How do I choose the right monument company near me?

When choosing a monument company, look at the following three key areas of their business: Skill, Reputation, and Longevity.

The Skill of the Monument Company

Needless to say, not all monument companies share the same abilities. Each company’s ability to provide sound guidance, create exceptional designs, and produce a high quality product will differ. The first and simplest way to qualify a monument company near you is to review and compare the attractiveness, creativity and quality of the work that they have completed. A stellar portfolio of completed headstones and grave markers will speak for itself. Do not expect to get the same quality of headstone from any monument maker.

The Reputation of the Monument Company

The purchase of a headstone, tombstone or grave marker is an important and often big expense. You want to be able to trust them with this important decision. Look for a monument company near you that has overwhelmingly positive reviews and word of mouth. While no company is perfect or immune from the occasional bad review, the best monument makers prioritize the satisfaction of the clients which is often mirrored through positive online reviews and testimonials. Also look for a strong community of supporters on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram. A client that chooses to be a part of a company’s social media platforms speaks volumes about a company’s reputation.

The Longevity of the Monument Company

When choosing a monument maker, it's important to consider the company's longevity and experience in the industry. A long-standing monument maker is more likely to have honed their craft and perfected their techniques to provide customers with the highest quality monuments and headstones. A company’s longevity also speaks to their long-term commitment to customers. When families purchase a headstone, they want to make sure that the company will still be around should an issue ever arise.

What separates the Good, the Bad, and the Great Monument Companies?

What makes a monument company good?

There are thousands of monument retail companies across the nation.  Most of these companies will be able to perfectly satisfy the majority of their client’s needs.  

The local cemetery says a lot about the local monument company.  If you’ve visited a few cemeteries in your life, then you’ve likely noticed similarities from one tombstone to the next. We often see the same designs, shapes and emblems repeated over and over as if everyone walked, talked, and thought the same.  

While a cemetery’s rules and its setting must be observed, I view this lack of diversity as a disservice to the families whose loved ones lie within the cemetery gates.  My time in this industry has taught me that families value the effort put into making a headstone unique.  When given a wider range of options, families will often choose the one most personalized.  Too often, families are not given this option.  This is the sign of a monument company that lacks a very important skill… The ability to design.

An immaculately produced bad memorial design is still a bad design.

Sure, a catalog number may satisfy most of their clients.  The material, engraving, and installation may hold up just fine.  But, how many of those families would have chosen something different with better guidance?

A good monument company can meet average expectations, but rarely creates a product that exceeds their customer’s expectations. 

What makes a monument company great?

There are many monument companies across the US that take the art of memorial design to a new level.  I’ve had the privilege of learning one-on-one from many of them.  They are some of the most creative and sound minds in the industry.  Many have become close friends.

I believe a monument company makes the leap from good to great when they refuse to settle for the industry standard of mass produced shapes and “stock” designs. 

A great monument company listens to the client, and seeks to understand their individual needs.  We must know the client’s likes and dislikes. We must also understand who the memorial will recognize.  What things brought the most joy to the deceased?  What was core to their beliefs and character?

A great monument company educates the client.  Planning a memorial is something that most people have never done before.  They don’t know their options unless we present them to them. Headstone terminology is a foreign language.  As we all know, an educated buyer will make a wise decision.  

A great monument company guides the client throughout the process and presents useful ideas that can elevate the design, and push the boundary of what is perceived as a headstone.  We approach each project as a unique opportunity.  We aim to exceed every expectation, and create something that generations will admire. 

A great monument company has a deep knowledge of the craft, the medium, and has the resources to produce a headstone that exemplifies “Quality”.  Our work remains true throughout time.  “That can’t be done” is not in our vocabulary.

A great monument company understands that their work is meant to be permanent, and will be readily available to problem solve should an issue ever arise.  A company’s longevity means a lot.

What makes a monument company bad?

I believe it’s safe to say that not every monument company operates with the same set of values.  Just in our relatively small region here in the southeastern US, we’ve seen numerous companies pop up for a few years only to put out poor quality work at dirt cheap and unsustainable prices. The monument company then disappears, leaving families with flawed, cracked headstones that are sinking into the ground and have shallow, unreadable lettering. 

It happens all across our great country, not just here in the southeast.  I believe the living and deceased deserve better than this.

More commonly, many monument companies treat the purchase of a headstone like a commodity.  We’ve heard stories from our clients about how “the company across town” was not interested in listening and trying to satisfy their needs.  The monument company only wanted to sell them a number from a catalog or told them that what they wanted was not feasible. 

But our family and friends are more than just a number in a catalog.  We each have different interests, beliefs, tastes and stories.  Shouldn’t the permanent record of a life be unique to the individual’s story?

Bad monument companies lack the knowledge and skill to produce good quality work.

They exist all over the place… Watch out!

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