Pest Management Professional, February 2019

THE BOTTOM LINE ART NORTH COAST MEDIA By Ray Johnson PMP Contributor You can reach Johnson a past president of the National Pest Management Association NPMA president of Sevierville Tenn based Johnson Pest Control and founder of ACES for Business at ray@ johnsonpestcontrol com The more things change I f you stop by the Pest Management Professional PMP booth at PestWorld next October be sure to pick up a little yellow booklet on the table The booklet is basically a shrunken copy of the very first issue of Exterminators Log which the magazine was known as when it debuted in January 1933 Editors Note Please visit PMPPestTalk net to download a free PDF version of the booklet As I looked at some of the incredibly interesting articles ads and quotes of the time I thought about how our industry has come a long way or have we Here are four things I thought were worth sharing from this historical artifact FUMIGATION SAFETY The first article Valuable hints to be considered for fumigators using hydrocyanic acid gas talked about how deaths had increased in fumigated homes and apartment buildings since 1931 It advised readers to post a notice to tenants and offered other general rules and precautions such as ventilation and first aid TERMITE CONTROL Termites or white ants was the headline of an article noting that over the past few years termites or white ants damaged the foundations and woodwork of many buildings in the United States The article said it would be wise for those who do not know the habits of white ants to learn and obtain more knowledge to save much time and grief CUSTOMER ATTITUDES The article with the headline Customers attitude Correct it focused on PMP magazines little yellow booklet pays homage to its very first issue which actually measured closer to 11x14 inches how sad it was to hear customers remark they would not allow an exterminator in their homes or apartments if he were the last exterminator in the world The article concluded you should always be honest with your customer because confidence is based on honesty Even though the editors couldnt have predicted the widespread use of social media or online reviews this advice is still sound today MAKING SCENTS Did you know that in 1933 you could perfume a gallon of insecticide for the price of your morning paper Well that was news to me But Felton Chemical Co located in Brooklyn N Y had an ad for a complete and varied line of these fine perfume oils that had been painstakingly developed for use Prices ranged from 150 to 3 per pound and you could get samples upon request Another companys ad mentioned covering kerosene odors with Florene for a low cost Heck did any of you know PMPs used to mix pesticides with kerosene Eighty six years ago there was lots of news both good and bad about our industry Today we are blessed to have PMP and other resources including national state and local associations as well as university and extension programs to inform and educate us about how to control pests handle customer service issues make our industry safer and put us on a path to success PMP 82 February 2019 Pest Management Professional mypmp net