Have you "Peaked" yet?

If you were to ask a friend for a recommendation for someone to perform a service for you, such as a mechanic, a repair person, an electrician, a plumber, a doctor... would you ever ask them to recommend a mediocre person to help you out? Just a mediocre person. I think not. We always want the very best professional to do for us what we can't or don't want to do for ourselves.

So with that thought in mind, I ask, what are we doing each and every day to improve ourselves, so we don't fall into the Mediocre Professional trap?

A short time ago I was watching an interview of Colin Firth, the actor who played King George VI of Britain in the movie The King's Speech (an outstanding movie, by the way, if you haven't seen it). During the interview, Colin said the most dangerous thing any professional can ever say. He said "I'm afraid I've 'peaked,'", meaning that was his best performance and therefore every performance from there on would be somewhat..."less."

Our customers deserve our very best performance, each and every time we are at their service. Therefore we have to stay on top of our game, through constant personal continuing education.

Often times when I'm interviewing a prospective new sales counselor, I ask them "what books are you currently reading?" I really don't care what they are reading, just that they are reading something for their continued self-improvement. Most people read very little after they close their last text book. The human mind is kind of like a produce rack at a grocery store. If it is not constantly tended to, it turns to mush very quickly. (Yes, I came from the grocery industry).

So, my question to my readership is what books do you have on your reading stand right now? I suppose the more direct question is, do you have a reading stand on which to place all the books you're going to read from here on?

A couple of years ago I took a course that was conducted by the Church I attend. It was called "Strength Finders." It was a question-and-answer program designed to help the student to understand and focus on one's personal strengths. What I took away from that exercise was that I was spending way too much time on my weaknesses and not nearly enough on my strengths.

In a similar way, we should be spending 80% of our time on the top 20% of our productive employees. All too often it's the other way around. Learn to invest your time where you get the highest return on your investment.

We need to practice, drill. and rehearse whatever we want to get better at. Sometimes it's OK to turn a weakness into a strength. For the past 27 years I've invested 1� hours every Thursday morning, attending my Toastmasters club to practice my public speaking skills. If you don't know what Toastmasters is, find a club online and join one. I had the same challenge as a child that King George VI had, (no, not Royalty, a speech impediment). Today, people offer to pay me to speak in public. Talk about turning a weakness into a strength!

In conclusion, I have a challenge for each of you: explore and discover your strengths. Spend 80% of your continuing educational time on your strengths, and 20% on the weaker areas of your life. Read a new book each month. Next year, you can tell us on these pages about your growth journey. And maybe we'll invite YOU to speak about it!

Think like a journalist: questions and actions that write sales

I was raised by a writer. I grew up watching my mother mentally toil over her Remington typewriter in the spare bedroom of our suburban home as she built a successful freelance career specializing in the simplification of complex business topics for general interest and women's magazines and her own books.

I'll never forget the basic rule of journalism she taught me, eventually reinforced in writing classes. In the lead paragraphs of the story, include the following:

• Who is that about?
• What happened?
• Where did it take place?
• When did it take place?
• Why did it happen?
• How did it happen?

I've adapted this rule for use in the warm-up during my preneed sales calls. I always "ask" the person I'm talking to six questions, the answers to which will help close the sale:

• Who are you?
• What do you want to do?
• Where do you want to go?
• Why do you want to do it?
• When do you want to do a deal?
• How do you want to pay for it?

Let's frame our discussion of these questions in the form of an actual case study.

Question number one: who are you?

I am not sure which driveway to enter as there are two on a side street off a busy four-lane road. Both driveways lead to a garage with three roll-away doors, front and back.

Sitting in the driveway on one side, which I later realized is the back, sits an old wooden skiff on a trailer. The boat appears to be going through some form of renovation as portions of it all have been freshly sanded. In the other driveway, the front-side, is a 12-year-old Toyota Camry and a mid-80s vintage S-class silver Mercedes covered with yellowing film of pollen.

I drive in on the cobblestone semi-circular front driveway and pull up behind the white Camry, which is immaculate, inside and out.

I am here to visit a man I'll call Allen Stevenson. All I know is that he is 79 years old. My mind begins processing the nature of the exterior surroundings:

• Bauhaus-style home appearing to be nearly 5000 square feet.
• Double-sized lot covered with shade trees. Limited lawn space with large clots of grass interspersed with bare spots due to the heavy shade. As with the trees, shrubs are pruned but in a manner to encourage growth rather than uniformity.
• Ornate front door with stained glass depicting verdant surroundings with an eagle flying above.

By the time he greets me at the door, I've been presented with a number of impressions about Allen. I'm not surprised when I met by a fit man with dyed red hair, wearing jeans and a polo shirt.

