Biggest Hurdle: Engaging Customers

Sixty percent of PMPs said customers understand that small fly control is tied directly to sanitation practices at their properties, found the 2022 PCT State of the Small Fly Control Market survey.

That said, 63 percent of PMPs said customers expect them to solve small fly problems without additional involvement on their part.

“Sometimes they really do step up and correct those issues, and other times you feel like you’re beating your head up against a brick wall,” said Todd Barber, Barber’s Best Termite & Pest.

Successful small fly control requires customers to take responsibility for their role in solving the problem. “You have to lay the ground rules: This is what you need to do, this is what we’re going to do,” said Barber. Constant communication, such as how and where to improve sanitation supported by thorough documentation, helps build this partnership.

It also is important to build relationships with the right people. For Barber, this often is the closing crew at food establishments. “If you could just have that conversation with the people who are responsible for doing the work, it’s not going to get lost in translation and you’re going to be more effective,” he said. Doing this means being at the restaurant when the closing crew clocks in for the evening.

James Grundy, owner of Hometown Pest Control in Saginaw, Texas, prioritizes building relationships with the people who have authority to make decisions. Over his 20 years in the industry, he’s learned: “If you talk to somebody who’s not in a position to say ‘Yes,’ then you can’t take a ‘No’ from them.”

Once aligned with the key decision maker, you can discuss how to approach specific issues to resolve the small fly problem. “When you don’t have that, then it’s just putting a Band-Aid on it,” he said.

Anyone can kill bugs, reminded Grundy. “Let’s make sure we build relationships. When we build relationships, we build trust; when we build trust, they know we’re going to take care of them,” he said.