Holograms Allow The Dead To Attend Their Own Funerals !

All eyes were on the stage at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards, as no other than music legend Michael Jackson took the stage. That is right, nearly five years after his death, new holographic imaging technology allowed for his 3D, free standing image to grace the stage once again. This is not the first time holograms have been used to wow the audience. CNN used holograms to grab the attention of their viewers as they had correspondent Jessica Yellin and guest star and musician Will.i.am report live on TV as a hologram for the 2008 elections.

CNN used live people to make their hologram debut, but what about Michael Jackson, he has been gone for since 2009. This site was reminiscent of the 2012 Coachella Festival when Snoop Dogg took the stage with his long-time friend and fellow rapper, Tupac, who had died in 1996. This new technology of bringing the dead back to life is receiving mixed reviews by the public. While some people are amazed at the technology and love seeing their favorite icons back on stage, other people find it disrespectful to the dead and a little creepy.

What is a Hologram?

Holographic technology was the brainchild of Dennis Gabor, who came up with the theory that this type of technology was possible. This technology has advance greatly over the years, especially in the last decade and seems to be making dramatic improvements all the time. When CNN created their holograms for the 2008 election night, they used a series of 35 high-definition cameras to capture video pictures from different angles that were used to create a hologram. In this instance, the co-anchors on the show could not see the hologram on stage with them, but it could be seen on the screen and by the viewing audience.

Typically, a hologram is created using a different method that involves laser beams, mirrors and beam splitters. The laser beam is directed towards the mirrors, which work to reflect the beam to the beam splitter. This actually cuts the beam in half by sending half of the light to the object being captured and the other half to the hologram. These two beams are again redirected ,and meet at a photographic glass plate, where it is recorded.

Unlike a photograph where the image is recorded and the transferred into a picture, holographic technology only captures a pattern. This pattern is what is used to transform the object into a hologram. One of the most amazing things with this technology is that if a magnifying glass is used in the process it will magnify the object automatically. If the hologram were created prior to the person’s death, they would be used at the object being recorded. If the person were already decease, previously taken pictures and video footage would need to be used.

How to Integrate a Hologram into a Funeral

The increasing use and popularity of holographic technology has many people wondering if there is an effective way to integrate holograms into a funeral. This technology is only expected to improve in its capabilities in the upcoming years. In addition, the use of these technology and its tools will likely decrease in costs as it become more popular. This will certainly make hologram integration into funeral planning possible, but how will it work.

Hologram Funeral Planning
Or Just Bring R2D2 To The Funeral!

This simplest way to make this integration occur is to have a holographic message prerecorded before a person passes away, and then play it back during the funeral. This will give a person the ability to leave a final message to their loved ones. This has actually been done for years, but through a video recorder with the video displayed on a screen or TV. A hologram will provide a life-like version of the person and make it seem like they are almost in the room at the funeral.

Another way would be for the families, as part of their funeral planning, to convert their loved one, through the use of old video footage and pictures, into a hologram. Of course, this method would require more work and probably cost a bit more, but it would still have the same effect. This would be a way for grieving family members to honor their loved one and pay a special tribute to them. This may also allow friends and family to say their goodbyes in a more personal way.

Not only could a hologram be used as part of the funeral service allowing the deceased to say his/her final goodbyes, but it could also be used in during viewing allowing family and friends to pay their respects to the decease. In addition, the hologram would be something the family could look back at days, weeks, or years later to remember their loved one by.

Is the World Ready for this New Technology?

Funeral Hologram and Video
Iron Man Uses Them. Why Not Funeral Directors!

The big question is not can this technology be done or even if a funeral hologram can be used effectively. The bigger question is how will using this new technology be received by those who attend the funeral. If the onstage performance of either Tupac or Michael Jackson shows any indication, society is split down the middle on how they feel about the use of holograms for the deceased. Many people thought that seeing Michael on the stage again was fantastic and some of his friends claimed that even Michael would have loved being a hologram. However, other avid Jackson fans felt it was disrespectful to his memory and just a bit creepy.

While this involves feeling about some of the top names in the music industry, how will people feel about it for a funeral of a loved one or close friend. It really is hard to tell. Presumably, people would not find it disrespectful if the deceased had prerecorded the holographic message before they passed away, since that was their choice to make. However, when the family makes the holograph after their loved one’s death, it may get different results. It may also depend on the delivery. Including a holographic message as part of the funeral services may not be as overwhelming for people as the thought of standing next to this hologram.

The truth is that holograms are already gaining in popularity and now that one of the most famous legend in the world has made his holographic musical debut, it is only going to become more popular. The use of a funeral hologram in the services may be inevitable, whether the world is ready for it or not. As with most new trends, the more people get used to seeing them, the less debate there will be about their use.

There are certainly some circumstances where a funeral hologram may be a great idea. Imagine the mother dying of cancer who wants to make sure her children remember her, or the father who wants to know his family will be alright after his death, or even someone who wants to be as humorous after his/her death as he/she was in life. For some people, this may be a great way to have people remember them just the way they want them to, rather than only thinking of how they died.

Urns For Ashes
Personal Urns “Too Real”!

If you are planning a funeral with or without cremation services and trying to determine if a funeral hologram is right for you or your loved ones, you should consider all your options. For now, at least, holograms used for the deceased are still surrounded by a lot of controversy. This may cause some people to feel uncomfortable, think (Personal Cremation Urns) while others may think the idea is great.

In the end, it is a very personal decision that can only be made by yourself, and/or your family members. It is important that you take everyone’s feeling into consideration when making the decision to use a funeral hologram or not. What kind of message would your hologram give at your funeral?

