Pest Control and Bug Exterminator Blog

Today is Earth Day! 

As PCO’s, let’s issue a public decree this Earth Day: 

Pest control professionals nationwide, make a pledge to join the hundreds of other PCO’s and go paperless! 

A Plea For Paperless Pest Control

A single pest control technician can use upwards of 10,000 pieces of paper each year. With the average tree only producing 16.7 reams of paper, each pest control technician is responsible for using 1.2 trees a year just to do their job. With the number of pest professionals worldwide, that equates to some 178 million trees that are no longer part of our ecosystem. 

Of U.S. manufacturing, paper production is the second largest user of energy and water; and third largest contributor to pollution. As a country, and as pest control professionals, we can help to change this. 

Pest control professionals nationwide, let’s make a pledge to join the hundreds of other PCO’s by going paperless! 

Paperless Pest Control

As a way to go green, save on costs, promote professionalism, and increase efficiencies; many pest control companies are trying to go paperless. Some have made the jump. Others are reluctant, or simply cannot because of roadblocks set by state legislature. 

One major barrier to paperless pest control is that certain states mandate PCO’s keep hard copies of records and reports. Other states say you must simply be able to provide these records if and when they are needed. What will it take to update outdated state laws nationwide, so that all pest control companies can go paperless? 

With the progression of technology, and efforts on Capitol Hill, a paperless scenario is looking more and more like a reality.

Paperless Reporting: NPMA Legislative Day 2013

With the advances of technology today, many pest control companies have gone, or are trying to go paperless. Unfortunately, PCOs have run into a major hurdle. Some states require pest control operators keep hard copies of pesticide records, use reports, and consumer info sheets—Even if a company has invested a large amount of money to go paperless. 

Pest management operators lobbied Congress last month at NMPA’s Legislative Day. Their plea for was for federal lawmakers to allow, not mandate, nationwide paperless pest control. Pest control operators hope this new legislation will give PCO’s the ability to keep records and reports digitally. Since each state’s laws are different regarding these records and reports, the issue needs to be dealt with on the Federal level. 

Pest management professionals argue that many of these state mandates were written in the 1970s and 1980s before people could imagine today’s technology.

Keeping Treatment Records: Government Roadblocks

All states in the US require pest control companies to keep treatment records. These records typically include: properties treated, pests treated on the property, applicator’s license number and the pesticide(s) used. Depending on the state and the pest treated, treatment records must be kept for at least 2-5 years. 

Many states are quickly coming around and accepting electronic submissions for these reports and a few progressive states are pushing forward for the complete digitization of invoicing and work orders. Most states, even if they allow a large portion of your records to be digital will still want a paper copy left at the customers location. 

Some state’s laws simply say that a company must provide treatment records. This means a pest control company can store these records electronically, and then print them off when needed. Other states require pest control companies to keep hard or paper copies of treatment records. 

As a PCO, work with your state and see if we can push these boundaries. Laws most likely state that a pest control company must provide a treatment record. Don’t just assume that you need to keep hard copies. Ask if you can keep digital copies, and print of these records when needed. 

If not, pressure your state government to update these laws to better match today’s technology.

Paperless office (Photo credit: Dimi15)

A Few Benefits Of Going Paperless

The benefits of going paperless are almost too many to count. Here are a few highlights: 

Increase Efficiencies—Going paperless not only saves a lot of time, but can also improve efficiencies. Time savings come from reducing the redundancy of work, meaning only doing something once. At first, a few minutes a day may seem trivial, but look at the actual data. In a pest control office with 5,000 active quarterly customers, nearly 8000 minutes can be saved each day across the company. Over the course of a year, that’s almost 50,000 hours! 

Save On Costs—Studies show, reducing paper by 60 percent results in an average savings per employee of $360. You also eliminate the costs of storing treatment records. The time savings and improved efficiencies alone can save a pest control company hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, depending on your techs hourly wage. 

Organization—Paperless efforts help to reduce office clutter in your office. It’s a lot easier to find a record with the click of a mouse, versus digging through boxes or filing cabinets of paper. 

