Consumer Resources | ICCFA Programs & Services | Industry Resources
	ICCFA 2007 Convention & Exposition March 20 - 23, 2007 Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Las Vegas, Nevada Program Chair: Kevin R. Daniels, CCE Convention Speakers ICCFA thanks the 2007 Convention Sponsors Click here to download the Registration Form Click here to download the the Hotel Reservation Form; or call Mandalay Bay at 1.877.632.7000 to make your reservations. When reserving your room, ask to speak to Group Reservations and identify yourself as a participant in the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association Event to secure our discounted room rates. ICCFA Room Rates Single/Double: $219 Standard Suite: $247 Upgraded Suites: +$259 Click here to visit Mandalay Bay's Website. Exhibitors: Check out the Exhibitor Prospectus Click here for Program Schedule ¡En Español! Haga click aquí para la lista de sesiones con las interpretaciones españolas, y para información del registro Tuesday, March 20 Wednesday, March 21 Thursday, March 22 Friday, March 23 Conference Program Schedule Tuesday, March 20 5:30 - 6 p.m. First Timers' Reception Your first ICCFA Convention? You're in for a treat ... our Annual Convention & Exposition is known for its fun, welcoming atmosphere. Kick it off here with a reception just for you. Meet other newcomers as well as members of the ICCFA leadership who will be on hand to greet you. 6 - 8 p.m. Grand Opening Reception Join your colleagues in the Expo Hall to catch the first glimpse of the new products and services available to cemetery and funeral service professionals. As always, you'll enjoy free food and beverage service throughout all ICCFA Expo functions. Wednesday, March 21 7:30 - 9 a.m. ICCFA Annual Meeting of Members Please join us for your association's annual membership meeting. Members will have an opportunity to participate in elections for the Board of Directors as well as hear reports on current ICCFA initiatives from the president, vice presidents and treasurer. In addition, we will conduct our annual Memorial Service and honor winners of the ICCFA's awards programs. 9 - 10 a.m. General Session PrinciplePower for Business Survival in a Changing World (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) Gary O'Sullivan, CCE, Gary O'Sullivan Company, Greenville, South Carolina In the past hundred years our world and our profession has seen extraordinary change. All indications are that this is only the beginning. Although change has been a constant throughout history, it is coming at us today at an unprecedented rate. For a business to survive in the dynamic world in which we operate our businesses today requires tenacious strategies and keen focus. Strategies of time-tested principles that have the power to guide us through rapid change and the uncertainties of the future. The ability to keep a laser focus on the things we need to change and those that should remain the same is imperative for business survival. Gary's presentation will cause you to examine both. With his trademark concept PrinciplePower, Gary O'Sullivan will share the five principles that will give you the power to face the challenges of the future. During this session you will learn: How leaders and their decisions affect the future of a business How a company's culture affects the bottom-line How to differentiate your business from the competition Why organizations must be change-driven How the "people factor" will impact your business as never before in history 10 - 11 a.m. General Session Designing Meaningful Brand Experiences (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) Dave Norton, Ph.D., Stone Mantel, Colorado Springs, Colorado Creating meaningful experiences for your client families results in long-term brand value. How do you accomplish that in today's cluttered, saturated and price-driven marketplace? Dave Norton has worked with companies such as Microsoft, AOL, Kraft and Disney and is internationally recognized as the cutting-edge thinker on what makes brand experiences meaningful. The company he founded, Stone Mantel, focuses on finding the marketing experiences that matter most to customers and helping companies identify marketing and innovation strategies that work. In this general session presentation, he'll show you how to create meaningful brand experiences and how to differentiate those experiences from the old branding paradigm. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Lunch at the Expo Memorials, monuments and maintenance equipment ... caskets, crematories and computer software. This is the only Expo in our profession where you'll find it all! Be sure to visit every booth to find out how these suppliers can support your efforts to offer more and better service to families. 