By Thomas A. Parmalee
When Dan Lodermeier joined Homesteaders Life Company in 1991, preneed was still finding its footing.
Some consumers had never heard of funeral preplanning. Many funeral homes believed they didn’t need a formal preneed program. Account executives carried pagers, relied on answering machines and often pulled over to use payphones between appointments.
Thirty-five years later, as the director of field sales services at Homesteaders prepares to retire, the profession looks dramatically different. Cremation has reshaped funeral service, technology has transformed communication and business operations and preplanning has become a core strategy for funeral homes across North America.
Through it all, Lodermeier has remained focused on one principle.
“Trust is everything,” he said. “It’s earned one interaction at a time. Every conversation, every commitment you keep and every time you follow through on what you said you were going to do adds to that trust. Over time, people decide whether that trust has been well placed.”
When it comes to building trust, communication is key, he said.
“I’ve learned that people want to know what’s going on, and they want to know they can count on you to be responsive and transparent,” Lodermeier said. “Some of the best lessons I’ve learned about communication came from the people I worked with, whether that was a manager, a colleague or someone who reported to me. I’ve had people tell me they needed more communication from me or quicker follow-up, and those conversations helped me become a better leader and a better partner to our customers.”
At the end of the day, trust comes down to consistency, Lodermeier said. “When people know they can rely on you, that you’re going to do what you say you’re going to do and that you’ll communicate honestly along the way, strong relationships naturally follow,” he said.
As Homesteaders bids farewell to the company’s first account executive, it’s clear that his influence at the company extends far beyond the relationships he built with funeral providers.
Building the Blueprint
According to Homesteaders CEO, President and Board Chair Steve Shaffer, Lodermeier helped create the model that still defines the company today.
“Dan’s career reflects so much of what has made Homesteaders successful over the last 120 years,” Shaffer said. “As our first account executive, he didn’t just help build relationships with funeral providers — he helped define what those relationships should look like.”
Shaffer noted that Homesteaders built its reputation by being present inside funeral homes rather than simply selling products.
“Our account executive program became the cornerstone of that philosophy, setting the standard for personalized, hands-on service and becoming one of the key reasons Homesteaders has earned the trust of funeral providers across the country,” he said.
He credits Lodermeier with helping establish the company’s customer-focused culture while mentoring generations of account executives.
“His influence extends far beyond the relationships he built personally — it’s reflected in the culture of service and partnership that continues to define Homesteaders today,” Shaffer said.
Watching Preneed Mature
Lodermeier entered the profession during a pivotal moment.
“When I joined Homesteaders in 1991, preneed was still a fairly new concept,” he recalled. “The industry was only five or six years into figuring out what an effective preneed program could look like.”
At the time, one of the profession’s biggest hurdles was convincing funeral homes that preneed represented more than insurance sales.
“One of the biggest misconceptions I encountered was the belief that funeral homes didn’t really need a preneed program,” he said.
Many funeral directors believed their longstanding community reputation guaranteed future business.
“What many didn’t realize was that other funeral homes in those same communities were beginning to invest in preneed and build relationships with families long before a death occurred,” he said.
Those efforts gradually changed competitive dynamics.
“I think that’s when many providers began to see that preneed wasn’t just about funding a funeral,” Lodermeier said. “It was also about serving families earlier, educating them about their options and creating relationships that could last for generations.”
The funeral homes that embraced that mindset were often the ones best positioned for long-term success, he said.
The shift has paid off, as more families today understand the concept of preplanning.
“As awareness has grown, conversations about preplanning have become much more natural,” he said. “Consumers are more familiar with the idea and more open to considering it as part of their overall planning process.”
That is probably the biggest shift he’s observed, Lodermeier said. “Preplanning has gone from something many people had never heard of to something that is widely recognized and understood by consumers across the country,” he said.
Despite that progress, there are still challenges.
“Funeral providers don’t go into funeral service to sell preneed policies,” he said. “They go into funeral service to help families on some of the hardest days of their lives. The challenge has always been balancing the needs of at-need families with the long-term value that a strong preneed program can provide.”
Concerns about where preneed fits and how it affects business dynamics also remain, he said.
“One of the biggest headwinds I faced early on was concern about shortfalls,” he said. “Funeral providers wanted confidence that preneed policies would keep pace with inflation and rising costs. That’s still a concern today, and it’s one Homesteaders continues to take very seriously when designing our products.”
The Profession Has Changed — Relationships Haven’t
During three decades on the road, Lodermeier witnessed virtually every major shift affecting funeral service.
“There have been a lot of changes in the funeral profession over the last three decades, but the biggest one is probably cremation,” he said.
When he started in the early 1990s, cremation was relatively uncommon, especially in the Midwest. Today, its impact on timelines, service options and the way funeral providers help families create meaningful experiences has transformed the profession.
He also points to the explosion of consumer data, digital marketing and technology that allows funeral providers to better understand their markets.
Yet despite AI, virtual meetings and increasingly sophisticated business systems, he believes one constant remains.
“Technology can make us more efficient, provide better information and simplify processes,” he said. “But it’s still the funeral professional who sits across from a family and helps guide them through their loved one’s death.”
He continued, “The best technology supports that work. It doesn’t replace the human element — it allows funeral professionals to spend more time focusing on the families they serve.”
