Are you embracing your human instincts?

Jeff Miller,
Vice President of
Business Development

With Memorial Day being just a few days ago, I find myself, as I am sure most you do as well, reflecting on my own lost loved ones. I also find myself thinking about the many different beliefs of memorialization that we see in our industry. As human beings, in my opinion, it is our instinctual desire to memorialize a loved one after they die. We see it everywhere we go. We see it in the wooden crosses on the side of the road and the flowers and candles placed on the front door steps of a celebrity after they die.

Isn’t it our obligation as memorialization experts to embrace this desire and help families memorialize their loved ones the way they want? Remember, you are the experts and we help families create unique memorials every day. It is important to use your knowledge and passion to empower families to understand the importance of permanent memorialization. It’s our job to help them see the value in creating a place for future generations to share stories and create new memories. You will be surprised how your knowledge of memorialization and your passion will translate into better sales for you and more value for the family.

I encourage you to embrace the “instinctual desire” we all have and ask the hard questions to find out what the families you serve need. In the end, they will thank you for creating the perfect memorial to honor their loved one.

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.

Your last minute Memorial Day grounds checklist

Patrick Lewis,
Grounds Manager,
Sunset Memorial Park

Memorial Day visitors will be here before you know it. Although the official holiday is a little over a week away, we all know that families will start visiting our cemeteries and memorial parks early next week. I’m sure your grounds crew has been hard at work for weeks in preparation for the busiest weekend of the year. But what details have they saved for the last minute?

Here’s what’s on our list at Sunset Memorial Park for the next week:

Trimming and mowing: We continue to mow all week, especially if we get some rain. More rain means more mowing.

Raising markers: Did you have a hard winter? Are your grounds wet? We’ve identified and raised many markers and repaired areas of the park that have been impacted by severe and wet weather. In the next week, we’ll continue this process.

Flower regulations: Be sure you have clear flower regulations and share them with your visitors. Information about clean up after the holiday is vital. Remember to use a warm tone when you share your regulations. While you certainly need rules, you need to make sure your visitors feel welcomed.

Post-holiday priorities: We’re already thinking about the work planned for after the holiday weekend. We’ve partnered with our cemetery sales staff, who will greet visitors all weekend. They’ll get us a list of vases that need attention, refinish requests and markers that need to be raised.

Could your grounds superintendent use a checklist like this? Use the forward email icon below (it looks like an envelope with an arrow) to forward this post to your grounds crew.

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.

It's time to spring into action

Blake Swinford,
Project Manager

Spring is in the air. The sun is shining. Flowers are blooming, the grass is turning green again and families are visiting cemeteries to spend time with their loved ones. Are you ready?

With Memorial Day right around the corner, your cemetery grounds will be full of families visiting and sharing memories. They may be interested in restoring their loved one's existing memorial, adding a medallion for extra personalization or even upgrading to something new. Talk and share stories with them during their visit. This is a great opportunity for you get to know the families in your community and learn how you can better help them.

If you are a memorial company, this time of year is a great opportunity to visit your customers as well. Go see them and talk to them about your products. Learn more about their business and how you can help them grow. If there is an opportunity to introduce a new product to them, see if you can help them start including it in their product selection before Memorial Day. You have been cooped up all winter, get out there and enjoy the weather.

And, as always, if you have any questions about the products we offer, call Customer Service at 800.798.4900.

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.

Memorial Day 2015

Honoring the men and women that fought selflessly for our freedoms and paid the ultimate sacrifice is something that many of us in the funeral industry do not take lightly. We received many great photographs and stories of how you celebrate and honor the fallen during the Memorial Day holiday.

Calvary Catholic Cemetery & Mausoleum in Lincoln, Nebraska
At Calvary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, they held an outdoor mass followed with a meal of hot dogs, chips and cookies. They also held a ceremony dedicating and blessing the new stained glass in their mausoleum and an above ground mausoleum for miscarried babies.


The Funeral Source
For Memorial Day weekend this year, The Funeral Source attended four different wreath-laying ceremonies and four different parades around the Cincinnati Tri-State area. They also laid flags on a number of fallen veteran’s graves, including a gentleman who fought in Iwo Jima and Guada Canal. The Funeral Source is thankful for the sacrifices that our soldiers have made so that we may enjoy the freedom and democracy that the U.S. offers to its citizen.


This article originally appeared in Trigard Tuesdays, our weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/tuesdays.    

Merry Christmas!

Jason Murphy,
Director of Family Services,
Sunset Funeral Home

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Or as we say in the cemetery, Happy Memorial Day!

It really is our biggest season, isn't it?  

We all spend a lot of time, money and effort during Memorial Day weekend, which is why it is important to track and analyze your return on investment after the weekend is complete.

