[Cover Story] Good Fortune

If it’s advice you’re looking for, it seems in this society, all you have to do is ask. PCT magazine found that out recently when we conducted a survey asking our readers, “What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received?”

It’s a topic many feel strongly about, as more than 200 people responded to that question. Their answers ranged from how to treat customers, to how to run the business and everything in between. Sometimes the answers were matter-of-fact, while other times they were more emotionally charged and full of feeling.

Still, several common threads of advice kept popping up. For instance, customers should be No. 1. Run an honest business. Hire well. And don’t neglect watching the numbers. Yes, you’ve probably heard comments like these before. However when something is so crucial for so many business managers, it bears repeating. And it’s worth pondering.

Here are the eight top pieces of business advice PCT received, with some convincing arguments for applying them to your business, if you’re not already.

1. Treat customers the way they want to be treated.

Time and again PCOs mentioned the importance of outstanding customer service. But what exactly does that mean?

Richard Diggs, owner of Alexandria Pest Services, located in Alexandria, Va., feels the best business advice concerns treating customers fairly and honestly.

“Our main objective is to give great service, be on time. I don’t like waiting around for people, so I don’t think people should wait around for us.” For that reason, he added, he doesn’t overbook customers.

Diggs also notes that part of customer service is giving fair prices and making customers feel that they got their money’s worth. And he’s honest with customers. For him that means explaining what the company is going to do, then following through.

Why is this advice No. 1 for Diggs? Simply because it works. “We don’t advertise and we’ve got over 7,000 clients,” he said. “I truly believe everybody wants to be treated fairly and everybody wants to be treated like they are special.” Furthermore, he added, “I believe everyone deserves to be treated, not just good, but exceptional.” And at his company, that can mean showing up at a customer’s location within 15 minutes of their call. “I get a kick out of it,” he observes. “They’re amazed at how quickly we respond and how much we really care. That’s the ideal world, to give service like that.”

Doug Bertrand, owner of Lake Country Pest Service in Delafield, Wis., feels similarly about customer service. He views each phone call as potential new business or money in his pocket. What’s more, he believes if he gets back with a customer right away, “I’ve locked up that customer for life.” Bertrand believes this is the best business advice simply because the customer is the most important aspect of his business. “It’s not buying chemicals or going to the bank and making a deposit or placing ads in the Yellow Pages. Customers are No. 1. Without customers I can’t feed my family,” says Bertrand.

Todd Pemberton, president, Bugs Are Gone Exterminating, Brooklyn, N.Y., says a satisfied customer is the best customer. He wants his employees to understand that as well. Printed on each of the company’s payroll checks is a message to this effect: “A satisfied customer made this check possible.”

“I want them to know, this is how they’re getting paid,” Pemberton says.

Pemberton is also a true believer that customers are paying for results, not service. “I tell my employees that all the time,” he said. He says customers are in effect buying exactly what the company promises in its tagline: “When we leave, your bugs are gone!”

2. Provide quality and value.

Closely related to the topic of customer service is the idea of providing quality and value. Ronnie Veitch, owner of Anti Pest and Veitch in Minden, La., believes quality and value also involve honesty in business. “Do what you say you’re going to do,” he said. That means, “Whatever you tell the customer, to be sure you’re going to do that.”

He explains that customers don’t really know what pest control professionals do. “They call us to provide a service to remedy a problem, but they don’t know how we’re going to do that, so there are avenues for unscrupulous operators to cut corners.” The best example of that, he continues, is when it comes to termite pretreatments. In Louisiana, he said, PCOs performing pretreats are required not only to treat under the slab, but also to return to the structure within 12 months to provide a perimeter treatment. Toward that end, says Veitch, when he’s talking with prospective customers who are shopping prices, “I always make sure that when I get off the phone, that they will know what’s expected, so if they get a price that’s really low, maybe they ought to question what they’re going to get.”

