Course curriculum

  • 1

    1. Welcome to the Course

    • Welcome to Advance U

    • How to Use Your Course Player

    • Cautionary Message About Legal Issues

    • Meet Your Course Instructor: Marilyn Jones Gould - President of MKJ Marketing

    • A Little About You
  • 2

    2. How to Determine What a Family Is Really Looking For

    • The 4 Shopper Styles: How to Identify Them and Serve Them

    • Mastering the Shopper Styles

    • Handling the Most Common Objections

    • Shopper Style Responses

    • Learn from the Experts

    • An Interview with a Successful Arranger: James E. Altmeyer Jr.

    • Lessons from James E. Altmeyer Jr.

    • Feedback to Improve
  • 3

    3. How Can You Advance Your Arrangement Skills?

    • Non-Verbal Communication in the Arrangement Room

    • Mastering Non-Verbal Communication

    • Managing the Space with Non-Verbal Communication and Materials

    • An Interview with a Successful Arranger: Jonathon DeHart

    • Lessons from Jonathon DeHart

    • The Art of Questioning

    • Understanding Questioning

    • How Good Are You at Communicating?

    • An Interview with a Successful Arranger: Peter G. Moloney

    • Lessons from Peter G. Moloney

    • Handling the Most Common Objections
  • 4

    4. Improving Your Creativity to Meet Each Family's Needs

    • An Interview with a Successful Arranger: Jason Diemer

    • Lessons from Jason Diemer

    • How Creative Are You?

    • It's Time to Get Creative

    • How Creative Can You Be?

    • How Creative Can You Be? - Exercise #1

    • How Creative Can You Be? - Exercise #2
  • 5

    5. How to Sell Yourself as a Director When They Think They Don’t Need You

    • How to Make Sure Families Want You at the Service

    • Service Venue Decisions

    • Handling the Most Common Objections
  • 6

    6. What Cremation Families Really Want From You

    • 10 Mistakes When Serving Cremation Families

    • Don't Make Mistakes with Cremation Families

    • How Would You Respond?

    • Handling the Most Common Objections
  • 7

    7. How Do You Put the Family in Charge?

    • An Interview with a Successful Arranger: Royal and Elizabeth David

    • Lessons from Royal and Elizabeth David

    • How Can You Better Serve Different Types of Families?

    • An Interview with a Successful Arranger: Henry A. Diedring Jr.

    • Lessons from Henry A. Diedring Jr.
  • 8

    8. Handling Family Arguments and Succeeding With a Cemetery-Funeral Home Combo

    • An Interview with a Successful Arranger: Vince Smith

    • Lessons from Vince Smith
  • 9

    9. How to Use Celebrants, Rapport Building, Receptions & Therapy Dogs

    • An Interview with Successful Arrangers: Nicole R. Krause & Brenda J. Buchanan

    • Lessons from Nicole R. Krause & Brenda J. Buchanan

    • Handling the Most Common Objections
  • 10

    10. How Can You Change as an Arranger?

    • 25 Traits of a Good Planner

    • Evaluate Yourself

    • How Do You Plan to Improve?

    • How Would You Respond?

    • Handling the Most Common Objections
  • 11

    11. Let's Get Going - Providing Families With What They REALLY Need

    • An Interview with a Successful Arranger: Mark J. Krause

    • Lessons from Mark J. Krause

    • Continuing to Learn

    • Final Thoughts