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Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Merendino Cemetery Care Kick Off dinner/discussion in the Chicago area.  Gino Merendino, vice president and Marcea Weiss, the newly appointed branch manager, hosted the event.

Along with wonderful Italian food and networking with other cemetery professionals, attendees were formally introduced to Merendino Cemetery Care.  In addition, we were presented with the findings of a recent focus group of families who have been through a recent loss and funeral experience at a cemetery.

Marcea, who did an excellent job in presenting information, shared the current status of the market and the lessons learned from their focus group.

It was interesting to hear the participants in the focus group state ways in which they felt their time at the cemetery could have been improved.  Not feeling rushed, the suggestion of a carpeted pathway leading to the burial site, having the cemetery personnel be dressed more professionally and wanting more of a “WOW” experience at their loved one’s final resting place, were some of the findings.

After the presentation, there were lively discussions from the attendees on what they learned, some of the other challenges they face on a day-to-day basis, and most importantly, how we can better serve families in the future.

As a person with a marketing background, I realize the importance of keeping in touch with your customer and knowing how they truly feel about a product or service.  Thank you, Merendino Cemetery Care, for listening to our customers and sharing it with our profession!

For a complimentary DVD copy of the Merendino Cemetery Care Focus Group Video Session, contact Marcea Weiss at MerendinoCare@gmail.com.

Marcea Weiss, Merendino Cemetery Care; James Curran, Executive Consultant; Nevin Mann, Founder and Chairman of Johnson-Woodford Company; Gino Merendino, Meredino Cemetery Care - Meredino KickOff Dinner, Feburary 24, 2011

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ICCFA Cremation Coaching Center coach and ICCFA College of Cremation Services instructor, Ron Salvatore has been a long time contributor to ICCFA’s educational programs. Ron, an employee of Matthews Cremation Division for 23 years, is truly an expert when it comes to crematory operator certification and environmental related matters.  Over the years, he has trained thousands of crematory personnel in the proper operations and maintenance of cremation equipment.

In addition to publishing numerous cremation-related articles, Ron is a frequent speaker at national and state industry conventions.  His presentations are full of pertinent information and always well received.  In fact, his session on zoning and equipment at the ICCFA College of Cremation Services remains one of the highest-rated portions of the college.    

We all know the importance of properly choosing a third party crematory.  One needs to have complete confidence in the crematory to avoid any possible liability. Therefore, it is your responsibility when working with a third party crematory to continually check to see that the proper paperwork is maintained and that the cremation equipment is in good working condition. 

To assist you in your inspections, Ron has developed an “Inspection Checklist When Using A Third Party Crematory".  To review the checklist, see www.iccfa.com/cremation/tools.   

ICCFA is proud to have one of the foremost experts in the cremation industry on our cremation coaching team!  If you have any questions relating to Ron’s checklist, you can post your questions directly on the cremation coaching center website, www.iccfa.com/cremation/support.

Ron Salvatore stating the facts at the 2010 College of Cremation Services, ICCFA University.

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On December 7^th, the 120 students at Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Wheeling, IL received ICCFA’s Cremation Arranger Certification.  The special event marked the first time that the certification was awarded to mortuary students. 

The only program of its kind, the ICCFA’s Cremation Arranger Certification includes six hours of in-depth training on how to arrange and create meaningful cremation tributes, how to create unique options for memorialization and how best to communicate all of this with cremation families.

Joining me in conducting the six-hour program were Ernie Heffner, CFuE, president of Heffner Family Owned Funeral Homes & Crematory, York, PA and Mark Krause, CFuE, president of Krause Funeral Homes, Milwaukee, WI.  Both Ernie and Mark shared their extensive cremation knowledge, and provided the students with creative presentations.

Special thanks to Karl and Stephanie Kann, president and vice-president of Worhsam, for allowing ICCFA  to contribute to the success of our profession’s future.