2:10 - 5 p.m. Breakout Sessions 2:10 - 3 p.m. Proven Approaches to Lead Generation David Dassow, Mount Sinai Cemetery, Phoenix, Arizona and Michael Leaf, Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio Discover how to develop more leads than you can keep up with! During the first part of this 50-minute session, David Dassow will show you how to "Mine Your Natural Market." Everyone has spheres of influence. An individual's natural market is a culmination of various spheres of influence. Using a simple, proven system will help you and your sales team generate more leads: Research Building a lead base The "200 Project" Narrowing to the Top 50 Identifying market clusters Understanding the characteristics of each market cluster Penetrating market clusters Contacts, follow-up and tracking Evaluation Next, Michael Leaf will show you how to plan a successful Memorial Day event that will lead directly to increased sales at your cemetery, including: Turning your visitors into prospects and new customers How to meet them at the gate What to hand them, what to say How to help them, what to offer Sales tools for the counselor How to involve your community Sample handouts, sample promotions What has worked three years running at one cemetery to generate more than $100,000 in new sales over the holiday weekend (not including large mausoleum sales) 2:10 - 4:00 p.m. What is the Government Trying to Do to Us Now? Join the ICCFA Government and Legal Team for the latest insights into the new Congress, regulations, court decisions and issues that affect your business. 2:10 - 4:00 p.m. Packaging That Works (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) Marilyn Jones Gould, MKJ Marketing, Largo, Florida Wonder whether families appreciate packages and how to even set up packages that work? This seminar will show you the right and wrong way to set up packages, how many packages should be offered, how to get your staff to "buy-into" the packages and the most common mistakes in using packages. In addition, you'll learn whether packages can actually raise your averages and how to construct them right so that you do not offend a family or cause your sales to go down. 2:10 - 4:00 p.m. The Funeral Cafè; John Earle, Arbor Memorial, Toronto, Ontario Feeling the pinch of the cremation trend? Maybe it's time to go into the restaurant business! In this groundbreaking two-hour presentation, John Earle will show you how to develop a proven revenue replacement program: catered receptions that result in profitable food and beverage sales as well as more satisfied families. Discover how companies of all sizes can do this ... from the large firm that can afford to build a whole new facility, to the little guy who needs to convert an existing building on a limited budget. You'll want to take notes as Earle discusses a sample business plan that includes costs and returns, as well as a turnkey framework for actually going back and putting this program in place at your location! 3:10 - 4 p.m. Honoring Veterans Don Murphy, National Cemetery Administration, Washington, D.C. Join Don Murphy, Chief of Operations of the National Cemetery Administration's Memorial Programs Service, for an in-depth look at: burial benefits for veterans and their dependents in VA cemeteries; how the VA is working with public and private cemeteries to honor U.S. veterans with a government-furnished headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate; and ways you can improve service to families of veterans, including information on points of contact, advice on how to speed up the application process; researchable resources on the administration's Web site and more. 4:10 - 5:00 p.m. How to Set Up an OSHA Safety Training Program Shannon DeCamp, TechneTrain Inc., Milford, Ohio In the cemetery and funeral service business, reputation is paramount. The last thing you need is the type of notoriety an OSHA citation can bring when your goal is to offer your clients competence, caring and peace of mind. This seminar will help you with the ABCs of putting together a cost-effective safety program. Learn how such a program can help your bottom line and what steps to take to ensure you're in compliance with OSHA regulations before you get inspected. 4:10 - 5 p.m. Preneed: Meal Ticket to the Future, Or Will It Eat Your Lunch? (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) Dan Isard, The Foresight Companies LLC, Phoenix, Arizona Consultant Dan Isard will take you through the gamut of the cycle of sales and show you how to increase your sales by up to 500 percent. What mistakes do cemetery and funeral home owners typically make that hurt their cash flow and value? What lead-generation tools are you overlooking? What conflict commonly exists between business owners and their sales staff, and how can that be resolved? Don't miss this humorous and pointed explanation of cemetery and funeral prearrangement sales. 4:10 - 5 p.m. How to Create 'The Experience' and Differentiate Your Firm Quinn Eagan, Preneed Funeral Program, Metarie, Louisiana Will marketing restrictions continue to increase and hamper sales efforts? Will the growth in cremation change your business in the future? Does the next generation want something different from today's customers? Quinn Eagan will offer some out-of-the-box suggestions to help your organization stand out and attract families. Creating "The Experience" and converting the funeral service into a living tribute is the key. If you can convert to this approach, your client families will want to buy—you will not have to sell. You'll see the results of a $25,000 focus group study with hidden video that will drive home the need to differentiate yourself from others and be the "go to" firm. 4:10 - 5 p.m. Promoting Memorialization to Broaden Your Customers' Horizons Jeff Johnson, Carrier Mausoleums, Montreal, Quebec Today's consumer is more educated and demanding than ever, yet when you ask the general public if they know what a columbarium is, very few know the answer. How can we expect people to demand what they don't even know exists? The same concept applies to mausoleums, private chapels and other forms of memorialization. While some cemeteries and funeral homes struggle to stay in business as a result of the trend toward cremation, others have adapted-moving from selling products to offering services-and have maintained an excellent revenue stream. Educating the consumer about existing service options and supporting those services with a broad range of products have become business essentials in today's market. Jeff Johnson will share important ways to broaden your customer's horizons. 