the johnny renaissance files

I like you.

Thanks for being here. Pay close attention to whatever reaction you just had to those three words, because they’re at the heart of one of the most powerful business stories you’ve probably never heard.

Most people in our industry have heard the statistic about how 80% of salespeople quit following up after just three attempts. It’s repeated so often it’s become background noise. But what you don’t hear nearly enough are the stories that show you exactly what happens when someone commits to persistent, genuine follow-up over the long haul.

Let me tell you about Joe Girard. He’s officially recognized as the greatest salesperson of all time. From roughly 1963 to 1978, this car salesman sold more vehicles than 95% of all dealerships across the entire United States. Not other salespeople—entire dealerships. As a former car salesman myself, I can tell you that selling six to ten cars a day, every single day, day in and day out for your entire career is absolutely insane. If you sold two in a day, you were doing great. Three was cloud nine. Joe was doubling that many days of the week, and he was doing it at retail.

His secret? He sent personal greeting cards to everyone in his database every single month. For Valentine’s Day, he’d send a card that said “I like you” with his dealership information stamped inside. For other holidays, he’d send appropriate greetings. Month after month, year after year, he stayed connected with his customers, prospects, and community.

Now here’s where I want to challenge you. Would you spend $13,000 to $15,000 per month sending cards and maintaining contact with your community? Would you commit $150,000 to $180,000 over the course of a year to do this?

I know what you’re thinking. “John, that’s corny. That’s lame. Nobody reads mail anymore.” And that last objection is actually your biggest opportunity. If nobody’s in the mail and you’re in the mail, you’re the only one in the mail. What could you do with that kind of presence in people’s lives?

There’s a fundamental principle here that most small business owners don’t think accurately about. They think the businesses that win are the ones that spend the least to acquire a customer. That’s surface-level thinking, and it’s not the full equation. The businesses that win, especially local businesses like funeral homes, are the businesses that can afford to spend the most to acquire a customer.

This only works if you know two critical numbers. First, how much does it actually cost you to acquire a new customer? Most businesses have no idea. They know how much they’re spending on marketing, and they know they have customers, but they’ve never connected those two metrics. Second, and even more important, what’s the lifetime value of your customers? For funeral homes, this is a particularly interesting question because you’re not selling someone their funeral repeatedly. But those families have other family members who can pre-plan, who they’ll refer, who will come see you. This is how a funeral home builds its brand and business over generations.

Imagine combining the amazing work you’re already doing in your communities with a simple, consistent campaign like Joe Girard’s. Most will never do it. There might not be one funeral home reading this who would actually follow through, and I hope I’m wrong because I want to hear your success story ten years from now about how you sold millions in additional pre-need because you started doing this. I guarantee you, if you start something like this, it will impact your business in ways you can’t predict right now.

The exciting part is that in today’s world, you can layer this approach with everything else available to you. Combine consistent physical mail with content creation, content marketing, education-based marketing, and a properly optimized website. Add in text messages, phone calls, events at your funeral home, and maybe even someone on your team becoming an influencer for your business. It should be you as the owner or the agent thinking this way. When you do, you’ll build the kind of success Joe Girard did when he sold 13,001 cars during his career—more than 95% of all other dealerships in the country.

Here’s what I see happening over and over in death care, and it’s been this way for the ten years I’ve been in the industry. You’re being sold great, new, fancy, shiny things—new websites, social media packages, Facebook marketing, Google ads, SEO, lead generation systems, aftercare systems. These vendors create leads and connections that could be the future of your business, but you’ve got nobody to effectively follow up with those people. No one wants to do it. They don’t believe in it. Maybe you don’t believe in it. You definitely don’t have time for it.

When I ask vendors on demo calls what the ROI is on what they’re doing, they don’t have good answers. They don’t have good numbers. And they almost always blame it on you and your team.

“Well, you know, it’s really up to the funeral home and their team as to what they do with the leads we’re creating.”