Ernie Heffner, CFuE, Cremation Arranger Instructor

Mark Krause, CFuE, Cremation Arranger Instructor

Karl and Stephanie Kann, Worsham College of Mortuary Science

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Cremation Counsel Poul Lemasters plays a vital part in ICCFA’s Cremation College’s curriculum.  Everyone in our industry needs to understand the legal implications associated with cremation, and Poul is the right individual to share areas of concern when dealing with the cremation customer and to provide guidelines for avoiding liability. 

I have had the pleasure of working with Poul the last two years and have experienced many of his presentations.  His legal and industry knowledge, along with his somewhat dry sense of humor, make for an exceptional presentation. His audience, whether it be cremation college students, funeral directors or cemeterians, truly enjoy his message.  Poul never fails to get excellent marks.  In fact, a general comment that is made quite frequently on evaluation forms is to give Poul more time. 

One of the first things I learned from Poul was the importance of every firm having a cremation policy and procedure manual and following it.   Poul has stated that many of the legal cases he has worked on are due to the lack of a manual or simply not following the policies and procedures.  To assist you in making sure your policies and procedures are in order, Poul has developed “10 Things You SHOULD Include In Your Cremation Policy & Procedure Manual”.  This important document is now included in the Cremation Coaching Center, Tools Section.  You can review and download the document at http://www.iccfa.com/cremation/tools/tenthingsyoushouldinclude.

ICCFA cremation counsel, cremation coach, cremation college instructor, licensed funeral director and adjunct professor teaching business law and current legal issues at Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, Poul is truly an asset to our profession.

To learn more about Poul and his company, Lemasters Consulting, visit www.lemastersconsulting.com.

 ICCFA's cremation counsel, Poul Lemasters, educating funeral professionals on the good, the bad and the ugly.

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Each year the Cremation College at the ICCFA University features a session on the financial realities of today’s death care industry led by nationally recognized funeral business consultant David Nixon.  David has been a professor at the University for many years and does an extraordinary job of sharing his knowledge of today’s economic picture, threats and opportunities, and pricing strategies for funeral establishments to address the growing cremation market.

Without doubt, David knows his numbers.  He has worked exclusively with independent funeral home owners since 1979 focusing on pricing, profit and planning.  He has written numerous articles on funeral service including his “Listening to Cremation” annual cremation study now in its 17^th year. 

One of the issues that David’s clients continually face is whether to serve “cheap” cremations or focus on the well-paying clients families who value full service.  In David’s 31 years of working with funeral home owners and especially recently, he has encountered funeral directors who ask about the effect of losing some direct cremation calls because they are not the cheapest provider in their area.  David has responded by providing funeral professionals with an insight into the numbers game and the potential impact on their business income through a Direct Cremation Break-Even Analysis.   

The Direct Cremation Break-Even Analysis shows you a scenario where one funeral home looks at raising their direct cremation fee.  The chart reveals said funeral home could lose 50% of its Direct Cremation calls and still break-even. Take some time and review David’s Direct Cremation Break-Even Analysis in the Tools Section of the Cremation Coaching Center.

www.iccfa.com/cremation/tools/break-evenanalysis

David is quick to point out that simply raising your prices is not the answer.  One needs to offer more value via raising standards, such as offering a private time to the family to say goodbye.  It is a known fact that people will pay more when they not only see that they are getting more, but they find value in the company’s services. 

Are you charging enough for your direct cremations?  Is the value you provide worthy of the increase?

For more information, you can contact David at 888-541-9560 or by e-mail at davidn@nixonconsulting.com.

ICCFA College of Cremation Services students gather around Professor David Nixon (third from left) after his outstanding presentation.

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As dean of the College of Cremation Services at the ICCFA University, Jim Starks possesses the organizational and leadership skills needed to manage one of the profession’s top cremation programs.  Jim not only directs the program, but also shares his knowledge and experience by conducting a session on cremation operations and compliance during the college.  Jim’s passion for the profession, as well as his continuing commitment to make the profession better, is truly admired by all.