5 - 7 p.m. IMSA Reception Before heading out for a night on the Strip, join your colleagues for an early evening reception in the Expo hall, hosted by the International Memorialization Supply Association. Thursday, March 22 7:30 - 8:45 a.m. Prayer Breakfast: Are Judeo-Christian Values Dead in America? Begin your day with an ecumenical prayer breakfast and listen to a debate on Judeo-Christian values in America. Paul Elvig believes that Judeo-Christian values in the United States are dead, but Gary O'Sullivan disagrees. What do you think?(Ticket required.) 9 - 10 a.m. General Session Are We Our Own Worst Enemy? The Status Quo and the State of the Art (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) Thomas Lynch, Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors, Clawson, Michigan No voice from within our profession has reached more people regarding the nature of funeral service than Thomas Lynch's. His books and articles, radio and TV appearances, national and international lecture tours have made him, according to Amazon.com, "the most celebrated funeral director in America." Alan Ball, the creator of HBO's Six Feet Under, calls him "a brilliant, soulful writer" and credits Lynch's books with setting the tone for the Emmy Award winning series. But if Thomas Lynch's work has given him a greater forum, it has also given him a generous earful from the general public on what they want and expect, what they are willing to pay for and what they will not tolerate from funeral directors, cemeterians and crematory operators. And what he has heard is too often at odds with what we in funeral service hear from our vendors, consultants, trade magazines and associations. Too often we are our own worst enemies. This presentation reviews the historical roots of funeral and cemetery services, how ours is a species "that deals with death by dealing with our dead" and the power of witness, remembrance and participation in the care of our dead. It takes a hard look at our public image, and the difference between "marketing" and "meaning" in establishing value. It asks you to consider whether you wish to be in the business of "accessories sales" or "essential services." 10 - 11 a.m. General Session The Cemetery and Funeral Business of the Future (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) Dan Morris, VeraSage Institute, San Jose, California Today's business environment is transforming operations and service for cemeteries, funeral homes, suppliers and vendors. This environment can be leveraged into success or blundered into distress. His all-new presentation from consultant Dan Morris will introduce you to the Business Model of the Future, based on principles such as: The Business of the Future understands that efficiency, although important, does not align well with the customer experience. For example, why does Nordstrom's hire someone to play the piano at their stores? Because, while music does not sell clothing, offering an environment with piano music enhances the shopper's experience and leads directly to increased sales. The Business of the Future leverages price: how to establish it, leverage it, adjust it and refrain from competing solely on price. Customers are value-conscious, not price-sensitive. When your company focuses on price, you run the risk of becoming a commodity, which destroys value and opportunity. The Business of the Future, regardless of profit or non-profit status, will be defined by profits generated rather than by revenues. The Business of the Future is best represented by the following equation: Profits = Intellectual Capital x Effectiveness x Price. (Under the old model, Revenue = Labor x Productivity x Mark-Up.) The Business of the Future will operate in an Intellectual Capital Model, which includes a firm's Human Capital, Structural Capital and Social Capital. Social Capital is the least understood and least leveraged in the business world. 10:30 a.m. Spouse/Guest Tour: Cooking Demonstration and Luncheon with Chef Rick Moonen Ticket Required Join world-renowned Chef Rick Moonen at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's rm Seafood for a live cooking demonstration followed by a delectable four-course seafood luncheon. As executive chef and owner of New York City's rm, Moonen earned critical acclaim, including three stars from the New York Times and four stars from the 2005 Mobil Travel Guide. He has moved to Las Vegas to personally oversee his newest venture, opened in January 2005. Known for his exquisite seafood dishes, passion for the sea, sensitivity to the environment, analytical mind and keen eye for seeing what's great in "down-home" dining, Moonen is author of "Seafood Without a Doubt," a practical, hands-on guide to cooking with fish. In this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you'll watch firsthand as Moonen shares his culinary expertise and serves you a fabulous feast. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Lunch with Exhibitors This is your final opportunity to explore the Expo and visit every booth! 