This creates a fantastic gray area for vendors to sell you a lot of fluff you don’t need.

There are funeral homes all over the country investing in things they absolutely do not need. I encourage you to strip it all away, start from scratch, and build one layer at a time with systems that actually work, whether you have someone to run them or not. That’s the real game-changer.

So start following up with your prospects, your customers, your colleagues, your family. You’ll turn your business around. And if you want to talk about how to make this systematic and sustainable in your funeral home, let’s have a conversation. No pressure, because not everybody’s a good fit for the way I work, and that’s okay.

But whether you work with me or not, take Joe Girard’s lesson to heart. Consistent, genuine follow-up over time will transform your business in ways you can’t imagine sitting here today.

Want to discuss building a sustainable follow-up system for your funeral home? Let’s talk.

Source: The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get new customers, make more money, and stand out from the crowd. by Allan Dib

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We’re living through a moment that’s rewriting how people find you, judge you, trust you, and eventually choose you. And most funeral homes are still acting like it’s 2012. Or 1998. Or pick your favorite era before the world got swallowed by AI-driven everything.

If you’re a funeral home owner reading this, here’s the uncomfortable truth: the future isn’t waiting for you to “get around to it.”The future is already here, already rewriting the rules of your business, and already moving faster than your committee meetings.

And the homes that act now will own the next decade.

Let’s walk through what’s really happening.

1. Search Isn’t Search Anymore

I’ve been saying it everywhere I go: AI has already pulled more than a quarter of the search market away from traditional Google behavior. That shift isn’t slowing down. It’s exploding.

People aren’t typing questions into search bars anymore.They’re speaking them into AI.They’re looking for direct answers.And they’re expecting clarity, empathy, accuracy, and completeness.

If your website still feels like a brochure, if your copy was written by a web designer instead of someone who understands families, if your pages are thin, generic, or full of fluff… you’re already losing to the firms who decided to take content seriously.

2. Credibility Is the Product Now

One of the things I said on the podcast is that funeral homes can no longer rely on reputation alone. Reputation gets you remembered in the community.But credibility gets you discovered online.

Families want more than bullet points and a polite slogan. They’re hungry for real answers:What does preplanning actually do for them?Why does pricing vary?What happens behind the scenes?What should they watch out for?

Educational content isn’t optional anymore. It’s oxygen for your marketing.

3. The Missing Ingredient Most Homes Ignore

Story.

Not the “About Us” page.Not the list of certifications.Not the building history.

Real story.

The story of how you show up for people.The story of families you’ve served and what their experience meant.The story of why your work is personal, not procedural.

This is what families respond to now.This is what the algorithms elevate.This is what transforms a website from “just another funeral home” into a meaningful presence in the digital world.

Most homes are sitting on gold and acting like it belongs in a filing cabinet.

4. Your Website Is a Piece of Digital Real Estate, Not a Flyer

This is where tech meets truth.

Your website is an asset.A living, breathing storefront.A place where your voice, your message, and your expertise compound over time.

And right now, most of you are treating it like a placeholder.

AI, AEO, SEO — they’re not buzzwords.They’re lifelines.

Families can’t choose you if they can’t find you. And when I say ‘find you’ I don’t only mean find you and your website online. I’m sure they can do that - at least for now. I mean find you popping-up in places they frequent on line and in social media.And they can’t trust you if you don’t give them anything real to trust. So your content MUST be real and authentic and regularly produced.

5. If Your Tech Stack Doesn’t Match the Times, Your Growth Won’t Either

If you’re still running your business from your inbox and a stack of sticky notes, you’re already underwater.

Modern funeral homes are finally waking up to the fact that they need a CRM.They need systems.They need automation.They need a pipeline they can actually see and measure and improve.

I’m not talking about bells and whistles.I’m talking about survival.

Because the homes that build real engines right now will be the ones still standing strong in 2026 and beyond.

