Family and Pet Protection

Family and Pet Protection

My wife and I have one wonderful son named Jack.  He’s ten and in those years we’ve had four dogs.  Annie, the dog we rescued from the “Dog Pound,” Millie, the Boxer and now we have Tank, the English Bulldog and Lola the Pug.  As some newly wed couples do, we got a dog before we had any babies and she lived to be fourteen years old.  Annie was a great old dog.  After a few years we got Millie too, who was a Boxer.  Millie was as dumb as a bag of hammers but so sweet and kind, she had a very nurturing disposition.  As a matter of fact, after our son Jack was born Millie acted as if she’d given birth to him herself.  Anywhere Jack went, Millie was there to keep an eye on him.  She and my wife Shelley also formed a special bond and when Millie died it was like loosing a member of the family.  I’m sure some of you have been in that situation.  Then, not too many months later Annie died. 

Growing up, I had dogs and when they died we buried them behind the rose garden at the back of the funeral home parking lot.  That was our tribute to them.  It seems times have changed because when Millie and Annie died, when had them cremated, bought beautiful urns and had a funeral at our house with family and friends.  It was an event, the ritual of a funeral for the loss of a family member (of the four legged kind).

In business I thought, if we had those emotions about our pets then surely someone else out there does too.  So, I am proud to announce that at Security National Life – our “Family Protection Plan” now includes pets.  Currently all of our preneed plans have a no-cost “Child-Grandchild-Great Grandchild” supplement to help cover the loss of a child, and because these days some pets are like children – that same supplement will also help cover that loss as well.  “Helping you help your family…” it’s what we do best.

If you have an opinion about our Family and Pet Protection Plan, I’d like to hear from you (good, bad or ugly).  Please email me at:  guy.winstead@securitynational.com and let me know what you think.

10 Commandments of Pre-Need Sales

The Ten Commandments of Pre-Need Sales

(and good, clean living too...)

1. Speak to People. There is nothing so nice as a cheerful word of greeting. 

2. Smile at People. It takes 72 muscles to frown, only 14 to smile.

3. Call People by Name. The sweetest music to anyone’s ears is the sound of their own name.   

    Growing up in the funeral business, my grandfather used to remind me how important a simple  

    philosophy like this is. He’d always remind me, “How you expect to bury someone if you don’t know 

    their name.”

4. Be Friendly and Helpful. If you would have friends, be a friend.

5. Be Cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do is a genuine pleasure.

6. Be Genuinely Interested in People. You can like almost everybody if you try.

7. Be Generous with Praise. Be cautious with criticism.

8. Be Considerate with the feelings of others. There are usually three sides to a controversy: Your 

    side, their side and the right side.

9. Be Alert to Give Service. What counts most in life is what we do for others. 

10. Add to this a Good Sense of Humor and a BIG Dose of Patience.

     Some years ago I sent a list similar to this to my customer base and got back a not-so-friendly letter that I keep with me to this day. This letter reminded me that some times what we intend to do doesn’t always mirror what we actually do. We get caught in the process and don’t pay attention to the details – we forget the human side. I am ashamed to say that the customer was right – I had fallen into a trap of treating that client as a number instead of a person. I had fallen into the trap of trying to call on more customers rather than making sure that one was taken care of and satisfied. Dave Ramsay calls this life lesson “Stupid Tax.” Please learn from mine so you don’t have to pay your own. Read the Commandments. Learn them. Live them. “Helping you help your family...” it’s what we do best.

We Need Your Help and Want to Hear from You!

     My goal through this series of Blogs is to give you some subtle suggestions to help yourself both personally and professionally. In addition, I would like some feedback from you to give me some direction as this process evolves and takes shape. Please email me with suggestions of what you would like to read.  Guy.Winstead@SecurityNational.com You can also contact us on the web at www.securitynational.com/preneed 

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT GOALS IS HAVING ONE.

J.R. "Buddy" Winstead - One of the best men I ever knew.

     As I look back in the blogs that I've posted almost all either refer to or relate to an experience with my grand-father, Buddy Winstead.  So much of what I think and believe in the funeral business comes from his influence.  So much of what I think and believe in life comes from his influence.  Many of my "ism's" (as my wife so charmingly calls them) come from him.  Today, my grand-father died peacefully at his home.  I know we're in the funeral business; I know that my grand-father would want me to remember all of the many, many wonderful times we shared; all the family's he helped; all the good things he's done for his family and others - but I cannot express the absolute sorry and loneliness I have in my heart with his passing.  I knew this day was coming, but my heart is broken that it has arrived.  For my "Grandaddy Buddy" – I love you and miss you.  

