[View Point] Do you know your customer? If not, PPMA is here to help

Life used to be so much simpler. It wasn’t that long ago, if you provided quality pest control services at a reasonable price customers would beat a path to your door. Somewhere along the way, however, market conditions changed and the business dynamics of the pest management industry grew much more complex. Two-income families became the norm rather than the exception. The Internet and cable television changed the way a growing number of Americans consume information. And the key buying influences in the home and office began to change, altering the way progressive pest management professionals market their services to consumers.
However, if you have been blissfully unaware these changes are occurring, or simply don’t have the time or resources to track consumer attitudes about the pest management industry, you’re at a distinct competitive disadvantage. That’s where the Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) comes in. Established in 1997, PPMA is made up of leaders drawn from multiple segments of the industry who have one goal in mind, to increase awareness among consumers about the value of professional pest management services, protect the industry’s reputation and increase the size of the consumer market. And one of the most effective ways of growing the market for professional pest management services is to understand the modern-day American consumer, not just on a cursory level, but on a deep-rooted basis, tracking the perceptions of both users and non-users.
That’s one of the key reasons the PPMA, thanks to the voluntary donations of partner companies and industry product suppliers, recently invested in a comprehensive market study to ascertain what customers really think about the pest management industry (see story on page 48). What they discovered is today’s residential customer is no longer a stereotypical family with 2.5 children living in a suburban home with a white picket fence. In fact, chances are good if your company is more than five years old, your customer is very different than he or she was when your organization was founded. “The 21st century is shifting from ‘what we offer’ and ‘what we do’ marketing to customer focused and value driven marketing,” says Cindy Mannes, PPMA executive director and vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association. “In order to make this shift we need to understand our customers.” And one very effective way of gaining a better understanding of your customer is to purchase a CD being offered by PPMA that includes its most recent consumer research study, as well as three previous studies, all available in PowerPoint form. The additional surveys include: How American Consumers View Household Pests (2001), Views on Common Pests (2003) and Protectors of Health and Property (2004). Cost of the CD is $250. To order a copy, email Cindy Mannes at mannes@pestworld.org.
“Purchasing the CD qualifies you as a PPMA contributor and entitles you to many additional PPMA benefits,” Mannes says. “Our industry cannot afford to sit idly by the sea of change that the 21st century brings. By understanding the attitudes and actions of the 21st century customer we can reach out as an industry to our customers in new ways.”

The author is Publisher of PCT magazine.