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Funeral directors and florists have been working together for many years to provide families with beautiful arrangements and sympathy flowers during times of loss.
In fact, 63% of funeral directors were visited by a local florist in the past 3-4 months… are you one of them? (statistics from an American Floral Endowment research paper).
As you might already know, funeral homes can earn commissions by partnering with flower arrangers for these purchases. This is a win-win relationship that can be nurtured over time to grow both businesses.
Here's a guide to help you get started:
How to grow a funeral home's revenue by offering sympathy flowers
Step 1: Find a reliable florist
Start by searching for reputable and reliable local florists who offer high-quality products. Check Google, local business directories, and ask around for recommendations from other funeral homes and colleagues.
Chances are, one of them might have stopped by your funeral home already. If that's the case, it's time for due diligence. Learn what you need from them, and see if your businesses are a good fit.
Step 2: Reach out to them
Once you've got a list of potential partners or you have found the one, reach out to them and introduce yourself and your funeral home.
Let them know you're interested in partnering to offer sympathy flowers and ask about their commission structure.
Step 3: Work out the details and negotiate terms
Look at the info from the florists and choose the one that works best for you. Negotiate the partnership terms, like the commission structure, delivery options, and any other important details.
Memorial trees and sympathy flowers generally offer a commission range between 10-25% of the order value, but you might be able to negotiate their initial offering.
Step 4: Implement the partnership
Once you've agreed on the terms, it's time to put the partnership into action. Make sure you have all the necessary info from the florist, like delivery schedules and up-to-date prices. It might also be helpful to give families a brochure or catalog of available sympathy flower options. This will help you increase order value and, ultimately, the commissions you earn from it.
Step 5: Include sympathy flowers, memorial trees, and other important links
The best way to increase the commissions your funeral home earn is to include the links where people actually need them. A great start would be to include your flower purchasing links directly below the funeral live stream, right within your website, and next to the obituaries.
When family members and friends see the links in these important spots, they’ll be more inclined to plant a memorial tree or comfort the bereaved with flowers.
Here's a good example of how to list your offerings:
Step 6: Keep an eye on the partnership
Just like with any partnership, it's important to keep track of how things are going and make changes if needed. Keep tabs on the number of orders, total commission, and any feedback from families. This will help you make informed decisions and keep the partnership successful.
Increasing your flower sales through live streaming funerals and memorials
While in-person funerals can help families to start their grieving process immediately, there are some benefits to attending events virtually as well.
Some close family members or friends might not be able to travel with a short notice, which would prevent them from being there at all. Live streaming can help them feel like they're a part of the event, which helps them cope with their suffering and feelings of being away.
Besides the more evident effect of allowing everyone to be there, live streaming can also increase donations and commissions from sympathy flowers and gifts. In fact, most of the funeral homes that embed live streaming on their websites notice a clear impact in the reach they have within their communities.
The growth isn't just revenue-driven, but it also helps them being top-of-mind for families who might have not consider them otherwise. Funeral directors receive all sort of praise for giving families the ability to live stream the event and keep a recorded copy of the entire service.
Adding links to sympathy flower brochures
Most of the funeral directors we work with include the live streaming link within the obituary.
When families access the link, they'll usually see a waiting screen with a photo of their loved one and a memorial wall right next to it. Some of them decide to leave a message, but almost all of them look at the links below the live stream.
These can include the website to your funeral home, a program of the event, or useful links, such as a Flowers Brochure.
Adding them is easy and takes little to no time, and instead of looking like self-promotion, they serve as a useful resource for those who want to express their love and can't do it in person.
I wrote a short guide on how to add links to a funeral live stream that you can read here, but here's a simple image on how to do it on EventLive's app:
Conclusion
By following these steps, you can set up a successful partnership and make sure families get the support and comfort they need during a difficult period of their lives.
As a funeral director, you understand that it's important to team up with local florists who are experts in sympathy floral designs. Flowers can bring comfort and support to the bereaved, and that's what matters most.