No stranger to the profession, Jim grew up in the business and began his career at his family funeral home in Michigan.  Since 1993, Jim has worked at major funeral companies focusing on the operations and compliance segment of our profession.  Jim has trained hundreds of funeral professionals over the years on compliance with OSHA, ADA and other regulatory requirements.  He has inspected over 300 funeral homes in the course of his career and has overseen repairs necessitated in order to bring locations into full compliance.  In addition, Jim has trained and helped implement burial and cremation packages at funeral homes.

Jim knows that failure to properly manage the risk of providing cremation services and/or operating a crematory is an invitation to disaster.  Because of this, Jim has developed several training guides for use across the country.  One of the components of Jim’s training is his “10 Point Identification Verification for Cremation” which includes the necessary identification steps when handling a cremation. The list is a must for all funeral professionals.  Download a copy of the form at the Cremation Coaching Center/Tools and review it with your staff!   Avoid lawsuits…do it the right way!

www.iccfa.com/cremation/tools

Jim Starks, Dean of the College of Cremation Services, holds the ICCFA designations of Certified Funeral Executive and Certified Cremation Executive. Jim is a 2004 graduate of the ICCFA University.

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This is the first in a series featuring our renowned team of professors from the College of Cremation Services at the ICCFA University.  You will get to learn a little more about the professors through my eyes, and you will receive some of their valuable marketing and technical tools that will assist you in working with today’s cremation families.

My first exposure with Mike Kubasak was in 1995 when my former employer gave each member of the marketing and sales staff a copy of Mike’s book, “Cremation and the Funeral Director:  Successfully Meeting the Challenge”.  As I was just starting to focus on cremation, the book proved to be exactly what I needed at that time.  All of the basics of cremation were included as well as helpful insight into effective ways of helping families.  It is one of those books that one reads and reads again and should be included in all funeral professionals’ libraries.

Mike’s second book, “ Traversing the Minefield – Best Practice:  Reducing Risk in Funeral-Cremation Service” was published in 2007.  Another must-read, the book is a  “how not to get sued” guide and best practices text at a time when litigation against death care professionals is becoming both more costly and more prevalent.   

Along with being an accomplished author, Mike is one of the best instructors and public speakers in our profession.  Mike’s years of experience in the funeral and cremation arena, along with his passion for helping funeral professionals connect with cremation families, is like no other.  Mike’s training sessions are always rated excellent!

One of Mike’s training tools:  “Power-FULL Questions for the Arrangement Conference” concentrates on proven questions guaranteed to get client families talking during the conference.  We all know the importance of asking the right questions so that families can determine what is of value to them and also to assist the arranger in creating a meaningful tribute.  Review the questions on the Cremation Coaching Center/Tools, and start using them.  You just may be surprised as to how much you can learn about the client who says:  “We only want cremation.”

 http://www.iccfa.com/cremation/tools/mike-kubasaks-power-full-questions

Mike Kubasak presenting at ICCFA University's College of Cremation Services.

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Congratulations to the 26 funeral professionals who were awarded three cremation certifications (Crematory Operator, Crematory Administration and Cremation Arranger) last week through the Cremation College at ICCFA’s University in Memphis! 

Led by top-notch Dean Jim Starks, attendees experienced first hand the leading cremation educational program in our profession.  Learning from professors with extensive cremation experience, sharing and networking with fellow attendees, and the opportunity to witness the dynamics of the Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens contributed to yet another successful program.  And, yes, there were also fun activities whether it was demonstrating one’s skill at volleyball or having the opportunity to experience authentic barbecue delights in and around Beal Street.

In 2007 after being a professor at the cremation college for several years, I decided it would be beneficial for me to attend the entire college.  It definitely was the right decision!   The wealth of information I obtained from the other professors was of great value.  Every one of my fellow professors continues to keep pace with the reality of what’s truly happening in the marketplace and offers successful ways to help funeral professionals with the growing cremation market. 