Promotes Professionalism—The appearance of using up-to-date technologies, like those needed for paperless pest control, gives customers the perception that your up-to-date on all of the latest pesticides and pest control techniques. It’s good business! 

Helps Save Planet—Reducing the use of paper by 60 percent eliminates 200 pounds of greenhouse gas annually. Like I mentioned before, one tech going paperless can save one tree a year.

Bulwark Exterminating Goes Paperless

Bulwark Exterminating has made many efforts to go paperless over the past few years. Faxes sent to the company are no longer printed out, but go straight to email. Bulwark’s service tickets are also emailed to customers. Customers have the ability to access their invoices electronically, as they are now emailed directly to them; saving even more paper. Additionally, sales contracts can now be completed electronically. 

One of the most significant advancements for Bulwark’s paperless pest control efforts has been the company’s ability to carry out paperless routing. Bulwark Pest Control’s new propriety software uses smart phone technology to aid in service routing and customer satisfaction. This software has been implemented in all 12 of Bulwark’s branches. 

Each morning, technicians receive an email on their smart phones. With these emails, technicians are able to access their routes, customer contact information and custom service notes for each customers. This eliminates the need to receive their daily routes via fax or personally stop at the office before work to print off and collect unnecessary paperwork. 

With these combined efforts, Bulwark Exterminating has been able to successfully eliminate over 60,000 sheets of paper a month! Read more about these efforts, here.

Make Paperless Pest Control A Reality

Go Green (Photo credit: kenneoh)

Most pest control businesses have already deployed the majority of the infrastructure required to enable convenient electronic access, and a small investment will provide wireless and remote access. 

The first step is to provide convenient electronic access to pest control documents, from anywhere at any time. Additionally, the use of paper needs to be made inconvenient. It is critical to do both. If paper use is made inconvenient without offering a great alternative, there will be loud complaints by employees and technicians within the company. 

After all these years, and with the increase in technological advances, paperless pest control is almost within reach. Let’s continue to work together and make it happen!

Spread the word for paperless pest control!

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Anthony Ball

Going Out of Business (Photo credit: reinvented)

In tough economic times, many people are turned off by the idea of starting a small business. Statistics it may seem are not in their favor. Even when someone does get a business off the ground, keeping it running smoothly and successfully requires more energy than some may be willing to muster.

While situations vary depending on the product or service you sell, there are certain practices to keep in mind if you are trying to keep a small business afloat. Consider the following five points.

1. Maintain the Strengths You Already Have

This usually means maintaining those employees your company would be crippled without. There are likely certain people in the company that are masters in their particular skill. Do everything you can to make sure you don’t lose them. If the possibility exists to do so, consider hiring a backup. Then train that person in the same work. It may be a financial investment, but think of what would happen to your company if that person were suddenly gone.

2. Keep the Workers Happy

Workers are of course the lifeblood of the company. In addition to having backups for particular skills, make sure everyone is working at their optimum level. Address the needs of the employees directly. Sit down and talk with them. Ask them how they are doing and what you can do to help them succeed. Send out emails with helpful tips, encouragement, or praise for good work. When employees know they are appreciated and that their opinion matters, they are more likely to provide quality work.

3. Address Customer Needs

If the customers aren’t happy, the business fails. Recognize and let them know that you know times are tough. Use advertising that appeals to the tough economic times. Offer deals and promotions, as well as products and services that people will want even in a financial crisis. Almost everyone seems to be cutting back on consumption. People are only buying what’s necessary and cutting out the luxury items. Convey to the customer that your product is something they really need, even if they don’t have excess money to spend.

4. Cut Down on Expenses

Many business owners focus only on how much they are selling. While this is certainly the most important thing to consider, don’t forget that a company can save money by cutting back on their own expenses. If your business is small enough, allow employees to work from home. This will save office rental money as well as things like paper, desks, etc. If this isn’t possible make sure all the office supplies are in good shape. Get frequent tune-ups on things like printers.

