Homesteaders Blog

Reflecting on 10 years of the Homesteaders Life Company Blog

Funeral service professionals need and deserve reliable sources of information that they can depend on to help them better serve their customers, stay up to date on the latest trends and continue to develop their skills. Ten years ago, our team established the Homesteaders Blog to help bring those insights to anyone who can benefit from that expertise.

What Nature Teaches Us About Death and Grief

In the journey of life, death and grief are threads we all must weave into our existence. While daunting or painful, these experiences also hold profound lessons, many of which nature imparts to us. From the cycle of seasons to the delicate dance of life and death in ecosystems, nature offers insights that can guide us through the labyrinth of loss and sorrow.

3 Unexpected Roles of a Funeral Director

Funeral directors’ jobs are sometimes characterized by their most visible role: ensuring funeral services run smoothly for families who have lost a loved one. But funeral professionals wear many hats as they help families through some of the most difficult times. We are going to unpack some of the unexpected roles that funeral professionals have, and why those traits are so important to their work.

What We’re Looking Forward to at 2024 Conventions

2024 convention season has arrived, and we are excited for what’s in store this year! From thoughts on why conventions are important to what we’re looking forward to and which conventions we will attend, some of Homesteaders’ senior account executives share their thoughts below.

Funeral Home Keepsake Options for Your Client Families

Personal keepsakes play a special role in providing comfort for families who have lost a loved one. A keepsake reminds people of the life and love they shared, representing their memories in the form of an item that is significant to them. Choosing a keepsake is a very personal decision for any family, so it is important for funeral professionals to not only provide keepsake options, but also to address them in a thoughtful way. We’ll share answers to questions that funeral professionals may have regarding personal keepsakes, and how to approach the topic with client families.

4 Focus Areas for Your Funeral Home Business in 2024

The start of a new year is an opportunity to set goals for business growth for the next 12 months – and beyond. Looking ahead to opportunities for the future, we have compiled a list of four key focus areas to work on and pay attention to this year.

Top 5 Blog Posts for Funeral Professionals in 2023

As we close out another year, we’re grateful for our Homesteaders Blog readers and the time you’ve dedicated to learning how to better serve client families and improve your business. In 2023, we dove into solutions to boost creativity and increase your community’s awareness about your funeral home’s services. While there are many great posts from the past year, we’ve identified these five popular posts that are worth another look as we enter 2024.

Productivity and Task Automation Tools for Funeral Professionals

Digital tools are a great way to help with time management and productivity so you can spend your time doing what you truly value: serving client families. These tools include ways to increase efficiency for project management, marketing, communication within the team and day-to-day operations.

Why Families Prearrange: Trends Funeral Professionals Need to Know

Not all families have an opportunity to prepare for or understand their loved one’s end-of-life wishes. In situations where death occurs unexpectedly, the process of planning a meaningful service or celebration of life without their loved one’s input can take an emotional and financial toll on the family members they left behind. That is why it is important to ensure families know that making advance funeral plans can help relieve that burden for their loved ones. 

3 Common Missed Opportunities to Increase Preneed Sales

You provide exceptional service and support to each family you serve, but do you have what it takes to build the same meaningful connections with everyone in your community, and do you have the time to do so?

Funeral providers that have an active preneed program aim to generate quality leads by casting a wide net in their community. However, this process takes time, and you often need to nurture these individuals over a longer period until they feel ready to prearrange their own funeral. In fact, 29% of respondents to our latest policy owner survey reported that it took two years or more from the time they first learned about prearranging until they finalized and made their own arrangements.

Keep reading to discover three common opportunities funeral providers miss when trying to capture more preneed sales.