Veitch said the best piece of advice he’s ever received is to do more than what’s expected of you and always do a little something extra. “People appreciate that we pulled into their driveway and we saw that the newspaper was lying there and we picked it up and brought it to the door with us,” he explained. And because Veitch and his staffers subscribe to this policy, he says, “our customers are probably much more willing to work with us to solve the problem.” Veitch also attributes the company’s longevity in business — 54 years — in part to living by this philosophy.

3. Plan, strategize and watch the numbers.

Many mentioned this key piece of advice: Don’t sell yourself short. Don’t give away the only thing you have to sell. Rick Rogers, vice president of operations for Myers Pest & Termite Services, Euless, Texas, is a firm believer in budgeting and planning. “If you have a business plan it keeps you from going on those business tangents,” he said. “We’re all looking for that quick fix but for the most part, it does nothing but costs us money and sets us back.”

Rogers recalls one of the most important pieces of advice he received early in his career: You can’t manage all of the little things. You have to look at what’s going to give the highest return, and then manage those things that will make a difference in your organization. Doing so leads to developing a practical business plan.

In addition to his work at Myers, Rogers also consults within the industry. And he says he’s often tapped for help by PCOs that have been in business for 30-plus years yet still have sales below $400,000 and want to know why they’re not growing faster. “The real fact is they never had an idea of how to grow it,” he said.

Rogers notes that having a business plan should come first in running a business. And it’s a process that has to be modified every year. “At this company, it’s what turned us around,” Rogers notes.

Rogers said his company started writing a five-year plan in 2000. The plan was modified significantly in 2001, and small modifications have been made each year after that. Part of that plan involved identifying ideal Myers customers and how to reach them most effectively. “Before, everyone was our customer,” said Rogers, but strategizing showed the firm, “everyone isn’t our customer.”

Next the company took a hard look at its strengths and weaknesses. They asked themselves, “‘If you were the competition against us, how could you beat us,’” Rogers explained. Asking that question was difficult, he acknowledged. “We had to stop in the middle of the plan because we realized we had a lot more wrong with us than we wanted to face.”

Ultimately, the company had to get all employees to buy into what Myers wanted to accomplish. That meant opening up the financial books and informing everyone what it would cost to turn the business around. “The key was empowering the people to allow them to be entrepreneurs in their own given markets,” Rogers said.

Part of the plan is informing employees about the numbers the company needs to reach. “Everyone in this company knows those every week,” he says. “It’s not a secret here that we are trying to succeed.”

Furthermore, Rogers said, “we are not afraid to tell our employees what our growth is, what our profits are and where we are in our overall plan of success.”

Rogers explained it’s crucial that the business plan be recorded. “It’s got to be written down and everyone’s got to know what it is and it’s got to be specific on how to get there.”

The company also has a plan for each of its employees which is shared with them when they join the company. Myers wants each employee to have the opportunity to own a home, to send their kids to college and to drive the car they want. “We do everything in our power to give them the opportunity to succeed,” Rogers said. “And I think that’s why we succeed. We show them how to make it.”

Rogers said business planning has worked for Myers. When the company first made these changes, it had revenues around $1.7 million. Today the company is at just more than $9 million, and Rogers expects to see sales at $15 million within four years.

4. Surround yourself with good people.

Pemberton of Bugs Are Gone Exterminating says hiring well is some of the best business advice he’s received, because “under that everything else will fall into place.”

“I believe that in order for a company to be successful and retain its customers and to grow,” he said, “As a business owner, I need to put the right people in the right places and hold them accountable.” And having the right people, he points out, needs to apply to everyone at or around the company, from the back office staff, to technicians, sales representatives, his attorney and accountant.

Meanwhile, Andrew Douglas, general manager of U.S. Pest Protection in Hendersonville, Tenn., says his company is always on the lookout for sharp people to join the company, particularly those from outside the industry who may have fresh ideas on how to do things.

“People have a tendency to move around within the industry,” he said. “We look for and try to attract people from different walks of life and other business backgrounds altogether.” In fact Douglas himself was new to the industry when he joined U.S. Pest in 1997 from a career in manufacturing supervision. “Because of my previous experiences I was able to bring a different perspective to this company and help grow the company in ways that haven’t been thought of because I wasn’t entrenched in my thinking.”

