6 Funeral Business Scenarios Preneed Funeral Planning Can Help Solve

Funeral directors must navigate many challenges each day in order to operate a successful funeral home business. You demonstrate the agility required to meet shifting consumer demands and manage the effects of economic conditions — all while ensuring that families receive the best possible care during day-to-day operations.

With so many factors to consider, you don’t have time to waste on potential solutions that don’t work. Focusing attention on your preneed funeral planning services is a solution that can work — and there are many reasons why.

1. You face increasing competition

Corporate competitors are achieving success by implementing active preneed programs – and they could be doing so at the expense of your business. Funeral professionals have opportunities to provide important services to their customers by responding to their needs and educating them about their options. What is your firm doing to inform your community about the benefits of preneed funeral planning?

2. You want to ensure your firm's long-term security

When asking funeral directors why they think their preneed programs are valuable, the response is often simple (but powerful): “Preneed is our future.” It’s no longer a guarantee that you’ll serve a family in the future just because you’ve always done so in the past. Advance funeral planning can help secure your firm’s tradition of providing exceptional service to families.

3. You want to build recognition and trust in your community

Families have questions about funeral planning. It can be an uncomfortable topic, however, which is why many people haven’t explored their options for planning in advance. Your funeral home has an opportunity to “break the ice” and open up a dialogue about memorialization and end-of-life issues. Community events and seminars can help families learn more about planning ahead and, in turn, establish your firm as a trusted resource.

4. You want families to experience high satisfaction with your services

In our most recent policy owner study, almost all respondents indicated that they are completely or very satisfied with their decision to prearrange. For those who are unsure about deciding to prearrange, knowing that virtually no one regrets the decision can increase confidence.

5. You want to increase word-of-mouth referrals

Satisfied customers are more likely to give positive recommendations to friends and family members — which leads to more word-of-mouth referrals for your firm. Our latest survey of Homesteaders policy owners revealed that over half (63%) of policy owners have recommended prearranging to one or more people or plan to recommend it to someone they know.

6. You want to decrease your advertising expenses

The word-of-mouth referrals you earn will carry much more weight than traditional advertising messages. Friends and family members are key sources of information about advance funeral planning. By asking for referrals from satisfied preneed families, you stand to gain meaningful business with less expenditure on advertising.

Subscribe to the Homesteaders BlogGet the latest funeral service tips and insights delivered to your inbox.