Eric Tanzberger: We’re not seeing any type of negative effect, and we’re actually seeing in some certain markets some positive effects as it relates to preneed leads and preneed consumers. So we’re going to keep going. We’re going to keep testing. We’re going to find the right variables to figure out. That’s what a lot of the people doing this, our management team is good at.
John Ransom: I’m sorry, just to keep going on this because we get a lot of questions. So in your markets, let’s say a competitor doesn’t but his or her prices or their prices online. How do you — you just have mystery shopping, you have other ways to know what you’re looking at a local level?
Eric Tanzberger: Yes. I would say our market management is very, very plugged in with their competition, both online and what’s happening at their competition is pretty much each and every week and each and every day.
John Ransom: If you got any mystery shopper openings, I’ll put into that, that sounds like [indiscernible]
Thomas Ryan: You meet the demography [indiscernible]
John Ransom: Yes, I keep getting the flyers from Dignity. I don’t know what you guys are telling me that last checkup was fine. I got a little ways.
Operator: We have a follow-up question from Joanna Cajuk.
Joanna Gajuk: I guess on this last topic. So I understand the workshop took place, and it sounds like FTC was still collecting some information. There so any update on the timing when we might hear from FTC.
Eric Tanzberger: Yes. We really don’t, Joanna. I mean, this has been going on for several years at this point in time. I think there is a little bit of a change in flavor that we picked up on at the FTC that maybe this is sooner rather than later. I wouldn’t have said that last quarter before the September 7 meetings that all of the industry had an opportunity to go to. But I’m hoping it’s sooner rather than later, but my predictions with the FTC and the government have not been on compared to the timing, as you know.
Joanna Gajuk: All right. So I guess we just sit and wait. But actually, my other follow-up, when you were talking about, I guess, in the quarter around — commentary around the presales production on cemetery side. So can you give us maybe some comparison to how things were in Q2 large sales versus the lower end of mid-tier? I guess you talked about large sales around or above $50 million in Q2. So I guess where it was in Q3. And on the lower end, I guess, you continue to offer financing options to the customers because it sounds like that’s what you were trying to do to kind of bring back some of these customers to you?
Thomas Ryan: Yes. So to fact that the first one was large sales and we continue to see a lot of success there. I mentioned that from 2019 levels, this third quarter was 2.5x. I think in the second quarter, we’re about equivalent. I think we’re $50 million and $49 million, so about the same pace on that piece. As it relates to the consumer incentives, we have rolled those out. I guess I would describe that as a mixed bag. In certain markets, it’s been effective in other markets, maybe not as much. But it’s a tool in the toolkit of our sales teams that they’re utilizing and to varying degrees of success. But we just want to make sure if there’s a customer that has a need and has a want that we’ve got a plan for them to fix it. I don’t think we’ve seen anything dramatic yet, Joanna, but we’re continuing to utilize that as a tool.
Joanna Gajuk: Okay. And I guess do you still offer like a 0% financing? Or I guess that’s off the table?
Thomas Ryan: Again, it’s kind of a toolbox item for different markets, right? So they have different things that they can utilize if they see that consumer base and what may drive behavior. So we try to give them a variety of things that they can utilize to help the consumer get on board, including 0%.
Joanna Gajuk: Okay. I understand. Markets [indiscernible] All right. And the very last one on the acquisition. So I guess you’re tracking, I guess, towards the lower end for the year. I guess there’s still one more quarter to go or I guess 2 months to go in this year. So I guess maybe talk about the pipeline a little bit for this year into next year, are you sensing any increase or decrease in that activity and kind of your appetite, it sounds you’re going to keep the leverage at the current level. But I guess, the cash flow guidance, I guess, implies there’s the potentially some room for M&A. So just kind of thinking about this year and into next year when it comes to acquisitions.
Thomas Ryan: I think the pipeline is really good, Joanna. So we feel very positive as we look forward over the next, call it, 12 months, the deals that are out there. The timing is the tough part, right? So we’re working on some deals now that may or may not close in the fourth quarter, but highly likely they will close in the first quarter. So I think the way to think about the next 12 months were very positive. It’s just tough sometimes deals slip as far as timing can go. But yes, seeing deals, seeing good deals and good activity.
Operator: This concludes our question-and-answer session. I would like to turn the conference back over to SCI management for any closing remarks.
Thomas Ryan: Thank you, everyone, for being on the call today. We appreciate it, and we look forward to speaking to you again in February with our fourth quarter and year-end earnings. Thanks so much.
Operator: The conference has now concluded. Thank you for attending today’s presentation. You may now disconnect.