2:10 - 5 p.m. Breakout Sesssions 2:10 - 3:00 p.m. Avoiding the Off-Ramp: Keeping Cremation Families out of the Exit Lane (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) Paul J. Seyler, Competitive Resources, Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana Our families (and our industry) often view cremation as an exit-only lane - once families get into it, they have to get off. Recent research suggests it doesn't have to be that way. Through this presentation, you'll learn a different approach to the arrangement conference that is "disposition neutral." You'll find out how to keep families out of the exit lane long enough to create a meaningful service and build a relationship with your firm. And you'll discover ways to discuss cremation differently, so that service and support opportunities don't get pushed off the table. 2:10 - 3 p.m. Talent: Acquiring and Retaining the Best Stephen Lang, Global Recruiters of Batesville, Batesville, Indiana Executive recruitment expert Steve Lang has recruited and hired management talent at all levels, from first line supervisors to C-level executives. In this interactive session, he'll share his expertise on topics such as: Today's supply and demand mismatch Compensation challenges The true cost of a commitment to talent acquisition and retention The truth about "Top Grading" Alternative hiring strategies 2:10 - 3 p.m. Reality Merchandising Dave Jones, Matthews International, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Cemeteries and funeral homes seeking new sales opportunities can find them through merchandising, effective presentation and creative displays. Through case studies of successful industry and non-industry businesses, you'll learn how to increase your revenues through multi-channeling marketing programs. Dave Jones will show you: How to identify the needs and expectations of the customers you serve Learn the value of multi-channeling Evaluate various displays and determine their effectiveness. 3:10 - 4 p.m. Cremation Marketing, Presentations and Packaging (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) Robert A. Gordon, Sr., CCFE, and Tim Lancaster, CCFE, Eternal Hills Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home, Klamath Falls, Oregon Whether you are an owner, a manager or a part of the sales team, and whether you work for a cemetery, a funeral home, a crematory or a combination operation, you won't want to miss this session filled with concrete ideas for marketing and presenting to the cremation family. Bob Gordon and Tim Lancaster will share ideas that may change your perception as to how we as an industry market cremation to our families, and you'll walk away with real tools for cremation sales and service, including new ideas for cremation retention. 3:10 - 4 p.m. Hiring, Training, Managing: Solving the Personnel Puzzle Jon Shults, Buchanan Group, Indianapolis, Indiana Changes in cemetery and funeral service models can lead to disconnect and confusion among staff. Many companies try to take steps to present new concepts to their staffs, but are they really getting it? Are your team members buying in or tuning out? Do you have the right players? Are you practicing what you preach? Jon Shults, vice president and general manager of the Buchanan Group's largest and busiest combo location, will share concrete ideas, concepts, hiring procedures and team-building ideas that help keep his firm on the cutting edge of innovations and changes in our industry. 3:10 - 4 p.m. Burial Vaults: Better Sales, Better Service Mark Klingenberger, Wilbert Funeral Services, Forest Park, Illinois Too often we give short shrift to explaining the value of a burial vault and the options available. In this session, Mark Klingenberger will help you clear up confusion in your sales presentation and add to your bottom line. He'll cover: Presentation techniques, terminology and tools for addressing the differences between a maintenance shell and a burial vault. The National Concrete Burial Vault Association's guidelines for vaults and how to use them with a family. Legal issues to consider when writing your contracts and developing your presentations. How to use visual aids during your presentations. How to put yourself in the family's shoes and see things from their perspective. Where to start your presentation. (There are two distinct schools of thought: Start at the top and work your way down, or start in the middle and demonstrate one below the center and one above it. The sales manager will decide what is best for your operation. Discover the merits of each.) How to address common objections before they're even raised. Participants will be given copies of scripts to take back to their locations and put to use immediately! 4:10 - 5 p.m. Helping Families Create a Cremation Tradition (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) MaryAnne Scheuble, Cressy Memorial Group, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Susan Spadafora, Mutual Distribution Systems, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Traditions for burials and viewing ceremonies have evolved over centuries, but since cremation is still a relatively new service, there is really no set standard for what to do. This can present a big problem for our profession: Families may decide not to use a cemetery or funeral home if they feel we cannot offer acceptable standards for cremation services and ceremonies. However, for those companies that are adaptable, this presents a wonderful opportunity. It allows you to set the standard within your community and capture the ever-growing cremation market. In this session, you'll learn: how to form a better plan for cremation ceremonies and establish the standard in your area by which all other cremation ceremonies are judged how to position yourself for after-market sales that will keep your business growing how to serve as a grief resource, to support your business long-term and build on your relationships with families the history of cremation and how tapping into some "old" options can improve your service and sales. 