August 14, 2007, Edition - Volume 8 - No. 18
Welcome to the ICCFA Wireless newsletter! If you experience any problems with this html version, please let us know. Email lindab@iccfa.com.
ICCFA WIRELESS is a biweekly electronic newsletter bringing members of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association the latest government and legal, industry and association news. It is available to all ICCFA members current on their dues. Comments, questions and "hot news tips" are welcome. Write to: hq@iccfa.com.
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
INDUSTRY NEWS
Clayton Smart Scandal Receives Coverage in National Magazines
Updated Alert: Beware Funeral Credit Card Scam by Phone, Fax and Email
ICCFA NEWS
ICCFA Convention Proposals Due This Week!
Fall Conference Early Registration Deadline: August 31
Discover "Recipes for Success" at 2008 Sales Conference
Did You Know? Preventing Hepatitis B and C Exposure
Call for Candidates to ICCFA Board of Directors
Product of the Month:CD on Cemetery Regulations
CLASSIFIED ADS
INDUSTRY NEWS
Clayton Smart Scandal Receives Coverage in National Magazines
The ongoing criminal and civil investigations involving Clayton Smart, an erstwhile Oklahoma oil and gas speculator turned cemetery and funeral home owner, is receiving national attention in the current editions of Fortune and Portfolio magazines. Smart had purchased properties in Michigan, Tennessee, and Arkansas, and is now accused by authorities of embezzling tens of millions of dollars and defrauding thousands of preneed purchasers. Smart is now incarcerated in Tennessee pending a felony trial. His extradition to Michigan is also pending where state authorities have charged him with a 39-count indictment.
Due to the magnitude of allegations and the scope of the investigations against Smart and his colleagues, it remains to be seen whether inquiries at the federal level will be initiated. The two magazine articles can be viewed at the respective websites of Fortune and Portfolio: http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/10/news/funeral_home.fortune/index.htm and http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/national-news/portfolio/2007/08/13/Cemetery-Fraud.
Updated Alert: Beware Funeral Credit Card Scam by Phone, Fax and Email
Following up on our report in the July 3 edition of ICCFA WIRELESS, a credit card scam focused on making funeral arrangements continues by phone, fax and email. We were again contacted this week by a member who received a fraudulent request on his web site. When conveyed by telephone, the calls appear to be placed by "relay call" ordinarily used by the hearing impaired. Here's how it works:
After inquiring about prices, the caller gives instructions on placing a credit card charge, then requests that an additional amount of money, ranging from $1200 to $1650, be charged to the credit card and sent to a "burial agent" in another country via Western Union Money Transfer.
The scam seems similar to the well-known "Nigerian money transfer" scam. Emails and faxes forwarded by members to the ICCFA are worded nearly identically with similar typos. Part of the first paragraph reads: "...and pis I will like to book a burial plot of my late mum. Pis I will like you to email me with the costs for the single burial plots which u have available at this time..."
This scam has continued for several weeks and members are advised to alert their staff to this activity. Members receiving such calls, faxes or emails are encouraged to report them to the Federal Trade Commission's &qout;Consumer Sentinel" complaint forum on the FTC web site at https://www.econsumer.gov/pls/econsumer/wimsnery2$com.main?p_lang_seq=1.
Complaints entered into this FTC law enforcement database will be made available to certified government law enforcement agencies in participating countries. The information is used by government agencies to spot new trends, uncover new scams, and target suspect companies and individuals for law enforcement actions. Submitting your complaint will help law enforcement agencies worldwide in their efforts to keep the Internet safe for the public.
ICCFA NEWS
ICCFA Convention Proposals Due This Week!
The International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association invites industry members to submit proposals for presentations for the 2008 Convention & Exposition, March 26-29, at the San Diego Convention Center. Presentations on all aspects of the cemetery, crematory, funeral service and memorialization profession are welcome.
New Deadline: The ICCFA has extended the presentation proposal deadline to Friday, August 17. If you or someone you know is interested in participating as a speaker in one of the industry's most anticipated events, please download the submission guidelines at http://www.iccfa.com/docs/ac08.doc, and submit your proposal to the ICCFA by the end of this week. If you have any questions, call the ICCFA at 1.800.645.7700, or email Linda Budzinski at lindaacorn@yahoo.com.