To help you get a better feel of the vast resources the professors have to share, we will be featuring a series of cremation coaching blogs on the professors. Each professor will share a segment of effective cremation guidance to assist you in your day-to-day operations.  All of the educational segments will be made available to ICCFA members on the Cremation Coaching Center website. 

Look for our first “Spotlight on Professor Mike Kubasak” to appear shortly.

2010 cremation college attendees, along with Mark Ballard of Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens (second from left), in front of the Nativity Mausoleum at their Germantown Road location.  As always, Mark was a phenomenal host! 

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The New England Cemetery Association held its 108^th annual meeting and conference last week in Providence, Rhode Island.  The Providence location held significance, as it was the site of the first NEC annual meeting in 1903.  It had also been almost 100 years since the group last met in Providence in 1913.  

Anthony Hollingshead, president of Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, and acting president of the NEC association, put together an outstanding program that included educational sessions as well as fun-filled events for attending members and their families.

Poul Lemasters, ICCFA cremation counsel and I were pleased to contribute to the convention through presentations on current cemetery legislation and today’s cremation consumer. 

An additional highlight of the meeting was the tour of the historic Swan Point Cemetery.  Founded in 1846, Swan Point Cemetery is considered to be one of the foremost garden cemeteries in the United States.  The beautiful and distinctive trees and shrubs in its landscape have been described as “an appropriate and beautiful spot for the repose of the dead, but an interesting resort for the living.”  I highly recommend visiting Swan Point Cemetery if you are ever in the Providence area. 

Thanks, Anthony and the entire New England Cemetery Association, for the warm hospitality you extended to both Poul and me.  We had a lot of fun!

John DiPietro, Knollwood Memorial Park, Canton, MA, president 2010-2011 NECA

Poul Lemasters, Lemasters Consulting, ICCFA Cremation Counsel

Anthony Hollingshead, president Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, RI, president 2009-2010 NECA

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The Oregon Funeral Directors Association and the Washington State Funeral Association held their first joint convention last week in Seaside, Oregon.   Funeral professionals from both states, along with various suppliers, attended the three-day “@ Your Service” themed program.

Although the weather could have cooperated a little better, everyone enjoyed the gorgeous Seaside coastal beach.   It was my first time in that part of Oregon, and I would highly recommend it for a stopover when one is touring the Oregon coast. 

ICCFA was pleased to be a part of the convention by sharing information on the association through our tabletop display.  Tim Lancaster, ICCFA member and president-elect of the OFDA, assisted in promoting the association.  In addition, Tim was instrumental in organizing and presenting the Service of Remembrance.

In an area where both states have high cremation rates (Oregon – 66.62% and Washington – 66.44%*), my presentation “We don’t want a funeral.  We want a cremation.” enabled attendees to think long and hard about mistaken assumptions that may be made by funeral professionals when serving cremation families.  In addition, attendees received marketing tools that will help them to better connect with cremation families and assist them in creating a meaningful tribute for a loved one.

*Source:  CANA 2007 Statistics

 ICCFA Representatives Julie Burn and Tim Lancaster

Miles of Sandy Beach - Seaside, Oregon  

Photo courtesy of Celestial Products, supplier at OFDA-WSFDA Convention

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Over the last year and a half, a significant amount of articles have been written on the effect of the economy on the funeral industry.  It is interesting to note that in all of the articles, it will state that cremation is a less expensive alternative to traditional burial and is one of the reasons why more people are choosing cremation.

Most of the articles will then go on to state what a typical funeral costs versus an average cost for a cremation.  Unfortunately, in many cases, the article is not comparing “apples to apples” because they are quoting the average price for a direct cremation.   This can be quite confusing for a family who will be fulfilling their loved one’s wishes for cremation but still desire some type of ceremony and permanent memorialization.    

