Life-long funeral director, Ray May, became a preneed believer after seeing the results Precoa delivered.
Ray May’s almost-30-year career in the funeral industry began as a teenager and advanced to roles managing multiple funeral home and cemetery locations. He never imagined his work serving families at-need would lead to a career in preneed – a field that he had skeptical feelings about, to say the least.
“To put it politely, I had never been impressed with any of the preneed companies,” Ray said. “For many, many years I had heard all the empty promises of so many preneed companies, it seemed like they were just all the same.”
Ray first learned about Precoa’s proactive approach to preneed when the owners of the funeral home he was managing made the decision to partner with Precoa.
“I initially looked upon Precoa as just another provider with the same old products and limited services as all the rest,” he said. “Then, to my surprise, we started seeing a significant increase in activity and subsequent sales. It was at that point, when they really delivered on promises made, that I wanted to learn more.”
Surprisingly, even to him, that learning process culminated with Ray accepting a job as a regional consultant with Precoa. As with many of Precoa’s regional consultants, Ray uses his experience as the funeral director to help the firms he works with grow their preneed program.
“As funeral directors, we are almost always focused on our at-need families—and rightly so— but that leaves a gap in the development of a successful preneed program,“ he said. “Precoa’s proactive model solves this problem, because we take on the burden of developing, implementing, and managing preneed program so owners and managers don’t have to worry about it.”
Ray said that while funeral directors and owners often feel that all preneed companies are the same – much as he once did – that attitude can be wiped away with a little exploration.
“In my experience, once owners and managers get over the ‘I’ve seen this before’ prejudice and take the time to see what we are all about, their attitudes change dramatically,” he said. “That’s when I get excited for them, their staffs, and most importantly their client families.”
Ray has seen great results for the firms he works with when the funeral home entrusts the care of their future families to Precoa - and the success isn’t limited to preneed.
“That ongoing, consistent effort Precoa offers results in not only increased preneed sales, but greater community awareness, increased market share, and at-need business,” he said. “We share what works and we thrive when we are partnered with progressive owners who value a cooperative experience.“
For Ray, it always comes back to the value of a dynamic program and a mutual dedication to reach more families in the community.
“Nothing happens until we earn the right to prearrange a family – nothing else matters,” he said. “Our model focuses on results, not excuses and empty promises. Owners that are family-focused will find that our ongoing programs and support can be tailored to fit into nearly any situation. We are not a ‘one-size fits all’ kind of company.”
Precoa’s exclusive partner policy is also important to Ray, as it shows loyalty and complete dedication to a strong partnership.
“We are different, as we are exclusive and only focus on one funeral business in any particular geography or demographic,” he said. “Unlike others, we don’t believe in saying we’re working for you 100 percent and then at the same time supporting your competitor.”
There are many differences that caused an at-need funeral service veteran, like Ray, to feel confident moving to preneed. It’s those same unique features, according to Ray, that make Precoa the right choice for any leading funeral home seeking to grow their market share and serve more families.
“If funeral home owners and managers truly want to better serve their community and their families, then Precoa is simply the only rational choice,” he said.