Keeping Your Cemetery Relevant

That was the presentation title for Kenneth Varner, CCFE,  President and CEO of Cypress Lawn, workshop.  My first thoughts well Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery is truly relevant.  In fact those active supports of PCCC know we have a message to convey.  So Varner's workshop audience seemed to be a large group of traditional cemeteries that are struggling due to declining death rates in their area and cremation, but his approach is business minded and fair. 

Kenneth Varner turns out to be a great numbers man and understands there is a process to business and that process is lead generation, conversion, client fulfillment and the organization must have 3 disciples marketing, management, and finance; all held together by leadership.  He took over a failing cemetery and turned it into a relevant pillar of the community and an asset to those associated with Cypress Lawn

 

Turns out Varner practices what he preaches, as he contacted me swiftly after me met with a copy of his presentation.  Thanks! Now I can't miss anything he offered.

TAKE AWAY:

The example given is for a 100+ year old cemetery, but I believe each 'Stake holder" brings a history that begins us together in the community as the days, weeks, months, and years roll-on.  So I will present the example as given.

• Establish yourself as a beacon of local history - Where and What to Do -(Why, because it gives meaning to peoples' lifes.  It creates trust, credibility, connection and historical perspective)
• What to Do - Have a statement of purpose and importance, have books as reference and for sale, have an educational foundation .
• Make sure you have a diversified staff, customers appreciate the ability to work with different relationship managers. 
• Target Market by communities, age, income, ethnicity
• Psychographics values, attitudes, cultures
• Then market to the major groups
• Merchandise to meet the needs of your target market
• Treat your staff and volunteers better than anyone in the industry
• Become a venue for local community events
• Get people to cemetery tours have then fill out burial preferences forms on property, if they are comfortable.
• All events you support your brand must be present, must collect names,
• You should have an annual event - All Souls Day an example
• Measure Success, have benchmarks, goals
• Learn your market is and focus on it and stay on it.

Varner Finished with    Relevancy = Customers

• Create a Noble Sense of Purpose
• Determine Who Your Customers Are
• Build Services & Products Around Those Customers
• Build Sales Teams Around Those Customers & Services
• Bring Customers To You or Go to Where they are(Events inside and outside your facilities)