Dear Liz,

I sell a difficult product - one that I can't say "thank you for your business, it was a pleasure" or "come back soon."  I sell funeral products direct to the public at a discount. Most of our sales are 'at need' meaning with the death of the loved one. 

The problem I have run into is most of the people do not know of their options in purchasing outside of the funeral home, whereby they can save thousands with us. I do pay per click, search engine optimization, even newsletters. I wonder if this is a 'market' you think would go well with those who shop with coupons? If I advertised with a coupon, I think it might get the word out more (of course, no expiration date) but I wonder if people would hang onto the coupon and use it.  It is hard to offer much to those that grieve, as I know their mind isn't on shopping, but it should be; The cost of the funeral is over $5,000 - $7,000 and we really do save them a lot.

Thank you,
Betty B.
 

Dear Betty,

Yours is a tricky marketing problem. You need to build awareness. You are not going to be able to comb through the death announcements and make cold calls - the need will have been met by the time the notice gets in the paper. I would love for a Thinking Aloud reader to contradict me, but I don't think you will have a way to directly reach the needles in haystack- bereaved folks who would instantly need your services. You need to let people know that you exist in the first place. You also happen to compete with some very well known vendors (funeral homes) who tend to be referred by word of mouth or simply chosen because of their long standing in communities. Your company needs to invest in ads in magazines geared to senior citizens or people tending chronically ill relatives. You need to let critical-care and geriatric physicians know who you are and you should reach out to the hospice community. You should look into PR and generally spread the word that the traditional full-service funeral home is not the only option.

Personally I don't think coupons are your best bet. Coupons make sense for things that people will need in a week or two anyway - laundry detergent and paper towels and so forth. Do a series of seminars for hospice directors and geriatric care facility directors. Write some articles geared to this population and others in a position to recommend services to families. Ministers, as well. You offer a valuable service and you need to get the word out. If I were in your shoes I'd be focusing on reducing uncertainty: "If I proceed on my own to buy these items without the help of a funeral director, what do I need to know? What are the risks?" Just a few years ago, almost no one sold her home without a realtor - now it's a common practice. You may create the same wave of change in the funeral industry - more power to you!

Liz