Making important decisions is quite challenging when it comes to your funeral home. Your choices will have an impact on your business.
Although you want to make the best business decisions to bring positive results, things don't always turn out the way you want.
Long-term decisions are most common at higher levels of management. So, in making short-term business decisions what should you do?
It would be best to identify the potential consequences - small or big- before deciding. To clarify your choice, here are three questions to ask yourself before making a significant decision about your funeral home.
1. Would You Make the Same Decision if There Wasn't Anything at Stake and No One Would Find Out?
Whether a seasoned funeral home service provider or new in the field, you must feel the decision-making pressure at some point.
Considering the implications of a decision includes:
Levels of decision-making - strategic, tactical, or operational.
Like any other type of business, funeral businesses develop their unique identities over time. When we get good at something, we forget how it feels to be a beginner and how we feel about deciding without the pressure of pleasing others.
Before anyone else, you must be the one satisfied with your business and the decisions regarding it. So, ask yourself these two questions -
- Would you decide differently if your actions weren't made public?
- Would you still make the same decision if the stakes were not so high?
Be honest with yourself and consider your happiness and fulfillment before answering. This way, you can get clarity that's not influenced by outside forces or opinions.
If you answer yes to those questions and are sure of your decision, then feel free to proceed. You don't need to fit in, and people don't need to acknowledge your actions as long as you're working towards creating your dream.
If your answer is a no and you're not sure about the consequences, it's probably best to stop there. Any business is built on integrity - particularly the funeral industry.
2. Is It Beneficial For Your Current And Future Clients?
One of the goals of making a significant business decision should be to improve client experience. Every decision must favor your clients' needs, whether it's regarding buying a hearse, choosing a funeral home, or grief program ideas. We're talking about both your existing and future clients.
Funerals are never easy for anyone. So, creating a positive experience for your clients should be a top priority when you make significant decisions. The main focus of every plan and change should be on what you can do to improve your service for clients.
You must go to the extra lengths and do anything that can potentially please your clients and better their journey with you. Whether you need to work on a communication issue, company rebranding, devising an upgraded content strategy, or improving service quality, do it for your clients.
You'll find content in your work if your clients are delighted and benefit.
3. What Will Be The Fallout Of This Decision For Your Funeral Business?
It's difficult to avoid making decisions based only on immediate results. It's possible to make mistakes under pressure. So, how do you prevent making this common mistake? The best option is to picture yourself and your company in 1, 5, or even ten years, depending on your decision. Consider your decision's impact on the key components - like your client's family, your team, and your business.
Some decisions may seem counterintuitive at first but end up being beneficial in the long run for your funeral biz. It's essential to double-check things from all angles - including your clients, distributors, families, brand, etc. - not just from your perspective or that of your business partners.
Crosschecking allows you to be humble and ready to make decisions that are good for everyone and everything that can be impacted. If you're considering such decisions, the "Used Hearse Purchasing Guide" can provide valuable insights to help you make informed choices.
Closing Thoughts
Business experience teaches you when it's worth taking a risk and when it's better to play it safe.
Whatever you decide for your funeral business should all boil down to your client's happiness - current and future clients. Ultimately, what matters most is their happiness and how their journey with you improves over time.
If you need a reliable and professional funeral vehicle service for your customers, check out Shields Professional Vehicles for top-notch service.