In reflecting on how much things have changed, he recalled what technology looked like in his early years.
“I remember leaving a funeral home, pulling over by the nearest payphone and calling to check messages,” he said. “I’d write down who I needed to call back, feed quarters into the phone, make my calls and then head to the next funeral home.”
Compare that to today: “We all carry a phone in our pocket and can connect through email, text, Zoom meetings and countless other channels,” he observed. “The technology has changed dramatically, but what hasn’t changed is the importance of staying connected. If anything, today’s tools make it easier to communicate in ways that fit each person’s preferences and help strengthen those relationships over time.
Lessons in Leadership and Sales
Throughout his career, Lodermeier advanced from the field into leadership, overseeing sales teams while maintaining close relationships with funeral professionals nationwide.
His advice to younger professionals is remarkably straightforward.
“First, work hard. Work hard when no one is watching,” he said. “Be the person who takes accountability for their work, does what needs to be done and goes the extra mile even when no one is looking over your shoulder. That kind of integrity builds trust and credibility over time.”
He also encourages focusing only on factors within one’s control.
“Especially in sales, there are always going to be things outside of your control,” he said. “You can spend a lot of energy worrying about them, or you can focus that energy on the things you can influence.”
Another lesson has become a personal hallmark.
“One of the simplest things you can do to stand out is to do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it,” he said.
As a leader, he emphasizes accountability.
“You have to inspect what you expect,” he said. “If you’re measuring something, you need to make sure you’re actually paying attention to it.”
He also encourages future leaders not to fear mistakes.
“Leadership isn’t about being perfect,” Lodermeier said. “It’s about creating accountability, continuing to learn and helping other people succeed.”
As far as leading a sales team, Lodermeier is a big believer in a popular mantra: Inspect what you expect.
“If you’re measuring something, you need to make sure you’re actually paying attention to it,” he said. “If you’re expecting people to make calls, you should be checking to see that they’re making calls. If you’re expecting them to walk into funeral homes, you should be asking which firms they visited. And you also need to make sure you’re measuring the right things. Are those activities actually connected to the outcomes you’re trying to achieve?”
He’s also learned it’s critical to surround yourself with people who hold you accountable. “Every one of us can slip into a mindset where we feel like things are happening to us rather than because of our own actions,” he said. “I’ve always thought of that as falling below the accountability line. We all end up there from time to time, but the question is how long we stay. The best teams are made up of people who quickly pull each other back above that line and refocus on what they can do to move forward.”
That accountability impacts your success, your credibility and the trust people place in you, he said. “The longer you allow your accountability to slip, the harder it becomes to earn that trust back,” he said.
Respect for Funeral Professionals
Asked what has impressed him most during his career, Lodermeier doesn’t hesitate.
“Funeral professionals are some of the most kind, compassionate and dedicated people you’ll ever meet,” he said. “They regularly step into families’ lives during some of their most difficult moments and help guide them through it with professionalism, patience and care.”
He credits funeral directors with teaching him valuable lessons that extend beyond business.
“I’ve learned about hospitality, about treating people with respect and about putting someone else’s needs ahead of your own,” he said.
He also recognizes the sacrifices required by the profession.
“It’s a profession that asks a lot of people, and I’ve always been impressed by their willingness to answer that call and serve families when they’re needed most,” he said.
A Legacy of Service
Lodermeier hopes his career will ultimately be measured not by titles but by impact.
“I hope people would say that Homesteaders was in a better place when I left than when I got there.”
He believes the purpose of preneed has never changed.
“I’ve always believed that preneed is one of the most meaningful things we can offer families because it helps create clarity, reduces uncertainty and gives people a chance to communicate their wishes,” he said.
“It’s not just a business strategy or a funding tool,” he said. “It’s a way to help others.”
Looking back over three-and-a-half decades, it’s not sales achievements or industry milestones that stand out most.
“When I look back on the last 35 years,” Lodermeier said, “it’s the people that stand out — the conversations, the experiences we’ve shared, the challenges we’ve worked through together and the relationships we’ve built along the way.”
For Shaffer, that focus on people explains why Lodermeier’s legacy will continue long after his retirement.
“Dan is the kind of person people trust,” Shaffer said. “He leads with integrity, listens first, follows through on his commitments and genuinely cares about the success of the funeral professionals he serves and the colleagues he works alongside. Those qualities have earned him deep respect throughout our company and across the profession.”
Shaffer added, “We’re incredibly grateful for Dan’s 35 years of service, his leadership and the lasting impact he’s had on Homesteaders and the funeral profession.”
Lodermeier leaves the company confident that as it celebrates 120 years of being in business, it’s poised to build on its success.
He noted that during all those years, Homesteaders has always enjoyed a reputation for operating with integrity, providing exceptional service and always keeping the best interests of the funeral profession and policy owners at the center of what it does. Moreover, its core values have never just been words on a wall.
“Those two things, our reputation and our values, have been consistent,” he said. “I think that’s a big reason why we’ve been able to stay relevant and continue serving the profession for 120 years.”
The company has also been bold in terms of leaning into changes, he said.
“A lot of that has happened under Steve Shaffer’s leadership,” he said. “He’s brought an innovation mindset to the organization and challenged us to think differently about how we can serve funeral professionals. We’ve evolved our operations, expanded our capabilities and embraced new ways of doing business.”
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