7:30-9:30 a.m.

Difficult Case Embalming, Pleasant Expression and Creating the “Smile”
Matthew Smith, Frigid Fluid Co., Oxford, MI

A severe edema case is presented beginning to end with a step-by-step, full-color Power Point presentation. Next, Smith will show how every embalmed body can have a pleasant, symmetrical look, with focus on creating a smile. The workshop culminates with examples of extreme restoration cases, demonstrating how every body can be an open-casket viewing. A must-see for every embalmer. (2 CE hours)

Identifying New Hires: Staffing for Success
Glenn Gould, MKJ Marketing, Largo, FL

Hear about the Funeral Service Foundation’s research findings and how funeral directors can be instrumental in assisting young adults entering the funeral profession Find out how elevating the education requirements for funeral directors will lead to a healthier funeral profession. (2 CE hours)

Mystery Shopping Funeral Homes: Inside the Mind of the Consumer
Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender, Kizer & Bender Speaking! St. Charles, IL

Looking at businesses through the eyes of the consumer is what retail anthropologists Kizer and Bender do every day, and figuring out what funeral home customers really want is at the top of their mystery shopping list. To get inside the mind of consumers, Kizer and Bender actually become them. To prepare for this NFDA presentation, they posed as various types of consumers and walked into funeral homes to see and experience, firsthand, what a consumer sees, hears and feels in the process of making funeral arrangements. In addition, they held funeral home-specific focus groups and one-on-one interviews with families. If you want to learn what customers expect from your funeral home, then you won’t want to miss this customer-centric workshop! (2 CE hours)

Online Marketing for the Funeral Industry
Ron Browning, Funeral Home Resource Corp., Ft. Lauderdale, FL

With more than 54% of adults replacing the Yellow Pages with the Internet, it is more important than ever to understand the basic concepts of online marketing and website development. Funeral home and cemetery owners and directors will benefit by getting a thorough understanding of the basic concepts of online marketing and will get an introduction to search engine optimization and search engine marketing, such as Google, Bing, Yahoo! and website development. (2 CE hours)