Business tips when it comes to bed bug services

One benefit of group living among bed bugs might be a favorable microenvironment. Photo courtesy of, and copyrighted by, Gene White, pmimages@earthlink.net

We asked Pest Management Professional’s columnists and editorial advisory board members to name business tips for bed bug services. Here are some of the experts’ responses from our August 2022 print edition.

Please take a minute to answer our latest one-question poll on this topic and let us know how you promote disinfecting and sanitizing services: Reader poll: What’s a good business tip when it comes to bed bug services?

PMP’s Editorial Advisory Board and Regular Contributors

Greg Baumann: “No matter how you perform service, show that it is about expertise. Teach your customer about bed bugs, and how and why you will perform the service.”

Judy Black, BCE: “Charge appropriately for your time. Bed bug jobs require a lot of detailed inspection, treatment, and in some cases, preparation work. They can’t be done ‘fast.’ If you don’t value your time, your customers won’t, either.”

Jerry Schappert, ACE: “I’m not as young as I used to be, and today’s bed configurations are a lot heavier and awkward to flip. Consider making bed bug work a two-person job, which of course may affect your pricing.”

Michael Broder: “For bed bug services in multi-family housing and hotels, think of it more as an ongoing service program rather than a one-time treatment. Educate customers on realistic, ongoing challenges.”

Pete Schopen: “Have a standard operating procedure in place and stick to it. In the end, it will result in fewer callbacks and will help clients eradicate the bed bugs more quickly. Coaching compassion also helps your employees understand the client’s level of anxiety.”

Dr. Faith Oi: “Don’t overpromise. Consider the extent of the infestation. One size does not fit all.”

Foster Brusca: “Document, document and document, because if it is not documented, it did not happen. You really need to be documenting all bed bug inspections that are performed, especially when you are working at a multi-unit dwelling. You also need to provide a written bed bug service program and have the customer sign off on it, regardless of whether they approve or deny your program.”

Kurt Scherzinger, ACE: “Be thorough and make sure you check every last crack or crevice, as doing so will help prevent callbacks.”

Doug Foster: “Charge enough for your work. Many companies feel like they have to sell every job or keep their competitors from getting the work by pricing bed bug jobs cheap. It’s tough work; price accordingly.”

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from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2022/10/24/business-tips-when-it-comes-to-bed-bug-services/
Sacramento CA

Highly trained salespeople make the best first impression

Schopen Pest Solutions’ Sales Super Stars who handle inside sales are, from left, Justin Gutierrez, Jessica Baumann, Kimm Navarette, Stephen Fillmore, Jennifer Hargrove and Sean Rorig. PHOTO: PETE SCHOPEN

In June 2016, one of my techs, Phil, had to have complete reconstructive knee surgery.

After the successful procedure, he confided in me that he was concerned about the day-to-day pounding his good knee and reconstructed knee would take, crawling in tight spaces and attics. He just didn’t want to do it anymore. He still wanted to work for us in the office. I wasn’t opposed to that, but I only had nine employees at the time and I already had an office person.

As if on cue, my customer service representative (CSR) told me the next day she was having trouble keeping up with the routes and phones. I was still doing most of the sales, but the office phones rang a lot with reschedules and questions. So, I approached Phil about becoming our first-ever inside salesperson. His job would be to answer the phones, call back canceled clients and help mail our sales brochures.

SUPER SALESPEOPLE

Fast-forward to July 2022, and Schopen Pest Solutions now has five inside salespeople (or Sales Super Stars, as we call them) and a sales director. Many companies would call this a “call center,” but my people hate that term. Most of the phone calls do come through my sales team, and they take a lot of pressure off our client service advocates (CSAs).

Our Sales Super Stars do a lot:

• Respond to Thumbtack and Home Advisor leads.
• Follow up with Thumbtack and Home Advisor leads until they tell us to stop or they get a restraining order from a judge.
• Respond to “chat leads” through our website.
• Answer phone calls from Google+Local inquiries.
• Answer phone calls from referrals.
• Answer phone calls from clients with general questions.
• Handle tons of data entry.
• Attend weekly meetings with me.
• Attend end-of-the-month training meetings.
• Mail sales brochures to new clients who didn’t sign up for our quarterly programs.
• Mail end-of-the-season renewal letters to our seasonal clients.
• Call seasonal clients to convince them to renew.
• Mail letters to former customers’ homes with new owners.