You were one of the best men I ever knew...

iFuneral on iTunes and the App Store!

     Just a quick note - we're so proud to let everyone know that our industry first "iFuneral" rate calculator has been released on iTunes and the App Store!  Go and get your copy today - then call our Marketing Department for your personal activation code.  You must be an appointed and producing agent to receive your activation code.  Click HERE to find out more about our iFuneral Rate Application for the iPhone, iPad and iTouch.

www.securitynational.com/iFuneral

 Helping Someone Help Their Family

     I got the chance to help a family pre-arrange their funeral last week.  It was a new customer in a new town, in a new state and I was able to help them go through our paperwork and premiums.  It's been awhile since I've gotten to spend time actually writing a contract and get back into the process of helping families directly.  It was nice and rewarding.  I had to knock of some off some of the rust - but the whole process flowed along just as it should and everyone walked away feeling good about what took place.  With that being said - I wanted to post an article we published in our Security National Life Newsletter sometime ago about helping families.  I hope you like it.

     “Helping you help your family.” Whether you are just starting to help families or you are a seasoned pre-need counselor, you know the value and comfort that you give to a family when you help them help their family.

Most customers react in different ways when they start talking about their own funeral arrangements. As you deal with your families, remember to take care while deal- ing with their feelings. Take care as they try to handle talking about their own arrange- ments or planning a sick spouse, parents or god-forbid a child. Sometimes when we try to show the many ways that we can help them by offering; 1) different insured plans to fit their needs and ability, 2) different pay plans to help them with affordability, 3) different benefits they might be entitled to, 4) different ways to protect their family and 5) and for their own peace of mind that not only will their family not have to make funeral arrange- ments on the worst day of their life, but they also won’t have to worry about how to pay for that funeral. As you already know – your families need to reassured during your pres- entations that you are there to help them help their family, not to pressure them. Again, most families don’t realize what programs are available to them or don’t understand how your help could help their family emotionally and financially.

     If you’re not careful, people will feel that they are being pressured instead of be- ing informed. They think that you are only trying to sell them something instead of trying to help. If they only new how much pre-arrangements have helped so many families – you have to show them how it will do the same for them. I have never had anyone tell me that they wished their loved ones had not pre-planned their funeral, but I have had many people tell me that they had waited too late and they wish that they had pre- planned together, they wish I had been more persistent with them.

     Some of the time if you sense someone is feeling pressured, go over with the fu- neral director or funeral home owner about what you have shared with the family about pre-need and what you think the objections are, financial, want to talk to their children, someone they know had a problem with their old pre-need program, etc. Sometimes a call of support for a pre-need plan and assurance that the pre-need representative is trying to help them and has ask the funeral director see if they have any questions he can help them with.

     If we can help you or you want to help families help their family - please visit us at www.securitynational.com/PNrecruit.  Fill out the form and one our capable field managers will be glad to help you with a new opportunity!  Speaking of new opportunities, please check back later to meet our new Account Representatives at Security National Life's Pre-Need Division.

Doug Gober sure can pack a punch!

     I am attending the Utah Funeral Director’s Convention in Salt Lake City this week and it’s been a great convention so far.  This morning I sat for two (2) hours and listened to Doug Gober, Executive Director at Matthews International give a fantastic presentation on the state and potential future of the funeral industry.  If you’ve never heard Doug speak – close your eyes and think of a red-haired Dave Ramsey.  Their mannerisms are quite similar – passionate about the topic, factual about the information, pointed in the delivery; and all with a gentle southern accent.  This was the first time I’ve had a chance to actually sit down and listen, truly listen to one of his presentations – and it was so refreshing to hear someone else from our industry talk about the changes that some of us stick our heads in the sand about.  It was nice to hear another industry insider talk about the “buying relationships” of our customer base – those deep-seated practices and patterns that we ask families to throw away the day they deal in our line of business.  The dynamic of host family and established funeral practice and how they seem forever locked in a dance with poor rhythm.

    In any industry change is hard and sometimes I think it’s twice as hard in the funeral business.  Mr. Gober talked about “Strategic Breakthrough” today and what those breakthroughs do to our industry.  I remember when my family’s funeral home purchased a revolutionary piece of modern technology called a…FAX MACHINE.  I remember to this day my grand-father getting mad at not only the price of this “FAX MACHINE,” but didn’t want to grasp the concept that we couldn’t just as easily still run an obituary down to the newspaper’s office like we’d always done before.  I know there are still funeral homes out there that don’t have a computer for fear of Y2K (10 years after the fact).  Now we've introduced iFuneral and hopefully this year an electronic contract that will make your pre-need experience so much easier.  Now please understand – I’m not picking on anybody for not wanting to embrace technology.  I talk all the time about staying within your own comfort zone, but it was just nice to hear someone other than myself get all fired up about our industry and the good things we can do – if we only make the decision to change, then do it.  Thanks Doug for your insightful words – they are appreciated!  My Best, Guy Winstead

REPOST - Looking for Good People to Help SNL Expand!

