Funeral Service Business Forum Focuses on Profitability, Service

Funeral Industry News March 11, 2010
CDFuneralNews

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Funeral Service Business Forum Focuses on Profitability, Service

imageFuneral service professionals dedicated to improving profitability, bolstering customer service and finding new revenue streams are already signing up for the Fifth Annual Funeral Service Business Forum, which will be held Nov. 17-19 at the Palazzo at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

The business forum offers up to 13 continuing education units. ?I?m thrilled that we?ve added more speakers and that we?ve completely redesigned the content of the program to maximize value for our attendees,? said Thomas A. Parmalee, executive editor of Kates-Boylston Publications, which is organizing the conference. ?The first day of the conference focuses entirely on cremation, and then we?ll drill down and focus on other important topics such as preneed, aftercare, marketing, pricing and much more.?

Over three days, a dozen speakers will help funeral service professionals tackle the issues that so often impede profits or prevent firms from realizing their potential. You?ll discover:

? New ideas on delivering excellent customer service

? Strategies to maximize your marketing budget
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? Forms and work tools to avoid lawsuits tied to cremation

? Ways to incorporate technology to bolster profits
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? And much, much more!

The conference, which comes with a money-back guarantee, normally costs $1,095. However, those who register before June 30 pay just $895, and those who sign up between July 1 and Sept. 30 will pay just $995. Seating is limited, so register now to take advantage of these early-bird prices.

Speakers at the program include:

? Teresa Allen, owner of Common Sense Solutions and a nationally recognized speaker, author and business consultant who helps clients improve customer service.

? Bruce Bratton, former funeral home owner and chief executive of IQbrew LLC, a funeral home consulting company, and president of Brown-Wilbert, a Wilbert Vault licensee.

? Chris Farmer, former counsel to Service Corporation International and now the general counsel for the Cremation Association of North America.

? Glenn Gould, chief executive of MKJ Marketing.

? Dan Isard, founder and president of The Foresight Companies.

? Tom Johnson, chairman of Johnson Consulting.

? Stephen Lang, chief operating officer of Homesteaders Life Co.

? Bill McQueen, former president of CANA and co-owner of Anderson-McQueen Funeral Homes in St. Petersburg, Fla.

? Mike Nicodemus oversees cremation operations at 10 locations for Hollomon-Brown Funeral Homes, and he is the chairman of CANA?s Crematory Operator Certification Program.

? Arthur ?Buddy? Phaneuf, who operates Phaneuf Funeral Homes and Crematorium, with three locations in New Hampshire.

? Dale Rollings, founder of Rollings, Shaw & Associates.

? Jerry Sullivan, president of the International Cremation Federation, president of the Cremation Society of Illinois and an international delegate for CANA.

Visit http://katesboylston.com/bizforum to learn more about the program, what each speaker will focus on and to register. For additional questions, contact Thomas Parmalee at tparmalee@katesboylston.com or by phone at 732-730-2586. Make sure to ask him about how you can qualify to attend a bonus cremation program the morning of Nov. 17 conducted by CANA and Matthews International.