Focus On New Products: Dependable Options

"Secure," as defined by Webster’s dictionary, is an adjective which means confident, affording safety and dependable. "Choice" is a noun that means a selection or option or the opportunity to choose freely.

Combined, SecureChoice is a business-driven management resource being introduced to pest management professionals this month by Syngenta Professional Products. As the name suggests, its emphasis is on providing dependable options for the pest management industry. Syngenta says its goal is to help pest management professionals market their products and services more effectively, gain and retain more customers, and create value for the customer as well as be more efficient in their operations.

Randy Moser, market manager, professional pest management for Syngenta Professional Products, said SecureChoice complements the entrepreneurial nature of the pest control industry. "This is really for the progressive pest management professional (PMP) who wants to effectively and profitably grow his or her business. We’re not going to come in with a big stick and tell him what products to use. We’re putting the business strategy of the PMP first and the product second."

SecureChoice is comprised of three components: knowledge management, products, and tools and business services.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT. The knowledge management program, driven by Electronic Pest Management (ePM), offers a Web-based application that will enable pest control operators to capture data through a hand-held unit that scans bar-coded monitoring and baiting stations, as well as other property elements. (The knowledge management program is driven by ePM from Eye On Solutions, a Rockville, Md.-based software firm. Syngenta has partnered with Eye On Solutions to provide the knowledge management program for SecureChoice.)

This information can be shared with customers through a secure Internet connection, which can enhance the pest management professional’s relationship with the customer. "This is especially important on commercial accounts which operate with strict legal requirements," says Dale Kaukeinen, technical specialist for Syngenta. "SecureChoice can accommodate the data-heavy reports these accounts require, with the ability to generate the report by the end of that business day."

The Commercial Perimeter Program is an example of products and tools and knowledge management included in the SecureChoice offering at work. "Take for example a food warehouse," Kaukeinen said. "You could have several hundred rodent stations around the perimeter. You might have two or three different lines of protection, an outer fence and also areas right outside the building. You can use the Multiplex Station, one of the products in the portfolio of Syngenta insecticides and rodenticides, and then use the knowledge management system powered by ePM to scan the data into the hand-held collector. You’d have information on the pest, the problem, the control method used, as well as any other Integrated Pest Management (IPM) activities and the recommendations being made."

"This approach brings a ‘solutions-based’ answer to many of the customers’ pest management needs," Moser added. "You can take that total package to other commercial accounts, and you’d have a solid solution to offer. You’ve not only become more efficient, but you have created value for your customer and you have the tools to start expanding your business."

PRODUCTS AND TOOLS. The "products and tools" part of the program includes the core products that pest management professionals purchase, such as rodenticides, termiticides and general pest insecticides. Syngenta also is offering newly designed monitoring and baiting stations with tamper-resistant features, specially designed lids to reduce servicing time and many other operational features that provide opportunities to pest management professionals, the company says.

Moser adds that with SecureChoice, a pest management professional can order a la carte, because the system isn’t product driven. "If a PMP wants to use a competitor’s termiticide, that’s his or her choice," he said. "We’re not going to say he or she can’t get involved in Secure-Choice."

BUSINESS SERVICES. The "business services" area focuses on marketing concepts, operational models, marketing research, and business and training skills. One aspect of this area — ChoiceCommunications — provides online access to customizable templates, ranging from door hangers to appreciation letters to advertising print ads promoting the pest management professional’s firm. "For a subscription fee, the pest management professional can have a virtual agency at his or her fingertips to build company brand and enhance the customer relationships needed to retain customers," Moser said.

Additional services related to business training, sales training and market research are in the planning stages and will be rolled out in the future, Moser added.

"Many PMPs have attempted this on their own," Kaukeinen said. "They spent three to five years and haven’t gotten to where they wanted to be. We’ve developed SecureChoice, and the initial testing phase is showing it works."

Syngenta conducted extensive testing, along with focus groups and interviews, to hone the SecureChoice program.

"We would meet with focus groups and our internal teams and then have more focus groups," Moser said. "That process lasted 18 months. We started from the bottom and worked our way up. We talked to a lot of PMPs to determine what their needs are for profitable growth."

Following the research and testing, Kaukeinen said that the company knew it had all of the necessary components but they had to put them in a program that was structured and organized. "We were moving from a product-related business to a service-related business," Moser added. "We have a service and total solution that covers really everything in pest control with few exceptions."

Dan Kidder, professional pest management technical manager, said that Syngenta didn’t try to create all aspects of the program internally. "We found what we felt was a state-of-the-art supplier of knowledge management tools and they customized ePM for us. Syngenta developed the Multiplex station, designing it with one of the world’s premier rodentolo-gists and one of the best manufacturers in the business," he said. "When we put this all together, the result is a comprehensive program of high quality that no one else is currently offering. The SecureChoice team is comprised of many people with expertise that are both internal, as well as known experts within many industries. Together we are bringing to the table knowledge that provides solutions to PMPs."

A RESOURCE FOR GROWTH. Syngenta identified five objectives that SecureChoice must meet in order to be successful for the pest management professional. First, it must help build the pest management professional’s business. In the residential sector, it is estimated that 17 percent of households use services by pest control professionals. "If we can assist in the growth to 18 percent," Moser said, "that additional 1 percent can have a major impact on the industry."

Enhancing the pest management com-pany’s profitability and improving operational efficiencies are the second and third objectives. Much of the technology associated with the knowledge management component deals with these two objectives.

The fourth and fifth objectives are offering tools that enhance the company’s professionalism and building brand awareness in the market. The business services component helps present a unified and professional approach to the pest management profes-sional’s identity in the community.

"This is a work in progress," Moser said. "More elements will be added in as time progresses, and PMPs can pick and choose which products or services to use, without losing the continuity of the program, all in an effort to meet the needs to PMPs and their customer base.

"We found through our interviews and focus groups that PMPs know how to kill and control pests, but they are asking for help on the business side of the equation, like how to retain and create value for their customer," Moser says. "Hopefully when PMPs ask, ‘How do I grow my business profitably?’ they will think of SecureChoice."

The author is a freelance writer from Cleveland, Ohio. She can be reached via e-mail at dtaylor@pctonline.com.