If you've been in the game for a while, then this might not be the first time you've encountered the term "retraining." New knowledge and better technology have placed companies in a better position to compete and perform. However, these trends also emphasized the fact that companies, whether startups or seasoned veterans, will need to get up close with the knowledge that was contributed by research and experience. For companies that have been operating for a while, this means that you will have to invest in retraining not only yourself but also your team, especially if you want to ensure that you're implementing strategies that are more effective than their old-school counterparts. Retraining your employees can involve a number of things. You can give them the opportunity to go back to school, or better yet, you can help them find programs that they can join for a short period of time without compromising the quality of their development. The latter option is one that might appeal to you if you have limited funds to allocate to retraining your employees or if you and your team don't have the time to complete at least a two-year degree. Doing so will help you reap several, if not all, of the following benefits: Addresses areas for improvement.Being an established company usually means that you have a performance appraisal system that enables you to identify areas for improvement in terms of your team's performance and productivity. Retraining your employees addresses these points by giving them the opportunity to learn more substantial methods that can help prevent them from making the same mistakes twice, which can help increase their confidence and initiative. It can also help them address challenges that may be brought by your growing company, such as customer interactions or handling finances. Enables creativity and innovation.Perhaps one of the most important benefits of retraining your employees is that inspires creativity and innovation in such a way that it can benefit your company in the long term and help you achieve your goals. Exposing your team to new knowledge, strategies, and technologies helps in making them aware that there may be other and better ways of completing their tasks. It also ensures that they are up-to-date on any new policies and regulations that can affect their workflow. Combined with the previous benefit, retraining both enables your team to gain confidence and inspires them to introduce new strategies that can revolutionize how you've been attempting to achieve both your short- and long-term goals. Introduces flexibility in strength and skills.If you choose to enroll your employees into a program that tackles various topics, then they are more likely to develop new strengths and skills that can help them thrive not only in the position they are in but also in other areas of your company. Retraining arms your employees with the basic knowledge and skills they need to navigate new fields and circumstances, which may become even more of an asset when your company continues to grow. For business owners, these new skills mean that you can assign them to a wide variety of tasks and be confident that they can do well despite it being something new for them. Increases employee loyalty and retainment.Giving retraining opportunities to your employees helps emphasize their value to the company, which ensures that they understand that they have a future within your company. Being able to address their mistakes, develop confidence, and contribute significantly also increases their loyalty to your company. It lowers the risk of employee turnover, and it enables you to manage and lead a team you know you can rely on. This is especially important if you're anticipating continued business growth as an empowered and reliable team is one that is productive and high-performing. Raises future leaders.Enabling your employees to understand the ins and outs of your company means that they are getting a crash course on managing a business and competing in the market. By applying their newfound skills, your employees can get a better understanding of why you do what you do and what has been done to achieve your company goals. Combined with ideas and strategies that may result from innovative minds, this understanding only cements their potential as future leaders within your company. They may become more driven to contribute to your efforts and establish their place in their working environments, which can help inspire others to do the same. Being a veteran in business doesn't mean that you have nothing left to learn. As a matter of fact, spending more time in your industry or market will likely require you to explore different ideas and strategies that you might not understand without the proper training. If you want to manifest the vision you have for your company, then consider retraining yourself and your employees. From the CEO to the sweeper, the new CANA Deathcare Business Administration Certification Program offers an opportunity to improve management skills and contribute to the strategic initiatives of their company. In this 10-week, fully virtual training and networking program – with a curriculum based on an executive MBA – both current and future leaders of your business will gain skills in organizational leadership, people management, and business finance.
