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.