Selling Stories From The Grave
Published in Business Ideas & Marketing Secrets, Travel Booty
Offer cemetery tours, tell the stories of those who have passed and are buried in that particular cemetery. You can take up to 10 people and charge $100 per hour. The tour would usually take about 2 hours. Any longer and it could get boring or tiresome for the group. You will need to research the stories, memorize them, tell the stories well, and be great with people. You will probably want to get permission from the cemetery’s local administrator first. Market to tourists!
You might be surprised to know how many people visit cemeteries when visiting different areas. Cemeteries are very interesting to some people; a group of people exist that like to collect rubbings from certain head stones as mementos or just visit to learn something about the local area they are visiting. These are the people, which would love taking a tour of a cemetery with you, to learn more about the people buried there.
If you live in, or are close to, an area that has a significant cemetery this could be an extremely profitable ‘business idea’ to pursue. You can take up to 10 people and charge $100 per hour. The ultimate tour should usually take about 2-hours, but you could also offer 1-hour tours to those that are not able to stand, or walk, a 2-hour tour. Any longer and it could get boring or physically tiresome for the group.
If you have a particularly interesting cemetery to offer tours in, you have an option to offer different types of tours also. Each tour could have different themes such as; famous people, well-known politicians, famous mobsters, war veterans, etc. As you can see depending on where you live and the access you have to cemeteries, these tour themes can vary in what you may decide to offer. You will probably have returns for more tours if your tours are interesting and you offer more tour themes.
You will need to research the stories, memorize them, and be comfortable with people. Maintaining pleasant speaking skills will help you deliver enjoyable and interesting tours. If you are not sure if you possess the skills needed, many books exist on the subject and speaking classes are usually offered in most community education classes. This skill can determine how successful you are in giving your tours.
You will probably want, or need, to get permission from the cemetery’s local administrator first. This can be a very important aspect of your business to research, before you put too much work into providing a tour. Find out any rules that the cemetery may want you to follow in showing proper respect for the dead also. Include this at the beginning of each of your tours, so you will not irritate the cemetery caretakers.
Of course, you will want to market your service to tourists! Make your touring service available through your local travel agencies. Leaving well-designed printed information about your tours at all of the local hotels and motels in your area is a beneficial idea too. In leaving printed information, you may want to offer it in areas a little further away also. Most tourists are willing to drive a couple of hours for an interesting tour. Don’t forget the people that live in your area, they may well be interested in touring their own cemeteries and find out who are buried there. Advertise in your local area newspapers and magazines. The investments you make in advertising should be well worth what you will receive in giving tours.
Resources:
www.tourmobile.com/tours_arlington.php
www.lakewoodcemetery.com/f_welcome.htm