Bad Grief! When No Body Comes Home

Missed PersonEach year, more than 1.8 million American men, women and children are reported missing. Although the majority of these people are located, many stay missing, leaving their families to wonder for years and years if the person they love is dead or alive. Sometimes, this situation is the result of a monumental tragedy, like 9/11, that strikes an entire community or nation. Other times, it’s as simple and as devastating as a woman with dementia walking away from her caregiver, never to be seen again. Whatever the circumstances, the uncertainty, pain and isolation felt by the person’s family and friends is the same…and unimaginable to those who haven’t experienced it.

When tragedy strikes and people are presumed dead, but no body is recovered, it changes everything that traditionally surrounds the natural process of grief. Two recent news stories have included just such situations–the missing Malaysian aircraft and the big mud slide in Washington State. Families and friends of those involved in these situations are experiencing this rare types of loss. They yearn for both answers and a starting point from which to confront their loss. However, without a body, the mind still wants to believe anything but the truth. Such deaths, called “ambiguous deaths” by the psychiatric community, require unique handling and sensitivity from family and friends as well as funeral professionals called upon to oversee the final arrangements.

Death in the news

Missing  370 Missing 370 in Sand  On March 8, 2014, Malaysian flight 370 disappeared without a trace. The nightly news has focused regularly on the recovery efforts by crews from more than a dozen different nations. More than one month later, not one fragment of the plane or its occupants has been found. The latest speculation is that the plane is at the bottom of a particularly deep part of the Indian Ocean, more than 2.8 miles from the surface. If this is true, there is little likelihood of the plane and its dead will ever be recovered. The pressure at such depths makes it impossible for any manned craft to navigate the area where the plane likely lies.

The 238 passengers and crew members of MH370 came from 13 different countries, but their families share a common pain, the roller coaster ride of hope and the despair of not knowing what happened to their mother, husband, daughter, father, wife or son.

Washington_Mudslide-088c6Another situation with unrecoverable bodies occurred recently in Washington State last month when a rain-soaked hill collapsed without warning, engulfing more than three dozen homes in a massive mudslide. As I write this, 36 bodies have been found and 10 people are still missing, including two children. Recovery efforts continue more than four weeks after the disaster.

Why are such enormous resources–both in manpower and money–expended trying to recover bodies long after it is reasonable to assume that a person could have survived? After 9/11, the recovery effort continues for more than eight months and ended with a solemn ceremony at the site. Our culture associates death with a body. Not having that body of our loved one disrupts the entire grieving process.

Grieving without a body

Grief On Hold
Grief Stuck In Limbo

In our society, we associate death and grieving with a physical body. Most funeral arrangements involve a viewing, where friends and family can share memories and get a last glimpse of the body that once was their friend or loved one. We usually follow that with a service that culminates in the lowering of the casket in the ground or the handing of the ashes to the survivors. Without a body, all of those traditions are disrupted.

Denial is one of the classic stages of grief. Our mind naturally wants to assume that our dead loved one will walk through the front door any minute. When their is no body, our mind can get stuck in this stage, even when all evidence points to the fact that the person is gone. This is why enormous amounts of time and money are spent on recovery efforts in situations like the mud slide and the disappearance of the Malaysian airliner even when the likelihood of finding a live person has long since passed.

Planning funerals without a body

Deaths where there is no body present challenges for funeral professionals as well as for family and friends. Like loved ones, funeral professionals are used to dealing with a physical body as part of the funeral rites, either as a burial or a cremation. A death without a body throws this traditional system out of alignment, while at the same time offering the challenge of trying to comfort a family during the most terrible time in their lives.

When Hope and Grief CollideDeaths without a body, while rare, are not unique to current events. After 9/11, friends and family of thousands of men and women missing from the Twin Towers had to deal with their grief even though fewer than a quarter of the bodies of those in the buildings had been recovered. Some chose to use an empty casket at the funeral to give the service a sense of normalcy. Others used caskets for whatever part of their loved one had been found, even if it was just a finger.

Often funerals without a body are handled similarly to memorial services, with photos and/or videos of the deceased adorning the service, so that family and friends are able to “see” the person who died one last time. Having the family put together these images, even making a video or a few photo collages can help in the healing process. Take it a step further and have the family create a memorial table filled with items that were important to the life being mourned .

When dealing with deaths where people are presumed dead but there is no body, it is important for funeral professionals as well as friends to be especially empathetic and willing to listen. Any death of a relative or loved one is somewhat isolating, but a death without a body can make the survivors feel that they are the only ones who have ever had to go through this anguish.
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It’s Not Easy Being The Last One To Let You Down!

Good Old Bernie
Good Old Bernie

The job of a funeral director is often misunderstood. Most people in this profession are driven by passion as much as the desire to pursue a career, some are just born into it. Being a funeral director is one of the most stressful jobs there is. You have to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and you see people going through some of the toughest times of their lives. Even people who are usually easy going become sensitized and hard to please. Details are everything and unlike wedding, you have very little time to pull it all together. It’s really hard to make and keep plans and your own family often suffers from your absence.

Funeral Guy
Going Doooown

The suits and fancy cars can mask alcoholism, depression and divorce are all part of the territory for funeral directors. Most people that go into the funeral biz are out of it in three to five years. Often portrayed as as opportunists and vultures, funeral directors don’t have an easy life. No wonder they prefer to keep to a rigid day-to-day routine and seek the shelter of tradition. Today, as funerals are quickly moving away from tradition, due to internet searches and the Baby Boomers’ desire to create new traditions. Funeral professionals are faced with even more challenges as they are forced to venture out of their protective, traditional bubbles. They need to either find a way to adapt to today’s needs or face extinction. Some are adjusting well but most are not!

