The Funeralwise Preferred Provider Program — FAQs

All funeral homes and cemeteries are accessible through the Funeralwise search function. This makes every firm available to our visitors. But those firms that have joined our Preferred Provider Network receive featured listings in our search directory and can take advantage of the various free services we offer. Being a member of another web portal’s network does not preclude you from benefiting from our service.

Go to our Registration page for more information on how you can take advantage of the Funeralwise.com Preferred Provider Program.

There are 2 parts to the Funeralwise directory. Our Preferred Providers are listed first and then the Google search results are displayed. If there is an error in your Preferred Provider listing, go to Contact Us to notify us of the error. If you are interested in becoming a Preferred Provider go to www.funeralwise.com/business for more information. If there is an error in your Google listing, visit Google Places Support to learn how to edit your business listing.

As a Preferred Provider, you will have an internet presence through your free listing in our directory. Each listing includes informational web pages where you can showcase your services and products, photos of your operation, and any promotional pricing that you choose to offer.

As an internet-based service, we will attract those people who utilize the web 1) for research prior to making purchasing decisions, and 2) for resources that can help them manage their personal affairs. These people want objective information and enjoy the convenience and privacy the web offers. They prefer to seek personal assistance at a later time when they are ready to make decisions.

Through Funeralwise.com you can attract these web-savvy potential customers. They are likely to be new customers because those people who are already committed to your firm will likely come directly to your door.

Also, we bring you new business by establishing relationships with corporations, associations and other organizations. These group affiliations promote usage of our website and thereby increase your visibility.

Another way to generate business is to license a custom version of our online funeral planner. Your custom planner will have your logo and identification so your prospects will be planning with you. The planner can be accessed from a link on your website or directly from a web browser (like Internet Explorer). You can generate new leads by promoting the planner to attract prospects who prefer to start their planning conveniently online.

No. A website cannot match the level of personal attention and support a funeral director can provide through face-to-face counseling. Funeralwise is intended to supplement the guidance of funeral directors. Key strengths of our service are convenience and accessibility since our website is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Also, we are an excellent resource for people who prefer to do some research and planning on their own before meeting with a funeral director.

The role of the funeral director doesn’t change when a person has pre-planned through Funeralwise.com. The funeral director will still guide the survivors through the process of arranging the funeral. Hopefully, this will be a more efficient process because the wishes of the deceased are well documented and the family is better prepared to make the decisions that need to be made.

Today many funeral homes and cemeteries are facing competitors who are offering discounted services and merchandise. Rather than institute an across-the-board discount to your standard price list, you can meet this competition by offering special pricing through Funeralwise.com. This will not undermine your standard pricing because most consumers understand that businesses typically offer preferred pricing to large groups of buyers. Also, they expect to receive lower prices through efficient distribution channels such as the internet.

We are developing innovative “turn-key” marketing programs that we will make available to our Preferred Providers at little or no cost. “Turn-key” means we will deliver all of the creative products (i.e., theme of the campaign, slogans, artwork for ads and print materials, action plan) needed to execute the campaign. All campaigns will promote your firm along with Funeralwise.com. Accordingly, they will be designed to create visibility, build public image, and stimulate pre-need and at-need sales. You will incur the costs to run the program in your local markets such as placement of advertising or direct mailings.
An example of a turn-key promotional program are our popular Memorial Day Cemetery Photo Contests.