When a family tells a funeral director, “We want cremation,” the easiest response may be to move immediately into the arrangement process. But according to Alan Creedy and Danny Jefferson, that response may represent a missed opportunity. In the latest episode of Two Guys and A Question, “We Want Cremation:…
Read MoreWhen a family calls a funeral home asking about cremation prices, the conversation often begins and ends with a single number. But what does that number actually cover? And what happens when prices fall so low that a provider can no longer sustain the staffing, accountability and safeguards necessary to…
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Ask most funeral directors about their first arrangement conference and they'll describe it in detail — not because it went badly, but because there was no way to prepare for it beforehand. J & C Advisors is changing that with Arranger's Edge, an AI-powered simulator that lets funeral directors practice…
Read MoreBy Thomas A. Parmalee Alan Creedy and Danny Jefferson, two funeral service innovators who host a popular podcast, pondered whether every family that asks for a direct cremation really wants one in their latest episode of “Two Guys and a Question.” Jefferson began the podcast by pointing out that there…
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By Alan Creedy George had done everything right. He was the second-generation owner of a respected funeral home, and like a lot of careful business owners, he had a plan. His will was current. His attorney had a copy. His wife knew where the insurance policies were and which banker…
Read MoreIn a recent episode of Two Guys and a Question, industry veterans Alan Creedy and Danny Jefferson tackled a deceptively simple topic with major implications for funeral home operators: the tendency to “step over dollars to pick up nickels.” The conversation centered on how funeral homes, particularly multi-location firms, often…
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By Alan Creedy Funeral directors know from experience that, even when a death is expected, there is a period immediately following that death that we can call time of acute loss. During this time the brain goes into emergency mode. Memory, judgment and decision making are temporarily impaired. Families may…
Read MoreAlan Creedy and Danny Jefferson have announced the formal launch of J & C Advisors, a newly organized advisory platform created to support independent funeral home owners and successors as they navigate a period of profound change within the profession. The launch coincides with a new website and the consolidation…
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By Alan Creedy There’s an old saying: “Tell one person a secret and you have a 50% chance it stays a secret. Tell two, and that chance drops to zero.” One of the seller’s greatest sources of leverage is the ability to walk away from a deal. Once a potential…
Read MoreIn the latest episode of Two Guys and a Question, funeral service innovators Alan Creedy and Danny Jefferson tackle a topic that’s never been more important: rebuilding trust between funeral directors and their communities. Host Danny Jefferson recalls how a simple act of connection — striking up a conversation with…
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Mandy Stafford, preplanning and national partnerships manager for Return Home, recently joined Alan Creedy and Danny Jefferson on their podcast Two Guys and a Question to discuss how her company is helping families embrace a new, natural approach to death care through natural organic reduction — also known as terramation…
Read MoreOn a recent episode of “Two Guys and a Question,” Alan Creedy and Danny Jefferson tackled one of the most overlooked — and costly — issues in funeral service: the absence of intentional mentorship. Drawing on a century of combined experience, they explored the cultural, financial and reputational damage that…
Read MoreAlan Creedy, one of the funeral profession’s most trusted consultants and the author of “Finish Well: An Exit Guide for Funeral Home Owners”, recently cleared time out of his schedule to shine a spotlight on his upcoming Blue Ocean Tour Workshop, May 12–14 in Minnesota, in an exclusive video interview…
Read MoreAlan Creedy and Danny Jefferson, two funeral service innovators who host a popular podcast called “Two Guys and a Question,” continued drilling down into market research and what it means for funeral homes on their latest episode. Much of their discussion was related to online pricing, as they observed that…
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