4:10 - 5 p.m. Creating a One-Stop Shop Frank Rosenacker, Rosenacker & Associates Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio Everywhere we go, we see Wal-Marts, K-marts, Krogers—the so-called one-stop shops. Do consumers actually frequent these stores? Yes! Will they frequent a one-stop funeral home/ cemetery combination? Again, yes! Will the trend toward one-stop shopping hurt smaller, specialty stores? Time will tell, but it sure seems so. Perhaps consolidation with your local cemetery or building on the cemetery grounds or adjacent to the cemetery makes sense. Find out how to do all of this while still remaining independent and in control of your destiny. 4:10 - 5 p.m. The First Crematory in a Catholic Cemetery Russell Demkovitz, Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey The Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey, will soon break ground for the first crematory in the United States to be built by a Catholic diocese. Russell Demkovitz will share his insights into questions such as: Why a "Catholic" crematory? Why are Catholic cemeteries in this country now entering the cremation market full tilt? What trials and tribulations did he face in his three-year "labor of love" to introduce a Catholic crematorium in his diocese? How did he sell the concept of a crematorium within a Church that had banned cremation for so many years? 5 - 6:00 p.m. Organizational Board Meeting 6 - 7 p.m. International Reception ICCFA's educational events continue to draw attendees from all over North America and abroad. Join us for a special networking reception to honor and welcome our international attendees. Friday, March 23 9 - 11:50 a.m. Breakout Sessions 9 - 9:50 a.m. Creating Custom Personalized Funeral Arrangements Betty Breuhaus, Author and Certified Celebrant, Marblehead, Massachusetts Author Betty Breuhaus has put together a new marketing concept for funeral homes through her book, "When the Sun Goes Down: A Serendipitous Guide to Planning Your Own Funeral," which engages Baby Boomers in particular to begin to consider planning their own funerals. This new concept focuses primarily on the celebratory aspects of a funeral, with funeral directors depicted as concierges rather than maudlin men in black suits. Once this door is cracked open and people begin to contact you as funeral planners, you are free to "sell" what you have without appearing crass or insensitive. 9 - 9:50 a.m. Marketing to Your Community Through the Internet (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) Robin Matthew Heppell, CFSP, Heppell Funeral Planning Ltd., Victoria, British Columbia Internet usage: It's rising even faster than the cremation rate. If your cemetery or funeral home has not yet established a Web presence or begun marketing through electronic communications, you're falling behind the curve. In this presentation, funeral futurist Rob Heppell will discuss: Email collection methods Electronic newsletters and mailers Viral marketing The elements of an effective cemetery or funeral home Web site Considerations in setting up a Web site And more! 9 - 9:50 a.m. Marketing Your Cemetery Linda Darby-Sempsrott, Trigard/Greenwood Plastics, Danville, Illinois Splash some color to your cemetery! Learn creative direct and indirect marketing techniques to maximize the value of your cemetery. How many different ways can you honor your community's loved ones? Find out in this presentation how to be the best competitor you can be by meeting the needs of all members of your community. Also, learn how to market through the use of community programs, landscaping and personal touches. Turn your cemetery into a property that serves and gives back to the community! 10 - 10:50 a.m. Taking Your Show on the Road Dale Amundsen, Bothell Funeral & Cremation Center, Bothell, Washington In this "how to" presentation, Dale Amundsen will reveal the steps needed to put together an informative educational "road show" that you can take to retirement communities, nursing homes, senior fairs, houses of worship and other gatherings. Find out how to get an invitation to present at these locations and how to further facilitate good relations with the directors and coordinators, leaving them wanting to know more about what you can do for them! 10 - 10:50 a.m. The Cremation of Sam McGee: The 21st Century Consumer (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) Justin Zabor, Zabor Funeral Home, Cleveland, Ohio Sam McGee was a character in a popular 20th century poem by the late Robert W. Service, but he's alive and well in today's consumer. In this presentation, Justin Zabor will create a colorful portrait of the quintessential 21st century cremation consumer. You'll will walk away with a greater understanding of who Sam McGee is, what he expects from funeral service, when