Monday 11/7
I had to wake up at 4:15 am in order to catch my flight. Luckily I woke up to my alarm and made it there on time :) Flew to Denver and then to Kansas City. Evan picked me up from the airport and off we went.
We made a quick stop in the shopping district of Kansas City for some lunch (beautiful area) and then we were off to Porters Funeral Home just outside of the city.
The Porter family is very well known in the area. They have been around for over a century now. The two current owners are Rick Wiseman and Bill Porter. Bill's family is obviously the one that started the funeral home way back when. Rick's son is also a funeral director and he runs the newer location in Lenexa, KS (more on him later).
I met Lowell Ramsey (a PRECOA counselor) at Porters and we were off to an appointment. It was a post service appointment for a sweet older lady named Margaret Furgeson.
On our way over Lowell and I talked about the planning center. Lowell said, " I have been extremely pleased with the planning center" (I was typing these direct quotes as we drove) "Out here we have so much geography to cover. 50 miles North and South and sometimes it is hard to squeeze in the time for calls. The planning center has been so helpful in helping me keep busy with my appointments." He also spoke highly of Jill and Wendy. THANK YOU TEAM! You are doing a great job!
We arrived at Margarets home. It was very tidy and clean. After some "chit chat" she opened up and told us that her husband passed away in 2010. She and her husband never spoke of his death or funeral prior to his passing. It happened quickly and he was healthy although older. She and her daughter and grand sons made all of the selections. She was pleased with Porters but you could tell from her description that discussion of death and funerals was somewhat taboo. We started in the family room, and then moved to the kitchen table. This is the ideal place for a counselor to meet with prospects because he has a lot to show and a living room scenario sometimes just doesn't cut it.
After Lowell had gone through his presentation with her she was creating some obvious signs that she was not interested right now. To be honest, I think it is hard for her to even think about making these kind of decisions for herself. She just hasn't even approached it mentally and this topic may be somewhat premature for her. She was very kind but after Lowell and tried a few different approaches he realized that now may not be the right time. They did create a good relationship and I think she would be open and responsive to a call again in the future.
That night Evan, Lowell and Neil (more on Neil later) went out for some authentic Kansas City BBQ!!!! (lets be honest... what would a trip to Kansas City be without some good BBQ. It was a great opportunity to get to know both of them better. They are on track, hitting their marks and are incredibly grateful for the work that each of you do. Without you it would be much harder to achieve.
TUESDAY 11/8
Tuesday morning I woke up and Neil (a brand new agent) picked me up at the hotel for his appointment. This appointment came from direct mail and the planning center had scheduled the appointment the day before (GREAT JOB TEAM!). This lady was in her 60's. She had recently had two family deaths (both teenage girls). She is absolutely sold on preplanning. Why? Because she and her family will NOT be able to afford it in one lump sum if she were to die (And we are talking a direct cremation here. Not exactly a high priced policy. Maybe a couple thousand is all). After Neils excellent presentation we talked about monthly installments for 10 or 20 years and it is a number she is comfortable. She is living month to month. Is about to pay off a couple bills and will have the cash free'd up to pay this in January. Neil has plugged into the system a return call and he and I both know she will write up in January. (This is a common issue for the area. A lot of the clientele here is low-middle class and cash is sparse, but many understand the value of what we are providing).
After this appointment Neil and I met up with Evan, grabbed some lunch and then we were off to go and see Porters second (newer) location in Lenexa.
When we went to the Lenexa location I knew it was going to be a treat. Ryan is a big apple (computers not fruit) fan (my kind of guy!). Because of this they truly have all the latest technology at their Lenexa location. Check out this highlight list:
- Web casts of the service for those that can't fly in.
- a 25 body fridge (sorry if that is graphic. I actually saw inside it)
- They have the capability of cremating 10 people a day (pretty high for the industry)
- They have a viewing area where you can view your loved one being cremated (This is an important ritual in the Hindu faith
- They belong to the cremation society
- The crematory is run by an iPod type device. It is pretty cool.
- They have partnered with several universities and research institutions where they can donate bodies to science if the families would like (free of charge).
- Their display room is fantastic (1/8 of a casket is displayed, rather than the full size (less intimidating to families).
- Separate cremation and traditional rooms (depending on the families preference)
All in all I was thoroughly impressed with Porters. There staff is personable, friendly and innovative. This is why they are a leader in the industry and why they have partnered with Precoa.
WEDNESDAY 11/9
After Lenexa we headed out to Sedalia. A small town in rural Missouri (jealous???) We met with Dan Hinkins a brand new counselor with us and is currently working out of Heckart Funeral Home. Dan is a minister for a local baptist church. He has 3 kids and was looking for a part time job that would lead to a full time job as he phases out of his responsibilities with his church. We had 3 CEP appointments lined up for the day and were anxious and excited to get started. Evan, Dan and myself went on all three of these appointments. We met with:
- Tony. He is a member of the 40 and 8 Veterans organization. 40 and 8 comes from the boxcars that would hold 40 men and 8 horses. He is the head of the organization and was currently very busy planning Sedalias big Veterans parade!!! The CEP appointment ended in success and we booked an appointment to meet with his group. There are 283 members. It is invite only and 110 attend monthly meetings. They actually have callers that confirm those that will be attending...sound familiar?? :)
- Our next stop was with the local MOOSE LODGE organization. This meeting was a slam dunk. We got on their calendar for their January meeting and will be in their bulletin etc.
- Our last meeting with with two retired teachers that head up a group of former educators in the area.
All three meetings ended in success and Dan and Evan are going to be busy selling pre-need to all of Sedalia! HUGE SHOUT OUT TO PETE! YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB LINING THESE UP!!!!
Here are some photos of Sedalia:
SUE HECKART, Owner and Funeral Director
After our appointments in Sedalia Evan and I hit the road back to the town that he lives in... Springfiled MO. We met up with he and his wife at LAMBERTS. Have you heard of flying rolls???? They literally chuck these delicious rolls from all across the room and you catch them. It was a great joint filled with all the feel good home cocking. I had meatloaf and mashed potatoes, fried ocra... it was GOOD. Check out these photos.
I was able to meet his wife Whitney and his cute 2 year old Jaycee. They have a great little family and are lucky to have a Dad that works so hard for them :)
THURSDAY 11/10
My last day I had only 4-5 hours before I had to catch my flight. We took a quick trip out to Butler funeral home in another small rural town. I am glad we made the trip out. It was brief but it was kind of like icing on the cake. The people were wonderful, the funeral home was beautifully decorated for Christmas. I also saw some awesome "exclusive caskets" made of BARN WOOD (I think I want this for my funeral :) )
Here is a picture of the funeral director, Stephen Butler and his wife Jarolyn. They were charming people and you can tell why their home is so successful. They love people, and the community that they serve. I loved meeting them.
I also was able to meet Tim Walter. He is a counselor with Precoa and has been with us for 2 years. He stopped for a photo shoot and wanted to say hi to everyone at the home office! He is a big fan of all the work you do as well.
All in all... I am a BIG fan of the Midwest. Evan was so helpful showing me the ropes and I was thoroughly impressed with the job he is doing there as an RC. His counselors love him and their team is doing really well.
Next stop... FLORIDA with Trevor Winn!!!! 80 degree temps here I come!
Have a fantastic week and keep working hard. I appreciate all that you do.
Best,
Jon
Thanks for a great week Jon. Can't wait to have you come back and visit the STL side of the area. Enjoy your field experiences and continue sharing them!
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