There have been some articles that state the average cost for a cremation with a memorial service and average costs for a cremation urn.  However, in most instances, this is not the case. 

For this reason, it was refreshing to review a recent article in the Chicago Tribune Business Section entitled:  “Cremation catching on as way to save money, but costs not always lower”. The main reason I like the article is that gives the consumer more and better information.  It lists the description of a basic (direct) cremation with average costs in the Chicago area as well as a description and average costs for a traditional cremation.   The article also lists some average costs for different memorialization options in local cemeteries. 

Although there are times when we do not have control over what the media is reporting, most writers will contact local funeral establishments to get information on their subject.  This is an opportune time to provide the media with useful information to properly educate today’s consumer.  It is my belief that that when we supply more and better education, it will be much easier to connect with today’s cremation families.   

www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0524-cremation--20100524,0,7480202.story

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ICCFA in conjunction with the Independent Funeral Homes of Virginia conducted a crematory operator certification program yesterday at the Richmond Marriott West in Glen Allen, Virginia.  53 attendees participated in the one-day program which proved to be a huge success. 98% of the attendees rated the program as very good/excellent!! 

Three of ICCFA's cremation coaches, along with ICCFA member Blair Nelsen, conducted the presentations for the program.  Our main speaker/instructor was Larry Stuart Jr., president of Crematory Manufacturing & Service, Inc. who did an exceptional job of covering all aspects of crematory operation and maintenance.  ICCFA's cremation counsel Poul Lemasters, Esq. dazzled the audience with his cremation liability presentation:  "Being safe so that you don't get BURNED".  My presentation consisted of a short segment on "Facts and Figures" which alerted attendees as to what is actually taking place in today's cremation market.   We were also very appreciative that Blair Nelsen, president and CEO of Nelsen Family Funeral Services, Inc. and a member of the Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers of Virginia, joined us and updated the attendees on Virginia law. In addition, Linda and Joe Budzinski were also on hand to assist with the program. 

One of the main things that I believe added to the success of the program was the large amount of interaction between the attendees and presenters. Many of the attendees shared their own experiences (good and bad), and all in all, were very inquisitive regarding the program content.  It is so refreshing to see when your audience acts in this manner.  You know that it is important to them and that they truly care about learning as much as they can to contribute to the profession.

ICCFA's next crematory operator certification program will be held as part of the Cremation College at the ICCFA University, July 23-28, in Memphis, Tennessee.  Join us for the profession's leading cremation educational program and receive three certifications:  ICCFA Certified Crematory Operator, ICCFA Certified Crematory Administrator and ICCFA Certified Cremation Arranger.     

Poul Lemasters keeps them wanting more on cremation liability.

 Larry Stuart, Jr., keynote educator and Joe Budzinski

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So often we find ourselves making assumptions and end up finding out that we were wrong.  It just happened to me last week when I assumed I was getting a ride to Cincinnati from the Ohio Funeral Directors Convention in Columbus.  When I arrived at the convention, I was alerted to the fact that the car going to Cincinnati would not accommodate my luggage and me.  Those of you who know me know that I do not travel light.  If you read Joe Budzinski’s blog on April 29^th, you saw that I did make it to Cincinnati via driving one of American Coach’s hearses.  Thank you, Bobby Mazzarella.   

Yes, the whole situation turn out well.  However, I think about the additional stress that I encountered as far as not knowing how I was getting to Cincinnati and all the calls I had to make before I finally found a way.  In addition, it could have ended up costing me a considerable amount of money if I had rented a car in Columbus since I would be returning the car to a different location.  And, all of this occurred the morning before I was conducting my presentation.     

I share this experience with you as it relates to the some of the mistaken assumptions funeral professionals may make when dealing with cremation families.  Do you assume a family will not be choosing cremation simply because the family has selected traditional burial services in the past?  Do you assume that all cremation families are just choosing cremation based on cost alone?  Do you assume that cremation families don’t want any type of tribute or ceremony for their loved one?  Do you assume that cremation families don’t want products, such as urns, urn vaults or memorialization jewelry?  Some of your assumptions may not be right.

