Is there value in setting goals?

Jason Murphy,
Director of Family Services,
Sunset Memorial Park

With the new year quickly approaching, it is a great time to start setting goals for 2016. As a manager, setting goals for your sales team is one of the most important things you can do, but many don’t understand the best way to utilize them. In my experience, I have found that meeting with each counselor individually to develop their goals has been most beneficial. A few things we focus on during our annual meetings include:

1. Setting attainable, motivating goals. This may be the most important aspect to creating successful to goals. We begin by comparing the numbers from the past couple of years. These numbers will help us identify sales trends which in turn help us figure out our annual, quarterly and weekly goals for the next year. We typically set the goal a little higher than the year before but don’t make it too far out of reach. We don’t want our sales staff to feel discouraged. 
2. Developing an action plan together. What has worked best for you and your team in the past? What are the areas that need the most improvement and possibly more training? How many group presentations, expos and other events will we need to attend in order to reach our new goals? These are the types of questions to ask when developing a functional plan of action. Without a solid plan, your goals are just numbers. Having a plan allows you to keep better track of your sales team’s activity, but it also gives them some structure or focus heading into the new year. 
3. Setting goals outside the office. I believe if you encourage your sales team to set goals outside the office, in other aspects of their life, it will motivate them more. Improving on their personal habits may in turn improve on other negative habits. Goal setting should go beyond the workplace. I feel that if we all took some time to look at what we can improve in our own lives, we will develop into a better individual and a better employee.

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.

Quality comes with a higher price tag

Rich Darby,
Chief Operations Officer

After negotiating a contract with one of our suppliers, I gained a great deal of respect for the way they do business. Their representative didn't give us a deal, a coupon or budge on the price and I respect that; because quality comes with a higher price tag.

When I refer to quality, I don't just mean quality products. I am also referring to the company manufacturing the products. A quality company will employ people who will go out of their way to explain the details and introduce some of their business tools; and that brings more value to Trigard than a few dollars off.

What are you gaining from your suppliers? Are they giving you low ball prices? Or are they giving you something much more valuable? In my time as a business owner, I have found that quality products come from quality manufacturers; because they give more than a product, they build relationships.

As a resolution for the upcoming year, make it a goal to build relationships with your suppliers and increase the value of the products you are buying.  In the long run, the relationships you build will bring more value to your company; more value means more buying power and more buying power means lower prices for your customers.

Here is to a happy and prosperous new year! Happy New Year!

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.


Enhance your showroom for 2014

Trigard Memorials' 180 system wall displays work with any wall type and are available in two versions. The basic display features miniature bronze samples in a smaller wall footprint, and the premier display (shown above) features full size 24" x 14" memorials with smaller bronze companion memorials. 

Both wall displays are organized into three tiers - a proven good/better/best system - and can be customized for your unique business.

Call Customer Service at 800.798.4900 or download our order form to begin designing your 180 system. Be sure to ask about our new SimuMetal samples that can help dramatically lower the cost of your display without sacrificing quality.

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.


Design tip of the week

If you are sending your logo to be included on your customized Memorial Security plate, be sure to send vector art as an *.EPS file. That file format ensures that your logo will look pristine and clear.

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.