The Moment of Decision

You can’t wait for someone else to fix this for you.You can’t keep telling yourself you’ll “get to it after the holidays.”You can’t keep watching the world change and pretending you have time to spare.

You don’t.

But here’s the good news:You also don’t need to overhaul your world in a single day.You just need to start.You need to take one decisive step toward relevance, visibility, and connection.

And once you start, momentum takes over.

That’s what this moment is asking of you.Courage.Ownership.Action.

Families are looking for you.AI is rewriting how they find you.Your community is waiting to hear your story.

It’s time to give them something worth discovering.

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Curious about what that photo and caption truly mean? I’m sure you’ve already conjured a few ideas of your own...while most people wake-up on a Sunday morning and read their feeds or their newspapers and drink coffee while thinking about anything other than work, I dive into the quiet time and build s**t...like this campaign idea for your next funeral planning workshop.

...and yes, I’ll explain the context of the photo and caption here shortly, so just keep reading... Yes! reading... 🤓

Why am I working on a Sunday?

Because I’m always working and I’m extremely passionate about marketing and sales and about I can help you and your business succeed. I really can’t get enough of this stuff. And with the help of AI, I’m now able to access and consume 30 plus years of study and experience on these topics and aggregate the wisdom in less time, and I’m now in the process of creating a whole new world for you and I. I’m glad you’re here. I have amazing ideas and resources to share with all of you, especially when you partner with me for your pre-need funeral business. We are writing our own rules about how to create growth inside your funeral home and pre-need programs. If your mind is open, I encourage you to come along...

This is the future of not just pre-need, but the funeral busiess as a whole. A new world where you take full control over your business and your future. Especially when it comes to pre-need

What did I create today?

I created an entirely new campaign centered around my advanced funeral planning workshop system. Something that goes beyond the traditional and that could easily add a 20% increase response to your next campaign and event.

Want access?

Keep reading....

All of this was also a great lesson in how to leverage the all-encompassing third eye of AI, but without relying on it too much. Something that’s easy to do and that you must remain vigilant about. Carl Ashworth thanks for the recent feedback and reminder about this...Gen Z folks have a keen and important eye for what works and what doesn’t - you have tham on your staff now likely and you should be taking advantage of their prespectives.

OK, I’m running out of room here on linkedin, so I hope you’ll keep reading on the ash flash. I guarantee it will be worth it

The photo and caption were added as an example of how great headlines and imagery on your website, will compell people to pay attention and actually read the copy you’ve offered them. That is, if you’re not over relying on templates and taking care to engage with your story and messaging and then work to fascinate your visitors on the page.

You are doing that, aren’t you? Actaully, I know most of the funeral home owners I work with are not and that’s what this is all about. The good news is that there are a lot of cool ways I can help. Just shoot me a DM and we can discuss...or become a subscriber and keep engaging here.

The full story about the photo and caption and the campaign I’ve created for you are inside the podcast I’ve shared above. I just ran out of time to keep writing this morning. Actaully, we’re headed toward the afternoon now, and there are still chores to do, rooms to clean, and more coffee to be made. Watch the video and if you’re interested in starting a conversation, click here.

Watch the video above for the full story about the wagon, the 22 sticker, and how this idea could help you boost your pre-need lead generation by at least 22%...

Peace,

-John

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Start your funeral plan here

It’s such an easy thing to put off. That’s the part I want to talk about today.

Because the truth is, you have no idea what’s coming next.

I could go out for my evening walk tonight and get hit by a bus. That’s not dramatic — it’s just reality.And if that happened, my basement’s a mess, my desk’s a disaster, and I’d be leaving behind a lot of confusion.

I don’t want that for my family. And and I don’t think you do either.

I got a call this week from a man who had registered for one of our upcoming funeral planning workshops.

He said, “John, we’ve been calling around town, and honestly… we’ve got sticker shock. So we’re going to wait. We’re both healthy, so we’ll come back to this later.”

