There was a time when J. Wells Greely, 4th generation funeral director at family-owned Wells Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, took a passive approach to preneed and relied on walk-ins for their preneed business.
Reluctant to embark on a more active program, Greely didn’t want to jeopardize his relationship with families and the funeral home’s standing in the community.
Noting the benefit that an active preneed program brings to funeral homes, PFP Senior Vice President & Regional Director Troy Lovingood explained, “Funeral directors need to be looking at a couple of things: how are they going to keep the families they are serving today and how are they going to get new families to call them?”
Wells has since partnered with PFP and now has a dedicated preneed counselor fully devoted to preneed. “It’s an approach I’m comfortable with in making this valuable service for families to pre-plan and prepay their funerals available,” explained Greely.
Reflecting on the success of Wells’ preneed program, Lovingood noted the significant impact on their preneed to at-need ratio and exponential growth as a result of PFP’s preneed marketing program. “One size doesn’t fit all. We tailor marketing solutions to every client in every firm. A successful program is one that grows and protects the long-term security of the funeral home,” he said.
Greely sees the impact a more active preneed program has had on his funeral home.