Pest Management Professional, May 2018

Connolly president of Mesa Ariz based Connolly Pest Management says hes seen the bed bug issue come full circle and notes that one thing that hasnt changed is homeowners propensity to try to solve the problem themselves They soon find out its better to call in a professional and two locally owned chemical supply companies keep Connollys business cards in stock for just that reason Termites weeds rodents and general pest control leads also come his way too If the customer calls me and I get the job I pay for the lead Connolly explains The finders fee depends on the scope of the job he has gone as high as 5 percent but usually keeps it to the 2 to 3 percent range I took an industry business class years ago where the consultant told us to be memorable with customers and I took to heart one of their examples Connolly says I pay for the leads in 2 bills even if its 100 worth The reasoning makes perfect sense because its a reinforcement of your name Whether they spend the bills or keep them they remember who gave the 2 bills to them PreP work as add on service When Connolly first inspects a bed bug account he not only assesses the extent of the problem but the extent of how much cleaning preparation needs to be done and how much of that work will fall to him and his crew I spell out to them what prep work needs to be done but in the estimate Im taking into account 150 an hour for cleanup vacuuming and placing all clutter in garbage bags that we then put on the bed he explains I can usually tell whether someone is going to have their home ready for it vs just having us do it Were going to be thorough in that were picking everything up off the floor but it doesnt matter to us whether the laundry is clean or dirty its just going in a bag Customers understand this so its up to them whether they want to do it themselves Having conducted such estimates over the years Connolly notes My hourly estimate is usually within the actual cost within 30 minutes one way or the other West Palm Beach Fla based Nozzle Nolen also offers prep work as a service Scott Garver a regional manager based in the Lake Worth office oversees the companys heat treatments Like Connolly Garver says the service arose from the need to have preparations performed correctly Scott Garver says offering the prep service has helped Nozzle Nolen crews treat more efficiently Photo Nozzle NoleN mypmp net Pest Management Professional May 2018 41 Too many times customers thought they did everything we asked of them on our prep list but they missed the mark Our two man crew would end up spending an extra hour or two on the property just trying to get it ready Garver explains Weve always done certain things like removing the cabinet doors for example But since July weve begun offering complete prep service and many customers are taking us up on it Garver says the Nozzle Nolen sales team is well trained on how to explain exactly what needs to happen in case the customer wants to save money and do the prep work before the crew arrives The sales rep will even call the customer the night before to find out where they are in the process so when our guys arrive in the morning there wont be anything holding them up Garver says Its an extensive amount of work They need to take the blinds off remove makeup oil paintings anything that could ignite in the heat Customers arent always aware of what they have and what can become damaged The heat treatment is about an eight hour process Garver says and the two person crew is continually running clothes and bedding through the customers dryer If theres not one on site one of the techs heads out to the local laundromat with a roll of quarters Both Connolly and Garver stress that the prep service also includes post treatment cleanup Well put the blinds back up the pictures back on the walls Garver says estimating that about 50 percent of Nozzle Nolen customers have opted for the service Its beneficial to both parties The prep list can be overwhelming Allowing customers to choose lets them know its OK to let us do the work