When a customer or potential client calls our offices, the phones only ring to our sales team and my desk (which, yeah, I know, basically makes us a call center). After the fourth ring, the phones ring to every person in the company. We have 22 phone lines for our two offices (and 50 cell phones, one for each employee in the company). Our salespeople are in our corporate office with my general manager, director of operations, billing director and me.

TRAIN FOR SUCCESS

Phil eventually left our company because he was frustrated with the lack of standard operating procedures (SOPs) regarding sales. Basically, I had told him “if the phone rings, sell them something.” That’s not exactly a great way to train an employee.

Today, our sales team understands the importance of calling our leads back with urgency; following up with the emails and texts; and communicating which sales leads are sold, being sold or not sold. Even our data entry has SOPs to ensure we have the right name, address, email and phone number.

Obviously, training is critical for salespeople. We want our team to have confidence when picking up the phone. We meet once a week to go over procedures and make sure they are being followed. We also have an entomology class each week on a specific pest (yellowjackets in July, stink bugs in October, etc.). Our sales team also learns about the products we use and how they are applied.

Another important item we cover in our sales meetings are real-life pest incidents — phone calls that come into our office that might have been odd or caused us a problem. By breaking down the phone calls, we can all agree on a way to handle that situation better in the future. Note: Whatever we train the salespeople on has to be the same for the billing department, CSAs, managers, technicians, supervisors, etc. Everyone at Schopen Pest Solutions is communicating the same information to our clients.

My sales team likes a challenge, and they can be competitive. To spice things up, I offer daily bonuses if our team members hit their goals. At Schopen Pest Solutions, I expect my sales assassins to hit $1,000 per day. If they do, they get a sales bonus on anything over $1,000. If they hit $2,000, the reward is greater. At our end-of-the-month-meetings, our top salesperson is recognized and gets a chance to win hundreds of dollars in our Queen-of-Hearts Board (if they pull the queen of hearts card, they win).

My inside salespeople are the first line of defense for our company, but they also are the first impression for many new clients.

A smart, articulate, engaging person sets the tone for the rest of the company. For many customers, the person answering the phone is Schopen Pest Solutions.

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from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2022/10/24/highly-trained-salespeople-make-the-best-first-impression/
Sacramento CA

Nattaro Labs opens subsidiary in Georgia

Nattaro Labs AB has recently established a fully functioning subsidiary located in Alpharetta, Ga., with distribution facilities located in Dallas, Texas.

The day-to-day operations of the subsidiary of Nattaro Labs will be managed by Andreas Olsson, VP sales North American, from the Georgia office. Olsson was previously a partner and COO at the Sweidish pest management company Nomor AB, acquired by Terminix in 2019. He has extensive experience in both the pest control and international hotel industries.

Headquartered in Sweden, Carl-Johan Gustafson, Nattaro Labs CEO, said in the news release, “The decision to start our own subsidiary in the US is an important step in our long-term investment in the US and Canadian markets. Sales of our patented Nattaro Scout bed bug detection trap have grown significantly since its introduction in the US in 2020. Further products, such as our patented Nattaro Safe, a tape developed to proactively control bed bugs, is soon to be introduced.”

Andreas Olsson

Nattaro Scout is available from appointed distributor Veseris or direct from the company.

About Nattaro Labs

Founded in 2011, Nattaro Labs is a Swedish research and development company focused on the control and elimination of bed bugs. Best known for Nattaro Scout, this bed bug trap consists of a mechanical trap with a replaceable lure which is patented across Europe, North America and most recently China and Japan. Nattaro Safe, a tape developed to proactively deter bed bugs, is soon to be introduced to the North American pest control and hospitality markets.

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from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2022/10/24/nattaro-labs-opens-subsidiary-in-georgia/
Sacramento CA

Private Equity Firm Seeks to Create National Platform

First acquisition provides residential water displacement management services.

