By Leader Contributor Isaac Miller, Esq., Chief Operating Officer & Legal Counsel for MKJ Marketing
As a cremation provider, you likely receive many questions from families, but probably the most common is, “What is your price for a cremation?”
Families often ask this question first because they don’t know what else to ask, and they don’t understand there are differences between cremation providers. They also don’t understand there are different options for services.
As a funeral director, it is your job to bridge this education gap — and as cremation rates continue to rise, the success of your firm depends on it.
So, now that we’ve established the importance of bridging the education gap, how do you do this? Here are a few key tips.
1) Do not assume the family understands cremation options.
MKJ Marketing has created multiple TV spots on this concept, including the video linked below. This TV spot, along with many others, is available for your firm to purchase and personalize with your logo and contact information. Click here to contact us if you’re interested in purchasing this TV spot or learning more about the topics available.
2) Do not assume that price is the only (or even the primary) motivating factor for families.
It’s safe to say you should never assume a family is unwilling or unable to pay for a service just because they’ve chosen a cheaper method of disposition. The solution is to approach each family as a cremation with services family, where your role is to match your services to their needs.
3) Do present specific options to families.
Studies have shown that when you give consumers fewer, more specific options, they are more likely to follow through with a decision. This explains why questions like, “What kind of service are you interested in?” are not effective. It presents too many abstract options.
4) Do shift the conversation’s focus from price to value.
Maintaining price integrity is key for any cremation business, but how do you do this if others are willing to charge far less? The answer is to stop focusing on price and focus on the benefits of your services instead — specifically, the benefits available to the families you serve.
I’ll be speaking about these strategies and more at MKJ Marketing’s Sea Summit on March 7-9 in Boca Raton, FL. Click here to register and learn more.
Following the seminar, you’ll be able to answer the following questions:
- How do you shift the conversation from one about the price to one about value? And, in doing so, how do you maintain your price integrity?
- What separates you from other cremation providers? How do you effectively message this to consumers?
- What’s the role that your website should play in all of this?
- How do you train your staff to communicate this messaging effectively?
