February 2020

Page A36 FEBRUARY 2020 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A mymortuarycooler.com Are you state compliant? WALL,NJ— Cremation in- novators throughout the country will be turning out in force for the Cremation Innovators Summit, May 1, at the Doubletree by Hilton Airport Hotel. That’s because in addi- tion to networking with other professionals pas- sionate about serving cre- mation families, they’ll get the chance to learn from operators and consultants who have made it their life’s work to help cremation families honor loved ones. At the Innovators Sum- mit, learn how to: find the courage to properly price cremation; ask the right questions and be ready with answers; in- vest in procedures and services to provide fami- lies with peace of mind; personalize services so families become champi- ons of your business; and convert website visitors into loyal customers. “No matter what your business model – whether it’s serving families focused mostly on price or help- ing families see the value in the service you provide – you’ll get meaningful guid- ance on boosting market share, harnessing technol- ogy, training staff and pre- senting options to families at this event,” said Thomas A. Parmalee, executive di- rector of Kates-Boylston Publications, which is hosting the event. Speakers at the event in- clude: Julie A. Burn, a cre- mation specialist at J.A. Burns & Associates, cer- tified as a celebrant, cre- mation executive, and supplier executive by the International Cemetery Cre- mation and Funeral Asso- ciation. Formerly a crema- tion services manager at Wilbert Funeral Servic- es and an executive with the ICCFA and StoneMor Partners, she will share les- sons from secret shopping. Welton Hong, found- er of Ring Ring Market- ing, has helped some of the country’s top funer- al homes, cemeteries and combination operations boost their call count via online marketing. He is the author of Making Your Phone Ring with Inter- net Marketing for Funer- al Homes and will explore how to turbocharge online marketing. Dan Isard, founder and managing partner of The Foresight Companies, combines firsthand expe- rience gained from provid- ing management consult- ing to over 2,000 funeral homes and cemeteries with a sense of humor and a touch of logic that keeps audiences energized and learning. Isard will share tips on pricing products and services. Larry Stuart Jr., found- er of Cremation Strate- gies and Consulting, and the former president of Crematory Manufactur- ing and Service, Inc., has selflessly dedicated his life to helping death-care pro- fessionals. Stuart will share best practices on operating cremation equipment and will help attendees deter- mine if they should open their own crematory. Brent Taylor, founder of Brentwood Funeral Ser- vices, a collection of pre- mier funeral homes with several locations in Ten- nessee and Mississippi, will highlight how he’s gotten creative in his approach to serving cremation families – and how you can, too! The event, which is spon- sored by ASD – Answer- ing Service for Directors, and Ring Ring Marketing, has been approved for 5.5 CEUs by the Academy of Professional Funeral Ser- vice Practice. CEU ap- provals will be sought in most states that do not au- tomatically accept Acade- my approval. For more information, call Thomas Parmalee at 732-746-0201, email tparmalee@kbpublications. com or visit https://events. kates-boylston.com/venue/ doub l e t r e e - by - h i l t on - philadelphia-airport/. LARGO,FL— MKJ’s 2020 Marketing Summit will in- vestigate the consolidation of the industry relative to the benefits and challenges it represents to independent fu- neral homes, including all of the ways we compete for them – not just for customers, but for staffing, real estate, and every other facet of this complicated relationship. Many within the death care industry perceive the con- solidation of the industry as a challenge for which there is no solution, but for most independent funeral homes, the acquisition and consolidation process that has been going on for nearly 40 years has been a net gain. In fact, the only challenge has been competing with consolidated funeral homes. However, in reality, consolidated funer- al homes are easier to compete with – and beat – than a well-managed, independent funeral home. Relative to the consolidation and competition in gen- eral, presentations will address how to engage the next generation in your family business. Certainly, for many owners, selling their business to a consolidation company answers many of their challenges. However, consolidators are not interested in acquiring every funeral business; in fact, they are much more interested in making acquisi- tions in markets where they already have properties. For many family businesses, continuing the family own- ership represents the best strategy moving forward. Wheth- er a firm’s next generation is made up of children, relatives, or staff members, there is still a great need to invest in our industry’s future leaders. Bring them to this session or send them so they can hear from outside experts about where the industry is going and what’s in it for them. Can’t send them? Attendees will learn how to motivate younger staff News Educational Cremation Innovators to Gather in Philadelphia Dan Isard, founder and managing partner of The Foresight Companies, will be one of the speakers at the Cremation Innovators Summit, May 1, in Philadelphia. MKJ Announces 2020 Seminar Programming members and their man- agement team – along with how to harness their talents for long-term success. Additional topics that will be covered include: • How do I attract mini- mal cremation customers without cannibalizing my full-service business? • What does research say about what consumers are willing to pay for, and how do I leverage it? • How do I make the most out of an acquisition? • Which firms should I ac- quire, and how can I iden- tify the best prospects? • What are the new tech- niques for dealing with a dissatisfied family, and how do I teach my staff about service recovery? • How do I promote my firm’s celebrant services? • Are there any holes in my marketing plan? The featured speaker at the 2020 Summit will be author and consultant Stephen Shapiro, who has present- ed in 50 countries and was inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame. Shapiro helps organizations drive tenfold improvement’s on their in- novation ROI over tradi- tional methods. He previ- ously led a 20,000-person practice at the consulting firm, Accenture. Continued on Page A37 PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 Fax 1-800-321-9040 Email info@nomispublications.com FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Class Officers and Administrators: Send Us Your News!