Successful preneed planning meetings start well before the meeting takes place. As a funeral professional, it's your job to make sure the families you serve know what to expect at a preplanning appointment and provide them with the right resources to prepare, so they can come to the meeting ready for the conversaion. Here are some ways you — and your families — can do your homework to have an A+ preneed planning meeting.

Your homework: How funeral professionals can prepare.

As the person leading the meeting, making it successful starts with how you prepare for the preplanning appointment.

Brush up on your preneed services.

While you likely spend much of your time conducting at-need business, it's never a bad idea to slow down and take time to review your preneed services. This way, you're ready and able to answer any of the family's questions without having to pause the conversation to check details or find the answer they're looking for. When you're not confident in the information you're conveying, people often pick up on it and may doubt your expertise in the services you provide. Being knowledgeable about your offerings builds trust with the families you serve and strengthens your firm's reputation.

Prepare for your preneed planning meeting similarly to how you would for an interview. Write out potential questions people might ask and prepare answers you can reference if needed. Consider even practicing with a colleague to help you think on your feet and answer unexpected questions in a poised and professional manner.

Provide helpful resources.

Most peopl ehave no idea what to expect from a preplanning appointment, and there can be a lot of ground to cover in that time. That's why it can be especially helpful to create a preparation packet — a collection of resources for the family to reference before the meeting takes place. In the section below, we provide a list of items and links to articles you can share with your families to get you started. Not only does it help the family know what to expect and get them thinking about the right things to make the meeting go smoothly, providing these resources in advance can answer questions they might otherwise ask during the meeting and ensure they bring the necessary documents with them, freeing up your time for other business.

Check in before the meeting.

A few days before your preneed planning meeting, call or message your point of contact with the family to see if they've had time to review the resources in the preparation packet. This provides the opportunity to ask questions and serves as a helpful meeting reminder. You can also use this touchpoint to reinforce the value and importance of preplanning for their families and thank them for trusting you and your business to guide them through the process.

Their homework: How to help families prepare.

We recommend sharing resources with the family when they schedule the preneed planning meeting. While none of the things in this list are required, they can make the meeting itself go more smoothly and help the family feel more prepared.

List of documents to bring with them.

Here is a short list of some documents the family should bring them with to the preplanning appointment:

• Birth certificate
• Social Security number
• Marriage license and, if applicable, separation papers
• If a veteran, military discharge document (DD-214)
• A copy of their will and/or trust
• Power of attorney documentation
• Documentation for any cemetery property purchased

List of preferences to consider.

Though you will go over preferences during your meeting, families may not know which decisions they'll be asked to make. Providing this list beforehand gives them time to think about it and discuss with their loved ones, if necessary. Here are some considerations to share:

• Would I prefer burial, cremation or some other final disposition?
• Do I want a viewing or a visitation?
• If I choose a viewing or traditional funeral, would I like an open casket?
• Do I want a big service or a small gathering?
• Where would I like the service to be held?
• Are there any religious or cultural customs I'd like to include in my service?
• Are there specific people I want to lead or speak at the service?
• Do I want flowers at my service?
• Do I want music? If so, what kind?
• Would I prefer people people to donate to charity instead of sending flowers?
• Do I have a cemetery in mind, or would I like my ashes scattered somewhere special?
• If I choose burial in a cemetery, what kind of memorialization would I like?

Links to helpful resources and blog posts.

If you have an email address for the family you're meeting with, sharing links to relevant blog posts and helpful resources is an easy way to add value and connect with them ahead of the preneed planning meeting. Here are a few of our own Homesteaders blog posts we think families would find particularly useful:

• What Is Preneed Insurance?
• Why It's Normal to Feel Hesitant About Preplanning
• How to Plan a Funeral
• Why Preplanning Your Funeral Is a Gift to Your Loved Ones

These are just some ways you can help families prepare for a preneed planning meeting, but we want to hear from you — the funeral professionals facilitating these meetings. How do you help set families up for success ahead of a planning meeting?