Funeral Directors: a Final Friend

Funeral directors sometimes get a bad  press. However, the truth is that the vast majority of the more than 23,000 such professionals working in the United States are dedicated, compassionate and committed to facilitating the last wishes of the deceased and making it easier for their families. The best funeral directors are the best listeners and ensure that the funeral and burial rites go smoothly without imposing themselves into the proceedings. There is a fine balance between explaining the many new options while not coming off as a salesman of opportunity. That’s not as easy as it sounds.

What a funeral director does

A funeral director plays a number of roles. He or She is usually the first person that a family meets with when they visit the funeral home to begin planning a funeral. They are event planners that have one chance to get it right.  In that function, he or she is both marketing director and customer service representative, not to mention grief counselor.  They are also small business owners, who must order and maintain inventory (caskets, vaults, etc.), market their services and manage the bookkeeping. Funeral directors also act as human resource directors for their own staff, handling the hiring and firing, coordinating benefit programs and assigning work schedules. Funeral directors are also involved in transporting the dead (at all hours) preparing the deceased for viewings and burial, an art and science in itself.

The future of funeral homes

funeralhome1The way the American public looks at funerals and burial rites is changing quickly and dramatically. In an experienced based society funeral pros better step up to new challenges or go the way of the neighborhood butcher, baker and travel agent! Independent funeral homes, once fixtures in every town, have now mostly been absorbed by large, national corporations. As an industry, funeral professionals can do a better job, but to do so, they must be willing to come out of their comfort zones.

Just a few of the ways funeral professionals can embrace and adapt to changing views about the end of life include:

1. Your best form of advertising is to do good funerals!
Good FuneralsEach funeral / memorial is a custom created event that draws from all involved and weaves it into a special event that allows social healing and an open environment that provides a safe haven for people to share in their support for each other.
On the surface, if using the latest bells and whistles available to us such s video tributes, custom blankets, programs, funeral favors, memorial websites ect. will help support the goal of creating a healing experience, then why not use them to the best of our ability. If a specially trained MC that knows just how to draw on all aspects of a life lived and craft all that information into a well balanced and touching ceremony would help, then you should be hiring the best Certified Life Celebrant you can find. If you cannot find a good Celebrant in your area, you should find a person that you think would be good and pay for their training.

2. Using social media. A funeral home on Facebook? Why not? Increasingly, Americans are making plans for their funerals before they die and are shopping online for a funeral home just as they shop for someone to fix their furnace or landscape their front yard. However, less than half of funeral homes are using social media in their marketing plans.

By using social media platforms, like Facebook, funeral directors can take some of the “scary” out of the funeral profession, put a face on the business and become a more human part of the community. Show them how proud you are of your grand kids, while at the same time establishing themselves as experts in the industry.

3. Content marketing. Content marketing, the art and science of boosting your website’s–and your company’s–visibility by adding regular new, valuable and interesting content to your site is a natural for funeral homes. If someone searches on Google or other search engine for funeral home in (insert your geographic area), you what them to find your business, not the competition. Since most people plan very few funerals in their lifetime, you want to be the first business they encounter online. Content marketing, done well, can help you head the list in search engine results. Write about whats going on in your community and become a source for local news.

While more than 80 percent of funeral homes have a website, many use it primarily for information about funerals currently being planned by the business and/or for message books for friends and family of the deceased. While these functions are both important, funeral homes that don’t use their websites to marketing their services are missing a huge opportunity.

3. Blogging. Funeral Home SEOWhereas more than 65 percent of funeral homes use traditional newspaper advertising, less than 10 percent include blogging in their marketing mix. Adding regular blog posts to your marketing plan has several advantage. First of all, such posts will help your SEO efforts and make you more visible to families looking for someone to help plan their loved one’s funeral. In addition, the cost of blogging is negligible, especially when compared to the cost of print advertising.

The way the American public views and shops for funeral services is changing, and funeral directors need to be changing with it. There will always be a place for a competent, compassionate, efficient funeral director. The trick is getting the word to those who need such services in this increasingly digital marketplace.It’s Not Easy Being The Last One To Let You Down!
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Funerals and Weddings What’s The Difference

Funeral Planning

The differences are be subtle but they are there nonetheless. The biggest is probably that people do not usually do the “chicken dance” at a funeral, and even if someone does, it rarely catches on.Chicken Dance

At a funeral, depressed people cry and scream in pain, this does not happen until months after a wedding.

At a funeral, teary eyed mourners step up to the podium to eulogize the departed. At a wedding reception a drunken idiot stands at the podium and makes an inappropriate toast about the time he bagged the bride.

After a funeral the guest of honor leaves in a long black limousine,

Funerals and Memorials
Exceptions Are Rare!

while the guests of honor at a wedding leave in a puke green Honda Civic with a crumpled fender and tin cans dragging behind them. No one writes cute little sayings in soap on the rear window of the hearse either.

If the groom is not up for the wedding night there’s always Viagra! and it works for while, but with embalming the whole body is stiff and theirs no need to call your doctor after four hours.

You will only have one funeral.

When funeral services end, people go home and reflect on the life of a lost friend or relative. When weddings end, people end up in all sort of places, some vomit uncontrollably in a holding cell.

The gifts are usually better at weddings. Re- gifting for funerals is just not cool.