Have a staff wrap-up meeting with everyone who worked the cemetery during Memorial Day. Gather a list of things that worked and things that didn’t quite go to plan. Fix anything that needs immediate attention, and put the list in a safe place for next year. You’ll already be a step ahead when planning for 2016.

Did you create a sales goal for Memorial Day leads? First, figure out if you reached the short term goal that was set and reward your staff accordingly. In fact, you should reward them in some way no matter if they reached the goal or not. They did work the entire holiday weekend for you! For the leads that haven’t been closed, make sure to game plan on how these leads will be followed up within a timely manner. Discuss possible scripting that may help your sales staff get the leads back in the door. Follow up is extremely important as most of the sales will come from leads obtained over the weekend and not sales made during the weekend. 

Lastly, make sure to share your results from the weekend with the rest of the staff. Acknowledge all of the hard work from your staff members and get the other staff engaged and interested in what the cemetery staff does for Memorial Day. Communicating what worked and some sales numbers will spark conversation and interest from all of the employees.

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.

Your last minute Memorial Day grounds checklist

Patrick Lewis,
Grounds Manager,
Sunset Memorial Park

Memorial Day visitors are just around the corner. Although the official holiday is eighteen days away, we all know that families will start visiting our cemeteries and memorial parks much sooner than that. I’m sure your grounds crew has been hard at work for weeks in preparation of the busiest weekend of the year. But what details have they saved for the last minute?

Here’s what’s on our list at Sunset Memorial Park for the next two weeks:

• Trimming and mowing: We usually stop mowing on the Wednesday before the holiday weekend, but we have to keep an eye on the weather. More rain means more mowing.
• Raising markers: Did you have a hard winter? Are your grounds wet? We’ve identified and raised many markers and repaired areas of the park that have been impacted by severe and wet weather. In the next two weeks, we’ll continue this process.
• Flower regulations: Be sure you have clear flower regulations and share them in a caring way with your visitors. Information about clean up after the holiday is vital. Remember to use a warm tone when you share your regulations. While you certainly need rules, you need to make sure your visitors feel welcomed.
• Post-holiday priorities: We’re already thinking about the work planned for after the holiday weekend. We’ve partnered with our cemetery sales staff, who will greet visitors all weekend. They’ll get us a list of vases that need attention, refinish requests and markers that need to be raised.

Could your grounds superintendent use a checklist like this? Use the forward email icon below (it looks like an envelope with an arrow) to forward this post to your grounds crew.
 
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.

Tips for a profitable Memorial Day

Jason Murphy,
Director of Family Services,
Sunset Funeral Home
and Memorial Park

Memorial Day is quickly approaching. Is your cemetery or memorial park ready? Here are some things that consistently work for us during the biggest weekend of the year.

Special Memorial Day visitor discounts. Every year, we offer exceptional savings to anyone who visits our memorial park during the holiday weekend. We include them in a newsletter that is distributed at our gates. Don’t forget to include an expiration date on your coupons to create a sense of urgency and drive sales during the summer months.

Walk the grounds. Send your sales staff out to walk your grounds to identify markers that need to be refinished, could be upgraded with a medallion or should be placed on granite. That list can be an incredible source for leads. Send letters to next of kin about the applicable offers you’re offering during Memorial Day. These aren’t huge sales, but they add up and can potentially lead to larger sales and pre-planning contracts once you get them in your office.

Get your gear ready. It seems obvious, but make sure you have all of your tools and equipment ready in advance. We make sure we have golf carts ready to transport our staff or help a visitor explore the cemetery. In the carts, we have gentle cleaning supplies to help people make their loved one’s markers shine. We also have plenty of cemetery maps. Even if a counselor is helping someone identify a grave space, any face to face interaction increases your chance for future sales.

This year, make Memorial Day extra special. You have the opportunity to show off your beautiful grounds and to impress the families that visit. Make it count!
 
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.

The merry, merry month of May

Jason Murphy,
Director of Family Services,
Sunset Memorial Park

The month of May is a busy time of year for any cemetery manager. Mother's Day and Memorial Day bring more foot traffic to your cemetery than any other time of the year. It presents a huge opportunity to showcase your cemetery's unique qualities and increase sales. But, how do we make sure we are getting the most out of these opportunities?

The answer is simple: be prepared. You should already be brainstorming promotions that can be implemented during this time to encourage visitors to purchase property. If you don't think visitors are thinking about buying, keep in mind that if someone is visiting a loved one in your park, there is a good chance they will want to be with their family down the road.

Another thing to keep in mind during the May holidays is your staff. They are the individuals who spend their holidays with the families that you serve, instead of their own. Consider a bonus program to keep them motivated and to show your appreciation.

May is quickly approaching, but it is not too late. There is plenty of time to make a plan to enhance the experiences of both your visitors and staff during Mother's Day and Memorial Day.


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.