[Business Practices] Juggling Act

Sounding like part motivational speaker, part social psychologist and part business coach, Bill Sullivan of Western Pest Services took the stage at PestWorld 2003 in Dallas to offer participants much more than a few simple tips on "Excellence in Managing Multiple Branches." Instead, Sullivan helped attendees understand and learn to apply basic business management principles in order to inspire, encourage and propel their companies to success.

For Sullivan, the keys to success in pest control, as in any business, are the ability to solve problems, nurture employees to attain high levels of competence, set appropriate goals, create sound business strategies and exhibit persistence in adhering to those strategies. "This is a deep and broad subject," Sullivan says, "and I want to offer some things to think about in terms of running a business with more success and less stress."

After more than 25 years in management at Western Pest Services (which was recently sold to Orkin Pest Control), Sullivan has formulated a series of strategies that can help create and maintain an efficient, high-quality pest control business. Yet Sullivan’s techniques are based on many of the same important management principles that predict success across a wide array of businesses.

WHERE TO BEGIN. As a starting point, Sullivan suggests that pest control managers encourage their employees to focus more on the interpersonal aspects of their work than on the nitty-gritty of killing insects. Putting this notion into practice requires managers and technicians to look at their companies not as pest control businesses but as "people" businesses.

Shepherding even one office of busy technicians and support staff in this way is no small task for management, who are often deluged with requests and demands from all sides. Yet "everything rises and falls on the manager," Sullivan says. "It’s our responsibility to do the right thing. And how we feel about and treat people has implications for everything we do and for how successful and stressful our lives will be."

As businesses grow, including pest management firms, management tasks become exponentially more complex. Communication between offices is often a major challenge. Coordinating goals and protocols in order to ensure uniformity across branches is another tricky task. While most offices can agree that they want to provide better results with fewer resources, improve productivity and morale, and follow through on specific goals, they may differ widely in their approach, making it difficult to stay on track and compromising the company’s success.

To illustrate the importance of persistence in achieving goals, Sullivan noted that many people have difficulty losing weight despite the simple, proven formula for doing so: eat less and exercise more.

"It’s not the formula that’s the problem," he says. "It’s our ability to persist in pursuing that goal. And that’s the problem most of us face whether in multiple offices or single offices."

FOCUS, HARD WORK AND PASSION. Having identified this major stumbling block to success, Sullivan offers a solution: achieving persistence through focus, competence and passion. Strategies for achieving specific business goals are important, but if a company fails to persist in adhering to even the best business strategy, it will not succeed. Therefore, Sullivan advises managers to help their staff develop a clear sense of focus, continuously work toward high levels of competence and develop a passion for achieving their goals.

For businesses that are hoping to expand or improve performance at existing multiple branches, challenges abound: roles must be clearly defined for all positions; business communications and visions must be communicated deep into the organization; performance measurements must be continuous, understandable and in line with current strategies; and leaders and followers must be held accountable for their levels of performance. Yet offices that manage technicians and staff through Sullivan’s three-pronged approach to persistence have much higher chances of success.

Although it is fundamentally simple, managers are often overwhelmed at the thought of leading their workers through the processes that will bolster the ability to persist in working toward goals. Teams at one or several offices need managers who can provide focus, direction and clarity. All employees should understand the main thrust of the business — whether it’s quality, productivity, efficiency or another attribute — and know how to make that value the primary focus of all their work. In other words, managers must ensure that their teams internalize the company’s primary goal and conduct all their tasks with that goal in mind.

Inconsistent procedures are the main enemy of a focused corporate environment. And as an example of corporate values, managers must be especially aware that any lack of consistency on their part will create confusion in the ranks and result in loss of focus. "Inconsistent focus is one of the quickest ways to undermine your credibility with your team," Sullivan says. So how does a busy manager maintain this crucial focus? The best way is by not allowing other priorities and projects to get in the way.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. Sullivan’s example of the ability to remain focused comes from personal experience. He said that in his company, quality of service is the overarching value that guides all other efforts. However, Sullivan said he often found himself buried under piles of paperwork requested by his corporate office. "I always got in trouble because I would let the paperwork pile up, stay focused instead, and then, after a certain period of time, wipe my desk clean and let it go into the trash," he says, adding that he could count on his superiors to call him and request those items that were most important. "People’s time and energy are limited resources, and you can’t keep piling things on people and yet ask them to focus on something else."

To establish a clear business focus, Sullivan advises supervisors to consider what one thing they want their business to be known for. The answer should be the one most important trait or value in the company that will serve as a measuring stick for all efforts. Once this guiding focal point is identified, it must be communicated repeatedly throughout the organization.

Competence, another key to persistence, represents anything that improves work performance. Because it is vital to executing a strategy, managers should coach their teams in order to elevate the average performance of the entire office. "Coaching allows you to move people from one level to another. It’s the most important skill a manager or supervisor must develop," Sullivan says.

By working to enhance the focus, competence and passion of a pest control team through Sullivan’s proven techniques, multiple branches can consistently meet and surpass corporate goals.

The author owns Compelling Communications, a company dedicated to helping pest control companies attract and keep customers. She can be reached at 800/779-0067 or jvanklaveren@giemedia.com.