This is a man who is meticulous about his appearance but has limited funds to maintain his previous lifestyle at the same level. The lack of care evident in the yard is not because he lacks the will or the physical capability, it's because he lacks the money.

The interior of the house is clean and dusted, though showing signs of wear. Oil paintings are displayed on the walls of the two-story foyer. I note the landscapes look like those found in the northeastern United States, and there are also ocean seascapes featuring schooners.

We sit down at his dining room table and begin the "warm-up." As a good journalist would do, I ask the initial questions and frame the discussion. We discussed his upbringing in Maine, his tour of duty in the Navy, his college studies in industrial engineering, his decision to move to Florida and his career as a shop teacher in the local middle school. He is single, always has been.

Question number two: what do you want to do?

Allen looks at me somewhat sadly when I ask this question. He has few friends, he tells me. He has a younger sister in Maine, but is not very close to her. But he feels a connection to the place where he grew up (as was evident from those paintings on display).

We then discuss memorialization. I always let the customer lead me in this discussion. Too many times I've seen salespeople tell the customer what they need based upon the product management wants them to sell. This is wrong.

The customer ideally knows what he wants. He doesn't know what you can deliver or what he can afford. It is your responsibility to fit his needs and resources to your offerings. Being creative and being attuned to customer wishes will reveal the answer.

Allen wants something simple. He wants to be cremated and afterward have a memorial service at the local Episcopal church. He has a friend who will be the contact and Allen will set aside funds to take care of the service. He wants my funeral home to do the cremation and deliver the remains to the church in a Chinoise urn he would like to prepurchase.

Question number three: where do you want to go?

Allen says his faith is strong. He attends church at least monthly and during holidays. He is a member of the church's men's service group and is involved in their Habitat for Humanity project. I suggest he may want to have his remains interred. He agrees. I present him with a number of options, both local and in Maine. He likes the idea of a final resting place in Maine, by the ocean. He has a particular cemetery in mind. I assure Allen is our job to work with them.

Question number four: why do you want to do it?

Having been a bachelor all his life and given back to the community, Allen wants to be remembered as a simple, dignified person who had as much respect for people as those same people had for him. He thinks of himself as a private person, yet he would like people to know and remember him as the fine person he is. He talked proudly of his service for his country and his Habitat for Humanity work.

He doesn't want a viewing, only a simple memorial service at the church. I present Allen with our planning guide and encourage him to use it as a tool to take personal inventory of his life and organize his thoughts.

continue here 

The WCCFA Board of Directors met in Seattle Nov. 8. 

The board will meet next on March 12, 2013 at the Lynnwood Embassy Suites Hotel.

Journalist...

Question number five: when do you want to do a deal?

We know all the closing lines. But what I do not do is wait until the end of the sales session to ask for the order. I do it consistently throughout the entire process. I ask questions such as, "Preplanning is something that responsible adults do. Don't you agree?"

Every affirmative answer brings you closer to setting a timeframe for when the deal could close, which is optimally now, while you're sitting with the customer.

When I've pretty much finished the expositional part of the presentation, I will discuss aspects of the agreement itself: the trusting, the money-back guarantee, a satisfaction guarantee for survivors, the price packaging, etc. I will even reach into my briefcase and pull a blank contract out, remove the vital statistics page and say, "Mr. Stevenson, can you give me the exact spelling of your name?"

Question number six: how do you want to pay for it?

I usually ask this question during the course of the sales pitch, not when I come to this section of the contract asking the question. I've worked for organizations that tie commission to the form of payment - contracts paid in full generate higher commission than those involving payment terms. By discussing payment terms up front, I also have a guide to how value-laden the contract can be.

When we discuss whether he has a budget in mind, Allen gives me a figure, stating that he needs to double check his credit card balance. I encourage him to do so right then.

He picks up the phone and dials in the credit card information. A look of relief comes over his face, telling me he has the ability to get what he wants. He can pay in full and if necessary, by using a credit card, set up and control his own payment plan.

Closing the close: say thank you and ask for referrals

After you end your dealings with the customer, always say thank you, express appreciation and ask whether he has achieved peace of mind.

If the customer replies affirmatively, then ask for referrals. Leave him with multiple business cards and a copy of a sales brochure he can share with his friends and relatives.

Think like a journalist: follow up on the story

Some of the most engaging stories I've encountered in the press include follow-up articles. As salespeople, we sometimes forget that following up with our customers is a great way to get more business.

I personally keep a record of every sale. I keep notes on customers, general characteristics which help me when I re-encounter them.

