By Mr. Luo, Sales Manager at HuaHeng Columbarium Factory Jiangxi, China

Are you worried about sinking profits in your Buddhist Columbarium operations? Perplexed by why Columbarium facilities are being built better with improved services, yet earning money has become increasingly difficult? You might be trapped in the "forward profitability" mindset!

Today, let's set aside feng shui and niche selection—instead, we'll discuss something more fundamental: how Buddhist Columbarium enterprises can break through growth bottlenecks and achieve "reverse profitability"!

Many friends in the Buddhist Columbarium and columbarium hall industry may see their core business as simply selling niches—moving each "compartment." In the past, we focused on boosting visibility to attract more customers (foot traffic), encouraging clients to choose higher-value niches (average transaction value), and fostering referrals or repeat choices (repurchase rates, though rare in this sector, word-of-mouth is crucial). At the same time, we strive to reduce construction, maintenance, and labor costs for Columbarium halls. Is this approach correct? Yes! But this is called "forward profitability" thinking.

Under this mindset, industry profits typically go through three stages:

• High-profit phase: The industry is emerging, or your Buddhist Columbarium holds unique advantages (e.g., prime location, strong cultural backing), with little competition and substantial profits.

• Low-profit phase: As others see your success, imitators and competitors emerge. Homogenized Columbarium halls and niche products proliferate, price wars ignite, and profits gradually thin.

• No-profit phase: Competition intensifies, leading to internal rivalry over prices and services. Investments grow, management becomes more meticulous, but money gets harder to earn—even resulting in losses.

At this point, what do many owners do? They invest more! They upgrade hardware, expand Columbarium facilities, and launch more marketing campaigns, trying to reclaim profits through "transformation and upgrading." But often, revenue becomes harder to generate, costs rise, profits shrink, and investments balloon! This is the "trapped beast" dilemma—struggling in a limited space.

Why "limited space"? Because your capital is finite; the market your single campus can cover and the number of niches it can sell are limited. More importantly, when an industry relies solely on "selling products" that become less profitable, it struggles to attract top talent, as skilled individuals gravitate toward brighter prospects. Without funds or people, you end up micromanaging, growing wearier—a vicious cycle of confined space.

So, how to break free? We must leap out and shift from "limited space" thinking to "unlimited space" thinking. The core idea is to stop seeing yourself as just a seller of Buddhist Columbarium niches—instead, position yourself as a platform builder and ecosystem creator! This is the essence of "reverse profitability."

How to do it? Two main directions: Move forward and move downward.

First, Move Forward: Become a Guide, Set Standards, and Provide Training!
What does this mean? Don't just sell niches—become the "teacher" and "enabler" in this industry.
Position yourself as a "training institution": Here, training isn't for internal staff but for your channels, partners, and even potential clients.
The Buddhist Columbarium itself embodies profound cultural and spiritual depth, such as Buddhist views on reincarnation, merit accumulation, praying for the deceased to eliminate negative karma, and aiding their passage to a better realm. These are unique values traditional Columbarium halls lack. Systematically organize this knowledge and these values, then train whom?

• Train funeral service agencies: Help them become not just guides but conveyors of Buddhist Columbarium value.

• Train related temples or religious groups: Collaborate with them to ensure they understand and endorse your philosophy, turning them into natural allies and referral channels.

• Train community leaders or senior activity centers: Help them grasp the modern significance, convenience, and humanistic care of this burial method.
  You can even host public lectures on life education, filial piety culture, and end-of-life care: While seemingly knowledge dissemination, this builds your professional image and brand potential, attracting those who share your values.
  When you possess strong training and output capabilities, you're no longer just an isolated "niche" seller—you're exporting a culture and service standard, gathering like-minded people. This inherently creates possibilities for "unlimited space."

Mobilize clients and associates to spread the word: Although Buddhist Columbarium purchases are low-frequency, the emotional connections and cultural identity behind them are strong. When your service and philosophy resonate with clients, they're eager to share this sense of peace and fulfillment. How to guide them?

• Not through hard ads, but value transmission: Encourage clients to share not "I bought a niche," but "I found a serene and blessed resting place for my family," "The cultural ambiance here comforts me," or "Through offerings and listening to scriptures, I hope to accumulate merits for my loved ones."

• Leverage social media, especially the WeChat ecosystem: Create warm, culturally rich content (e.g., origins of the Buddhist Columbarium, Buddhist stories, essays on filial piety, genuine client testimonials) that clients, employees, and partners are willing to share. Where attention gathers, wealth follows. Moments and communities are your "unlimited space."

Second, Move Downward: Build Platforms, Establish Channels, and Strengthen Support!
Ideas and dissemination aren't enough—implementation requires robust channel networks and support platforms.
Establish and deeply support channels: These include the funeral service agencies, temples, and community groups mentioned earlier. Forming partnerships is just the first step; the key lies in support.

• Provide toolkits: Standardized introductory materials, value explanations, and service processes.

• Offer training support: Regularly train channel partners on product knowledge, cultural depth, and communication skills.

• Deliver event support: Co-host cultural lectures blessing ceremonies, open days, etc., to help them attract and serve clients.

• Establish profit-sharing mechanisms: Design fair models that incentivize channel enthusiasm.
  Make channel partners feel that collaborating with you isn't just about selling another product—it's about joining a culturally rich, continuously empowering platform for mutual growth.

Cultivate a "platform" attribute: With a broad, deeply engaged offline channel network and brand momentum from "moving forward," your company naturally becomes a platform. In the future, consider:

• Resource integration: Link more end-of-life services? For example, legal consulting, estate planning, psychological counseling, or curated funeral supplies—offering one-stop peace-of-mind services and adding value to the platform.

• Digital empowerment: Build online information platforms, customer service systems, and channel management tools to enhance efficiency and optimize experiences.

So, dear Buddhist Columbarium operators, let's summarize:

• Break free from "forward profitability" limits: Don't fixate on niche sales profits alone; understand profit cycles (high-low-none) and avoid ineffective investments at wrong times (sunk costs).

• Embrace "reverse profitability" thinking: Shift from "limited space" to "unlimited space," focusing on ecosystem building over mere product sales.

• Practice "moving forward": Become an industry educator and standard-setter, empowering channels through training and mobilizing clients with value-driven content.

• Implement "moving downward": Build strong channel networks with ongoing support, forming a cohesive, service-oriented, culturally powerful platform.

When you can train channels, mobilize clients, support partners, and build platforms, will you still lack customers? Will you still fret over single niche profits? You'll be creating a continuous value cycle system. This is the key to sustainable development in the Buddhist Columbarium industry!

Remember, "Achieve success and then step back—this is the way of heaven." Here, "stepping back" doesn't mean exiting the market but planning the next step while your core business is at its peak, building a broader ecosystem—just like Alibaba continuously incubates new ventures. The Buddhist Columbarium industry needs this vision and scope!

Change your mindset and take action! From today, don't just be a provider of Buddhist Columbarium—become an enabler and connector of life culture and peace-of-mind services! Your career landscape will transform dramatically!