Get ready! Like it or not, funeral service is going to get extremely busy in the years ahead. Not only does that bode well for the profession as a whole, it also means job security for professional funeral pre-planners.
As most everyone knows, the front-end of the baby boomer generation began to turn 65 in 2011 and they will continue to turn 65 until 2029. The Social Security Administration estimates that 10,000 Americans are turning 65 every single day. The number is going to be at least 1.5 million per year for at least the next fifteen years. That equates to roughly a 60% increase to the current market. That’s a whole lot of people who will require the best possible service we can provide them.
Is your pre-need program structured in such a manner as to offer families your very best? Are your pre-need representatives properly licensed and trained? Do they keep their education current both with what they can learn at continuing education courses and with what your funeral home has to offer? Baby Boomers don’t always want what their parents or grandparents received. They want to do things distinctively “their way”. Is your firm flexible enough and suitably prepared to handle any request? If not, now is the time to get ready.
What about your pre-need representative’s knowledge and training regarding state Medicaid rules and regulations? Have they taken the time to learn what the current regulations dictate regarding those who wish to plan ahead for their final expenses? The number of families walking through your door seeking to “spend down” in order to qualify for Medicaid eligibility will substantially increase in the next ten to fifteen years. Are you accurately prepared to serve them? If not, they will go elsewhere and be lost to your firm forever.
Did you know that today’s age 65+ consumers check you out online before they check you out face to face? They know more about the good, bad, and ugly of your firm than you might imagine. Your services, personnel, merchandise, pricing structure, customer reviews (both good and bad!) and obituaries. It’s all online for them to read, review, and absorb. Believe me, they absorb it all!
Google your firm and really dig deep to see what people are sharing about you. You might be surprised to see what is posted on Twitter or Facebook or a blog. People will say things about your funeral home online that they would never share in person. Make it your mission to discover as much as you can about what is being written about you on the internet. Have a response to anything that is absolutely incorrect, slightly misleading, or less than flattering. You might be asked about it. In addition, encourage your customers to review you on Yelp, Google, Facebook, or any other popular website. The more good reviews you have, the better you look.