[Add-on Services] Digging Out & Cashing In

“One thing I’ve learned over the years is that the pests we deal with are very adaptive, and I think it’s important to build the company with that same approach,” said Vic Palermo, president and staff entomologist at Ultra Safe Pest Management in Boston.

In that adaptive spirit, Palermo and his technicians spent this past brutal winter helping dig out their customers, while many other Boston businesses were left out in the cold.

With two colossal winter storms dropping between 2 to 4 feet of snow in a six- or seven-day span, and talk of a third storm on the way, Palermo began to worry about his customers. “After the first storm we were finding it difficult to service our accounts,” he said. “It started to have an impact on our work. It got to the point where we were losing valuable time and opportunity due to the snow.”

But then Palermo had an idea that would put the snow to work in the company’s favor. “Roof snow was a huge issue,” he said. “It was all over the news that roofs were starting to cave in, and it was a very dangerous situation.”
 

The Right Staff.

Due to the heavy-duty nature of Ultra Safe’s typical pest control jobs, Palermo already had the ladders and equipment to get up on the roofs; he just had to see if his staff was comfortable doing it.

He held a staff meeting to see if his technicians would be open to working in the hazardous, subzero conditions. “I wasn’t going to do anything unless they would be comfortable. I left it in their hands really, if this was a challenge they were going to accept,” said Palermo. “At least 85 percent of the crew was willing to participate.”
 

Overwhelming Interest.

His next step was gauging customer interest in the newly expanded winter service. He sent out a “feeler” email to his existing customers, and the results were overwhelming. By the next morning Palermo had 350 emails from current customers ready to schedule appointments.

The only money spent on advertising the services was on Facebook and social media, and between those paid ads and word of mouth, Palermo also drummed up some new customers.

“We did take a few of the neighbors of our existing customers,” said Palermo. “Word was definitely spreading.”

Palermo already had the ladders and one industrial snow blower on hand, and he geared up with two more snow blowers and plenty of roof rakes and shoveling equipment.
 

Safety Comes First.

“The biggest challenge was safety,” said Palermo. Since the safety of his workers came first and foremost and typical jobs were on large homes and three- to four-story buildings, Palermo also purchased anchors, safety harnesses and scheduled the use of a bucket and lift truck. “Your everyday fall protection wasn’t going to cut it,” he said.

His final preparation was increased insurance coverage. “We had to check with our insurance providers and make sure we added the right type of coverage,” said Palermo. That meant technician safety provisions and new damage protection.
 

Managing Demand.

Once the work was underway, it took Palermo some time to work out appropriate pricing and scheduling parameters.

“Trying to gauge the time and pricing was a challenge,” he said. “We had to make some adjustments definitely after that first week with the pricing and scheduling.”

Once his four crews found their groove, they each could get one or two houses done a day, which left Palermo with the challenge of meeting the huge demand.

After the second storm, Palermo said Boston experienced a brief thaw, and the following refreeze made conditions even more harrowing. “Everything got icy and heavy,” he said. “That proved to be a lot more challenging than removing the snow.”

So Palermo contracted with a company from Minnesota, experienced in removing ice dams, to come in to work with his crews.

His crews also kept busy clearing pathways to Dumpsters and entrances in apartment complexes, as well as sidewalks in the city, where there isn’t much space for the displaced snow. “It was a really solid four-week run,” said Palermo.

And during that four-week run, snow removal accounted for 25 percent of Ultra Safe’s revenues.

Palermo said he didn’t see other pest management companies in the area follow his lead, but he did see roofers and out-of-state snow removal firms coming in to help homeowners and businesses.
 

Repeat Performance.

Although he said he was the only pest control firm making the foray into snow removal, he plans to do it again next year. “I definitely think this will be an opportunity going forward to fill some of the gaps we see,” he said.

He plans to send out notices in the fall and sign people up for regular snow removal, which hopefully will help him manage the high demand. “I just don’t think there would’ve been a market for it before,” said Palermo. “I think we’re going to see a more proactive (consumer).”

He also hopes that the good work his team did in the winter will translate into more pest control business.

“I think everybody was happy with the service and the response, so I’m banking on if they have a pest control problem that they’ll remember us.”

The author is a Cleveland-based freelancer.