5. Learn to Delegate

When a small business starts out there may only be a few employees. At that stage there will likely be one person who calls all the shots. As the company begins to grow however, that becomes less and less effective. To increase productivity, learn to delegate responsibilities throughout the company. This will save both time and energy.

About the Author: Robert Cordray is a freelance writer and expert in business and finances. He has received many accolades for his work in teaching small business news.

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Google+ Communities

Today Google+ announced the addition of Communities to its popular social networking site. The idea is to have large groups of members arranged around a Google+ hub page which is dedicated to a specific topic like fishing, running, or pest control. Google+ will let members share to particular communities with posts, photos, +1′s, and hangouts. The feature is now live for the sites 235 Million users.

Pest Control Community On Google+

With this exciting new announcement from Google+, we have founded the Pest Control Community Page. We will be using this page to communicate important news and updates within the pest control industry. We will also use it to curate pest control related articles from our member’s blogs, like this one.

Everyone is welcome to join the Pest Control Community. We are in need of pest control professionals to share their knowledge and expertise. We are also in need of a few qualified moderators with industry experience… If you are interested, let us know.

Join The Pest Control Community Today!

Join Google+’s Pest Control Community today and begin connecting with other pest control professionals from around the world. Post cool bug pictures. Keep up to date on all the latest industry developments. Have rich conversations, and ask the difficult pest control questions.

Let’s build this community together.

Google+ Pest Control Community Page  

Click Here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/113279968105051869214

Published by: Anthony Ball

Pest Control Operator Q & A- Raising Prices

One of the most difficult challenges pest control operators face is meeting overhead. As labor costs, cost of pesticides, gas prices, and property taxes all increase; some pest control companies are left facing the inevitable… Raising prices to meet overhead, or closing the doors forever.

Question:

How do I tell my existing customers that I am raising my prices?

Answer:

The notion of raising prices strikes fear in pest control operators; and for good reason. Nothing will send your customers to the nearest competitor faster than raising prices. There’s a lot at stake when you decide.

Surviving a price increase means getting it right. You need to keep up the number of sales, avoid a customer exodus, and use your price increase to maintain the required margins.

There are a few pointers other pest control operators have used to help ease this price transition and avoid a mass customer exodus.

Find The Right Time

When you raise your prices, pick a time that will offer the least customer resistance. Your pest control business’s seasonality, growth stage and sales cycle all affect your choice. It’s best to raise prices when times are good rather then when they are bad. When gas hits $5.00 per gallon, everyone pays it. Raising prices when times are lean communicates to your customers that you are just passing the buck on to them.

Offer Customers A Price That Will Sustain Your Company Long-Term

Deciding on how much you should change your prices is very challenging. There are two theories out there: one large price increase, or several small ones over time and hope they go unnoticed. I find the latter strategy, “death by 1000 cuts.”

Set a price that you can sustain your pest control business for as long as possible. Customers can better deal with a price increase if they know the new price will hold steady for a while. You can even offer contracts that can lock in the new rate for a long time, so customers can rest assure the price won’t go up again in the near future.

Be Honest With Your Customers

If you have decided that conditions are such that you need to raise prices, be completely honest with your customers. Explain to them that raising prices isn’t for purposes of gouging them for bigger profits. Explain to them it’s a matter of survival. Many customers understand that your prices have to go up if you want to stay in business.

Brain science suggests that we tend to be more agreeable when there’s a reason for change. Have a reason and share it. Feel badly about raising your price? Share that too. Make sure your common sense explanation is short, straightforward, and consistent.

Changing Value By Emphasizing New Or Added Benefits

Price is supported by the value the customer perceives in the product and service in which the price is attached. Basically, your customers need some additional value of your product s or service if you are going to raise your prices. Focus on the benefits of your unique pest control method, a new and different product, or your company’s unmatched service.

Add An Incentive

Have you ever heard of the saying, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down?”
A small gift or gift card, a one time discount, or and extra free pest service can help ease this transition with customers.

