Frazer Blog

5 Common Traits Successful Funeral Homes Share

by | May 9, 2017 | Funeral Profession

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Funeral homes face a lot of competition. Not only do funeral homes have to compete with other funeral providers in the area, but funeral homes also must compete to adapt to the changing trends and traditions of families.

How can you ensure that your funeral home stays successful and continues to provide the community with value and care? Let’s look at the common traits that help funeral homes grow and succeed.

Ongoing Education

Continuing education is a critical characteristic of successful funeral homes. Ongoing education leads to innovation, more satisfying client family outcomes, and overall success. It’s also beneficial for your overall physical health. John Coleman wrote in the Harvard Business Review that following a path of ongoing education “isn’t simply an economic imperative but a social, emotional, and physical one as well.”

There are many ways to become a lifelong learner. You can learn a new hobby, sign up for an online course, or attend a workshop or seminar. For more ideas about how you can implement ongoing education in the funeral home, download our free eBook.

Vision

Having both long- and short-term goals for your funeral home is necessary for success. But did you know that most small businesses (about 50%) don’t have a specific strategy for the future?

Having a specific vision for the future helps your funeral home adapt to changing trends and helps you stay competitive. Check out our free guide on how to prepare your funeral home for the future.

Flexibility

Being flexible is another key trait for success. It’s true for any business or service provider. Just look at the companies that adapted to the times, like Netflix, versus those that didn’t, such as Blockbuster. Being flexible means being able to quickly adopt new practices to meet the needs of client families.

Funeral Homes that Break Tradition

In a profession that’s all about tradition, breaking from tradition might seem like a bad trait. But with the funeral profession quickly changing, it’s becoming a valuable trait for a funeral home to have. As we’ve mentioned before, sticking with the status quo is a risky plan. And it can lead to stagnation and leave your funeral home susceptible to competition.

In a competitive profession, it pays to be first. Funeral homes that are adaptive and innovative and offer families new traditions are setting themselves up for long-term stability.

Passion

Passion is the most important trait for a funeral director. But in a profession with long, erratic hours and helping grieving families cope, funeral directors are susceptible to burnout and compassion fatigue. Sometimes, you need to make a little time for yourself. Read about ways you can relieve stress in 2017 to help avoid compassion fatigue.

1 Comment

  1. Deb Pearl

    I agree that being flexible would be a great key trait to have for success. I think that any funeral home that can be flexible with any situation would be a great funeral home to go to. I know I would want to have a funeral home that can work with my family and what we want to do.

    Reply

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