Fall Conference Early Registration Deadline: August 31
Step away from the stress and the routine of your daily work and allow yourself a chance to unwind and gain a fresh perspective on your business.
This October, treat yourself to the diverse program offered at the ICCFA Fall Conference, October 3-6 in Palm Springs, California. With daily sessions covering topics such as strategic planning, diversifying your products and services, recruiting outside talent and more, you are sure to return to your business with new ideas and techniques to implement immediately.
During daily facilitated discussions, you'll hear what some of the cemetery and funeral service profession's most successful, forward-thinking owners and managers are doing at their locations and share your own experiences. Also, you won't want to miss the ICCFA's Annual Golf Tournment, which will take place at the Classic Golf Club, home to the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
You can save by registering before August 31. Register today by visiting www.iccfa.com/fall07.htm or call 1.800.645.7700.
Discover "Recipes for Success" at 2008 Sales Conference
Your customers expect more from you. You have more competitors than ever before and need to find new ways to continually distinguish yourself.
There is a solution. At the ICCFA 2008 Wide World of Sales Conference, January 9-11, in New Orleans, Louisana, top experts in the cemetery, cremation and funeral service profession will share important recipes for sales success. Two solid days of general and breakout sessions will cover a variety of topics, including recruitment, training, effective sales presentations, generating leads and more.
Keynote speaker Daniel Grissom will reveal six ingredients to create his secret sauce for winning more and losing less. Find out how to improve your sales training programs, increase your return on investment and generate higher levels of customer satisfaction. This simple recipe will help you achieve immediate results in your business and in your personal career.
Grissom, author of Step Up: How to Win More and Lose Less in Business, is a trusted advisor to numerous national corporations, including Google, IBM, Eli Lilly and UPS. As an insider into excellence for close to two decades, he has discerned what works (and doesn't) in the achievement of superior results.
The 2008 Wide World of Sales Conference program will be mailed out to ICCFA members in September. Check www.iccfa.com for updates.
Did You Know? Preventing Hepatitis B and C Exposure
ICCFA-Dignity U Online Training can reduce the risk of bloodborne pathogen exposure.
Even though we hear about HIV infections on the job, we are at greater risk of becoming infected with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) or Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Why? There are more people infected with HBV and HCV than HIV. According to the Centers for Disease Control, our risk for acquiring an HBV infection is 100 times greater than for HIV.
In the workplace, bloodborne pathogens (BBP) may be transmitted when blood or other infectious body fluids come in contact with mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth); non-intact skin (due to cuts, abrasions, burns, rashes, paper cuts); or by handling or touching contaminated materials or surfaces. BBP are also transmitted by "injection" under the skin via a contaminated sharp object puncturing or cutting the skin causing a wound.
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogen Standard protects workers from occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens. OSHA requires employers to establish a written exposure control plan that identifies workers with occupational exposure to blood and other potentially infectious material. Employers are also responsible for training their employees and specifying the means to protect them.
To learn more about protecting yourself and your workers against bloodborne pathogens, simply log on to http://dignityu.ecampustraining.com/ and take the Bloodborne Pathogens online training course today.
The ICCFA and Dignity University offer a total of 12 online safety courses, which cost just $19.95 each and are eligible for continuing education in most states. Questions? Call 1.800.645.7700.
Call for Candidates to ICCFA Board of Directors
Service on the ICCFA Board of Directors offers members a chance to learn about and participate in the leadership of the association, and is a meaningful way to give back to the organization and to the cemetery and funeral service profession as a whole.
The ICCFA's Nominating and Elections Committee is currently inviting members to apply to run for the ICCFA Board of Directors.
The committee will narrow all applications received to 12 nominees, which will be reviewed and approved by the board at the ICCFA Fall Management Conference in Palm Springs, California, on October 3. Information on the 12 candidates will then be distributed to the membership, which will vote during the ICCFA Annual Convention & Exposition in San Diego, California, on March 26. The top eight vote recipients will serve three-year terms.