It’s considered tacky to do the “hokey pokey” at a funeral but at a wedding …. well, never mind.

Funeral Dancing
One More Dance With Grandma….Anyone?

Bands have a hard time booking gigs at funerals but no problem turning a wedding into a wake.

The music is better at funerals, and no one is jealous of the attention the guest of honor receives.

Funerals end at the graveside; weddings in the lawyer’s office.

Weddings require months of planning and cost a small fortune to pull off. Funeral Planning takes a few days and is usually more entertaining.

Funerals don’t have after parties, just after lives.

At a woman’s funeral, her friends are not forced to wear hideous dresses so they don’t upstage the corpse.

Weddings are blessed affairs in which two lovers are united forever in the eyes of God, and their families become one, sharing holidays, breaking bread, loaning money, and opening their homes to each other. A funeral finally puts an end to all that bullshit.

Elvira at a funeral
It’s Not Cool to Bring a Date to Funerals, Elvira is The Exception!

At a wedding single women scramble to catch the bride’s garter, signaling that they will be next. The tradition isn’t nearly as popular at funerals. Again Elvira is the exception!

If you shove a piece of cake in a corpse’s face, no one cheers.

Cremation May be Appropriate
Funeral Crashers Are Rare!

After a funeral people fight over who gets what, but after a wedding the bride knows just what shell get! …OK, that might be a bad example.

Falling in love and getting married makes the couple feel like they were struck by lightning, a corpse just feels like it was struck by a bus.

The deceased goes straight to heaven while a marriage goes straight to hell.

People attending a funeral come to show their respect to a dearly departed loved one. People only go to weddings for the open bar.

Paulbearer
Paulbearer

Weddings have an adorable ring bearer. Funerals just have pallbearers, and they aren’t usually that adorable either.

An Elvis impersonator can perform a wedding at a drive through chapel. Try the same thing at a funeral and everyone acts like you are some kind of jerk.

A funeral marks the end of a person’s life. A wedding marks the end of two lives.

At a funeral, the mother-in-law stops being such a bitch.

When a funeral ends guests leave the church and move to the cemetery, after a wedding guests move to the banquet room of the Motel 6.

Nobody buys the deceased a toaster, and if you do everyone gets really pissed off.

The deceased’s make-up is usually better than the bride’s.

Cremation Services
This Confused Couple Got Married at the brides funeral. Death Till We Part?

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Wild Animal Funerals

Humans Connect
Remember Where You Came From and Hold On...

As humans, we like to think of ourselves as evolved, after all we are at the top of the food chain, but somewhere along the way we’ve lost our inner sense of value and compassion for a human life. When a loved one was lost, having a funeral was automatic, followed by a period of deep mourning that would last for weeks, months, or even years.

Somewhere along the way we’ve become a disposable society that has lost our ability to value life. In the past, when a loved one passed away, we used to hold three-day wakes prior to the funeral. However, in recent times people moved on to more a memorial service at the convenience of the family. That is the sad reality of how humans have evolved in the grieving process in the age of technology. As technology has progressed and lifestyles have become more hurried the grieving process has gotten to the point where it’s become almost forgotten. We as humans need to remember what’s really important and start setting aside time to honor our dead loved ones and pay our respects.

It might surprise you to find out that humans are not the only animals that grieve the loss of their loved ones or hold vigils. Many members of the wild animal kingdom celebrate the lives of their loved ones in ways that would put us as a society to shame. We should all take a lesson from the way they lovingly hold vigils over the bodies of their loved ones and protect them, about the value of life and our presence here on earth.

Elephants

Elephants are the most compassionate of all wild animals when it comes to mourning death and loss. They have even been known to extend this compassion to elephants that aren’t related to them as well as other animals and even humans. They have a true respect for all life forms that we should take a lesson from.

When elephants encounter the body of a deceased animal they always stop and try to lift it to its feet several times using their trunks. If they are unsuccessful in their attempts, they will sniff and poke it before burying it with leaves, branches, grass, dirt, or whatever is available.

After burying the body, they usually leave. However, if the deceased animal was a relative they will remain by the body for several days or weeks mourning the loss of their loved one, leaving only to get food or water. Sometimes elephants will even become depressed and even starve themselves in reaction to their loss.

Dolphins

When a member of a dolphin pod dies, the other members will stay with the body and rally together to keep any potential harm from coming to the body. If something tries to move towards the body the other dolphins will become agitated and loom around to prevent it from getting too close.

The other members of the dolphin pod usually lift the body close to the surface and stay with it for several days while they try to come to terms with the loss of their loved one. They only leave the body when absolutely necessary to get air.

Chimpanzees

Chimp FuneralWhen chimpanzees lose a loved one they become very depressed and saddened much like we do. They mourn together as a group and comfort each other. However, they have a deeper grieving process than ours. Often, they will get so upset and depressed that they will refuse food.

Chimpanzees have a very interesting grieving process. The grieving and separation process takes them a little bit more time. We have often heard people say that they aren’t ready to let go yet, or that they aren’t ready to say goodbye yet. The chimpanzee doesn’t let go or say goodbye until they are ready.

They will maintain their routines and interrelate with their loved one for weeks or months until their loved one’s body has decayed so badly that they are unable to continue to do so. Only then will they leave their loved one to rest. This routine gives them more time to accept the loss of their loved one, so that they can feel closure in their hearts.

Gorillas

When a Gorilla loses a loved one, they mourn the loss quite deeply. They will pound on their chests and howl loudly. They will also hold informal wakes and funerals, at which other members of their gorilla family will come in, view the body, smell and touch it. If it’s a close family member, some gorillas have been known to become very depressed and stop eating.

