How are you handling the holiday roller coaster?

Ethan Darby,
Director of Business
Development

While the holiday season is upon us, I would like to take the time to wish every one of you a Happy Holidays on behalf of my family and the entire Trigard Memorials staff. It's a great time of year to show your appreciation to your employees and to celebrate the holiday season. I hope you all have taken the time to acknowledge the holiday's within your own companies as well.

This time of year comes with a certain feeling in the air. For most, this is an incredibly positive and joyous feeling. For others, it can be a sad or disappointing one. As cemeterians and deathcare providers, we are responsible for helping others through some of the hardest times of their lives. This responsibility can be a gift or an incredibly heavy burden. During this time of year, the burden grows heavier, as some families must deal with loss at a time that is supposed to be filled with family and togetherness. That is why we must make an extra effort to take special care of these families. I’m not saying that we don’t ALWAYS take care of our families to the best of our abilities, but maybe during this time of year, we can be more generous, and maybe more flexible.

We all probably have a few great ideas of how to add that extra personal touch for the families we serve this time of year, but a few that I recommend are:

• Placing a nice bouquet of poinsettias at the graveside with a temporary memorial to honor the family's loved one.
• Making sure there is a clear path to the graveside service to allow for better mobility if you have already received snow this year.
• Serving hot chocolate or coffee in a thermos to keep everyone warm during the outdoor ceremony.

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.

Help us say farewell

Ethan Darby,
Director of Business
Development

Transition is a constant in any business setting. We transition between products, procedures and sometimes employees. And in this time of transition at Trigard, we say goodbye to a valued employee.

Kelli Nesbitt, Customer Service Manager, has been a great asset to our company. We want to thank her for her 16 years of service. I know she will be missed by the many customers she has touched over the years, but I am excited to be filling her shoes. Her last day with us will be August 28.

Please help us say farewell to Kelli and thank her for all she has done. 


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.

How to satisfy all of your customers

Ethan Darby,
Director of Business
Development

We've all been there. Your water heater won't work. Your car won't start. Your roof starts leaking. These unexpected expenses tend to throw a wrench into our budget at what seems like the worst possible time.

Are at-need cemetery purchases an unexpected expense? For most families, they are, and that tends to make people unhappy. To add to those frustrations, they are also suffering from a huge loss and experiencing many emotions.

Most families don't plan their final wishes every day, so they are not familiar with the costs associated with a cemetery. They may be expecting a certain price, and then sometimes are presented with a number much higher than what they are prepared. How do we help families in this type of situation? Can we satisfy their wishes?

We empathize with them, explain the value they are receiving, offer financing options and suggest planning a pre-need appointment for other family members in the future.

In the end, the family can be satisfied by the value they received and you can be confident knowing that you handled the situation professionally.


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.