REPOST - Looking for Good People to Help SNL Expand!

     It seems like every time I turn on the television or read the paper I'm reminded that the economy is still in jeopardy.  Fortunately for Security National, our business is up and we're expanding into new states.  As I've been doing interviews over the past few weeks - I have found that there are some outstanding people looking for work and I hope I have the opportunity to align myself with some of them.  It's been quite an eye-opener to talk to individuals that have a strong education, dynamic personalities and outstanding sales experience, but because of the economy are unemployed. 

     While I have outstanding candidates to interview in some states, I have had some difficulties finding some in others.  I have to admit up front that my wife calls me "picky" and a "perfectionist" and "practically impossible;" - my response is that I'm a man who knows what he's looking for.  I've combed resumes, posted the position but haven't quite found a group of candidates that are just what I'm looking for in a couple of states.  With that said, I thought I might try this blog as an outlet for trying to give someone a great job in a down economy.

     I am looking for an employee to cover the states of Georgia and South Carolina.  I would prefer a Funeral Director background or some type of funeral experience/pre-need experience - but that isn't absolutely necessary.  While I believe that most pre-need companies are "product" driven - at Security National Life, we try to bring a service approach to our pre-need business so I'm looking for a individual that can buy into our marketing philosophy.  As I said earlier - this is an employee position with a base salary, override on business written and monthly bonuses on production and an annual efficiency bonus.  If you think you might be interested or know someone who might be interested - please email me at:  guy.winstead@securitynational.com or call my office at 800-826-6803.  You can also visit our career page by clicking on the link below, select that your looking for a job - fill out the form and attach your resume.  If you don't have a resume, simply follow this link:  www.securitynational.com/PNrecruit and provide your information and I'll contact you - It's that easy!

     We're a great company with that family feel to us and I can't wait to talk to you about this excellent opportunity as we expand!

I'm interested in a position with

Security National's Pre-Need Division!

Daily Work Plan

     If you know me at all, you know I’m all about having a plan. As an agent I had to work by a schedule or I would find myself (potentially) wasting days upon days because I didn’t have a routine or Daily Work Plan. Below is an idea I would like to pass on to you in hopes that it might help you as it helped me.

    Work a plan today! Make this a daily work plan. You probably won’t be able to follow exactly; there will be interruptions. The unexpected will happen, but try and follow this as closely as you can. Make adjustments for changes and don’t let changes ruin your day. As adjustments come, try to get back on track as quickly as possible. Keep your eye on your objective and your mind and actions on the work plan for achieving your goals; buying that new house, your children’s education, a new car or whatever your objective may be. Here is a suggested starter plan. It is 100% better than no plan at all.

     Your plan needs to be for YOU, and YOUR FAMILY. You and your spouse need to plan around family activities – it is as impor- tant as a pre-need appointment. If you do not share in taking children to ball games, school, family events or just relaxing into your plan - when will you do it? Almost everything that you have or need to do can be planned ahead.

EXAMPLE WORK PLAN:

9:00 – Noon        Prospect, deliver obituaries, make presentations, return calls promised from the

                           day before. (Remember: retired and older families are usually home during morning     

                           hours.)

Noon – 1:00        Lunch

1:00 - 2:00          Practice, study, read, complete daily reports, listen to sales or self-development CD’s 

                           and tapes.

2:00 - 5:30         Rest, relaxation, recreation, pick up children, play golf, run errands, etc.

5:30 - 6:00         Dinner (Or where I’m from we call it Supper)

6:00 - 6:30         Re-map evening appointments.

6:30 - 9:00        Best hours for presentations, delivering obits, sales, setting appointments, and  

                         catching all ages at home.

Total: 8 HOURS WORK TIME

     This is just a sample work sheet. You will have to work your own time frame around your other obligations. Just remember that work time pays the bills and allows your family to have what they need. If you can work evenings every other day it is better than not working evenings at all. If you take off a day during the week, work half a day Saturday. Saturday morning is a great day to catch people at home and find families that you can visit the next week and set an appointment with them.

     Self-discipline must be developed and maintained if a person wants to succeed. Time management and self-discipline are the key ingredients to successful planning. Time can work for you or against you. Which would you have it do for you? De- velop the planning habit.