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Mold Remediation Baltimore

Pest Management Foundation launches Endowed Scholarship Program

The Pest Management Foundation launched a brand-new Endowed Scholarship Program at PestWorld 2022.

Donors can establish an endowed scholarship named to honor as an individual, association or company. Upon establishment of each scholarship, the foundation will promote, administer and grant a $1,000 award to a student meeting the donor’s criteria every year in perpetuity.

Scholarship names and criteria are flexible and can be customized by the donor. The minimum gift to establish an endowed scholarship is $25,000. Endowment gifts can be paid as a single donation, or over a five-year period.

“Endowed scholarships are an attractive way to create a lasting legacy to honor individuals or companies, while benefitting outstanding students pursuing their education,” said Dr. Jim Fredericks, the Pest Management Foundation’s executive director and Pest Management Professional’s “Callback Cures” columnist. “The ability to spread the donation over five years makes it an accessible way to make a lasting impact.”

All donations to the Pest Management Foundation qualify for the maximum charitable contribution deductions by donors.

To learn more about the Pest Management Foundation’s Endowed Scholarship Program visit www.NPMAFoundation.org or email foundation@pestworld.org.

About the Pest Management Foundation

For over 40 years, the Pest Management Foundation has funded research, education and outreach that has shaped the way pest control work is done today. As the research arm of the Fairfax, Va.-based National Pest Management Association, the Foundation is generously funded by pest management professionals worldwide.

The foundation’s mission is to grow its resources “through fundraising and thoughtful investing in order to support education, research and outreach in urban entomology and structural pest management across North America, and foster collaboration between industry and the research community.”

The post Pest Management Foundation launches Endowed Scholarship Program appeared first on Pest Management Professional.

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2022/10/24/pest-management-foundation-launches-endowed-scholarship-program/
Sacramento CA

PMPs gather for 2nd Annual Termite Workshop

Adrian Culpepper speaks at the 2nd Annual Termite Workshop. PHOTO: DOUG FOSTER

Pest management professionals (PMPs) from Indiana, Michigan and Ohio met for the 2nd Annual Termite Workshop at the Hilton Garden Inn in Edinburgh, Ind.

A joint venture between the Indiana Pest Management Association (IPMA) and BASF brought participants together for a classroom and “hands on” in the field learning experience. Vesaris was also a co-sponsor of the half day event.

Adrian Culpepper and Dr. Jason Meyers, both of BASF, presented on topics of equipment calibration, bait station placement, building measurement, best practices and product stewardship.

IPMA is a non-profit organization that provides training and education opportunities for its membership throughout the Hoosier state.

Dr. Jason Meyers presents at the 2nd Annual Termite Workshop. PHOTO: DOUG FOSTER

Culpepper has served in various capacities with BASF since 2014 and currently is a pest control field representative for Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

Dr. Meyers has been with BASF since 2008 and currently serves as a market development specialist. He has degrees from Missouri State University and the University of Arkansas, and his doctorate from Texas A&M.

In other IPMA news, the association is gearing up for its 2023 scholarship application season. The IPMAprovides the following scholarships to individuals attending an institute of higher learning: The Steve Durnil Indiana Pest Management Association Family Scholarship, The Indiana Pest Management Association Memorial Scholarship, and the Duane Edwards/Arab Pest Control Scholarship. More information can be found online at https://ipma.online/scholarships/.

About Indiana Pest Management Association

The Indiana Pest Management Association has over 200 members. The non-for-profit organization provides training and education of the pest control industry throughout the Hoosier state.

The post PMPs gather for 2nd Annual Termite Workshop appeared first on Pest Management Professional.

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2022/10/24/pmps-gather-for-2nd-annual-termite-workshop/
Sacramento CA

Aprehend: Online training videos

IMAGE: APREHEND

Newly completed, this series of seven short videos on Aprehend’s YouTube channel discusses information essential to successful treatment for bed bug prevention and elimination. The episodes cover everything from bed bug biology to customer preparation responsibilities, strategic barrier placement to storage and handling, and more. View at your own pace at home or gather your team for group training.

Bit.ly/3VVq0hk

The post Aprehend: Online training videos appeared first on Pest Management Professional.

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2022/10/24/aprehend-online-training-videos/
Sacramento CA