you'll meet him, where you can find him, why he is the way he is and, most important, how we as funeral service professionals can best serve him. 10 - 11:50 a.m. Symposium on Cemetery and Funeral Practices Around the World Henry Keizer, The Facultatieve Group, The Hague, The Netherlands; Jisheng Wang, Fu Shou Cemetery, Shanghai, China; Ross Davis, Macquarie Park Cemetery & Crematorium, New South Wales, Australia Join this distinguished panel of international representatives for a special two-hour symposium on cemetery and funeral service customs and best practices across the globe. Among the topics to be presented: the development of funeral traditions in Europe and Asia, including differences in customs and new trends a new program to aid families who have lost a child in China cemetery, funeral and crematoria operations and innovations in Australia 10 - 11:50 a.m. Your Outside Revenue Sources for Cemeteries Harvey Lapin, Northbrook, Illinois, and Marie Neel, Historic Riverside Cemetery Foundation, Macon, Georgia First, attorney Harv Lapin will discuss legal considerations in establishing a charitable entity, including topics such as: the advantages of establishing a charitable entity projects that can be funded by an entity an overview of state and federal legal and tax requirements a description of the process for obtaining approval of tax exemption status from IRS and state officials. Next, Marie Neel will discuss the day-to-day "how to" aspects of establishing foundations and other outside revenue sources. Topics will include: Quick reasons for a 501 C 3 arm Flower programs and other marketing ideas to bring money in the door right away Beautification, memorialization and restoration programs Ways to involve the community in your cemetery Neel will include examples of cemeteries that have undertaken revenue-generation programs to ensure financial stability and produce profit. 11 - 11:50 a.m. How to Boost Your Firm's PR and Business Marty Byars, Byars Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Cumming, Georgia Looking for ways to market your funeral home and get your name out in your the community? Marty Byars will share two successful programs run by his firm: Non-Emergency Transportation Services. Not only can this service earn income for your funeral home, it can serve as a terrific public relations tool, giving you a reason to market yourself in nursing homes and hospitals. Find out how this venture works, including start-up costs, agency contacts and more. Presentations to Hospice Groups. Develop positive relationships with area hospice groups by visiting them and educating their staff on how to communicate with their families the importance of planning ahead. Most Hospice groups will be pleased to have your services and to be able to use your training for the benefit of the families. 11:00 - 11:50 a.m. Successful Marketing: Lessons Learned from Canada (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) Tom Holland, Assurant North America, Atlanta, Georgia Is preneed different in Canada? Can the methods used for marketing to Canadians help us when marketing in the United States? The answer is yes. The opportunities we see in Canada can be the same opportunities we have in the United States. In this presentation, you'll hear and learn about marketing efforts and programs used in Canada, efforts that can be used by you and your sales team to increase your preneed activity and results. noon - 1:30 p.m. State Association Roundtable Luncheon State and regional association leaders (and potential leaders!) will come together to network and share ideas. 1:30 - 4:20 p.m. Breakout Sessions 1:30 - 2:20 p.m. Timing Is Everything: Motivating Families to Prearrange (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) Pam Kleese, Homesteaders Life Company, West Des Moines, Iowa Funeral service professionals often think they know the main reasons behind a consumer's decision to prearrange, but can they confirm their hypotheses with statistics? Primary research conducted by Homesteaders Life Company reveals the numbers behind why consumers prearrange, what events motivate them to action at a specific time, and how demographic groups differ from each other on this topic. In this session, Pam Kleese will show you how to improve your marketing strategies by knowing which messages to communicate to which groups. 1:30 - 2:20 p.m. Customer Service: A Recipe for Lasting Change Marla Noel, CPA, Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary, Santa Ana, California Our businesses are all about people, and we want all of our employees to treat families the same way we would. Is customer service at your company up to the level of quality you expect? If not, it's time to make a change. In this session, Marla Noel will take you step by step through an initiative her organization undertook to communicate and maintain quality customer service. Among the factors: Training Reward and recognition Credos and values Internal and external evaluations Communication 1:30 - 4:20 p.m. Symposium on Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Gerard Schoen, Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home & Cemeteries, Metairie, Louisiana; John Vickers, Vickers, Verrette and Dornan Funeral Home, Chalmette, Louisiana; John D. Warren, Kenyon International, Houston, Texas; Robert A. Gordon Sr., CCFE, Eternal Hills Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home, Klamath Falls, Oregon It's often