And that right there is the problem.We tell ourselves we’ll “come back to it later.”

But later isn’t guaranteed.

I’ve got a few stories — and one in particular stands out. A gentleman about my age called after losing his wife. He said, “John, I finally get it. I don’t want my kids to go through what I just went through.”

Then he told me something else: his brother died two weeks later. Unexpectedly. No plan in place.

But his 92-year-old father? Planned back in 2013. Paid $1,300 for his cremation. That same plan today would cost thousands more.So he saved money, but more importantly, he spared his family from the chaos and stress that comes when you don’t plan.

That’s the gift.That’s what this is about.

It’s not morbid. It’s not depressing. It truly is an act of love and forethought.

If you’re thinking about it, please just do it. Don’t overcomplicate it. I can help you.Start small. Put something in place. You can always adjust it later. That’s why I built this planner. There’s no pressure to do anything else than take 5 ninutes to get your wished on record and share them with the person who will be in charge when you’re gone.

Get it done.Get it done in advance.

Because someday, your family will thank you for being the one who cared enough to make things easier.

And if you want to talk about how to do that, please reach out.No pressure. No sales pitch.Just a conversation about how to protect the people you love.

📞 Call me at 608-845-2252Or send me a DM right here if you found this on LinkedIn, facebook or instagram.

This is about you.This is about your family.And this is about doing what’s right for them before life decides for you.

— Johnny Renaissance

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Shout-out to Sepio Guard. And a lesson in how to think different on LinkedIn.

First off—thank you Kevin Butler for the new SepioGuard hat. I’ve been working for months in their comments about how sharp these flat-bill lids look, and sure enough Kevin hit me up for my address so one could land on my doorstep.

That’s not just a cool gesture. It’s a lesson in marketing.

Here’s what’s happening underneath the hat:

1️⃣ Show your brand

SepioGuard doesn’t just sell—they show up. Hats, videos, personality. It’s authentic and it works because it’s them, not a corporate robot voice.

2️⃣ Show up consistently

You see their content everywhere because they make the choice to keep showing up. Daily. Weekly. Not just when it’s convenient. That’s why you feel like you know them.

3️⃣ Take care of people

When you create genuine connections, your biggest fans will tell your story for you. Case in point: I rarely plug other companies here, but when the story’s this good, I can’t resist.

SepioGuard didn’t just earn a customer. They earned an evangelist. That’s the difference.

👉 Question for you:

Are you showing up with enough consistency and personality that people want to talk about you when you’re not in the room? Need help or inspiration? Shoot me a DM and let’s start that conversation.

get the full podcast on https://theashflash.com

#BrandBuilding #MarketingLessons #JohnnyRenaissance #ContentStrategy #ThinkDifferent #AuthenticityWins #CustomerExperience #LinkedInGrowth #BusinessGrowth #ShowUp

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The Most Overlooked Weapon in Pre-Need Marketing

When I first came into Frazer Consultants, now part of Tribute Technology, my job was to transition FuneralNet customers onto the Frazer website platform.

Here’s what I discovered…

There was one tool that every FuneralNet customer loved. In fact, many resisted switching platforms because Frazer didn’t have this same piece of technology. It was a rare mix: old-school sales savvy built into a modern web tool. Not flashy. Not complicated. Just effective. And the top 20% of FuneralNet clients used it to quietly dominate their markets, capturing leads, engaging families, and driving pre-need conversations every single month.

Think about it: one funeral home client used this tool to triple the number of pre-need inquiries they got from their website in less than a year. Another leaned into it and grew their average monthly pre-need sales by 40% without spending a dime more on advertising. It wasn’t luck. It was a process. And this tool gave them leverage.

