Robin Heppell is Key Presenter at OGR Fall Forum
October 1, 2009
VICTORIA, BC – Robin Heppell, CFSP, president of FuneralFuturist.com, will make two key presentations at the two-day 2009 Fall Forum offered by the International Order of the Golden Rule (OGR), the world’s leading professional association dedicated to making independent funeral homes exceptional.
Heppell’s first presentation, Innovative Technology for Your Business, will present top technology and Internet resources that will help attendees promote their funeral homes. They will learn how their website can become more Google-friendly, and how to use other Internet resources such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to market their firm. He will share case studies, examples and the step-by-step process enabling attendees to implement these technologies quickly.
Heppell’s second session, Technology Applications for Funeral Home Operations, will address the lack of guidance on how to use technology in funeral home operations. Attendees will learn how to use commercial applications such as Excel, PowerPoint and Photoshop more efficiently, and discover the free resource of Google Applications. Heppell will show how these and other applications can give independent funeral homes a competitive advantage.
The OGR Fall Forum is designed to help independent funeral service professionals learn the latest technologies and proven strategies for delivering unmatched client family satisfaction they can apply immediately to boost their market share and improve their bottom line.
The OGR Fall Forum is set for the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Nov. 8-10 along the festive River Walk in San Antonio, Tex. Register online at www.ogr.org.
What does Hepp do?
January 8, 2008
This is a question that is posed to me often – and not only by funeral directors and cemeterians, but even by friends and family. My poor parents – they get the same question but they can’t really give a definitive answer.
I believe the answer is simple, I am a consultant that helps funeral homes and cemeteries in the areas of applying proactive & competitive strategies and using funeral-related technologies. This may still sound vague, so to help clarify this it may be better to pose the question, “How can Hepp help?”
If you are concerned with price shoppers, discount providers, rising cremation and low funeral averages – I can help! I have practical experience in a highly competitive, high cremation (now 90%) memorial society infested stricken market that is coupled with my formal business education in entrepreneurial management. With this background, I can help you avoid some of the pitfalls as consumers in your community change become less traditional and become more competitive and more profitable.
For those of you who want advice on how to achieve a greater Internet presence or to get more out of your website but are unsure whose best interests your web developer has in mind – I can help! I can provide you with an unbiased analysis and strategy to take your online presence to the next level. This expertise comes from 10 years of initially developing and latterly strategically planning many funeral home and cemetery websites plus continually monitoring statistics and implementing the latest “new media” strategies such as Blogs, Podcasts, and You Tube. All with the ultimate goal of having the greatest web presence and highest search rankings in your market as well as harnessing the greatest supply of preneed leads of the future.
“I hear your name in many different circles; you must do more than consulting.” I also see myself as an educator – I guess I get that from my dad, Tom, a retired elementary school teacher and still- practicing educator of life. Through my FuneralFuturist.com website and my FromtheHep.com blog, I try to pass on information to funeral professionals in one way or another to assist them in providing the most meaningful services possible. Realizing that I don’t have all of the information, I created TheFuneralGurus.com website. This is a site where Funeral Directors can offer their insight to their peers as well as to the public. For the longest time we as funeral professionals, have allowed outsiders to tell our story. Now it is time that we publish the authorized edition of Funeral Service in the 21st century because we wrote it!
My other teaching efforts come in the form of public speaking engagements and instructing licensure students. This allows me to stay connected with others in funeral service, from varying stages in their careers and from all areas of North America. In these educational settings, it is my hope that my message is the mirror of my deep-rooted belief in the funeral service soul. In return, I receive insights that I may never have thought of or had experienced. These insights allow me to continue to be a student of funeral service.
“What is your relationship with McCall Bros. Funeral Homes in Victoria, BC?” Officially, I have been contracted to be their “Director of Marketing and Public Relations.” Unofficially, it is my University of Funeral Service where I have been enrolled for over 20 years and still with no completion date in place. “Dean” David A. McCall has been very patient with his radical pupil, putting up with challenging questions and crazy ideas. I am grateful to Dave for the slack leash and for providing an establishment to still practice my chosen profession. My current role at McCall’s allows me to be available for other consulting assignments throughout North America.
I hope this explanation of my passion for, commitment to, and legacy in funeral service provides you with the answer of “What does Hepp do?” My wish is that you ask the question, “How can Hepp help me?” and I will guarantee that together we can take your funeral home to the next level. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my story and thank you for your passion for funeral service. I look forward to seeing you in our travels or through the Internet! Serve well!
Sincerely, Hepp!
PS: Please feel free to forward this on to anyone who has wondered what I do and how I can help.
PPS: Also, please give me suggestions on what future tutorials you would like to see or issues that you would like to address.