Please visit the following websites for a look into the Security National Life Pre Need Division:

http://preneedindustry.blogspot.com

www.securitynational.com/iFuneral

www.securitynational.com/preneed

Expansion in a Down Economy

     It seems like every time I turn on the television or read the paper I'm reminded that the economy is still in jeopardy.  Fortunately for Security National, our business is up and we're expanding into new states.  As I've been doing interviews over the past few weeks - I have found that there are some outstanding people looking for work and I hope I have the opportunity to align myself with some of them.  It's been quite an eye-opener to talk to individuals that have a strong education, dynamic personalities and outstanding sales experience, but because of the economy are unemployed. 

     While I have outstanding candidates to interview in some states, I have had some difficulties finding some in others.  I have to admit up front that my wife calls me "picky" and a "perfectionist" and "practically impossible;" - my response is that I'm a man who knows what he's looking for.  I've combed resumes, posted the position but haven't quite found a group of candidates that are just what I'm looking for in a couple of states.  With that said, I thought I might try this blog as an outlet for trying to give someone a great job in a down economy.

     I am looking for an employee to cover the states of Georgia and South Carolina.  I would prefer a Funeral Director background or some type of funeral experience/pre-need experience - but that isn't absolutely necessary.  While I believe that most pre-need companies are "product" driven - at Security National Life, we try to bring a service approach to our pre-need business so I'm looking for a individual that can buy into our marketing philosophy.  As I said earlier - this is an employee position with a base salary, override on business written and monthly bonuses on production and an annual efficiency bonus.  If you think you might be interested or know someone who might be interested - please email me at:  guy.winstead@securitynational.com or call my office at 800-826-6803.  You can also visit our career page by clicking on the link below, select that your looking for a job - fill out the form and attach your resume.  It's that easy.

     We're a great company with that family feel to us and I can't wait to talk to you about this excellent opportunity as we expand!

I'm interested in a position with

Security National's Pre-Need Division!

ICCFA Convention in San Antonio, TX (March 10 - 14, 2010)

I want to invite everyone to San Antonio, TX to the ICCFA Convention - Booth 448.  Come by and see us!  The SNL Pre-Need Division will be there and we'll also have another company of ours in the booth - "C & J Financial" or "SNL Fast Funding" as we call it.  They are an at-need insurance assignment factoring company that we own and partner with as a service offering to client and potential client funeral homes.  They are an OGR Event Partner.  We've developed a product offering called "Partners in Profitability" where we offer an even lower discounted factoring rate on at-need assignments based on the amount of pre-need business that is written through Security National Life.  It's a great incentive for a customer to embrace both companies, but it's an even greater incentive for both companies to keep our shared customer happy!  Come by and see us at the ICCFA or browse the links below to learn more about both of our great companies.

www.securitynational.com/preneed

www.snlfastfunding.com

ICCFA Convention Information

Worthy Purpose

     You didn’t wake-up one morning and “be” a funeral director or pre-need counselor...we were all trained to be those. That training came from someone providing us information on the “how to” portion of the vocation and we took that and cultured it into the value of our profession. That profession is based on relationships that put us in the role of an educator - we provide our families with solutions to their problems with the knowledge and information we have been trained. Too many times a family is shorted, unintentionally, by the pre-need sales process because they are only told how much it will cost or what the family will pay in monthly premium.

     I realize that most families make decisions based on their finances, but I also firmly believe that families don’t (or won’t) pre-arrange their funeral until they are shown or reminded what will be faced with the loss of a loved one or friend. Why would they consider waiting until this difficult time in life? I believe it is Lack of Information. We are charged with the challenge of showing a family the true value of a pre-arrangement – why it’s important, what the benefits are and ultimately how it will take care of their family. We have to help them help their family. Just because we know the advantages of our product and how it helps families, please don’t ever assume your families do. Many of them have a loose working knowledge of what a pre-arrangement is but might not realize that it can be insured to where the family could have little or NO balance to pay if death should occur and that insurance is avail- able even if they are not in perfect health. Most of all, a pre-arrangement will prevent their surviving family members from making difficult decisions on one of the worst days of their lives.

     These days, a lot of families have unusual family structures; children from a previous marriage, raising grand-children, small or grown children in other areas or states, disabled family members or no other family members. Some will have a lot of insurance, some will not have anything or think their military benefits will pay for their funeral – some are going to nursing homes and need to pre-arrange with an irrevocable agreement. No matter their circumstance, they can benefit from a pre-arrangement and you need to be prepared to help them. Talk with your SNL Field Manager each time you see them about different situations that have or might happen. I firmly believe the more information you have to help your families, the less you have to “sell” your families and more often than not you will recognize that you have earned a friend during the process because they realize how much you care. I had a friend that once said – “My families know I care because they can see my heart in my eyes when I talk to them” about helping them help their family.