Focusing on the customers I've sold to within the past 18 months, I make a practice of touching base twice during that time period. I contact them once during the slower summer months to inquire about general health and, starting two weeks before Thanksgiving, I called to wish customers happy holidays. I continue to be astounded by the positive reaction I get when I make the calls. And, yes, I do get new leads and close them.

I thank my mom every time I close a sale. I know she's smiling, watching after me, proud that her son thinks like a journalist.

Article by David Minkow for the October 2012 issue of the ICCFA Magazine reprinted in its entirety with permission. Minkow is sales manager, southwest Floriday, for Neptune Management Corp., Planation, Fla. He has more than three decades of senior level corporate and entrepreneurial experience. He is a preneed sales agent and licensed real estate sales associate in Florida.

 Vandalism...

Training staff

Is your staff trained in how to approach a "person of interest"? Are they aware of what behavior to look for? Do they know the keywords or phrases to use to engage a suspicious person? Do you encourage your employees to say something when they see something suspicious?

One cemetery had over 100 urns stolen during daylight hours by a couple walking to the cemetery, pushing a baby stroller. No one from the cemetery staff approached them, even though metal clanging sounds were heard emanating from stroller!

This is what you should tell your staff to do: If you come upon a suspicious person, approach and make eye contact. Always have a cell phone with you so you can called 911 and/or facility management. Stand approximately 4 to 5 feet away from the person.

In a calm voice and with a smile, welcome them to your facility and offers instant. Are they there to visit a loved one? Perhaps they need help locating a grave site? If not, and there isn't a clear reason why they are at your cemetery, "shadow" them; people up to no good would feel uncomfortable and leave. If they leave in a vehicle, make note of the license number as well as the car's make and model.

Never shake a suspicious person's hand; keep your hands at your side. If the person displays any belligerent behavior, whether it involves words or body language (aggressiveness in the way they walk, aggressive hand gestures, hands in pockets) you should walk away and call 911, while trying to keep the person in sight.

Protecting visitors

Not only cemeteries but also people visiting them have experienced thefts. Personal property stolen from vehicles belonging to people attending services is a real concern for most cemeteries. Is paper and online obituaries are very revealing to the person intent on committing such crimes.

Is your staff aware that they should be alert to potential thefts from cars parked in your lots and along your roads? Tell employees to make note of people loitering near vehicles during a graveside service.

If they spot a suspicious situation, how does the maintenance staff communicate with management? Do all employees have access to cell phones or two-way radios? Come up with code words for certain scenarios such as "Notify 911," or "call the fire department" or "alert management" so that visitors overhearing them are not alarmed.

Make sure all of your employees know your cemetery's address in case they need to give it to law-enforcement or emergency dispatchers.

Working with other cemeteries and the police

Keep in touch with other cemeteries in your area. Communication and exchange of information increases awareness and can help you know what to be on the lookout for. You can bet if your facility has been vandalized and/or burglarized, others in the area are likely to be next.

Even if you view the cemetery across town as a competitor, contact its manager and let him or her know what happened; share as much information as possible. Create an e-mail group and send out alerts. If you belong to a local or state association, that the director know and encourage sharing in the association newsletter.

While speaking with many cemetery managers over the last year, I found a lot of crime goes unreported. Part of the reason is theft or vandalism may not be noticed right away, until perhaps someone on the maintenance staff stumbles across the problem while checking the rear fence line, or walking through a mausoleum. Ask your staff to check the cemetery grounds, mausoleums and support facilities every day.

Maintain an event log where you keep a record of events (theft, vandalism), including where it happened and when it was noticed, as well as a record of any person(s) of interest and license plate number(s) recorded.

Another reason cemetery managers give me for not reporting crimes as their belief that law enforcement does not consider cemetery crime a priority. This is where it helps to be proactive.

Invite your local crime prevention officers to meet with you and your staff. Offer them a tour of your facility. Share your concerns and tell them about any problems you have had. Ask for their advice. Suggest to other cemetery managers in the area that they do the same.

A cemetery should be a place of serenity and security. Unfortunately, achieving the latter requires more work these days.

Article by Ellen J. Rodrigues, a security specialist for over 25 years. She has spearheaded projects working alongside our country's most elite law enforcement agencies. Her primary objective in security is working with cemeteries and businesses that need to secure indoor and outdoor environments. She also assists clients with establishing security protocols and procedures. The article is reprinted in its entirety from the October 2012 ICCFA Magazine with permission.

Washington State Funeral and Cemetery Board

WSFDA: Washington State Funeral Directors Association

ICCFA: International Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral Association

CANA: Cremation Association of North America

NFDA: National Funeral Directors Association

CAO: Cemetery Association of Oregon

OFDA: Oregon Funeral Directors Association

MBNA: Monument Builders of North America

PNMBA: Pacific Northwest Monument Builders Association 

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