Listen To Your Technicians

The pest control technicians are your front-line people. Make sure they are all on the same page with the company and that they’re all offering the same truthful explanation to the price increase.

Technicians have more face-to-face interaction with the customer then you ever will, so get some feedback from them. What are your customers saying about the price increase?

Raising Prices

Unfortunately, raising prices are a necessity for many businesses; and not just in the pest control industry. Make sure you absolutely need to raise prices before you do, and expect that you will not retain all of your customers during this transition. With a well thought out plan, you can continue to help your customers live pest free lives, and still stay in business.

Please comment below with your experiences. If you have any other pest control questions, just ask.

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Pest Control Operator Tips- 12 Ways to Build a Better Day

As pest control operators, our days are filled with ups and downs. We find joy in being able to help our customers eliminate serious pest problems, but we also find it challenging to juggle our day-to-day priorities. We must balance our sales, marketing, and managing efforts; with training our employees, scheduling and billing our customers, and making sure we meet overhead… All while balancing family, community, and even religious obligations.

While we are making our customer’s days better, sometimes our days suffer.

Here are a few tips pest control operators can do to ensure you have a great workday:

1.  Begin each day with positive visualization. Visualize your day. Close your eyes and visualize how well your day will go. Take 15 minutes every morning, before you even check your email or daily service routes, and give yourself a few positive affirmations. Focus in on all the positive attributes you have.

2.  Plaster a big smile across your face. Even if you don’t feel like smiling, just fake it. Experts say that the act of smiling, even if it’s not genuine, will naturally force you to be happy and will reduce stress. Positive, cheerful and appreciative states of being never made anyone perform less effectively.

3.  Make the most out of your commute. Whether you’re in your car, or taking the bus, make the most out of this time by listen to some positive upbeat music. Take a few minutes to read a motivating book, or listen to an inspiring book on tape. This will surely get you pumped for the day!

4.  Stay organized. This tip is self explanatory, but is often times neglected by pest control operators. Having your service routes, customers, emails, and computers neat and organized will go along way in reducing your stress levels and can eliminate a lot of frustration.

5.  Set daily goals. Before you get into the office, or hit the road on sales or service calls, write down one big goal for the day. Follow that goal up with a few smaller goals that will help you reach your big goal. Doing this will ensure your day is focused and driven on an objective.

6.  Do the day’s most challenging thing first. It’s human nature to procrastinate, and pest control operators are no different. If you knock out the day’s most difficult task first, you won’t have to worry or stress about it all day long. Taking this route will make the day feel easier and you’ll have less inner resistance to getting the rest of the tasks of the day done.

7.  Connect with customers and coworkers. While at work get to know your colleagues and your customers. Ask them about their lives. Build rapport. Doing so will not only make you a better pest control operator, but will help you feel connected to the world as a whole. You will be happier.

8.  Take breaks and lunches. Following up on the previous tip, take lunches and breaks with your pest control colleagues and employees. Not only will you feel more connected, you will also break up your day and feel less stressed. Many pest control operators just find the nearest drive thru between service calls, or skip lunch all together. Make an effort to avoid doing this. It also wouldn’t hurt to choose something healthy to eat either.

9.  Stay away from negative people. Almost every office has a few of these people. These people may dislike their job or are just cynical in nature. Do your best to keep your distance as they will bring down your positive attitude you’ve worked so hard on establishing all day. When these people become unavoidable, learn to shrug them off. Replacing their negative voices with more positive influences is very powerful. It can be like a whole new world opening up.

10.  Just have fun. Pest control and fun sound like a complete oxymoron, I know. Try to remember why you got into this business. Find joy in the little things like helping the little old lady with her spiders. Learn to laugh.

11.  Go home on time. Try to wrap up your day with 15 minutes to spare. Take those last few minutes to finish up, to organize the next day, and to clean up. Get home to have dinner with your family. Make sure your life has balance.

