When a loved one is lost, those who loved that person want to honor the spirit in a special way. When my husband passed away three months ago, my daughters and I wanted the world to know that he was a special, loving, wonderful person. We did this by planning every aspect of his memorial service, including the color themes, readings, music, and images. My daughters designed and handcrafted his urn. It is his special memorial.
This experience gave me real insight about your clients, and what they?re feeling at the time when you deal with them. We are all unique. No two people are exactly the same. So why would we want to memorialize everyone in the same way? It wouldn?t make sense.
A friend and I recently had a conversation about this, and here?s what she had to say about her recently deceased husband ? ?He was a character, and I needed something that would be full of life and would make me smile when I saw it. When my mother-in-law said she found a bronze urn that we could engrave with his name, I almost freaked out. How could I put someone who loved art, loved life, into a formal bronze urn??
It behooves all funeral directors to offer choice. Every person who walks through the doors of your business has a unique personality, likes, and dislikes. Have you ever heard a song that reminded you of a friend? Or have you looked at an object, whether it?s a piece of jewelry, a painting, or an article of clothing, and thought?.wow! My friend/spouse/mother/brother would really love that! That?s because of each person?s uniqueness.
We?ve all read the statistics about industry trends. Babyboomers are opting for cremation and personal celebrations. You can position your business well by offering a variety of memorial products. You surely want to set yourself apart from your competition, yet so many funeral homes carry the exact same urns. When you help your families find that ?perfect? object that has their loved one?s name all over it (so to speak), you?re not only providing great service, but you know that this family will be proud of their decision, and will tell all their friends. It?s a creative way to think about diversifying your revenue streams.
We now have so many wonderful options available to us. The mass-produced memorial object may serve in functionality, but does it really honor the person? A homemade pie tastes so much better than the store-bought version. Besides the fact that it probably has more natural ingredients, it?s made with love, by a human. So, do your business and your clients a favor, and re-think your product line. Spice it up with some beautiful, unique, artist-made memorials. You?ll be celebrating the uniqueness of your brand!
Author Bio
Founder and Owner of Shine on Brightly, Adrienne Crowther spent the past 10 years supporting and promoting the arts in the Asheville, North Carolina community. Capitalizing on the expertise she gained through her role as the Executive Director of the Asheville Area Arts Council and the rich artistic culture of Asheville she launched Shine On Brightly in 2008. Shine On Brightly offers artist-created vessels for cremation remains, and distinctive memorial art pieces to honor and celebrate loved ones. In an effort to reach new heights in the marketplace, she launched the innovative website, ShineOnBrightly.com in the spring of 2008. The site offers new and inventive customizable merchandise for her customers. Paramount to the company?s success, Shine On Brightly has a stellar record in customer relations.
Over the course of her impressive career, Crowther has played an integral role with a number of Asheville-based committees and programs. In addition to overseeing Shine On Brightly, Crowther serves as a current member on the Board of Directors of HandMade in America, a non-profit organization promoting craft and culture for community and economic development in western North Carolina.
Contact:
Adrienne Crowther
Founder, Owner
Shine On Brightly
828-844-4469
