We’re kicking off a fresh new month on the Direct Cremation Podcast as our host, Will de Michaelis, explains why this happens so often—and why the problem usually has little to do with price. After reviewing real funeral home calls, one pattern stood out: staff members often provided clear and compassionate information, but they failed to give the family a specific next step.
A family calls your funeral home, asks about cremation pricing, thanks your team, and says they will call back.
Then they disappear.
We’re kicking off a fresh new month on the Direct Cremation Podcast as our host, Will de Michaelis, explains why this happens so often—and why the problem usually has little to do with price.
Watch the full interview here 🎧 https://youtu.be/3UYOzirBHZ8
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:00:41) The Call Handling Guide
(00:01:27) The #1 Call-Losing Mistake
(00:02:37) What Call Length Tells You
(00:04:24) Core Principles of Call Handling
(00:05:37) The First 15 Seconds
(00:06:27) The Phone Greeting
(00:06:43) Lead With Empathy
(00:07:29) What Not To Do
(00:07:58) Ways To Express Condolences
(00:09:12) Identifying the Call Type
(00:09:51) Winning the At-Need Call
(00:10:51) Pre-Planning and Price Shoppers
(00:12:17) Filtering Out the Noise
(00:13:53) The Marginal Question
(00:16:20) A Clear Pricing Breakdown
(00:17:37) Securing the Next Step
(00:18:39) Five Ways To Secure It
(00:22:13) Let Them Lead, Then You Lead
(00:24:04) Taking Control of the Call
(00:26:06) Tone, Empathy, Professionalism
(00:27:35) Do's and Don'ts
(00:28:14) The Phone Call Checklist
(00:29:21) Handling Off-Target Calls
(00:30:45) Final Thoughts
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For Innovative Funeral Directors Blazing a Trail.
A podcast for funeral home owners where we talk about trends & opportunities we see in the funeral home industry. We bring on death care professionals and cremation experts to share what they know.
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