January 2019

Page A18 JANUARY 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A Call 651-450-7727 to request a wholesale catalog, Our Extra-Large Cremains Bags (13”x 15”) are perfectly sized for the Standard Plastic Human Service Urn. or visit UrnBags.com to order some bags. Just $2.90 each*. * Bags sold in multiples of 10 Choose from Black, Blue, or Burgundy By Mark Bowser There are three fundamental pillars of success for your fu- neral home—and any organization, for that matter. Every funeral home that is succeeding is successful in these three pillars. Every funeral home that is failing is doing so be- cause of a failure in one or more of these areas. This is true for any organization whether it is a nation, a Fortune 500 corporation, a nonprofit charity, a mom and pop small business, a church, a social club, a ball team—or your fu- neral home. Depending on the organization or group, they may call them by different terms and implement them a little differently, but when it comes down to it there are still three main pillars of success, and they are the subject of this series of articles. The three pillars for your funeral home’s success in their order of importance are: Pillar One: LEADERSHIP Pillar Two: SALES Pillar Three: CUSTOMER SERVICE That’s it. Leadership, Sales, and Customer Service. That is the key to success. However, knowing the key and know- ing how to use it to unlock the door aren’t the same thing. Together, in this series of articles we are going to use the key to unlock the door to your funeral home’s success. To- gether, we are going to take you and your organization to the next level. That is our goal. That is our purpose. Three Pillars of Success for Funeral Directors liam H. Bowser , purchased it in 1945 and we have run it ever since. Today, I am a Vice President at the Bright Corporation. But that is enough about me. This first article was just to introduce the topic and to plant some seeds of thought until we get together next time. Having said that, I encourage you to focus on this quote and the depth of meaning to your funeral home. It is a quote from John C. Maxwell. Maxwell said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” What does that mean for you? And, how does it impact your funeral home? We will explore this topic in much more detail next time. www.nomispublications.com Funeral Home & Cemetery News Contributors share insights and exchange ideas. B logs Excerpted and adapted from the book The Three Pillars of Success for Funeral Directors by Mark Bowser. To get a copy, vis- it http://bit.ly/2NdlyGc Mark Bowser is the Vice President at the Bright Corporation and one of the top motivational business speakers in the United States. He is the author of several books including Sales Success with Zig Ziglar. He can be reached at 1-800-428-6424 or email mark@BrightCorporation.com. Before we jump into the subject at hand, you may won- der why I have the credibility to address this subject. Probably you have never heard of me. So, let me give you a brief summary of why you should trust me to be your guide on this journey. I have been a Professional Speaker and Corporate Train- er since 1993. Since that time, I have successfully present- ed training seminars to hundreds of companies including Southwest Airlines, Dell Computers, Ford Motor Compa- ny, United States Marine Corps, Kings Daughters Medi- cal Center, FedEx Logistics, Dallas Public Schools, Prince- ton University, Purdue University, NFL’s Baltimore Ravens’ LeadershipTeam, Department of Homeland Security, Hon- da, Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Makino Inc, Virgin- ia Military Institute, Lockheed Martin, and many more. I have authored several books including The 3 Pillars of Suc- cess for Funeral Directors, Sales Success with the late Zig Ziglar; Nehemiah on Leadership ; Jesus, Take the Wheel ; and Some Gave It All with Danny Lane. For more details, visit my website at www.MarkBowser.com. But the most important thing for you to know is that I grew up in the funeral industry and I am still involved in the funeral industry to this day. You see, my family is in its fourth generation of owning and operating the Bright Corporation in Anderson, Indiana. My granddad, Wil- sium topics included Green Burial in New Mexico, Near Death Experiences and End-of-Life Visions, Financial, Legal and Digital Assets Related to Death, and How to Reach a Gentle Death in New Mexico, and a panel discussion with three Albu- querque funeral directors. In addition to the festival participants, hundreds more learned about Before I Die New Mexico at the popular Mari- gold Parade in Albuquerque. At this an- nual event, people dress in costumes and wear calavera (skull) makeup for Day of the Dead celebrations. Festival coordinator Gail Rubin con- nected with parade attendees by wheel- ing a mini-float based on a casket built by Fathers Building Futures. She distribut- ed materials from Festival sponsors about planning ahead on end-of-life issues. Based on encouraging feedback from Festival attendees, a third annual Before I Die New Mexico Festival is being planned for the first week of November 2019. A portion of sponsor fees were donated to the festival’s charitable partner Fathers Building Futures. This nonprofit social enterprise provides jobs and skills to pre- viously incarcerated parents, reducing re- cidivism. They build pine caskets that are kosher for Jewish burial and fine wood cre- mation urns in their woodworking shop. The Before I Die NM Festival was made possible by these sponsors: A Good Goodbye – Death educator Gail Rubin puts the “fun” in funeral planning. EternityGardens.com  – Giving families looking for a final resting place for cre- mated remains guidance on the range of options available for people and pets. National Guardian Life Insurance Com- pany , one of America’s most successful and highly rated independent mutual life insur- ance companies; FRENCH Funerals and Cremations , Albuquerque’s largest and old- est family-owned funeral service company; Morris Hall , New Mexico’s premiere estate planning attorneys; EstatePros , the expert resource for property organization, distri- bution and administration; Legacy Con- cierge , helping prevent identity theft, se- cure digital access to online accounts, and provide a host of other important services to the families of the deceased; Passages Inter- national , a leading provider of environmen- tally friendly funeral options for burial and cremated remains; and Zia Trust, The Ad- visors’ Trust Company®. Learn more about the Before I Die New Mexico Festival by calling event coordina- tor Gail Rubin at 505-265-7215 or visit www.BeforeIDieNM.com. Death Discussion Festival “Before I Die New Mexico” Reaches More People ALBUQUERQUE,NM— The 2018 Before I Die New Mexico Festival, with events in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Belen, NM, was a resounding success. A total of 685 people participated in 32 free or low-cost events to prompt death discussions and planning ahead. Festival events included Death Cafés, workshops, movies, speakers, parties, pan- el discussions, and field trips to cemeter- ies, a crematory, the Office of the Medi- cal Investigator and casket manufacturers. The festival took place October 30 to No- vember 4, 2018. The first Before I Die Festival in New Mexico took place in Al- buquerque during October 2017, draw- ing 600 participants. Every Festival participant was eligible to enter a drawing to win a pair of burial plots at La Puerta Natural Burial Ground. The winner is Kay Ohmberger of Albuquer- que, who attended the panel discussion, “Millennial Morticians with ABQ Brews.” La Puerta, located 15 miles southeast of Belen, is New Mexico’s first Green Burial Council-certified cemetery. Their website is www.NaturalBurialNewMexico.com. Videos of Festival panel discussions are available on YouTube and online at www.BeforeIDieNM.com. In addition to “Millennial Morticians with ABQ Brews,” panels included “Downsizing While Keeping Your Family Legacy” and discus- sions at the Festival Symposium. Sympo- S E N D U S Y O U R N E W S ! PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 1-800-321-7479 info@nomispublications.com