Book Review
Cremation and the Funeral Director:
Successfully Meeting the Challenge
As reviewed in December 1990 Southern Funeral Director Magazine
Cremation Is Not A Dirty Word
A review of Cremation And The Funeral Director, Michael W. Kubasak,
(copyright) 1990, The Avalon Press, Malibu, CA.
Funeral service "trade press" have a notoriously hard time getting people to
talk about the great strides they have made in their businesses, for they always
fear that cross-town competitors will jump on the wagon. To see a funeral
director share the strategies that have helped them build a flourishing business
in spite of a declining local market is refreshing indeed; to see it done as
well as Mike Kubasak's Cremation And The Funeral Director is downright amazing.
He has laid out, step-by-step, many of the phobias and misconceptions funeral
directors have professed, shows how he has dealt with them, and suggests methods
which may be adapted by other firms. One book will not a successful program
make, but Mr. Kubasak's work could be a foundation for a successful program in
your community.
Without taking a chapter to chapter textbook approach, Mr. Kubasak tackles
the major issues of cremation one at a time and explains how his own firm has
approached each "problem" to turn it into opportunity. Some chapters deal only
with knowledge of market and product, others with communication, still more with
merchandising and sales techniques. The tone that he brings to the entire book
and, one must believe, to his entire operation, is that cremation is a positive
alternative for families, and should be cast in a positive light by funeral
directors. The old saw about catching more flies with honey than vinegar could
hardly be more true than in a "mind made up" arrangement meeting. A knee-jerk
negative merchandising approach in such a case could lead to a minimum or even
no sale, while Mr. Kubasak illustrates cases of a nice service being arranged
with a family who was decided on something else when they came in the door.
The best thing about a book like this is that it has positive merchandising
tips that can be applied not only in a cremation case but in any difficult case.
The value of positive dialogue and, let's go ahead and say the word, sales
techniques, is undeniable in any of your more difficult arrangements. Mr.
Kubasak's tips could easily be modified to fit the style and method of your
business, and surely there is something in these pages that could benefit you.
One caveat: like any work of one individual, this book is based on Mr. Kubasak's
personal opinion and experience. You may not agree with his opinion, and his
experience may be different than yours. Nevertheless, for a new approach to an
opportunity that will continue to face us for many years, Cremation And The
Funeral Director is well worth the time and money you could put into it.
