Sales Professional - Outside Sales

Pre-Planning Advisor (PPA)

Our associates celebrate lives. We celebrate our associates.

Working from home or presenting to client families in the field, the Pre-Planning Advisor (PPA) is a self-starter expected to achieve their quota (pacesetter) target by selling pre-need arrangements and services. The PPA serves families in a professional, caring and timely manner. Follow-up and generation of referrals from client families are integral to success and to establish a strong service relationship with families. The PPA also develops relationships with the community.

Job Responsibilities

Lead Generation

• Consistently networks and builds relationships to generate recommendations for gaining referrals for both at-need cemetery arrangements and pre-need arrangements using company tools, processes and standards
• Holds self accountable for prospecting a minimum of 4 hours every day (if working 8 hours) such as approaching families face-to-face during events, door knocking or group seminars
• Obtains referrals from families served by the location by following up through visits with families after the service
• Networks and builds community and civic relationships
• Explains and presents Dignity Memorial Personal Planning Guide presentations to families served and referred families
• Maintains and tracks activity levels to ensure productivity
• Remains flexible with schedule to achieve results; often works nights and weekends

Build Relationships with Families

• Establishes and maintains strong business relationships with families by connecting with the family, relating to them, resolving their concerns and needs, and committing to follow through
• Responds to client inquiries in a timely, respectful, sensitive and professional manner
• Supports families in time of grief with acts of kindness
• Connects with families through listening, honest communication and genuine concern
• Develops an understanding of each family's unique needs and offers solutions that provide value to them
• Stays in touch with families to ensure satisfaction
• Prepares for all appointments and performs all procedures with professionalism and attention to detail
• Provides service beyond expectations to ensure satisfaction and to form the foundation for future sales based on long-term relationships
• Builds trust-based relationships to earn the right to ask for referrals
• Earns the right to gain referrals to offer protection to protect family members, and the family's relatives and friends, by educating them on the benefits of pre-planning

Teamwork

• Consistently builds relationships and works cooperatively with the Funeral Director and other funeral home and/or cemetery staff
• Collaborates and teams with funeral directors, location managers, and other members of funeral home and or cemetery staff, to provide seamless, high quality service
• Represents a continuous link from services provided at need, through aftercare, to providing services to protect families in future
• Thoroughly and completely reviews previous services and contacts with families to prepare to support current needs and or sales
• Acts as one team, setting arrangement continuation visits within two to three days after the service
• Shares family concerns with rest of the SCI team

Minimum Requirements

Education

• High school education or equivalent
• 1-2 years of college or equivalent experience

License

• Current state/province issued driver's license with an acceptable driving record
• In states/provinces where required, must hold a Funeral Directors License to perform this role

Experience

• Sales experience or one to two years industry experience or equivalent education
• Previous experience with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems is a plus

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Basic computer and technology skills within a sales environment
• Ability to work well in a team, as well as independently
• Ability to work beyond "standard" hours as the need arises
• Good driving record
• Good work ethic
• High-level of integrity
• Creative, outgoing and energetic
• Comfortable presenting in front of others
• Desire to help others
• Bilingual, knowledge of another language is a plus

Service Corporation International