Funeral professionals need to continually re-examine their assumptions especially when a family comes in and states they don’t want a funeral, they want a cremation.  If not, one may very well be subjected to undue stress and lost revenue.   

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One of the finest men I have known in the profession was laid to rest today. Tommy Hurt, VP of Marketing and Sales for the Bickes, Inc. organization (Wilbert Licensee), passed away suddenly on April 21.   Tommy was truly dedicated to the profession and a remarkable friend to all who knew him.

I met Tommy back in the early 90's when I started my career with Wilbert Funeral Services.  At that time, Tommy was a member of Wilbert's Sales & Marketing Committee.  I was impressed with how much he cared about our profession and was easily drawn to his kind and caring manner.  

A couple of years after I met Tommy, he invited me to come down to Tennessee and Mississippi to conduct some cremation seminars for his customers. I admired Tommy's request because at that time the cremation rate in the two states was very low, less than 4% in Mississippi.  He was definitely proactive in educating his customers!

Tommy told me that we would be conducting the seminars in three cities that week.  So basically we would conduct the seminar, get up the next morning, drive 200 or more miles and conduct the next seminar.  We certainly did a lot of driving (which by the way is something Tommy really liked to do) and got to know each other much better.  It was during that trip that I witnessed how much it meant to Tommy to stop by as many graveside services as he possibly could during his travels.  I believe we stopped and witnessed at least six services during that week.  Tommy was truly a believer in the value of graveside services, and it was important to him that he paid his respect to the many families that utilized one of Bickes' vault products.  I have no idea of how many graveside services Tommy has attended during his lifetime, but I have to believe he's been to thousands.

So, today as he was laid to rest at the Petit Jean Mountain State Park Cemetery in Morrilton, Arkansas, I can't help but think about all the individuals whose graveside services Tommy had attended over the years.  I have to believe they were there in spirit and are happy to finally meet Tommy.     

Tommy will be greatly missed by all who knew him.  My deepest sympathy to his entire family.

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I am often surprised and genuinely intrigued when I hear stories about families and their need for memorialization done the way they want to do it. Today, more than ever, we are seeing so many different types of creative usages of memorialization that are being initiated by the family.

With my own family, we saw the significance in placing a men's bracelet filled with locks of our hair on my father when he passed away.  It meant a lot to each of us to know that a piece of ourselves would be with him in his final resting place.

There are many stories about customizing urns in ways that matter most to a family.  Davis-Whitehall, one of the finest manufacturers of hardwood urns in America, shared with me a photo of two urns - one for a young woman who had passed away in 1995 and the other for her mother who passed away in 2006.  When the mother died, the family chose a customized urn for her and for the daughter whose cremated remains most likely were in some type of temporary container until that time.  The family told the funeral professional that they would be keeping the urns and using them as bookends. Not only was their photo and name, etc. on the front of the urn, but a clip art image depicting their individual interests was placed on the side of the urns that would be facing outward.  That's creative customization!

Just this week, we learned about a young man dying of cancer who is selling ads on his urn in order to help out his wife and parents with his cremation expenses.  It saddened me when I read about the story of such a young man who will have a short life.  However, it was interesting to hear how he is using his creativeness on decorating his urn.  During his interview with the media, he jokingly said:  "Who wants a plain old urn?".

A colleague of mine shares a story about the family that found importance in personalizing a loved one's cardboard container prior to the cremation. Again, personalized, creative and certainly something that that the family saw value in as they came together and expressed their loving thoughts to the deceased.

These memorialization examples are just a small portion of the many stories I have heard throughout my time in the funeral profession.  I know that all of you have similar stories.  I, along with many others, would love to hear about them so feel free to share them.

Personalized, creative and value-driven - it definitely stresses the point of the importance of listening to families and learning what it is important to them.