This post republished with permission from the Goalmakers blog. For more, read on here. ![]() Jeremy Wall is co-founder and CEO of GoalMakers. Understanding that most managers have never been taught the fundamentals of people management or business finance, Wall has a passion for simplifying these concepts into practical and applicable lessons to help businesses define & achieve their goals. After building his previous business, an IoT safety company, Wall did private consulting before joining esteemed coach and author John Cioffi to expand this knowledge to a global audience through the GoalMakers ‘mini-MBA’ programs, including the CANA Deathcare Business Administration Certification. Every funeral home owner has faced it—that uneasy realization that valuable leads are slipping through the cracks. You’ve spent time and money on marketing campaigns, from digital ads to community events, and while you’re reaching the "low-hanging fruit," you still have drawers full of leads who never get a follow-up. It’s a frustrating cycle. You’re seeing a minimal return on your marketing investment, but it’s not just about lost revenue—it’s about missed opportunities to help families. Each lead represents someone who reached out for guidance and support. So, how do you break free from this cycle? The answer lies in reimagining preneed not just as a collection of separate tasks but as a fully integrated system that maximizes the quality and potential of every lead. Go from Passive to ProactiveIf you're like many funeral homes, walk-ins and call-ins form the bulk of your preneed business. Most of these families are choosing you for good reason. They’ve often already built a relationship with your brand, and they both know and trust your funeral home. These are obviously very important families to focus on, and you’re right to nurture them. But the truth is they would have likely chosen your funeral home anyway. To grow and expand your market, it’s important to prearrange new families—those who may not be familiar with your brand or may be undecided about their chosen funeral home. This is where the shift to proactive preneed becomes so critical. It’s not just about marketing and setting appointments with the people who know and love you. It’s about expanding your reach, building relationships with new families, and giving them the education and clarity they need to choose your funeral home. Tap Your Full PotentialRelying on walk-ins and call-ins is like playing defense—it’s safe, but it’s not scalable. To truly grow your business, you need an offense—a proactive system that builds connections with new families and turns them into loyal customers. Consider this: depending on the size of your market, there are likely hundreds if not thousands of families in your serviceable area who are interested in prearranging a funeral. They may not be quite ready to take the next step and set an appointment, but a proactive approach to preneed allows you to develop a relationship starting today. In other words, by reaching these families through proactive marketing, personalized follow-ups, and education, you’re creating a bridge from "undecided and unaware" to "excited and eager to act." As you probably already know, consumer preferences are shifting faster than ever. 29% of the population today are religiously unaffiliated, meaning they no longer identify with a specific religion, and communities are changing as people move away from their hometowns. It used to be that our profession could rely on our institutions and communities to build the value of a funeral as a meaningful source of ritual, ceremony, and gathering. But today’s shifting preferences have reduced this built-in value. Families still want to honor their loved ones, but they are less aware of their options. Being proactive allows you to change this. You get to fill the shoes that our institutions and communities once filled. Not only can you help families understand the full range of options available and shift their perspective early on, but you can also share the value of a meaningful funeral experience and its importance in helping their loved ones heal. Proactive Marketing is Just the BeginningA lot of people think active preneed comes down to active marketing—sending out direct mail campaigns, running social ads, and holding community events. But while that is a critical piece of running a healthy program, it’s only part of the equation. When you generate quality leads through marketing, you see who is interested in learning more. Real growth comes from what happens next—your ability to nurture that interest, keep families engaged, and inspire them to take action. Without an interconnected system or clear plan of action, it’s easy for these leads to slip away. Maybe one person on your team is doing all the follow-ups, but they’re stretched too thin. Or perhaps everyone is "pitching in" on follow-ups, but no one is 100% accountable. This "all hands on deck" approach often leads to confusion and missed connections. The ball simply gets dropped. To keep it moving forward and consistently prearrange more families, you need a way to create a next step for every lead—and then a framework for tracking, measuring, and managing each of those steps. Deliver Remarkable Preneed ExperiencesAt the heart of preneed should be a commitment to delivering exceptional experiences. Think about how transformative it is for a family to walk into your funeral home after a loved one’s passing and realize that everything has already been taken care of. Stress levels drop, the focus shifts to healing and connection, and your team can focus on providing personalized, compassionate care. That’s the result of a great preneed experience—and it’s something that can start long before a family’s time of need. By providing a consistent, personalized, and proactive preneed experience, you’re building brand loyalty and creating families who will be fans of your funeral home for years to come. A proactive approach to preneed ensures that every family, from the moment they first see your marketing message to the moment they finalize their plan, has a seamless and supportive experience. But this takes a lot more than flipping a switch. Here are a few key steps that will help you unlock your preneed potential.
ConclusionTo sustain a growing preneed program, it’s important to be proactive and keep everyone accountable. Every lead needs a next step, and each of these steps needs to be measured and tracked. This was one of the first things we realized when we developed ProActive Preneed®. Our system is designed to connect every piece of your preneed pipeline and give every family a clear path forward. Being proactive should not only generate more quality leads for your funeral home, but it should also result in more quality preneed appointments, more prearranged families, and strong relationships that last. Learn more about ProActive Preneed® at precoa.com Discover how to communicate the value of pre-planning at CANA’s 2025 Cremation Symposium this February. Join Tyler Anderson and other expert panelists for an engaging discussion on Cremation Preneed Success: Strategies, Insights, and Innovation in Sales and Marketing. Whether you're new to cremation preneed marketing or a seasoned professional, register now and head to Las Vegas this February 26-28! Learn more at cremationassociation.org/success ![]() Tyler Anderson is senior vice president of business development at Precoa, a preneed company that helps hundreds of funeral homes prearrange more families and grow their markets. Born and raised in the funeral profession, Tyler appreciated the importance of ceremony, ritual, and gathering from an early age. Tyler’s grandfather started his first funeral home in 1944 and the Anderson family continues to own and operate firms in the state of Ohio today. Tyler began his preneed career as an advance planner, then regional sales manager with The Outlook Group, which his father, Charles, founded in 1985. Later, as CEO and President (2010-2016), Tyler helped Outlook Group become one of the nation’s top preneed companies. His unwavering passion to help more families experience a meaningful service fueled his decision to unite with Precoa in 2017. Today he continues to be passionate about sharing a new vision for preneed that helps more families across the country experience a meaningful funeral service. Tyler lives in Portland, OR with his wife, Jana, and daughter, Noemie. |
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