Page A10 july 2024 Various Sizes • Cultured Marble Vinyl-Wrapped Colors Quality Cultured Marble DYNASTY URNS IS A DIVISION OF CUSTOM MARBLE DESIGN, INC. — U.S. PATENTS NO. 9,775,760, NO. 9,827,158 For Those Who Demand The Best and Know The Difference.™ See the Complete Collection or Request a Catalog: DynastyUrns.com Call Today (800) 886-2725 Personalized Urns Laser Engraving • Custom Colors Memorial Portraits 15+ Stunning Vinyl Graph Wraps 8 Call: 661-250-1507 • Visit: www.XLIndustries.com Available Through Quality Suppliers Made in USA Unique items found only at xl industries Providing the Best-Designed Tools for Your Services Since 1926. Dozens of products that give you years of service and store compactly when not in use. Lightweight and easy to take to gravesides or churches. Pole Rack with Shelves extends from the floor to the ceiling Combo Expansion “B” Rack “J” Casket Floral Rack Sets down on top of casket Platform Shelf O-1 additional display surface for many XL large stands As a funeral director, B2B sales consultant, and business owner, I have always found it peculiar that the funeral service industry has a tendency to look down on salespeople. Some of my most trusted advisors in business are pure salespeople. They are often my eyes and ears out in the field. And they should be yours too. This negative perception is not only unwarranted but also detrimental to the growth and sustainability of our profession. Good salespeople go out and get it every day. It’s a grind being successful in sales, but it is a necessary and noble endeavor. And it’s critical to your future business. The Misconception of Sales Sales has often been associated with manipulation and deception, leading to its negative reputation. However, this perception is far from the truth. Real selling is about connecting people with solutions and providing value. It’s about understanding the needs of your customers and offering them products or services that genuinely improve their lives. In the context of preneed sales, this means helping families plan for the inevitable in a way that brings them peace of mind and financial preparedness. The Importance of Preneed Sales Preneed sales are crucial for both funeral homes and families in your service area. Competition has never been more fierce, yet I am shocked daily on the lack of emphasis on having the commitment from families to use “YOUR” funeral home versus the competitor. Having an engaging sales person can dramatically change the course of the business for the better. It really is time to stop treating preneed like a second class citizen. Especially when it’s literally the future of our businesses. Yes, businesses that “sell” service and products. By Jon O’Hara, CEO, Great Lakes Partnership Educating One of the most important aspects of preneed or AT-NEED sales (Yes, it’s a sale folks) is education. Families often have a limited understanding of funerals and the options available to them. As a sales professional, your role is to educate families, not to sell to them. By listening to their needs and providing them with all the information they need to make informed decisions, you build trust and establish yourself as a knowledgeable and caring professional. The Art of Selling Selling is an art that requires sophistication and empathy. It’s not about pushing products but about leading with value. When you understand the unique value proposition of what you’re selling, you can help share a vision of a future where your customers’ problems are solved. This approach creates desire and urgency, leading to conversions without the pressure of a hard sell. Overcoming the Stigma The stigma around sales in the funeral service is unfounded. Yes, preplanning professionals have made mistakes throughout the world. But honestly, I’ve seen my fellow at-need colleagues make larger fools out of themselves by NOT selling. Remember we pushed back on cremation? How did avoiding the opportunity to sell ourselves as the cremation experts go? I would argue we are still fighting our way back from that ignorance. When you have a good sales experience, you don’t feel violated; instead, you feel satisfied and appreciative of the service provided. This positive experience is what we should aim to deliver in preneed sales. By focusing on the value we provide and the relationships we build, we can change the perception of sales in our industry. Critical Thinking: The Evolution of the Funeral Profession Building Relationships At the heart of successful sales is the ability to build strong relationships. This is especially true in funeral service, where trust and empathy are paramount. By really getting to know the people in your community, understanding their needs, and providing them with tailored solutions, you can create lasting relationships that benefit both your business and your clients. The Future of Sales in Funeral Services The future of the funeral profession is bright for those who understand that it is a business first. Generating enough profit to continue serving and fulfilling our community missions requires a focus on business fundamentals, including effective sales strategies. By embracing sales and viewing it as a critical component of our business, we