CrossCheck Blog

The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is hosting its International Convention & Expo October 14 - 17 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The event has the largest funeral service expo in the world and features a plethora of continuing education (CE) opportunities, pre-convention seminars, general sessions and workshops, product and services exhibits, and social events. The NFDA launched its first convention in Rochester, N.Y., and celebrated the 100th rendition in 1982. The organization currently has over 20,000 individual members which make up nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. Funeral directors from around the globe will participate as attendees and or presenters while exhibitors consist of companies like CrossCheck (details below) that provide goods and services to help funeral directors achieve success and remain profitable.

Like Charon, the Greek mythological god who helped Hercules and other heroes reach the underworld, 21st century funeral home directors are tasked with guiding people to a final resting place. In that spirit, funeral home directors, owners and financial directors will meet to discuss how to improve their businesses, increase profits and manage long-term goals. The conference takes place July 11 – 13 in Asheville, N.C., offering general sessions, continuing education units, discussion and networking events.

Last December, the Experian credit bureau released data from its FileOne database (per the Credit.com blog) about what happens financially when someone dies. Yes, this is a pretty sobering subject, and one that we are familiar with here at CrossCheck. You see, CrossCheck has hundreds of funeral homes that rely on us to help them every week. We stand in at point of sale in a funeral home to help the bereaved pay for the cost of a funeral without having to apply for credit or pay interest or take out another unsecured credit card. Some consumers call our product a “life-saver,” but we wouldn’t use that phrase in this case.

Balancing life after a passing can be difficult for the bereaved; they may find themselves overwhelmed and unsure of where to begin in the planning of the funeral. Offering a few specific suggestions of how you can help during this time could be of great relief to all involved. CrossCheck has highlighted some practical ways anyone can offer support to the family and friends of the deceased after their passing. "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." – Aesop

Chances are, most Americans can't afford to die — die and have a proper burial, that is. The cost of a decent funeral is skyrocketing. The National Funeral Directors Association compared prices for funeral processions and services from 2004 to 2014 and discovered that the previous cost of $6,580 for a viewing, burial and often required funeral vault is now $8,508.

Sales coaches in every industry tell us the best way to start a relationship is with an exceptional experience. So successful funeral home directors try to find a way to make that happen long before their services are required. It's a tough slog because even today there's still negative press about your industry, but it can get a little easier at this time of year. Halloween and funeral homes were made for each other - just so long as you're hyper-sensitive to the families you've already served.

Having a hard time charging $10,000 for a funeral? Try charging $30,000 instead -- but for a wedding. According to Fortune many communities have too few wedding venues, and funeral directors that create a space for celebrating life and love meet this need comfortably.

Independent funeral home directors own over four out of five funeral homes in the United States, and many of those businesses have been serving their area for generations. Most feel that they know their community, and certainly that’s true.

According to a recent study by New York University, the funeral industry, or at least something along those lines, was invented by Neanderthals 50,000 years ago.

Three out of four Americans believe in the afterlife, and the largest study ever conducted to find out if they’re right made some tantalizing discoveries indicating that they might be. Taking that into consideration and adding the dramatic changes in people’s awareness of their own mortality, radical shifts in attitudes towards end-of-life care, and a newfound willingness to talk about these things, funeral home directors may find that they have a completely new way to market their services.