12.  Reflect on the day. Before you go to bed, take a few minutes and ponder the things you did well, and the things you’d like to improve on. Writing these things down in a journal is very helpful. Give thanks and show gratitude for everything you have, and everything you accomplished during the day.

A Challenge

I know these tips can be a challenge at times… Everything worth doing is. I personally challenge each and every pest control operator out there to try these twelve tips, everyday for a week. See how much better your day can be. Yes, they work!

Have any other tips? Let me know!

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For the employee of the month (Photo credit: 4nitsirk)

As pest control operators it can be challenging at times finding extraordinary employees and technicians to work for your company. Showing up to work everyday and performing adequately is expected, but it doesn’t make for an outstanding employee.

Several pest control operators were asked, “What qualities do their most outstanding technicians and employees possess, and what traits do you look for when hiring them?”

Here are their top 10 responses:

1. They have a positive attitude. Working for a pest control company might not always be the most glamorous of jobs at times, but the most outstanding employees will always show up to work everyday with a positive disposition, enthusiastic about their jobs. Staying above the fray of office politics also helps.

2. They are punctual. This quality is a no-brainer in the pest control industry. Customers expect technicians to be on time for a treatment, as many make special accommodations to be at home to let techs inside. Punctuality shows that an employee is committed to the job, interested in the work, and able to handle responsibility. It facilitates a sense of professionalism and commitment. When an employee is late, its effects spread throughout the entire workplace and even to other employees.

3. They are organized. This quality is a definite must in the pest control industry not only for customer satisfaction, but for safety reasons as well. An organized technician needs to manage the different pesticides, inventory, and service routes to be effective.

4. They are self-motivators. Knowledge, intellect, talent, and skill are necessary, but personal drive is critical. Remarkable employees are driven by something deeper and more personal than just the desire to do a good job. Self-motivators look around to see what needs to be done and do it. They ask questions to try to learn more.

5. They like to prove others wrong. Self-motivation is often derived from a need to show that the doubters are wrong. The pest control technician without a college degree, or the secretary who was told she didn’t have leadership potential, often possess a burning desire to prove other people wrong.

6. They possess excellent interpersonal communication skills. Pest control employees must have strong communication skills, as they have to communicate directly with customers, with fellow employees, and with supervisors. Listening skills are also essential, as employees must listen to different approaches and ideas for service assignments, especially when working with a team of technicians.

7. They’re neat in appearance. This attribute is self explanatory. Our customers are letting our technicians on their property and in their homes. They need to feel safe. Techs should to be clean cut, dressed in uniform, and always greet a customer with a smile.

8. They are always tinkering. Some employees are seldomly content, and I mean that in the best of ways. They are continually tinkering with something: Reworking a timeline, fine-tuning a process, or tinkering with workflow. Great pest control employees follow processes. Outstanding employees find ways to make those processes even better, not only because they are expected to… but because they just can’t help it.

9. They publicly praise and privately complain. Outstanding pest control employees identify the contributions of others, especially in group settings where the impact of their words are even greater. When issues need to be brought forward these employees will present them to their boss, privately, without setting off a company firestorm.

10. They are eccentric, but know when to dial it back. Unusual personalities shake things up, make work more fun, and transform a workplace into a place other employees can look forward to coming to each day. These eccentric employees also know when to conform, and when to back off. It’s a tough balance, but an infrequent few can walk that fine line effortlessly.

Human capital is the single most important aspect in running a successful pest control company. In this industry, having employees with these qualities can be the difference between thriving or closing your doors. As a pest control operator, look for these qualities during the hiring process—Hire tough, and manage easy. If you are a pest control employee, look to align yourself with these 10 outstanding qualities.

