to take action. 87
