Oftentimes employees are unfamiliar with or don’t understand the value of a product or service their firm offers. When this happens, it’s likely the employee doesn’t offer the product or service to consumers – even though the consumer might find it valuable.

  For that reason, firms should monitor sales, both pre-need and at-need, generated by all employees. And that applies to both services and products the firm offers. Conducting this evaluation produces vital statistics, such as the average amount of Memory Glass sold, the frequency of each sale, and the average type of cremation service that an arranger contracts.

  This monitoring process produces valuable information that shows how individual employees are contributing. And this allows firms to focus on gaps in products or service sales, which may be from employee oversight or lack of offering.

  For example, in one Midwest firm the youngest arranger carries the highest Thumbie average of all the arrangers for one simple reason: Her mother had died years before, and her dad had purchased a Thumbie necklace for her that she wears every day. Her love of this product comes through in a very caring and compassionate way every time she presents it. The conviction she has for this memorial item radiates as she presents it to the families she serves.

  However, when an employee does not believe in a service or product, why must be asked. And the answer could be one or more reasons. For example:

•         Most of the time the employee needs more training to better understand the product or service. The simplest issue to correct is a lack of proper training.

•         Sometimes the employee thinks a product or service costs too much. This is common in the compassionate death care industry! In this example the employees often mention a product or service but fail to explain it. These employees must understand that everyone is entitled to and has their own judgment of what is valuable. And neglecting to fairly offer every option to every consumer every time creates an injustice and disservice to the consumer. Nobody can assume to know what a consumer prefers to purchase.

•         Other times the employee simply doesn’t like or believe in the product or service. This is the hardest issue to modify and can damage the firm’s bottom line. It is here that employees most often neglect to offer consumers the product or service at all. And when it is offered the consumer often receives the impression it is of little or no value.

  Proper training teaches employees to offer every option every time and in an unbiased manner. They must understand the ability to customize death care services is only accomplished when consumers are offered the full option to do so.

  One way to address this principle is through training exercises: As well as teaching the logistics and availability of all options, group discussions about the options offer invaluable information. For example, designating time for employees to talk about the products or services their consumers choose most frequently can provide insight. Guide the employees to also discuss how consumers respond positively to different choices, especially options the employees do not prefer.

  Sharing these experiences provides practical examples of different options, how consumers respond to them, and reasons they are valuable to other individuals. Additionally, employees can learn to see value in offerings they previously did not understand or support. For example, after hearing the employee who tops Thumbie sales describe her experience, an employee who previously thought lowly of the option might be able to offer it to consumers with sincerity.

  The bottom line is that every consumer deserves every option. It is always the consumer’s choice to purchase or decline a product or service. But employees must present the option for that to happen. When employees fail to offer products and services fairly they are often decreasing incremental revenue for the firm.