Haven’t you heard? According to popular belief we eat spiders at night while we sleep! Is this possible? Do we eat spiders while sleeping? Granted some spiders are very very small. It is believable that small spiders may be able to slip into your mouth and stomach unnoticed. But one Florida Exterminator argues otherwise:

SANDS OF SAMAR, ISRAEL - JANUARY 12: This recent handout photo provided by the University of Haifa on January 12, 2010, shows a new and previously unknown species of spider in the dune of the Sands of Samar in the southern Arava desert region of Israel. A member of the Cerbalus genus, the spider has been named Cerbalus Aravensis. It has a leg-span that can reach up to 14 cm which makes it the largest spider of its type in the Middle East. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

You may well have heard this idea being thrown around all over the place: apparently we unwittingly swallow a steady diet of spiders in our sleep. As our mouths loll open, passing arachnids find themselves strangely compelled to crawl in, where we cheerfully gulp them down without knowing. Makes you shudder doesn’t it? Well before you start wearing a surgical mask to bed, you’ll be pleased to hear that this is just an urban legend.

Over the past few years, the idea has been trotted out all over the internet and beyond. Some sources say the average is seven in an entire lifetime, while others insist it’s eight in a single year. Even the lowest estimates are significantly higher than the true figure – zero.

http://www.mcdonaldpestcontrol.com/tampa-pest/pest-control-experts-set-it-straight-we-do-not-eat-spiders-in-our-sleep/

The writer proceeds to give a short history on the origins of this myth. Great read. The point that he underscored that most professional spider exterminators will appreciate is this, Why would a spider travel into your mouth? Most spiders don’t just wonder around aimlessly. Many spiders will rarely leave their webs. Those that do travel about at night are often hunting spiders. So perhaps you swallowed a fly, and you don’t know why. So you swallow a spider to catch the fly… Kidding. Really great article by our fellow exterminator. Bulwark Exterminating gives you two thumbs up.

Back to the question at hand, now that we have some opposing views. What do you think?

Do we eat spiders at night?

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So just having a little fun here, but I decided to test some popular lines and slogans adding a pest control twist…

Out of the Strong came forth pest control.

Bug Tested, Mother Approved.

Have pest control your way.

Good to the last bug.

Is it Live or is it pest control?

Taste Great, Less Bugs.

The lighter way to enjoy pest control.

Why have cotton when you can have pest control?

Obey your exterminator.

Let your bugs do the walking.

The pest control that smiles back.

The future’s bright. The future’s pest control.

I am a defensive wall.  – (Bulwark)

Don’t bumble with the B.

Licensed to kill. Literally.

I kill things for a living.

Buenas Noches Roaches.

Hey… It’s FRIDAY! Hope you have a rocking weekend.

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A Promoted Tweet on Pest Control term by an electrical company?

“Technology has to be invented or adopted.”  – Jared Diamond

Okay so this a cool quote and all, but why?

Why would GE want to promote this tweet on the pest control stream? Where is the connection? Did someone just do some keyword research and find pest control related to technology?  Are exterminators a large consumer of light bulbs? Sorry, just not getting it.  Pest Control Technology… Hmmm…. I mean there is a pest control technology magazine. And I often feel that Bulwark Exterminating is becoming more of a technology company than a residential pest control service… but still not getting the full picture here.

I guess the plus side to this is that I am blogging about this simply out of awe. But does it make me more inclined to buy from the promoter of said tweet?

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Image via Wikipedia

What’s the Risk? What’s the Payout?  Should you, a pest control operator, offer a warranty/ guarantee for Bed Bugs?  Anyone that has done their research knows the difficulty in offering a Bed Bug elimination guarantee.  Whether it be for single family homes, apartments, hotels, or furniture rental companies.  Weather you are a large multi-million dollar company or a small local establishment.  Right now Bed Bugs are swooping in to this nation from afar bringing back memories of the 40’s and 50’s.   Except now pest professionals and proven pesticides are restricted by our government and that may cause this pandemic to get worse before it gets better.   Not only are pest professionals fumbling to find the most effective way to treat, but they must decide on whether or not to guarantee that service.   There are several risks involved.  Are they worth the consequences?   If you plan to wait for the right tools to offer such a guarantee as you would with spiders or crickets, what would you do until then?  One thing is for certain there is money to be made.

I think we need some industry feedback to draw a  conclusion. What do you think?