Wolves

Funeral for a WolfWhen a member of a wolf pack dies all of the other members of the pack become extremely depressed and it takes them weeks to recover from their loss. With drooping ears and tails, they resist playing to pay homage to their lost friend.

Magpies

Magpies also mourn the loss of their fellow feathered friends and hold funerals of sorts. When they encounter a deceased bird they will first try to revive it with their beaks. If that doesn’t work, they will cry loudly. Ultimately, they will cover it with grass, straw or whatever they can find, pay their respects, and then fly off.

What We as Humans Should Learn From This

Life is busy, but it’s not so busy that we can’t take the time to grieve and acknowledge the loss when a loved one dies. Attending a funeral service for your loved one isn’t just about you or how busy you are. It’s about them, and supporting their family members and other friends.

We as a society should take a lesson from our friends in the animal kingdom and learn to value our lives and the lives of our loves ones. Although the extremes to which wild animals grieve such as starving would not be appropriate for human life, we should take heed to their caring and gentle way of holding vigil over their friends who have passed away and put ore thought into funeral planning.

The way these animals painstakingly hold vigils in much the same way as we used to hold wakes should remind us how important that time is to help us cope with the loss of our loved ones, and to help us get through the grieving process. Not only does it allow us the opportunity to honor our deceased loved ones, but it gives us a chance to say goodbye.

Grieving and supporting each other is crucial when it comes to accepting the loss of a loved one. A wake and a funeral gives friends and family the opportunity to see their loved one for a final time, and a chance to say goodbye. That little bit of closure, and that opportunity to stand vigil and be close to their loved one, one final time is important to the coping and grieving process.

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Invisible Competition From The Internet Threatens All Funeral Homes

Invisible Force Steals Profits From Funeral Homes

Funeral homes deal with the dead, but there’s a even darker, more invisible force sneaking up on funeral homes. It erodes the profitability of the funeral homes with stark efficiency. Even though funeral homes serve a localized group of people doesn’t stop this force, because it’s everywhere. It’s the Internet. It’s used to find cremation services, funeral planning and find funeral products. Competition from the Internet can easily destroy funeral homes. More specifically, it’s your competition that uses search engine optimization in their funeral home websites and internet based wholesalers. The Internet is the address of your competition and they are right in the living rooms of your future families. Yes you can compete, but funeral home owners can stop their competition with the power of SEO.

Cremation Discounters
You May Have Never Heard of Them But Their Parked Out Front

The Invisible Force

The wholesale and retail Internet based companies are popping up all over the web. They use effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on their sites to make their websites the first one funeral product or service seekers see. This ruins the average funeral home’s ability to obtain customers via the web. The Internet steals local customers by ranking higher in web search results then actual regional and local funeral homes. It is even more devastating to funeral home profitability. These optimized sites reel in your funeral homes potential customers and snatch them out of your grasp with professionally written SEO website copy that target your area.

S.C.I Does a Good Job Competing Online

Effects On Your Business

The Internet is an gigantic, invisible force that snatches and steals your business’s future. You may already be feeling the effects of the invisible competition from the Internet. Perhaps, fewer individuals are buying your urns, coffins, and printed commemorative pieces. You might not have a potential customer for days or even weeks. That’s the Internet sending your potential business to competing funeral homes with SEO websites that aren’t even in your area.

Decrease in Volume is a Decrease in  Sales

Perhaps, the first time funeral home owners see when the Internet starts messing up their business is the decrease in product sales. Individuals seeking your services have already bought the urn or casket. They turn down printed commemorative bookmarks or something similar. They’re bringing their own and doing funerals themselves, with the help of online discounters. The Internet may even play apart in them finding another funeral home that associates with he online discounters to take their business elsewhere. Yes they are willing to drive long distances to reach into your neighborhood.

Decrease In Customers

The younger generation is increasingly using the Internet to find and vet funeral homes. They are also using it for funeral planning and finding cremation services. These leads to fewer customers overall for funeral home, getting the beat down by Internet based wholesale and competitors with stronger website SEO. These customers are all going to funeral homes and wholesalers that use SEO or websites with stronger SEO.

Lay Offs and Mounting Bills

The loss of sales and customers leads to laying off your staff and mounting bills. The results are horrible. Funeral home owners face the stress of a failing business and often it isn’t pretty and has nothing to do with how good a job the funeral home does. It may affect your family. The mounting bills become a burden; your business has operating costs, such as building rent, staff, electric and other monthly expenses.

Closing Your Doors

The funeral home cost more to maintain, then it’s bringing in financially. Because of the invisible competing from the Internet, the business fails. Even, funeral homes in operation for 30 years have and can succumb to the force of the Internet on businesses. That’s the end of a business, which may have been in a family for generations.

The Solution

There’s only one answer to the business killing forces of discount stores and funeral homes with SEO websites. That’s to become one of them. Piling on the SEO on your funeral home’s website will help. Hiring a professional Funeral Home SEO strategist is even better. They’ve got insider knowledge of how to use the Internet to your business’s advantage and you won’t have to spend precious time in researching SEO techniques.

Vermont Cremation Services
Can't Beat Em Join Em

Moreover, your competition certainly has a SEO strategist and your funeral home needs the same advantages as your competition. Otherwise, your funeral home can’t compete with the power of the Internet. The effects in the section above will certainly happen to your funeral home. It might be slow. It might be fast, but it means 10, 15 or even a 100 years of you and your family serving your community is down the drain.