To this day, I believe this is still the most lethal weapon in deathcare marketing. Especially for pre-need. Yet even Tribute Technology never fully rebuilt or deployed it in a way that captured its true potential. They tried, but failed. Instead, offering you a watered-down and automated version that is forgettable and mostly ineffective. Why? Because very few people in funeral tech truly understand how to build, nurture, and scale a pre-need sales pipeline. They focus on at-need. They talk about websites, case management, flowers, and livestreams. Meanwhile, the engine that could actually drive long-term revenue for your funeral home sits buried and ignored.

Here’s the reality: pre-need growth isn’t about one-off campaigns or gimmicks; or an endless stream of same old seminars. It’s about systems that build lists of interested prospects, nurture those prospects over time, and usher them to the point where they’re ready to make their plan. That’s what this tool did—and why the smartest FuneralNet clients loved it. They didn’t just collect leads. They converted them.

Most funeral homes today are starving for this kind of system. You can have the prettiest website in town, but if it doesn’t generate consistent, measurable engagement and pre-need leads and contracts, you’re missing a big opportunity.

But here’s the truth: this tool isn't the only tool I’m talking about today. This tool, combined with the AI-driven system I’ve been developing over the last five years, can put any funeral home, big or small, at the front of the pack in their market. My system integrates customer service automation, content that converts, and pipeline management into a single strategy designed to double your pre-need sales volume.

I won’t give away the full play here. Not yet. But if you’re serious about leading pre-need in your community, you’re going to want to see this.

If you’re attending NFDA in Chicago next month, I can give you a private preview. Or, if you’d rather not wait, reach out today and we’ll schedule a 20-minute call to pull back the curtain.

Curious? I hope so…

Sincerely, John C Ashworth - book your 20-minute call here 🤓

PS On our call, I’ll reveal this tool and show you exactly how it integrates with my entire sales and marketing system to immediately jump-start your pre-need program, and set you on a path to double sales next year. Call the VIP line any time at 608-845-2252.

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Why Bother Posting?

Back from Europe, still fighting off the jet lag, but right back into the groove—and I want to share something important.

Funeral home owners and pre-need agents ask me all the time:

👉 Why post on LinkedIn?👉 Why create video?👉 Why write a blog?

It feels like a lot of effort. And often, you’re not reaching as many people as you’d like. So why bother?

Here’s the truth:

* It builds connection and trust.If you’re reading this, we’re already building a connection. The more content people see from you before they walk in your doors, the more trust you’ve earned. That makes every conversation easier.

* It’s in you.If you’re like me, you can’t help but share your ideas, insights, and inspiration. And the more you do it, the more opportunities you create. Over time, it compounds—connections, conversations, and chances to grow.

* It attracts the right people.Your content becomes a filter. It pulls in the families and partners who align with your message, your style, and your mission.

Just last week in Europe, I sat at dinner with some of the top performers in our field. Every single conversation reinforced that creating and sharing is worth it. The insights, the strategies, the inspiration—they come from putting yourself out there.

Here’s what I know for sure: I can help you write additional business—new pre-need contracts you’re not writing today. That’s what my sales systems, AI tools, and marketing platforms are built for.

So if you’re a funeral home owner or an agent who’s curious, let’s talk. Start small. Write some additional business with me and Golden Considerations. See where it leads.

Because if you’re not growing, you’re dying.

—Johnny Renaissance

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Marketing is not a perfect science.

It never has been.

But here’s the danger: most funeral homes use that excuse to sit still. They wait until they “feel ready,” until they “know for sure.”

Meanwhile, the corporate giants aren’t waiting. The aggressive local competitor isn’t waiting. Someone else is stepping into the vacuum you’ve left wide open.

That’s how you lose ground. Quietly. Month after month.

The truth? You don’t need perfect. You need movement. Consistency. Systems that keep your name, your value, and your story in front of families—before someone else does it first.

The funeral home I just told a story about nearly waited too long. Now? He’s on track to double his preneed sales. Why? Because he finally moved.

👉 Imperfect action beats perfect hesitation. Every time.