said, "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst." Too many in our profession have experienced the wisdom in that adage the hard way. In this session, we'll take a look at the potential effects of disasters on our businesses and how to best mitigate those effects. Among the topics to be covered: the damages suffered by one company during Hurricane Katrina and the amazing rebuilding process that has brought them back to near-full operations the role of D-MORT after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the challenges presented by those massive tragedies how businesses can prepare for potential disasters in their communities, including measures such as crisis communications plans, contingency planning and others how best to work with families in the aftermath of a disaster the potential impact on our profession should our communities be affected by the Asian bird flu or other causes of mass fatalities 1:30 - 2:20 p.m. Difficult Embalming Cases: Preparation (and Beyond) Melissa Johnson Williams, CFSP, American Society of Embalmers, Forest Park, Illinois The challenges presented by difficult embalming cases go beyond the prep room. Edema, trauma, infectious diseases and prolonged refrigeration cases pose significant problems to the embalmer ... and to the funeral home personnel working with the family as well. Discussions with the family by a funeral director who understands the embalming preparation is critical to help ensure a positive outcome for the family. This program will discuss the actual preparation of these types of cases but also will focus on discussions with the family regarding timing, appropriate clothing and expectations. This program is aimed at all parties involved in the process: the funeral home owner, the funeral director making arrangements with the family and the embalmer. Actual cases will be presented to illustrate the issues involved. 2:30 - 3:20 p.m. How Ethical Is Your Sales Program? Chris Kuhnen, The Outlook Group, Franklin, Ohio Your community and the families you serve place a great deal of trust in your company. Does your sales program live up to that trust? If you cannot answer "yes" to that question without equivocation or hesitation, then you and your company cannot live up to your full potential as a leader. In this session, you'll gain the skills, insights and confidence needed to make the right decisions in any situation and to realize unblemished career success and personal achievement. You'll learn: How to set sales presentation boundaries How to make a more credible professional impression The significance of a Code of Ethics How to build a solid sense of self confidence How to harness the power of a positive image Verbal and non-verbal communication skills In addition, you'll take home a set of handouts you can use to evaluate and train your staff, including a Guide to Acting Ethically in Your Life, a set of ethical tests and measurements, and practical ideas for solving ethical dilemmas. 2:30 - 3:20 p.m. How to Conduct a Pet Funeral Coleen Ellis, Pet Angel Memorial Center, Carmel, Indiana The ICCFA's 2006 Symposium on Pet Funerals, Cremation and Memorialization drew a packed room as the presenters examined this large and lucrative market. Now that you know why offering products and services for pets makes sense, find out how to conduct a pet funeral that will comfort families and position your firm for positive customer relations and future business. 3:30 - 4:20 p.m. Developing Leads Through Trustmarketing (Simultaneous Spanish-to-English interpretation available for this session) Dan Katz, Dan Katz Inc., Northridge, California Consumers dislike advertising, and they particularly hate cemetery and funeral advertising. They don't want to think about death, and they often think of our profession as making a living off others' grief. This session will focus on how to develop marketing that gains attention, creates acceptance, builds trust and generates new leads. Special attention will be given to the unique and powerful and iconoclastic Baby Boomer market, which now defines the major buyer of funeral services. You'll receive a Trustmarketing Guide that allows you to evaluate your own marketing efforts with specific actionable steps on creating and building your brand. 3:30 - 4:20 p.m. What Drives the Sales Counselor? Rick Kelner, aegis, Indianapolis, Indiana This presentation is the culmination of a research project detailing the emotional drivers of the cemetery counselor, which was commissioned by aegis, a monument provider. The company retained Clevenger Associates in October 2005 to conduct the research and analyze the results, using a research methodology based on the Walt Disney Corporation technique called "Imagineering." Among the things you'll learn: Salespeople deal with death either by acknowledging or suppressing their feelings; but both lead to burnout. Find out how to identify and manage their individual coping mechanisms. Salespeople can be identified as having an "away from" or a "toward" personality. You'll learn what this means to your sales program, and how to identify and manage the emotional drivers underlying the salesperson's behavior. The real reason behind lower than expected results in monument sales and the four cures. 7 - 10:00 p.m. Closing Reception and Dinner join us for a casual evening of great food and entertainment. *********************************************************************************************   back to top