Pest Management Professional, October 2016

pMp Business PlAnner 2017 Optimize your office Pest management work is done in the field but profits are made in the office By Daniel gordon Cpa Contributor A fter working with several hundred pest management professionals PMPs nationwide Ive observed very successful companies as well as companies in need of improvement Its abundantly clear that profitability starts with effectively handling the administrative functions in the office The owner of a growing company not only has to be an expert in pest management but also an expert in business management He or she must be able to manage people a growing customer list and the detailed information that flows in and out of the firm Lets focus on how to manage the information and back office work in an organized manner to allow the growth that interests many owners A relAtionship business Pest management is not a highmargin business Rather it is a moderate margin business where you generate high profits from customers who use your service on a scheduled recurring basis In other words you dont hit a home run with each customer and move on to the next as perhaps a car salesman or Photo istock com Ali kerem Yücel Continued on page 76 HOw tO develOp a cHecklist Checklists can be used for managing any project or ongoing procedures The best way to develop a checklist is to 1 Determine a timeframe in which all tasks must be finished daily procedures weekly procedures monthly procedures etc 2 Determine which tasks need to be completed over the timeframe customer entry service entry financial entry 3 List specific procedures that must be completed in order to finish the project 4 Execute Complete each task on the list and have the person who completes the task put their initials on it thereby creating accountability and giving ownership of the task to that person Daily office routines that keep the machine humming must be proceduralized and consistent In certain respects the repetitive nature of this type of work can make it boring However boring is good when it comes to daily office work It means the system is working and there are few problems Heres an example of a daily procedure checklist DAilY proCeDure CheCKlist Check all technician paperwork or mobile information from jobs performed for the current day Enter new customers and sales prospects into the computer Deactivate customers who have canceled service Enter sales commissions for technicians or sales reps who work on commissionable sales Enter work orders for new jobs that have been sold Make sure renewals are set up for any renewable work that has been sold Print service orders and technician appointment listings for the next workday Determine whether the amount of work to be performed is adequate Post work to computer for work completed the prior day Reprint service order forecasts by technician for the prior day On a daily basis no service orders should be outstanding except for technicians who hand in their work weekly and estimate tickets Apply customer payments as payments are received D G 74 october 2016 pest Management professional mypmp net