To apply, you must be a designated representative of a Regular (Cemetery, Funeral Home or Allied) Member in good standing or you must be an Individual Regular Member in good standing. The deadline to apply is September 1, 2007. Applications can be obtained by calling 1.800.645.7700 or by downloading the file at www.icfa.org/docs/2008_icfa_board_application.doc.
Product of the Month: CD on Cemetery Regulations
For the month of August, the ICCFA is offering a discount on "To Regulate or Not to Regulate? That is the Question," a 50-minute audio CD of a presentation from the ICCFA 2006 Convention & Exposition by consultant Tom Daly, CCE. Among the topics covered are:
- cemetery governing rights
- characteristics of effective cemetery rules and regulations
- how to communicate your rules and regulations
- how existing documents and laws affect your rules and regulations
CLASSIFIED ADS
So, you think you're an innovator?
If you're not an innovator, this won't mean much to you. aegis is a revolutionary new system for funeral directors and cemetery counselors to design, personalize and customize life like monuments and markers in 3D with true granite colors in a matter of seconds. The system renders the memorial, prices the memorial and generates completed customer records, customer agreements and manufacturer order forms.
- Eliminates approval drawings
- Eliminates manual preparation of paperwork
- Eliminates delays
- Eliminates price books
Position Available!
Position: Vice President and Director of Sales and Marketing
Employer: Heritage Family Management - a major southeastern, family-owned, regional consolidator with properties in Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia intent on expansion that offers exceptional compensation and benefits.
Compensation: Annual earnings should range between $135,000 and $180,000 plus benefits, including but not limited to health insurance, life insurance, long-term disability insurance, dental and eye care, and a 401-K plan. Compensation is based on a very strong salary base and incentive bonuses.
Responsibilities:
- Manage and recruit a sales team for eight cemeteries with over 1000 interments while working to create additional revenue streams and improve upon sales averages, profits and new property sales.
- Work with an at-need funeral staff of 13 funeral homes and 2100 services to improve revenue per call with emphasis on increasing outer burial container and cremation averages.
- Create and implement of a coordinated marketing strategy for funeral, cemetery, monument store and pet cremation operations.
- Improve monument sales and marketing efforts through cemetery and funeral home properties, as well as existing monument stores.
Contact: All resumes should be emailed to Sally Harris, Director of Human Resources: sally@heritagefamily.com or faxed to (423) 543-3533.
Exciting Sales Opportunities!
StoneMor, a leader in the industry, has exciting opportunities for Sales Managers at three of our locations in our Western Region.
We boast one of the highest commission rates in the industry and our Sales Managers enjoy triple override bonuses on all location sales after hitting performance goals. We have excellent benefits including:
- Medical
- Dental
- Life
- Short-term Disability
- Long-term Disability
- 401K.
EOE
For more information, please call 877-857-8890 and refer to this ad or send your resume via fax at 215-826-2929 or email it to jobs@stonemor.com.
www.stonemor.com
Exciting Sales Opportunities!
StoneMor, a leader in the industry, has exciting opportunities for Sales Professionals at many locations.
We have excellent benefits including:
- Medical
- Dental
- Life
- Short-term Disability
- Long-term Disability
- 401K.
EOE
For more information, please call 877-857-8890 and refer to this ad or send your resume via fax at 215-826-2929 or email it to jobs@stonemor.com.
www.stonemor.com
Business Opportunity
CEMETERY FOR SALE
Location: Jefferson County Texas
Court appointed Receiver is seeking bids for a potential sale of a cemetery.
(Not a Trustee Sale)
Persons not familiar with laws concerning cemetery should seek appropriate counsel before replying to this request for bid.
Interested parties call 409.722.4684, and ask for the Receiver
DO YOU HAVE A BURIAL AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY?
Call Montgomery Vault. We are installing vaults in Arlington National Cemetery every day and can provide the best possible service. We offer a complete line of Eagle, Trigard and Clark vaults. Please call Montgomery Vault at 1.800.346.2069.
Reach Thousands of Cemeteries and Funeral Homes With Your Classified Ad!
- ICCFA Wireless Classified Ads cost $75 and must be prepaid.
- Ads run in three consecutive issues, and include free placement on the ICCFA Web site for six weeks.
- Ads include a link to the company Web site and/or e-mail at no charge.
