Are you losing casket sales to families because they are puchasing caskets from someone other than a funeral director?

Posted by:

Ryan Thogmartin (Huppstiverson)
Connecting Directors, Co-Founder

Casket stores are a hot issue around here (Bonham Texas) because we are so close to the Dallas Metro Area, and there are a few there.

To me it seems that all it takes is the 'guts' to raise the service fee, and lower the casket price. My boss has said that he has considered giving the casket to the family at the whosale price, and charging a lot more for the service fee. I can see his point.

We are not in the business of selling caskets. Those can be purchased anywhere. The service that the firm I work for gives is what makes the difference. In my opinion, the service and caring that we give is what lasts, not the merchendise we sell.

Steve,

I have had discussion with many funeral directors who have said they would make more money selling all of their product at wholesale and just raising their service fees.

Now, who is going to be the first to do it? It might be scary at first, but in the long run I think it could really pay off.

Posted by:

Ryan Thogmartin (Huppstiverson)
Connecting Directors, Co-Founder

I admit it takes 'guts' to do that. It seems that no owners want to be the first. Everyone wants someone else to do it to see what happens, and how it will be recieved by the purchasing public. It only takes one to do it. If I owned a firm, or was opening a firm, I would develop that pricing structure. It would require the funeral director to become more than just an order taker (if I stepped on some toes, it was intended).

This pricing structure would involve some education from the director to the families being served as to why this casket costs so much less than the competitions (sometimes thousands less) and it would require the director to build value in the service and expertise that a funeral director/funeral home has in matters of death care, to justify a large basic service charge.

Just my opinion.

Steve,

I think your "opinion" is right on. Why have some funeral directors turned into "order takes"?

You Said:

"it would require the director to build value in the service and expertise that a funeral director/funeral home has in matters of death care"

Shouldn't this be what we are doing already, regardless of what we are charging?

Posted by:

Ryan Thogmartin (Huppstiverson)
Connecting Directors, Co-Founder

"Supposed to" is the key term.

I have seen directors that are afraid to educate a family about the options available with cremation. A family says cremation, and it is automatically a direct cremation. How many directors actually take the time to educate about the options associated with a cremation? How many directors ask for an urn sale, but rather don't offer, and send the family home with a temporary box? I do advocate selling urn's for about 100% mark-up, but they are so darn cheap.

I believe that thinking outside the box is the key in today's funeral market. This ain't our father's funeral business.

More of my opinion

Yes, Yes, Yes!! Outside the box thinking!!! We need to be innovative with our families. Why should they choose your funeral home of the one down the street? A funeral is a funeral right? Wrong.

A funeral is a celebration of ones life, and the funeral home who thinks outside the box is going to be able to provide a memory for a family instead of a plain old service or memorial.

Posted by:

Ryan Thogmartin (Huppstiverson)
Connecting Directors, Co-Founder