can ensure the continued success and growth of our funeral homes. Conclusion Sales is not a dirty word. It is a vital part of any business, including funeral service. By changing our perception of sales and focusing on the value we provide to our customers, we can elevate our profession and ensure its sustainability. So, let’s embrace sales, educate our clients, and build lasting relationships that benefit everyone involved. Remember, when your grandfather, paw paw, or granny put that sign out in front of an old house, they needed to sell themselves to the community. You’re no different. Get busy selling or get busy dying. FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS www.NomisPublications.com Monthly Columnsonline at Jon O’Hara is a forward thinking funeral director & CEO of the Great Lakes Family of Companies. Jon is a first generation funeral director and in addition to working as a funeral director, he has also worked for Aurora Casket Company, Tributes.com, and The Outlook Group. He founded Great Lakes Partnership in 2018, which has grown from solely a pre-need marketing organization to a strategic consulting partner for funeral homes. He is also currently building his first funeral home location in Chesterfield Twp, MI. He lives in the Detroit area with his wife, Michelle, two sons, Henry and Teddy, and Labradoodles Sydney and Annie. Contact Jon O’Hara at 586-636-6611 or johara@greatlakespartnership.com. Sales is NOT a Dirty Word Hope Givers Offers Emotional Boost for Anyone Struggling to Overcome Grief or Adversity Southern Calls Ceases Publication MOUNT PLEASANT,SC— In a notice on their website, Mike Squires, editor of Southern Calls left the following message for his readers: “With a heavy heart I share with you my final Niche. Due to economic circumstances, after eleven years, Southern Calls has printed its last issue and will cease to be in business. We have been so blessed to have had the support of all our advertising partners, our patrons, and loyal subscribers. What a journey it has been, meeting you and sharing your stories—memories I will cherish forever. I’m sorry that it must now end but I am very proud of what we accomplished. We hope our publication stirred your passion.” Squires went on to thank his incredibly talented team including Chris Griffin, art director, Luke Teague and Todd Harra CFSP, associate editors, and Bob Boetticher, contributing writer. TITUSVILLE,NJ— While her friends were having more children, moving up in the workplace and buying bigger homes, Jodi O’Donnell-Ames and her family were not just stuck in neutral — they were going backward, she said. “I was never angry, but I was so disappointed that so much was taken away from all of us,” O’Donnell-Ames said during a recent interview. “The shell of who I was really started to heal when I created something that helped to heal others.” O’Donnell-Ames lost her 36-year-old husband, Kevin O’Donnell, to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in 2001. Since that time, she has devoted herself to giving back to others touched by life-limiting diagnoses or other challenging transitions in life. She is the founder of Hope Loves Company, the only nonprofit dedicated to supporting the children and grandchildren of people living with ALS. She is also a motivational speaker, life coach and host of the podcast, Gratitude to Latitude: Stories of Hope and Resilience, through which she celebrates the people and the stories that have fueled her purpose and passion for personal growth and healing. And now, in her new book, Hope Givers: Conversations and Stories of Hope, she takes readers inside her own deeply emotional journey through caregiving, loss, grief and those hardest, ubiquitous lessons of adult life. Part memoir, part exploration into the essence of hope in a life touched by a terminal illness, and part inspirational conversations drawn from her Gratitude to Latitude podcast, Hope Givers is a raw, unfiltered look that focuses on O’DonnellAmes’ successes while acknowledging her failures and shortcomings with candor. “Our biggest challenges can result in our deepest clarity and creation,” O’Donnell-Ames said. Along the way, thought leaders, mental health professionals, and friends whose wisdom and perspectives bring valuable lessons and comfort share their helpful insights. “Somewhere among these pages, you will find a moment of connection and insight,” said O’Donnell-Ames. “It’s an indisputable truth that while life is complicated and difficult, hope is reserved for each and every one of us.” Proof of hope is evident on every thoughtful page of Hope Givers. “There are people and there are resources out there that will support you in your journey and that will help you find a way to process what you’re feeling,” she added. Hope Givers is one of those resources. Jodi O’Donnell-Ames is a TEDx speaker, nonprofit founder and MSW student. She is the founder of Hope Loves Company, the only nonprofit committed to helping the children and grandchildren of ALS patients. She is also the author of two previous books, The Stars That Shine and Someone I Love Has ALS. For more information, visit www.joaspeakson.com.
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