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President's Letter:
The Consumer Is in Charge
By William L. Wright, CCE
Bill Wright, ICFA president for 2002-2003, is a cemeterian and licensed funeral director.
He is vice president of Fairlawn Burial Park and Heritage Funeral Home in Hutchinson, Kansas, which are owned and operated by his family. He can be reached at heritage@msinter.net.
A friend of mine was on a ferry one day when it suddenly came to a standstill. He had been on the ferry before and it had never stopped like this, so he was curious. He found the captain and asked what was happening. He was told a ceremony was about to take place; cremated remains were going to be "tossed" (his word) overboard. "Do you do this often?" he asked. "Yeah, we do this more often now than ever," the captain replied. "How much does it cost?" my friend asked. "Nothing," said the captain, who added, as the remains were being thrown into the water, "Don't you know how expensive funerals are nowadays?"
As funeral service practitioners, cemeterians and memorialists, how would you respond?
I suspect many of you would say, "We charge a fair price for the services we provide," or "We charge what the market will bear," or "We charge less than our competitor; therefore our families are receiving a good deal," or "We know funerals are high, but what can you do about it?"
Well, it seems to me the families in my friend's community and, I suspect, in cities and towns all over the country, are expressing their displeasure with the way we have
"always done things." Years ago, when we were the American Cemetery Association, I attended a leadership meeting at which a colleague predicted, in a quite forceful manner, that the rising cost of funerals would change the landscape in which we have been accustomed to operate. My reply was, "I am not worried; the market will take care of itself."
I am still not worried, and will go further and say I strongly believe change is good and brings with it great opportunities for those willing to adapt. Stop for just a moment and think of the ways in which you have changed and how your evolving attitudes have affected your perceptions as well as your simple day-to-day habits. You know what you like, and you will search to find a business to meet your needs. Why, then, do so many cemeterians and funeral directors refuse to adapt, even though they themselves have changed and demand that the people they do business with adapt? The only answer I can come up with is that they are blind or stupid.
Friends, tell me I'm wrong, if you think I am, but don't you feel the market -- which is
the consumer -- has taken over, and demands to be satisfied? When the consumer wants something, provide it, no matter what it is, as long as it is not immoral or illegal. You and I operate a unique business, unique because we can be all things to all people.V
That's right: You can be all things, to all people. I believe you could put together a wish list of every remembrance-related product or service today's consumer might want, and I guarantee you there are ICFA members or potential members providing all of them -- the same things so many of their competitors refuse to offer. I am even aware of operations that, by any stretch of the imagination, are well ahead of the consumer. As ICFA president, I say, great work and welcome aboard!
I realize it's sometimes easier to start from a blank page than to work for change within an existing structure. Certain situations may make change impossible, such as cemetery charter restrictions, long held and enforced rules and regulations, etc. Therefore, let me make this
suggestion: Don't abandon your current operation, but, if for whatever reason your business cannot adapt, establish a business on the side (where state law allows) to address changing consumer needs. For example, if you own a memorial park that cannot be changed or modified to allow family monuments, establish a new cemetery that does allow them. I can come up with many examples, but I'm sure you get the idea. Funeral homes should have an easier path, because in most instances (in the absence of state law restrictions) all that has to happen is for the owner to be convinced to adapt to the marketplace.
The ICFA should continue to enthusiastically recruit new members from these newcomers to our industry. The association's mission statement puts it well: "The ICFA, unique in its diversity of membership and commitment to prefinanced funeral and cemetery services, is dedicated to providing the consumer with better value through open competition."
This mission statement both explains our beliefs and provides guidance for the future:
It encourages diversity in thought, so let's welcome individuals who think differently than you and I.
It reminds us that prearrangement and prefunding are not ideas we have invented, but rather services the consumer has demanded.
It also reminds us that the consumer will do business with the folks who cater to their needs, and it encourages this attitude through open competition.
What does open competition mean? What it does not mean is protectionism. How dare others say you may not compete with them, just because you are different and will do things differently? Worse yet, how dare they work to pass legislation to protect their little fiefdom? (Usually, it's "consumers be damned" in these squabbles.) By the same token, how can we not actively seek and offer membership to folks who operate businesses that are not carbon copies of our own?
Allowing open competition is the only way to guarantee the central tenet of the ICFA mission: the right of consumer choice. Your association has a long history of advocating the right to prearrange -- or to not prearrange. Let consumers decide what they want from us, and then let us have the courage to provide what they want.
The ICFA must be the catalyst to unite all of us, a diverse group, to become better providers. We must be ethical in our approach to business and in how we treat the consumer. In our personal behavior, we must be above reproach. And, as long as we believe in our mission statement, we must be an all-inclusive association.
Remember, I invite comments, pro or con, from any and all who have an opinion. I will always be an ICFA ambassador and am so very honored to be your president. Keep those cards and letters coming.
Copyright ICFA 2002
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