Do you believe in what you sell?

Drew Edwards,
General Manager,
Sunset Funeral Homes

Have you been to a national convention lately? Have you noticed that you see fewer companies with big upright granite displays, and more companies offering cremation products?

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon discussing product offerings with a couple of my colleagues. We talked about everything from memorials, cremation trinkets, and the “gimmicks” that companies are coming up with now with the rise in cremation. So many outside companies have worked their way into the memorialization industry in hopes of getting a piece of this multi-billion dollar industry, I have to wonder if it is even worth offering them to every customer that walks through the door?

Even though I think many of the products have a place in this industry, we can’t give families so many options to choose from. Instead of overwhelming the customer, it is important that we find products that we believe in. Whether it is a bronze memorial or a cremation rock memorial, you have to believe in what you sell.

Don’t fall for the myth that everyone is looking for the cheapest. History has proven that this is not the case. If you want to expand your selection, call your vendors and see what is working in other markets. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. All we need to do is believe in ourselves, our products and this wonderful industry. If you believe in yourself, the customer will believe in you and in turn, trust you to care for their family.

This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.

Give your ads new life

The Trigard marketing team's job is two-fold: we raise brand awareness by communicating to you, members of our industry, and we create materials that you can use to communicate to your customers, the families you serve. It makes sense that we have specific tactics for each audience. We speak to memorialization professionals about providing value and increasing revenue; we speak to consumers about the importance of remembering their loved ones.

Even so, many of the materials we produce for memorialization professionals can be quickly adapted for consumers. Ads about Memorial Rocks, wall displays featuring custom memorials and literature can be ready for you to share with the families you serve with just a few tweaks. We can even personalize the materials, adding your name and contact information as the call-to-action.

The next time you see something from Trigard, consider if it might be a message you'd like to share with your customers. If so, give us a call at 800.798.4900 or email marketing@trigard.com. We'd be happy to put those materials to work for you.

This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.

Are you only working for the weekend?

Sheryl Baumeister,
Human Resources

Recently, I have been consuming a lot of my thoughts with the concept of time. We don't have a lot of it, but it has a huge impact on many aspects of our lives. For instance, my son lives hundreds of miles away, and I only get to see him and his family a couple times a year. Time can't move quickly enough in between visits, but it also moves too quickly. As time passes, my grandchildren get older, and my husband and I miss seeing them.

Time goes by quickly and I was painfully reminded of this when I read a Tumblr post by Cameron Lee. He says, “we live in a world that encourages just getting through five of the seven days in a week. That leaves only two days to be enjoyed.” I think most of us can agree that we rush through the week so we can get to Friday. But, meanwhile, we are missing out on the rest of the week. Shouldn’t we be enjoying ourselves every single day?

We all have special moments in our lives that feel like they happened just yesterday, even if they were years ago. We are all getting older, and nothing stays the same. One day, the moments that define us will be nothing but memories. That is why it is so important to educate the families we serve on the importance of memorializing their loved ones. I encourage you to be a resource. Be an asset to this industry and encourage families to Have the Talk with their families.

As Cameron pointed out, “when we get frustrated about things not working out perfectly or according to plan and we rush 5/7s of our week away; we are missing the bigger picture. Life is not some perfectly planned out script. It’s a beautiful collection of completely random and perfectly imperfect moments that one day will be memories. So enjoy them while you can, because time flies.”

For a college kid, he is wise beyond his years. He really knows what matters most in life. I encourage you to follow his lead and start talking with your family about how you want to be remembered. Keep living each day to the fullest because one day they will only be a memory.




This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.