It’s such a simple solution, but it’s the future of your business. You can hire a professional SEO strategist and listen to them. They’ll do the work of getting a business site, filling it with your products, services and business details and optimizing it for search engines. All you have to do is, watch as your funeral home regains its profitability as more funerals take place and more products are sold. SEO is your invisible super power. Or you can just let your invisible competition force you to hang a “Gone Out of Business” sign on the front door of your funeral home.

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Consumer demands and social innovations are changing the funeral home business. Funeral Home SEO has the technology and know-how to assist you in developing your funeral home business to meet those evolving demands. Contact us today to discover how your funeral home business can benefit from our services and expertise. #877-365-9474 or info@cremationsolutuions.com and I will connect you with the experts!

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What Funeral Arrangers Can Learn From Speed Dating!

Forget it Bob, Direct cremation!

Comparing the day to day responsibilities of a funeral director with the process of speed dating is like matching apples and oranges. Speed dating is a pleasure activity to meet new people and consider potential mates while serving as a funeral director involves addressing families about the deaths of their loved ones, planning services and arranging burial or cremation plans. However, in peeling the layers away to reveal the framework of the basic human interactions utilized in each form of communication, the similarities begin to emerge. Even solely in the realm of learning to read individuals, adapt to a situation and draw conclusions in a short period of time, there is much a funeral director can learn from the process of speed dating.

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Yes I "would" like to know all about the options!

For most people arranging for a funeral is a strange or foreign concept. Speed dating is a strange concept in itself but one some people find necessary to meet prospective dates. In speed dating, an individual registers for a group event and is given generally ten minutes or less to interact with everyone of the opposite gender at the event. At the conclusion of the event, participants reveal which of their potential partners they are interested in to the moderator or organizer and, should both parties feel the same, individual contact information is provided. Although controversial in execution due to the limitations of a small time frame, speed dating can be an effective way of meeting a pool of eligible potential dates in a prearranged event in several hours, providing extensive networking and relationship possibilities.

Funeral directors have a radically different host of responsibilities. The job of a funeral director also requires brief meetings with the families of a deceased or the representative of a deceased’s estate to organize funeral services, calling hours, burial or cremation services and provide obituary services if needed. While speed dating is an elective process, individuals who enlist the services of a funeral director generally only do so out of necessity. The subject of death and the accompanying emotions can be overwhelming, adding a layer of complexity to the interactions funeral directors have with clients.
Although on the surface there seems to be little in the way of similarities, the skills speed daters need to develop to succeed actually quite similar to the skill set that makes for an effective funeral director. In speed dating, a participant only has several minutes to decide whether or not a possible partner is worth pursuing. Studies show that many decide in the first ten seconds if the person has a chance at a date. Hopefully they will give the funeral directors more the ten seconds, but the point is we need to make a positive impression very quickly. In this time, evaluating your partner, responding accordingly, interpreting emotions and reactions and understanding whether a future interaction could have potential are crucial to success. Without being able to read the other person’s body language, facial cues, vocal inflection and other subtle indicators of mood or reaction, a worthwhile opportunity could be easily overlooked. As important as learning how to comprehend another individual’s subtleties can be in speed dating, learning how to convey your own emotions can be just as important. In order to attract someone’s attention, expressing your interest and feelings of connectivity can be essential. Mastering speed dating can take a high level of social grace, intuition and comprehension of human emotion.

In the same ways that speed dating can require a more highly adapted approach to human interactions, working as a funeral director takes a similar set of abilities. The time a funeral director has with a client to ascertain needs, wants and emotions is not much longer than a speed dating encounter. In order to provide a high level of service in an industry that works with death and its impact on friends and loved ones, a funeral director must be able to read body language and act on social cues to make a difficult conversation as easy as possible. When it comes to handling a deceased’s affairs, many family members or representatives may not be able to fully understand the many options available to them. This is why it’s so important that the funeral director make an almost instant connection. Much in the same way a speed dater must read and react to a potential partner in order to establish a connection, a funeral director must read and react to a client to make sure all bases are covered in a satisfactory manner. If no connection is made the family is not likely to want to hear or care about the options and suggestions made by the funeral director.

In both fields, being able to properly convey your own emotions to another human being is essential. In speed dating, this serves to create a bond or connection while a funeral director must properly use empathy and kindness to demonstrate trustworthiness to a customer so that he or she knows the deceased will be in good hands. The trust between a funeral director and client is central to making sure the right services are offered and proper options made available. Funeral planning funeral, cremation services and obituaries can be very personal and emotional situations to handle and being able to create a quick connection is very important to establishing a working relationship. This same concept applies in bonding with a possible partner. Like in speed dating, a funeral director only has one chance and one small time window to make sure everything is right.

Serving as a funeral director can be a very emotional and stressful job due to its proximity to death. Funeral directors are called upon in painful times and only have a brief period with a customer to build trust, convey empathy and assure an individual his or her deceased loved one will be treated with dignity, care and respect. These skills are very similar to the quick connection one must build to succeed in speed dating. Reading body language, interpreting social cues and using emotion to build a rapport with an individual are skills frequently used in both areas. By treating each encounter with a client as a speed dating opportunity, funeral directors may be able to improve the levels on which they connect with their customers in order to instill trust and create a bond demonstrative of a high level of service.

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Funeral Ceremony Circles Are Cool

Ceremony CirclesWith people being more spiritual than religious today, funeral ceremonies are taking on a new schematic. There’s a lot more room for creativity to make funeral ceremonies more meaningful. Funeral celebrants are introducing the concept of circle ceremonies. Unlike the traditional rows found in most church services, the whole ceremony can take place with attendees in a circle. Native Americans have long used the healing powers of ceremonies in the formation of a circle.

