From Preneed To Aftercare: How Salazar Funeral Homes Found New Solutions

Louis Salazar, Owner & Funeral Director
Gloria Salazar, Owner & Funeral Director
Salazar Funeral Homes & Crematory
Albuquerque, NM
Average call volume: 300 calls/year

Your preneed program is a valuable service to your community and a key part of your short-term and long-term goals.

But when you have to balance serving families and managing your funeral home, it can be difficult to devote enough time and energy to growing your preneed program.

That’s how Louis and Gloria Salazar felt about their preneed program. Louis, a fourth-generation funeral director, knew that he and his wife had to prioritize preneed leads. But with so much to do, all they could do was wonder – how and with what time?

Partnering with Funeral Directors Life (FDL) helped propel Salazar Funeral Homes & Crematory’s preneed program to new heights. Since using FDL, Louis and Gloria have increased their preneed volume by 140% and their average contract size by 40%.

Plus, Louis and Gloria now have more time to serve families and celebrate the important things in life, like their recent 40th wedding anniversary.

“I’m so thankful for FDL,” Louis said. “They set our funeral home up for success and gave us our time back.”

Discover how FDL’s preneed, aftercare, online planning platform, and other services helped grow Louis and Gloria’s funeral home.

What is the story of how and why you chose to partner with FDL?

Gloria: We learned about FDL at the National Funeral Directors Association Convention. Several of our friends at the convention kept telling us, ‘You need to go check out FDL and see what they’re about.’ We took their advice, and we’re so happy we did.

At the convention, we met with [FDL President & CEO] Kris Seale and a few of their Vice Presidents. They blew us away with their offerings, especially the Select Producer Program, which paired a highly-trained preneed professional with our business. We’ve had nothing but positive experiences. We partnered with FDL in 2007 and have had no regrets about that decision.

What did your preneed program look like before using the Select Producer Program?

Louis: Before FDL, a few individuals tried to lead our preneed program, but it didn’t catch on. That put the pressure on us to make sure our preneed was in good shape. We worked harder than ever on our preneed before signing up for the Select Producer Program. That made it very tough and stressful for us because, as funeral home owners, we have a lot of responsibilities. We have to make sure families are cared for and that our business is in a good place. So adding the work to keep up our preneed program just put one more thing on our plates.

Gloria: FDL has really spoiled us with the Select Producer Program because we’ve had such a positive experience. We’ve been very pleased.

How has the Select Producer Program helped your funeral home?

Louis: I’ve never seen someone work as hard as our select producer [preneed sales professional]. They always schedule meetings with families, groups, and organizations and are great at keeping us updated on how things are going. We love having a specialized preneed agent in the office that a family can sit down and talk with. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that having a select producer is a huge asset to our funeral home.

Gloria: We also noticed that our select producer was even driving some of our at-need calls, which I didn’t expect. They would reach out to families and organizations to talk about preneed, so our funeral home would be fresh in the minds of families. Then, if a death occurred, those families remembered us and would look to use our funeral home for the service. That didn’t happen before we joined FDL, and it shows how having a select producer goes beyond just preneed. It can help other parts of your business, too.

What would your funeral home look like if you weren’t using the Select Producer Program?

Louis: Our funeral home would be completely different. We would have to handle all the walk-ins, phone calls, and scheduling, leaving us with little time to do everything else. We’re just too busy. We’re a small, family-owned funeral home with a small staff, so we’re doing a little bit of everything. If we had to do preneed, too, that would be tough.

I’ve talked to a few funeral directors who don’t want to use a preneed sales professional. They want to handle preneed themselves. I tell them they don’t know what they’re missing out on. Having a dedicated person to handle your preneed makes things much easier.

Speaking of other parts of your business, how would you describe your aftercare program since using FDL?

Gloria: The aftercare program through FDL is phenomenal. We’ve received some positive feedback from families using Circle of Friends+. Many families who have never worked with a funeral home or had a bad experience with a funeral home believe that we just want to take their money and couldn’t care less about how they are after the funeral. FDL’s aftercare program has been an excellent tool for us to show families that we care for them beyond the service.

Louis: Before FDL, our aftercare program was weak. We would send families thank you cards, surveys, and one-year anniversary follow-ups, but that was about it. FDL has helped us improve that part of our service to families, and we’ve seen the benefits.

Can you share some of the benefits you’ve seen from FDL’s aftercare program?

Louis: FDL’s aftercare does more than help us stay connected with served families. It also helps other parts of our business. When a family comes to us, we focus on serving them well, and then our aftercare helps us care for them once the funeral is over. FDL assists us in staying connected with the family so that if another death occurs, they’ll be more likely to come back to us.

Then, after seeing how our funeral home cares for them, those families may also be interested in preplanning with us, which gives our select producer more leads to follow up on. Then those families share their good experiences with other families, which can lead to more at-need and preneed business for our funeral home. It’s a cycle that all works together. FDL’s aftercare program is a fantastic tool.

What has your funeral home done to reach today’s families?

Gloria: The evidence is pretty clear that many families want to explore their funeral options online. We signed up for the Arrangement Guide with FDL to help serve these families. Arrangement Guide also gives our select producer more ways to grow our preneed program.

Louis: The Arrangement Guide gives us a competitive advantage in our community. Especially after COVID, many families want to do everything online and don’t want to visit a funeral home. Personally, I’d rather sit down with a family, but that’s not always the case. More families are heading in that direction, so the Arrangement Guide helps us stay modern and up-to-date with technology.

Is there anything that makes FDL stand out from other companies?

Louis: FDL treats us like family. I have never experienced the support, interest, and care from another company like I have with FDL. Other companies we’ve worked with never reached out to us like FDL does. We would maybe hear from them once or twice a year. They didn’t make us feel valued, and we didn’t feel like we were partners. But FDL makes us feel like it’s a partnership. Any time one of FDL’s sales managers is in town, they always ask if we can meet and have a meal together. The communication we get from FDL is unmatched. We never feel left in the dark.

What would be your honest review if someone asked you about FDL?

Louis: I’ve told several funeral directors about FDL over the years, and the main thing I preach is the incredible support FDL gives its customers. You’ll get the proper training, tools, support, and communication to keep your funeral home successful. Being a funeral director and running a successful funeral home is difficult. You need time to focus on families and services to improve your business. FDL gives us both.