And the advice to surround yourself with good people shouldn’t be limited to employees: It also applies to business colleagues and networking associates a pest control professional may develop relationships with. Learning from these colleagues can be greatly beneficial, noted Douglas, because “they can see around the next curve and can give you advice.”

5. Adapt to market opportunities.

As many respondents observed, Douglas says a key strategy of his company has been to create or find a niche in its marketing opportunities.

Toward that end, U.S. Pest Protection promotes and provides “green” pest control services. “Our primary treatment strategy is with green products,” Douglas explained. “We try to use as much natural, organic-based products as we can, especially on the inside.” The company also places great emphasis on inspection, identification and correcting conducive conditions to control pests.

Douglas said green pest control works for his company because of the substantial housing boom in his area in recent years and the influx of people from all over the country. “We are becoming a melting pot, if you will, of various social and economic scales of people joining middle Tennessee,” he said. “They are wanting and obviously buying in to the idea of green-based pest control.” Douglas says he is aware that competitors and other pest control companies are gradually providing more green services however U.S. Pest is “way ahead of that curve,” he said.

“I feel like we were green before green was cool,” he said. The company has implemented procedures incorporating integrated pest management (IPM) strategies and IPM-oriented products for years, however the “green” services were officially launched in March 2007.

Douglas said another market opportunity the company has latched onto has been going after the 80 percent of the general public that are not presently using pest control professionals — the first-time pest control users — rather than simply “swapping among ourselves the 20 percent.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Alexander, owner of Western Pest Control in Clinton, Okla., believes in adapting to the market, particularly when it comes to trying new products or techniques. “Anything new that comes on the market, I like to give it a shot and try it out,” says Alexander. “Maybe I would like it. Maybe my customers would find it appealing to them.”

6. Hang in there!

Many respondents shared this simple but often forgotten piece of advice: Remember that business is cyclic. Don’t be afraid of taking risks. And as one respondent clearly pointed out, “Never give up. If you do then the other guy wins.”

Pemberton points out if you’re providing good customer service, business is likely going to grow. However, as he’s learned firsthand, growth occurs in baby steps for those who are just starting out. And he explains growing a business is tough in the beginning, especially if you’re on your own. “Advertising is very, very expensive, so some people don’t expand and grow as quickly as they want to.” That means the owner will be the one knocking on doors, answering the phones, invoicing and performing the service. “So you just have to hang in there. Your day will come.”

7. Sell yourself and your business.

One respondent pointed out, “business is like a wheel barrow. If you don’t push it, it won’t go.” Others who offered similar advice referred to the importance of advertising. It can be as simple as putting your name on your trucks. Or letting everyone you meet know what you do for a living.

Rogers says a focus on sales is key for pest control companies, and it takes work. “I truly believe that we are a marketing company that happens to do pest control,” he said. “If you think you’re anything else but that, you’re really not going to grow your business.”

Several years ago, when Myers did some strategic planning, one of the findings was that the company didn’t have enough sales people. They also realized technicians had a lot of untapped potential when it came to sales. Ultimately Myers devised a plan on “how to sell without selling,” Rogers said. Technicians were trained on sales techniques. Now, says Rogers, “our technicians here sell a lot of business.”
 
8. Have fun!

Finally, follow your heart. As one respondent said, “Enjoy what you are doing. It will show.”

Veitch points out it’s important to enjoy your work. And having recently learned roaches are the No. 1 cause of asthma, and rodents are No. 2, his work enjoyment increased. “When you think along those lines, we definitely provide a service that is conducive to good health,” he said. “That can make you feel pretty good about what you are doing.” And Alexander notes that having fun in your work life is key to overall happiness. “You don’t realize when you’re younger that you need to have a job that you enjoy.” While the money may be important, he adds, “If you really like something, I think that you’re going to be more successful at it.”

The author is a frequent contributor to PCT.