#FuneralService #Preneed #Marketing #Sales #JohnnyRenaissance

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There’s a funeral director I’ve been talking about a lot lately.

Three locations. 250 calls a year. A strong pre-need program that’s scaled to the next level.

And here’s the kicker: he didn’t get there by luck, or by chasing unicorn agents, or by waiting for the “perfect” moment.

He got there because his tech stack is dialed in.

Paperless workflows. Case management online. Families starting their own arrangements without an agent in the room. AI and digital tools handling the busy work so his people can focus on the human work.

That’s not the future.That’s now.

The Hardest Part of Change

When he started down this path five years ago, his longtime admin said:

“You can’t do this. Or I’ll quit.”

That’s not unusual. Resistance is part of the game. Sometimes it comes from your staff. More often, it comes from you.

The pain of change feels too big. The comfort of “just doing it the way we’ve always done it” feels safer.

But here’s the problem: that’s how you slowly die—one day at a time.

You’re either growing or you’re dying.

And this guy? He’s growing.

The Power of Incremental Progress

Most funeral homes avoid these shifts because they look overwhelming. Too much work. Too much risk.

But the truth is: you don’t need to overhaul everything in one giant leap.

What you need is incremental progress.

A little bit every week.Tiny steps that add up to massive change.

That’s how you go from $350,000 in pre-need sales to $1 million in two years.

Not by waiting. Not by making excuses. But by starting.

“Just Start”

This is the same message I give to families who are afraid of pre-planning their funeral:

Don’t worry about finishing it today.Just start.

Because if you never start, you never finish.

And once you start, you’re already on your way.

The same rule applies to your business.

You don’t need to be 100% paperless by December. You don’t need to master AI overnight.

But you do need to start moving. Because others already are. And they’re selling pre-need contracts online—with or without an agent—every single day.

The Johnny Renaissance Hotline

I know a lot of you have no idea where to begin. That’s why I’ve opened up the Johnny Renaissance Hotline.

Yes, it’s a landline.Yes, it’s copper.Yes, the connection is crystal clear.

📞 608-845-2252

That’s my desk line. Call it. If I’m there, I’ll pick up.

Because sometimes the best way to get unstuck is to have one real conversation with someone who’s been there before and can point you in the right direction.

The Choice in Front of You

The industry is shifting. The world is shifting.

You can wait.Or you can start.

One funeral director decided to start—and he multiplied his business.

Your choice is the same.

See you on the hotline.

—Johnny Renaissance

👉 Want the full podcast episode? Listen on The Ash Flash.

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Most funeral homes, consultants, and even tech companies are still stuck explaining themselves the hard way—through brochures, long phone calls, or clunky websites that nobody reads.

That’s outdated.

The truth? The fastest way to generate leads, close sales, and simplify your message is with a powerful Explainer Video.

I’ve seen this work firsthand. From the funeral profession to the tech world, nothing cuts through confusion like a short, sharp video that:

* Simplifies what you do in under 2 minutes

* Builds instant trust and credibility

* Drives people to take the next step—book an appointment, request info, or buy

📊 The numbers don’t lie:

* 80%+ of businesses use video on their website

* 83% say explainer videos on their homepage work

* 76% say it directly boosts sales

The only problem? Big agencies charge insane fees to produce them.

That’s where I step in.

👉 I’ve partnered with Peter Fogel, a master copywriter, scriptwriter, and voiceover artist, to bring you high-impact, affordable Explainer Videos tailored for funeral homes, service companies, and consultants.

We handle the script, the voice, and the animation—all in one streamlined process.

The end result? A tool that works for you 24/7… educating, persuading, and selling without you lifting a finger.

Want proof? DM me and I’ll send you a sample.

—Johnny Renaissance

P.S. If you’re tired of trying to “explain” your value over and over again, let me put one of these machines to work for you. DM me here or reach me at [email protected] / 608-845-2252.

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