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Be The Expert
Be The Expert
We are all guilty of doing something, just because. No one can remember why, but we do it that way anyway. In our industry we have talked a lot about the changes that we are all facing over the past few years and how we can combat/grow with it. These changes affect us as suppliers, funeral professionals and as an individuals. When change comes our way, it is a natural response to be slightly taken aback and startled as to our next move. So part of the process is to take a minute and assess where you are and where you want to head in light of these.
To combat our hesitations, we as a company adopted a new mindset that has helped us navigate through the challenges of growth in our organisation both externally and internally.
“Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing; education is a progressive discovery…”
Will Durant
How do we do it better?
In 2019 we decided that one thing we could do better is arm
our clients with more information to be better ambassadors for our products. As many wholesalers/suppliers would face, it is difficult to ‘control’ how your products are sold, explained and displayed once they leave us, as we do not sell to the public. In the last 12 months we have focused on providing training
and information sessions for our clients so that they can become the expert on our products, in our absence.
Helping them be the expert
We know, that our clients aim to be the expert and not the
sales person in their interactions with client families. We want to arm them with as much knowledge as we can, to be just that. It is important to share factual information that allows them to provide families with all the details to make their choice, in their own time.
Factual information may include size, shape, material, make
and anything else that relates to your specific brand. It is not only about the information you share but the tools you provide to assist with this.
We released an app to help families be their own expert.
‘Keep Close’ is available to families and arrangers free on the Apple App Store, where they can view urns in real time at home and learn more about shape, size, range and appearance. We created this as a tool to help make the choice a little easier.
Building Confidence
Confidence shows, always. Families trust your knowledge and need some guidance in the way of making choices, for things they may not have thought of prior to walking in your doors.
We often see that a product is provided more often to a certain branch due to a consultant’s confidence and personal appeal to a product, when they move branches the frequency of sale, of this particular product can also. It is important when training about a product range to not just share facts but to share relatable information. This in turn can be shared with families in making their decision, showing that there is more than just a product in front of them.
If our clients have confidence in our products, so will the families they are offering them to. Instilling confidence in our client and product, means they will speak confidently and answer questions the family may have, in a way that makes them feel more comfortable with making a decision in this difficult time.
Engraving Policies
SERVICES
We do not recommend having our products engraved externally. We do offer an engraving service on many of our products, this process takes approximately 3-6 weeks to be completed.
THIRD PARTIES
If our stock is engraved by a third party we do not warrant the engraving and therefore, once it has been engraved by a third party cannot guarentee cover of any other damage to the product.
Having an open mind
This topic relates to everyone, in many ways both in business and personally. It is easy to place our opinions or preferences onto someone else, especially those who may not be in the position to make a decision due to emotional factors.
When training staff, encourage them to ask the questions,
which lead families to the right answer for them. Encourage them to keep an open mind to the purposes of a product, demographic and cultural factors along with personal preference, just as we do as a business daily. Always remembering it is important to step back, listen, keep an open mind and not make up families or clients minds for them.
Training and further informing yourself about your field is
always necessary to move ahead with the times or in some cases simply to keep up. New products are added to the market as families are looking for more choice and it is our job, as professionals in this industry to make this a possibility.
For us as a company, training and informing our clients is about arming them with all that we can, so they can do their jobs easier and provide families with the choices they are looking for. Our clients are their informers, so we need to provide them with the tools for this. What does training look like for you? As an individual and as a business?
If you want to start somewhere, start by answering this and take a look at what you are doing now to “Do It Better” in your professional or personal life.
