Preneed Pro Tips: Maximize Your NFDA Experience

NFDA is coming up, and whenever I go to a conference, I count it a success if I end up with at least one useful takeaway to improve my business. This year, I’m really hoping I can figure out a solution for my preneed program. We’ve been trying to be more active, but it feels like a game of whack-a-mole. I’d be interested in talking at the conference, but I wondered if you have anything to recommend in the meantime.
– Searching For Solutions

Dear Searching: First of all, I’m really looking forward to connecting at the convention. Your note illustrates why events like these are so important. They’re opportunities to build and strengthen relationships, and they’re also opportunities to discover the best ways to improve your business and better serve families.

This blend of connection and helping funeral homes serve more families is one of the biggest reasons we attend. A convention is one of the few opportunities to gather with so many current partners and funeral professionals in one place, and we’re eager to share all the ways we can support further innovation and growth.

My best recommendation is to be even more strategic about those takeaways you mention. It’s great to come back from a conference energized and inspired, but it’s even better to come back fully equipped with all the knowledge you need to act on an insight with confidence. By planning ahead, listening carefully, and asking the right questions, you can immediately improve your program and sustain a significant increase in preneed volume.

Plan ahead

Prepping for a conference can feel like a distraction when you’re already taking time away from your funeral home. But if I can be so bold, I’d suggest one more item to add to your to-do list. One that will make a good conference an exceptional one: Take a good look at your preneed program and where exactly in the preneed pipeline it falls short.

Since you're already focused on improving your program, I'm assuming you see the value in taking a proactive approach. Many funeral home owners I've talked to also believe in being proactive because they recognize how it addresses two of the profession's biggest challenges: declining revenue per call and the increased cost of doing business.

And if you’ve been reading these columns over the last few months, you’ll know that the solution isn’t simple. Addressing these two challenges requires improving every part of your preneed pipeline, from your first marketing touchpoint all the way through to a prearranged funeral.

It takes a lot of work, but with the right partner, you can connect with and educate more families and shift the conversation around funeral service in your community.

Set Clear Goals

One of my favorite conference practices at Precoa is making goals. Whether it’s a plan to meet with 5 prospective partners or to learn about new capabilities, creating goals is a great way to add some definition to a very busy few days with our peers.

Setting goals is probably the number one piece of advice that I would give to anyone attending NFDA. It’s quite easy to go to a new city, hang out and enjoy the sights, and fill a bag with swag. But with clear goals you can have fun and get actionable takeaways to improve your preneed program.

If I were in your shoes, here are a few key strategies and questions I would keep in mind:

• Listen, and ask
  On the floor at NFDA, there will be dozens of companies ready to talk about their services and solutions. The most engaging ones will have already anticipated many of your questions and should be able to effectively answer them. But be ready to move past the sizzle and ask some tough questions, too. Like I mentioned earlier, improving preneed involves improving every stage of the pipeline. Find out more about how this is done. How will they help you reach families today that you haven’t been able to reach in the past? What strategies and tactics will result in consistent performance from your marketing? What follow-up systems are most effective? Which metrics matter most? What kind of support and coaching will help your sales team? And, finally, what kind of results can you expect to see in your unique community? Be specific and be ready to dive deep to get real answers.
  
  
• Spend time with colleagues
  This fall, New Orleans will be full of incredible sights, delicious food and a lot of opportunities to connect with your peers. There will be a lot of opportunities for fun, but to really take the conference to the next level, chat with colleagues you trust to see what challenges they’ve faced with preneed and how they’ve improved their programs. No one can tell you exactly how to run your business, but by connecting with peers you admire, you can begin to shape the future of your funeral home.
  
  
• Hit the ground running
  When you get home from New Orleans, you might be tempted to mull over the whirlwind of NFDA and map out an improvement plan once you’ve had time to digest the experience. But my best advice is not to wait. Reflect on all the answers you’ve received while you’re still in the Pelican State. To make sure your goals are immediately actionable, there should not be any disconnects between these answers and your two most important questions– “How would this improve what we offer?” or “What value would this add to our organization?” This sets you up to ask follow-ups and enables you to come back from NFDA with more than just a takeaway. Instead of waiting and watching in the months following the conference while your program continues to struggle, you can start building value as soon as you return.

Focus on connection and progression

I mentioned this at the outset, but attending an event like NFDA is about connection and progression. I see it as an opportunity to show our commitment and support for the profession and to share meaningful experiences with our current partners and fellow funeral professionals.

We’re grateful to work side-by-side with many of the nation’s leading funeral homes. They’re dedicated to supporting families through one of the most difficult times of their lives, and we’re honored to support them to the fullest. This is what drives us to keep innovating preneed on their behalf.

And that’s where progression comes in. Like you, we’re not satisfied with the status quo. We’re always seeking new ways to advance and fine-tune what we do. Conventions are great for finding new opportunities that exist in the profession, new partnership opportunities, and discovering what new capabilities we might add to our existing ones. It’s a matter of always thinking about the future and how we continue improving our offering for funeral homes.

Once again, I’d love to connect when you’re at the convention. Precoa will be at Booth 2628, and we can chat more about your unique program. I’d like to invite current partners to come by our booth too, along with anyone else who’s curious about growing through preneed. We’re here to help.