Personalization keeping something personal that you provided, you are automatically gifted the golden opportunity to step in and say… “That is not a problem, I can get one for each of you.” How wonderful is that? Whatever you choose to impress your families, make sure you can get more, fast and inexpensively. 5) Timely If you can’t have it for the service, or the first viewing for that matter, it doesn’t count. You want to wow hundreds of people at once, and it must be part of your celebration of life. 6) Genuine This is your contribution to the service. Make it real, not paper that looks like a painting or plastic that looks like wood. You want families to rave about what you do, not be accepting of it. If it can be stored on a shelf weeks prior to the service and snapped into place, it is not genuine. 7) Easy than a soft pillow or touch of a blanket when we want to feel comforted. 9) Quality It matters. Whatever you do, it should enhance your brand. How does it feel? How long will it last? Is it top-of-the-line? Think Mercedes not Hyundai. 10) Healing Personalization is It must be easy. As we all know how crazy things get as the service approaches, ease of ordering is essential. Whatever you choose must be simple to order, create, build, whatever; and it must come overnight or it doesn't matter. We have but a sliver of time to prepare for the service. We can’t run around town putting something together. Time is our most precious commodity. 8) Useful It needs to be useful so it will stay with the family. This is the tricky part. It has to be able to go home and become part of their lives and more importantly, a conversation piece with their friends. A good rule of thumb: your personalization idea should spark a response, such as “I think about your funeral home every time I use the (fill in the blank).” Funeral blankets and pillows are excellent choices as well as useful items. It is easier to put a pillow on a couch than to hang a picture on a wall. The added benefit is that there is nothing more comforting 30 www.ogr.org | Winter 2022 one critical component to creating the "wow" experience consumers expect. Does it help with the bereavement process after the service? We all know how to help families for the first few days, but the home run is helping them for the first few years. Think about something that also helps with aftercare, something that helps them heal. In the old days, everyone had quilting parties after a funeral and the quilt would tell the story of someone's life. The quilts would hang on the wall, sit on the couch and come to picnics and family reunions. Gone are the days of quilting after a funeral but there are several close options that fit the bill. It’s time to take a good, hard look at the products and services you offer. What do you do today that would have been impossible 10 years ago? How does your funeral service compare to Starbucks or Amazon? Are you creating a wow experience for your families? Does the personalization you provide serve the needs of the family? Will they come back because they want to or because you are local? My company weaves tapestry blankets and has the benefit and insight of working across multiple industries. In addition to funeral items, we serve the home decor, photography, gift, wedding and collegiate markets. I have witnessed first-hand the implosion of the photography industry as digital cameras came online, yet I have photography customers who thrive because they changed. I know gift stores that survived the onslaught from Walmart by changing the way they serve their consumers. Acknowledging and adjusting to customers' ever-evolving expectations and needs is paramount to sustaining your business and growing your client base.
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