Fellow peers in the Buddhist Columbarium industry, are you still pondering how to sell more niches and reduce costs?

Do you constantly think about "applying knowledge immediately," rushing back after hundreds of marketing and management classes, eager to implement new tactics and close more deals?

But have you considered that this reflexive "learn-and-apply" mindset might be the very root cause of stagnation and burnout? Today, let's move beyond clichéd sales techniques and discuss something deeper – is your fundamental business thinking on the right track?

I once attended a health seminar and learned three words: "Cleanse, Regulate, Nourish." For a healthy body, you must first remove toxins and waste, then regulate internal balance, and only then can nourishment be effectively absorbed. Running our Buddhist Columbarium business follows the same principle!

The outdated ideas, ineffective investments, and wrong perceptions in your mind are like "toxins." For instance, still thinking a Buddhist Columbarium is merely a place for "storing" ashes? Still relying solely on a sales team to push hard? Or stuck in the quagmire of price competition? If you don't cleanse these "toxins," learning new methods is like taking supplements for a clogged body – they won't be absorbed and might even cause harm!

Mistakes are the biggest cost in our industry! Especially in this special field, a wrong decision can cost not just money, but trust and reputation.

Let me tell you a short story. A cleaning auntie earns ¥25 per hour. Her work is essential; without her, the home is messy. An English tutor earns ¥200 per hour. A yoga instructor earns ¥400 per hour. Which profession is unimportant? Housekeeping is fundamental, yet seems the least "valued."

What about our Columbarium industry? Are we just providing a physical space? No! The Buddhist Columbarium, originating from Buddhist faith, is not just a resting place for ashes. It is a serene blessed land where ancestors can listen to scriptures, accumulate merit, eliminate karmic obstacles, and pray for auspicious rebirth. This value offers spiritual solace, a vessel for faith, transcending the merely physical.

If we position ourselves merely as "selling niches," our value might remain like the cleaning auntie's – basic, not highly rewarded by the market. But if we truly understand and communicate this unique cultural and spiritual value, we provide a scarce, high-value service for "mind and spirit regulation," akin to the yoga instructor. Your "expertise" determines your value!

Therefore, stop exhausting all your energy studying how to sell the "niche" itself (marketing) or managing a few salespeople (management). These are important but are no longer the core competitive advantages in today's world. Talent skilled in marketing and management is plentiful and can be hired for a monthly salary of ten or twenty thousand.

So, what should we business owners and entrepreneurs focus on? We must upgrade from "marketing thinking" and "management thinking" to "model thinking" and "capital thinking"!

You might have always focused on "profit maximization," but now it's time to build a mindset for "cash flow maximization." How? Through cleverly designed "business models."

My goal today isn't to teach you how to immediately sell a few more niches, but to help you "change your mindset," undergo an "ideological detox" – this is "learning to think," learning to see the direction clearly. Only by clearing out the old ideas that trap you can you embrace new thinking patterns that let you run faster.

Let's focus on the first key mindset within business models: The Entrance Mindset.

What is an "entrance"? The solemn gate of your columbarium is a "gateway," not the "entrance" we mean here.

The real "entrance" is a channel or touchpoint that continuously brings you potential customers, builds trust, and creates connections!

Think about it: Why did JD.com let Tencent invest and place its entrance within WeChat? Because WeChat was the largest traffic hub, the best "entrance" to reach users.

So, where is the "entrance" for our Columbarium industry?

Previously, our entrance might simply have been "someone passed away, and the family sought us out." That's too passive!

Now, applying the "Entrance Mindset," you must think beyond the single act of "selling a niche":

• Design "Entrance Products" or Services:

• Can you regularly hold free public lectures on "Life Planning and Legacy"? Attract people concerned with end-of-life matters and wealth inheritance. The lecture itself doesn't directly sell niches, but it's an "entrance."

• Can you collaborate with temples or monks to offer small-scale blessing or memorial service experiences? Attract potential clients with religious beliefs. This activity is an "entrance."

• Can you develop online services? Like online memorial spaces, digital tribute halls, or even a knowledge-sharing platform/community focused on life education and hospice care? Use low-cost or free content to attract attention – this is an online "entrance."

• Can you introduce lower-priced, culturally rich related products? Like peace lamps, prayer plaques, or scripture-related cultural creative products? These small items are "entrances" to接触 and understand you.

Remember, the core purpose of an "Entrance Product" is not direct profit, but "attracting people"! It's about building trust, letting potential clients know, understand, and trust you before they have an immediate need.

• Find Your "External Entrances":

• Where are your key connectors (key people/channels)? Community opinion leaders? Senior citizen universities? Relevant associations? Hospital palliative care departments?

• Can you partner with insurance companies? Their clients have inherent life planning needs.

• Can you collaborate with high-end elderly care service providers?

• Can you work with law firms? Clients handling inheritance matters are also potential candidates.

Find these "entrances" that help you reach your target audience and establish partnerships instead of going it alone.

When you develop strong "entrance" capabilities and attract sufficient traffic and attention, you can upgrade further:

1. Platform Thinking: Can you be more than just a Columbarium niche seller? Can you become a platform connecting families with various end-of-life services (like funeral services, legal咨询, psychological counseling, religious ceremonies, ritual supplies)?

2. Cross-Industry Thinking: How can you integrate Columbarium culture and concepts with seemingly unrelated industries? For example, combining with tourism to develop cultural experiences centered on roots-seeking and祈福?

3. Ecosystem Thinking: The highest level is building an ecosystem around "Life Care and Cultural Heritage," encompassing education, service, culture, technology, and more, forming a strong brand moat and a sustainable value cycle.

So, friends, stop burying your head solely in immediate sales figures. Look up, cleanse outdated thinking, adjust your value perception, use the "Entrance Mindset" to redesign your customer acquisition, and gradually build your platform, cross-border collaborations, and even your entire service ecosystem.

Shift your focus from "how to sell one Buddhist Columbarium niche well" to "how to provide more families with holistic life services and spiritual solace." Your perspective will change, and the results you achieve will be fundamentally different!

Want to go further and do better in this meaningful Buddhist Columbarium industry? Start by transforming your "mindset"!