- Ads with a box number for confidential reply are available for an additional $5.
- Ads must be no longer than 250 words.
- The ICCFA limits the number of ads per issue to five, on a first-come, first-served basis.
- All advertising is subject to the publisher's approval; advertisers assume liability for all content of advertisements printed and for any claims arising therefrom against the publisher.
- For more information or to place an ad, contact Linda Budzinski at lindab@iccfa.com or call 1.800.645.7700.
And More ...
ICCFA Introduces New sales Training Programs by sales trainer and professional speaker Gary O'Sullivan, CCE. O'Sullivan's two latest products include a 10 DVD Series—The Power to Sell Preneed, and a training support system called the GoSell System. Both products provide sales managers with tools and training strategies that will help them to strengthen and motivate their teams. Click here to download a detailed description of each prodcut: www.iccfa.com/docs/osullivan.doc. To place an order, call the ICCFA at 1.800.645.7700.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2006 Keeping It Personal (KIP) Awards! The KIP Awards recognize outstanding examples of personalization of services or products in the cemetery and funeral service profession. Read about the winning entries at www.iccfa.com/kip.htm.
The 2007 Music Licenses are available for just $232, no additional fees. Covers ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Any U.S. funeral home, cemetery or related business is eligible for membership as a Music License Member. Join today!
The ICCFA Store allows members to purchase the latest ICCFA resources and training products online. Some products are available for immediate direct download, including the newly released Wirthlin Report on consumer attitudes and article packages on cremation, cemetery and funeral home valuations and trust funds.
The ICCFA News Page takes you to sources throughout the world for industry news and updates. It brings you the most comprehensive selection of funeral service and cemetery news available anywhere, along with frequently updated general news items related to national and world events. The News Page reports the news before anyone else and is one of the most visited page on the ICCFA Web site. Stop in each day and you'll see why.
The Network is an online e-mail service that offers ICCFA members an easy, free way to share questions and answers to everyday on-the-job challenges. Recent discussions have examined issues such as working with the Muslim community, distance between burial sites, direct mail marketing, the growing popularity of geocaching at cemeteries, recruiting staff and more. Ideal for smaller companies with smaller budgets. Join today!
The ICCFA Internet Expo is the largest online exposition in the cemetery and funeral service industry. Cemetery and funeral home owners and operators will find 300+ providers in more than 100 product and service categories. Exhibit space is provided as a free, exclusive benefit to all ICCFA supplier and professional members. Check it out today!
Need a labor relations and employment law attorney? Check out ICCFA's HR Law Benefit program offering members no-cost telephone legal consultations, paid for by the ICCFA via an exclusive retainer agreement.
ICCFA members now also have access to an attorney for tax-related questions regarding trust earnings, care fund allocations, capital gains, investments and more. The ICCFA has retained Leslie Schneider, CPA, a tax attorney with Ivins, Phillips & Barker in Washington, D.C., for telephone consultations for up to 20 minutes with no obligation. To take advantage of this member benefit, call Schneider at 202.393.7600.
The ICCFA and Applied Merchant Systems of Chicago, Illinois, currently offer members a Credit Card Processing Program with a special low discount rate of 1.75 percent, with no per transaction processing fee. This new benefit makes it less expensive for cemeteries, funeral homes, memorial designers and related businesses to accommodate customers who wish to pay via credit card. For more information, call 1-800-675-6573.
The ICCFA Insurance Program, administered by Alliant Insurance Services, allows members to purchase commercial property and casualty insurance -- including general liability, commercial property, automobile liability and physical damage, umbrella liability, professional liability, workers compensation, employee benefits and more -- at rates they probably would not be able to afford on their own.
To advertise in the ICCFA Wireless: The ICCFA accepts limited advertising in the ICCFA Wireless newsletter, a bi-weekly newsletter e-mailed to all ICCFA members that are current on their dues and have provided a current e-mail address. For rates and to place your insertion, contact Linda Budzinski at lindab@iccfa.com or 1.800.645.7700.
International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association
107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100
Sterling, VA 20164
1.800.645.7700
703.391.8400
Fax: 703.391.8416
www.iccfa.com
Copyright 2007 International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association.