Think about it for a moment. When in a circle, we are all equal.

There is no one below, above, behind or in front of you. A circle has innate healing power with the ability for us all to connect.

The sacred circle is designed to create unity. It is the hoop of life with a place for every species, race and plant. The ideas of a sacred circle and the hoop of life have been inspired by Native American traditions and beliefs that everything is connected, and we are all connected to each other. When we are connected, spiritual healing can truly take place. I have conducted a couple of services set up in a circle for native Americans here in Vermont. In the funeral home chapel and in the cemetery. It really made it special and I can truly say it added a sense of healing and more active participation was observed.
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We can also take the Native American tradition of healing drum circles and apply it to today’s funeral ceremonies. All across the country drum circle groups have been forming and growing in popularity. Everyone can participate in the drumming activities, even young children. Native Americans believe that drumming up the spirits of the land enhances personal healing with its vibrations. It’s like awakening our hearts with the heartbeat of the Earth. Attendees can take turns standing in the middle of the circle with eulogies and prayers along with drumming. While bodies are never physically touched, the spiritual energy is channeled by mental intention and physical vibration. With Cremation services the urn to be tastefully placed in the center of the circle. Now as an experienced funeral director I know that drumming in a circle is just way to outside the box for some families and congregations. But for some situations its perfect. All around, drumming circles for funeral ceremonies are social, healing, musical and fun.

The aboriginal people are another culture that has a strong affinity with the circle. They believe the power of the universe works in circles such as the shape of the planets, birds making their nests and the wind whirling in circles. Like Native Americans, the circle is a symbol of equity where no one person has an elevated position over another.

Pagan funerals or transition rituals are also held in a sacred circle with offerings to Nature. Often, there is a sharing of stories and chanting. They believe that the circle ceremony is a way to help the soul on its journey to the afterlife. Because of this belief, the circle ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate the life that has passed instead of mourning.

With over 40 percent of Americans choosing cremation services for their final farewell, the philosophy goes hand-in-hand with circle funeral ceremonies. Many people view cremation as a natural way of returning to the Earth. It is a sacred way to continue in the hoop of a spiritual life. Even in death, we all remain connected in spirit. Whether you choose a ground burial for your ashes, a sea scattering of ashes or a land dispersal of ashes, we’re all set on the same plane for a spiritual life.

Funeral celebrants also go hand-in-hand with both cremation services and circle funeral ceremonies. These professionals can help you plan ceremonies from beginning to end. A celebrant is certified and trained to provide personalized funeral ceremonies that reflect the lifestyle and personality of the deceased. They can be used as an alternative to a clergy person or in conjunction with one. In addition, funeral celebrants are an excellent choice for those who are spiritual but not religious. These professionals have a large library of resources for music, readings and the development of eulogies. They also work closely with you so that all of your wishes are adhered to and ensure complete confidentiality.

Ideas for Circle Ceremonies

Come One Come All, Gather Round!

Circle Ceremonies for funeral services can take place outdoors in a natural setting. Funeral Celebrants can help you select a mountaintop, a place in the woods, a beach or a meadow. You can even elect to have the ceremony in someone’s backyard. Typically, an altar to the deceased with photos and flowers are set up. The funeral celebrant can be the officiator or you can act as your own. You can arrange for a circle of chairs for the attendees. Attendees can take turns sharing stories about the deceased and expressing their heartfelt feelings. Music can be played before, during and after the ceremony. Memory or prayer beads made from crystals and natural stones can also be passed around in the circle. They are beautiful keepsakes for comfort and remembrance.

Even if you are having a funeral service in a church setting, arrangements can be made for a circle ceremony with attendees standing in a circle together or seated in a circle. You can work with a funeral celebrant or make arrangements with clergy yourself. If you work with a funeral celebrant, they can assist you with choosing music that is appropriate for this type of setting.

Today, the style and tone for funeral ceremonies is wide open. There are some who like to go out with a bang in a party style. They may even prefer to have a ceremony in a country-club setting or a bar. Funeral celebrants are very versatile and can help you make all the arrangements for food, lively music and engaging eulogies. They will work closely with you to ensure that all of your loved ones favorite tunes are played, including rock.

As we move forward in the 21st century, the etiquette for funeral ceremonies is constantly evolving. No longer are the somber funerals with sad music taking center stage. Survivors and the deceased are moving to funeral ceremonies that truly reflect a celebration of life and the personality of the deceased. People are searching for new ways to create a unique and meaningful funeral ceremony, and circle ceremonies are just another avenue for change.

Jeff Staab is a funeral director in southern Vermont. A certified Life Cycle Celebrant. He owns and operates www.cremationsolutions.com and is a cremation memorial and ash scattering specialist. When he’ not dreaming up the next cool cremation product he enjoys adventure in the mountains and on the sea, cooking for friends, social responsibility and green living. He can be reached at jeff@cremationsolutions.com

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We Can All Learn Something From Irish Funerals

There is something to be said for an Irish funeral, which is often referred to as a wake. More commonly a celebration, as opposed to a time of mourning, this type of service allows family and friends to become further involved in the planning process.

Irish Funeral ProcessionPrior to the mid 1900’s these events turned into large celebrations partly because men were not otherwise allowed to congregate, for fear of planning rebellion against the British government.

Until 15 or so years ago, Irish funeral ceremonies always took place in the home. Today, many are held in a different location such as a garden or country club setting. Locale is typically based on something or someplace the departed enjoyed.

