Keeping your Customers In The Fold
By Bob Sands, FFDA Chaplain
President, Sands Communications

I recently attended a marketing boot camp held in Chicago. Well known speakers from around the United States were there. Assembled in that one place were some of the greatest marketing minds in the world.
When the smoke cleared after three intense days, I came away with one overriding lesson: We spend massive amounts of marketing dollars and effort to acquire new families and customers, but we do very little to keep the ones we already have!

That’s one of those basics again, right? But violating this one principle can make us lose money and even worse, market share. If you don’t build a fence around the families that you have already served and keep them grazing in your pasture, they will be easily led astray by other “greener grass”. Translated that means they will go with what appears to be cheapest or most convenient next time if they don’t have a sense of loyalty to you. And it’s all up to you to create that loyalty. Gone are the days that a person uses a funeral home just because “their family always has.” So what to do? What are some steps to take in order to build a fence around your families so that they will stay with you and be protected from others who might lead them astray?

First, get them ahead of time. Yes, prearrange them. Most times, when the words “funeral prearrangements” are mentioned images are conjured up that a lot owners and managers would rather leave well enough alone. Some have the tendency to view prearrangements as a necessary evil because many pre-need programs wind up becoming post traumatic! For a preneed program to work and work well, it can’t be an afterthought. Instead, it must be a vital and integral part of the funeral home’s long term marketing plan. The right preneed marketing system can create a constant flow of new prearrangements coming through your doors but without all the hassle.

Next, stay in contact. Keeping in touch with families you’ve already served is a step that is grossly underestimated and further, rarely utilized for maximum impact. I was surprised to hear that many marketing gurus suggest “touching” your customer base anywhere from 24-36 times a year! That sounds like a lot until you realize just how bombarded those same customers are with a variety of messages on a moment by moment basis. How does this translate with at need families? Send them a handwritten thank you note after you serve them. A week later mail an informational aftercare package with helpful tips that will guide them through the transition time. Each month, around the anniversary of the death send them a note or call them. And put them on your mailing list to receive your monthly newsletter (quarterly is not as effective). Finally, set a reminder in your database to send them a “thinking of you” card on the one year anniversary of their loved ones death. When everyone else has all but forgotten their loss, you remember. This one act separates you from the rest of the pack and shows them how attentive you and your firm are to details.

Third, ask for testimonial letters when the time is right. Many times you receive thank you notes. Get permission to share some of those comments in your marketing materials. What if they have wonderful things to say but they don’t put it in writing?

Ask them if they would take a moment to put their comments it in a short letter or email. About 30 percent of them will be glad to do so. The credibility of third party testimonials is staggering plus it’s a great way to keep them and their friends connected to your firm.

Finally, exceed your customers expectations. Sometime ago I was at a funeral home where the director walked to the front of the room when the visitation was due to conclude and said, “Good Night Folks.” It would have been just as bad to have flipped the lights on and off! The comments of the people leaving were uncomplimentary at best. I know the staff was tired. I know they had been there all day. And I know that families can be difficult at times, but that is when everyone has to stop, take a deep breath, remember why you are there and muster up an extra dose of patience. Families will sense when you are going above and beyond and they’ll remember it. They will also remember it when you don’t.

Building loyalty to your firm is more than just a nice idea, it is imperative in today’s marketplace. Begin implementing these principles and you will not only build a fence around your families but you will also create an unmatched sense of loyalty.