     When you really help someone there is a feeling of accomplishment that you won’t get just by making a sale. I won’t say work smarter or harder...just always be that friendly, helpful person from the funeral home...it is truly a “worthy purpose.”

To find a way to help others help their family go to www.securitynational.com/PNrecruit

Wow, how things have changed!

     Wow, how things have changed!  I started my funeral career in the old days when graves were dug with a shovel.  I was 15 and, if memory serves, the fee for opening and closing a grave was $125. Now at 15 years old, I was a good soldier and I marched and did as I was told.  My fellow gravedigger was a gentleman named Sidney and he was all of 65 years old.  So as I worked through that long, hot, humid South Mississippi summer I was paid $50 for each grave using my pointed shovel to dig the grave and Sidney kept $75 and used his square shovel to fill it up after the committal service.  Well, by the end of the summer I had a my first grave digging epiphany – “I only get $50 and have to do the hard work of digging the grave and Sidney gets $75 for the easy part of filling it up!” – the scales of fair and just had long since tipped in Sidney’s favor.  So I confronted Sidney and without a moment’s thought he told me that the reason I was paid $50 and he was paid $75 was that he was “Management.”  And that has been my quest ever since.

     Unfortunately for me that is a true story – but what’s also amazing to me is how much the industry has changed.  You sure can’t open and close a grave for $125 anymore, and for the most part no one’s digging graves by shovels either.  I remember when I made the transition to Pre-need sales – I used to calculate premiums with a rate sheet, then technology stepped in and the industry moved to the Palm.  Then Palm quit making Palm Pilots to focus on smart phones.  Well, I am proud to say that the industry continues to upgrade and change and Security National Life has just introduced the industry’s first iPhone® rate calculator called iFuneral.

     This application is designed to work with the iPhone® and iTouch® Apple products and will simplify the process of helping the families you serve.  Simply select the state where the prepaid funeral is being sold...

Enter the funeral price, the proposed insured's age and select the funding plan...IT'S THAT SIMPLE!

     Security National Life’s iFuneral Rate Calculator is an innovative way for our funeral home and agent base to take advantage of calculating our very competitive rates while utilizing current technologies. Please ask your Security National Life Pre-Need Representative about our iFuneral Rate Calculator or any of the other Pre-Need Products and services available from SNL.

www.securitynational.com/iFuneral

Let's start with some ground rules...

The Ten Commandments of Pre-Need Sales

(and good, clean living too…)

1. Speak to People. There is nothing so nice as a cheerful word of greeting.

2. Smile at People. It takes 72 muscles to frown, only 14 to smile.

3. Call People by Name. The sweetest music to anyone’s ears is the sound of their own name. Growing up in the funeral business, my grandfather used to remind me how important a simple philosophy like this is. He’d always remind me, “How you expect to bury someone if you don’t know their name.”

4. Be Friendly and Helpful. If you would have friends, be a friend.

5. Be Cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do is a genuine pleasure.

6. Be Genuinely Interested in People. You can like almost everybody if you try.

7. Be Generous with Praise. Be cautious with criticism.

8. Be Considerate with the feelings of others. There are usually three sides to a controversy: Your side, their side and the right side.

9. Be Alert to Give Service. What counts most in life is what we do for others.

10. Add to this a Good Sense of Humor and a BIG Dose of Patience.

Some years ago I sent a list similar to this to my customer base and got back a not-so-friendly letter that I keep with me to this day. This letter reminded me that some times what we intend to do doesn’t always mirror what we actually do. We get caught in the process and don’t pay attention to the details – we forget the human side. I am ashamed to say that the customer was right – I had fallen into a trap of treating that client as a number instead of a person. I had fallen into the trap of trying to call on more customers rather than making sure that one was taken care of and satisfied. Dave Ramsay calls this life lesson “Stupid Tax.” Please learn from mine so you don’t have to pay your own. Read the Commandments. Learn them. Live them. “Helping you help your family…” it’s what we do best.

I Need Your Help and Want to Hear from You!

My goal through these series of blogs is to give you some subtle suggestions to help yourself both personally and professionally. In addition, we would like some feedback from you to give us some direction as this process evolves and takes shape. Please email me with suggestions of what you would like to read. Guy.Winstead@SecurityNational.com

You can also contact me on the web at 

www.securitynational.com/preneed

www.securitynational.com/PNRecruit

www.securitynational.com/iFuneral

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT GOALS IS HAVING ONE.