An old-fashioned Irish funeral was looked upon as a social event, which could last as long as three days. The premise was not to leave the decedent alone, during that time. The term “wake” was used due to the fact that family members stayed with the body at night, making sure its spirit didn’t come back to life and evil spirits didn’t try to claim it.

A window was opened as soon as the person died. The body was dressed in dark clothing or covered with a white shroud and placed on a bed or in a coffin. No embalming was necessary. Candles were placed above the decedent’s head and boots were placed at his or her feet, in effort to make the journey through purgatory easier. Out of respect, clocks were stopped and blankets were placed over mirrors.

Bagpiper at FuneralThere was and still is plenty of food and drink (usually Irish whiskey and Beer) at an Irish funeral. There is also music (bagpipes), dancing and games. When any type of card game is played, it is customary to deal an extra hand for the person whose life is being celebrated. Contests of strength sometimes occur as well.

“Keening,” the Irish term for a display of sorrow, is an old tradition that still takes place at some wakes. Professional mourners are hired to do things like wail, cry and even recite poetry.

A pipe of tobacco is passed around as a means to assist the spirit of the loved one on his heavenly journey. Each person who smokes the pipe is encouraged to share a bit of wit and wisdom with the crowd.

On the one month anniversary of the wake, a “month’s mind” is held in a church to again celebrate the life of the person who died. A yearly mass is held as well.

In modern day USA families are getting more involved in planning and participating more in caring for their own dead. Home funeral are more common than they were 20 years ago.  Baby boomers are not wanting services on thousand year old impersonal ceremonies. Because many are now choosing cremation services there is the freedom of more time for families to plan a more detailed and personalized memorial gathering.

More American families are now choosing to work with a funeral celebrant, when it comes to the details of the actual funeral ceremony or service. A celebrant is extremely versed in all aspects of a funeral. This includes everything from funeral history to the funeral rituals of many cultures. He or she can perform tasks like writing the perfect eulogy, offering advice in ritual and customs that may suit the individual needs of each family. Unlike clergy, celebrants are more open to handling families with multiple cultures and religions that are found in much of society today.

Celebrants take the time it takes to get an in-depth look into the life of the person they are memorializing. This information, coupled with things like the rest of the family’s personal values and religious beliefs, tend to make it a much more meaningful funeral ceremonies. The funeral home staff can often recommend a local celebrant or you can contact the Celebrant Foundation and Institute to find a celebrant near you.

Unfortunately, a traditional funeral service doesn’t always pay an adequate tribute to a loved one. With the help of a celebrant, that is never the case. Opting for an end-of-life ceremony, as opposed to a standard funeral, allows family members and friends to remember by way of stories and objects which truly define the departed.

Irish Funeral Products from therishwake.com

Yes, there is a lot to be learned from Irish funerals. They are celebrations of life and love, meant to make the initial mourning process and the overall healing process a little easier.

To learn more about how to plan an Irish wake click here and visit My Sendoff.com

To see some products designed with the Irish in mind visit “The Irish Wake”.com
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Answering The Call

Funeral Call
One Call Make it Count!

Funeral Home Shopper Call

Secure the shopper to secure the call!! Consider the shopper your opportunity of the day and get ready to shine. Remember this could be your only chance and what you say and how you say it can make ALL the difference. The only reason they are calling is because a death has occurred or is imminent and they have not yet made a decision of which funeral home they will use.

I don't care about your coach !

The average phone shopper:

  • Does not want to “Shop Around”
  • Does not have time to personally visit funeral homes
  • Does not know what to ask or why
  • Knows nothing about your exceptional services and caring professionalism
  • Needs information and has only time to talk with you once.

Answering the Call

  1. You should have a standard answer and include a “buffer”. The caller won’t hear it but they will hear what comes next, the name of the funeral home. Anything you say after your name erases your name.
  2. Don’t sound rushed. Get warm and fuzzy so you can establish a trusting voice.
  3. Always have your first call form handy or pen and paper, so you don’t have make the caller wait as well as sound unorganized. Write the information down as you hear it, so you don’t have to ask questions when the info was already given. Having to ask again lets them know you really weren’t listening.
  4. Speak in the present tense. As in does (not did) your husband have a pacemaker. What is (not what was) your husband’s name. What is the name of your husband’s doctor.
  5. Use simple plain language. Everyone who answers for the funeral home needs to be on the same page, speak professional, soft and not scary or panicky. Laundry gets picked up. People get taken into your care!

First establish the nature of the call

Caller: How much is a cremation service. Answer: Has a death occurred? Now you have a better idea of how to respond more accurately. At need has a different style of call then pre-need.
Take Charge of the Call. Whoever is answering your phone should have full knowledge of your services and prices so they can paint a positive picture of your firm and the services you offer. Establish authority and show that you are an expert in your field. Serve the caller……get the shopper!
Remember

  1. You may be the first place the Caller calls and you may not be the last, but you CAN be the best.
  2. They don’t even know what to ask, so guide them with your own pointed questions or you could be in for a very long and confusing call.
  3. The Caller could be in a hospital, at a crime scene, in a nursing home with no holding and may be in a rush. They may not want a conversation, just answers, so feel them out and don’t assume anything.
  4. The Caller has no idea what a funeral home does or why they do it. They don’t know what they are paying for and they don’t know what they need.
  5. Educate the Caller and give them the information they ask for. Don’t read a menu of packages and prices. Give them the information they need to make a choice in funeral homes, the rest of the information you can get at the arrangement conference.
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