Pest Management Professional, April 2014

S P O N S O R E D B Y Putting off callback work can be a death sentence for a company Markland warns Making Money from Anthills Maybe your company doesnt generate much ant business but now you feel as though you have a better understanding of how to deal with these zombie pests efficiently You want more ant business but youre not sure how to get it No problem Ants sell themselves Markland explains When a company doesnt win an ant job its often because the person charged with making your case actually unsold the job Ant jobs often are sold when the phone rings Companies should invest in ant specific training for sales representatives and technicians Cavanagh adds Then firms should market themselves as ant specialists reinforcing this in all print advertising as well as on the Internet and social media Another good strategy is to have your sales reps and technicians cloverleaf around customers who are already being served for ant infestations as ants are often a problem for the entire neighborhood Cavanagh adds Walsh suggests companies study their top competitors prospects and referral streams Educate yourself about the competition and then separate your company from the pack Walsh says Survey potential clients What pest management services are they receiving What are their top needs and wants Last but not least dont underestimate the power of leveraging your current ant management accounts to create a referral program that rewards those customers and brings in business Continued on page AM10 because sometimes a new set of eyes is all thats needed Sometimes the solution is simple and obvious to another tech Ant control often requires a lot of inspecting and detective work A lack of time can hinder control Cavanagh warns Sometimes single technicians dont have the time necessary to identify and eliminate all ant problems In those cases it helps to have a trouble shooter or supervisor available who can spend extra time assisting the tech with difficult callbacks Cavanagh adds Thorough inspection and proper ant identification are a must Ant nests arent always as easy to spot as this one PMPs say they need to look up down and all around Is it a one or two node ant Is it a polygyny species which requires the elimination of multiple queens or a monogyny species requiring just one queen be taken out Different ants have different habits and harborages so dont just look down for a source Look up down and all around Moore says And remember As is the case with many insects controlling a locations moisture will directly impact the suitability of the harborage Moore encourages interviewing clients directly treating nests and removing conducive conditions Exclusion might include caulking around windows in bathrooms and kitchens Treat your callbacks as you do new jobs Markland advises If you schedule new jobs for same day treatments why wouldnt you also visit existing accounts the same day they place callbacks especially if your ant management service is warranteed www mypmp net Pest Management Professional April 2014 AM7