1) Impressive Leave an impression. Whatever you do must wow the family and the entire service. You are trying to make an impression on hundreds of people. You can’t do this with a few photos on the table or a fishing pole. Too often I have asked funeral directors about personalization only to hear them grasp at worn-out concepts all involving the family toting trinkets back and forth from the service to their home. This is your opportunity to tell a life story in such a way that everyone at the service wants to come speak with you. How did you do this? Where did you get this? Think big. 2) Lasting If part of what you do becomes a gift to the family then shelf life is critical here and must be measured in years. Avoid trinkets or anything that will collect dust and do nothing to serve the family or your business long after the service. You must do something that stays with the family so that when the next call comes years from now, it comes to you. We all have thrown away flowers. Think long term. 3) Affordable Whatever you choose to provide must be inexpensive so you can add it to your GPL and surprise the family at the service. If they know it’s coming, it’s not going to solve rule number one. If it costs more than $100 all-in, then it’s not affordable and becomes a burden. We have enough expenses; we need more revenue. 4) Reorder Think flag fight at a service. When more than one family member at the service has their heart set on www.ogr.org | The Independent® 29
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