More people than ever are choosing cremation over the “traditional” burial.
Their individual reasons vary from
one extreme to the other.
So why is this trend becoming so prevalent? Many people would simply say the cost. But I have to ask, does cheaper make it a preferable way to go? Yes and no.
When I moved to Florida from Dallas in 1999, the cremation rate was about 25% in Dallas, and in Florida it had already reached 65%. Needless to say I had a lot to learn, and FAST! I had to learn through trial and error the hard way, but I must say it has helped tremendously with how I do business now. Long ago funeral directors created direct cremation, and most families say they want this without knowing what it really is. It’s not much. As I became a funeral director, I learned a simple phrase that I believe has helped me even more in sales, and has helped many families become educated.
THE only difference between burial and cremation is what happens to the body AFTER the SERVICE.
I would bet eight out of 10 families that we meet with, even today, do not know we can still offer a service – the way we say goodbye, the way we get closure – while having a cremation. We as salespeople have to educate. Show ALL the options. And then guide the family to help them know its not just ashes in a cardboard box, and that’s it.
