Training Your Staff: How Univar Can Help

A first critical step in starting any new service is that of training your staff. For this, Palm Springs Pest Control Owner Carlos Campos has turned to his distributor, Univar. "Univar is a big support for my business," he said. Not only does Univar have materials and courses for the initial training, but they have video programs he uses for his annual safety training, product training, and technical support from industry specialists.

“Univar is focused on helping our pest management partners achieve their growth goals,” said Univar Environmental Sciences Project Manager Doug Wyly. “This can be done via classroom training, online training, webinars, access to industry speakers, and assisting PMPs in networking with other companies outside their competitive geography.” In fact, Wyly highly recommends that PCOs network with Univar reps to help find other companies outside their competitive market area for real-time field training and management-level discussion regarding marketing, budgeting, compensation, first-year results, successes, and potential obstacles. 

When starting a new service, Wyly added, “If possible, the initial introduction and training should be all company personnel together in one location. The goal should be to build excitement and positive momentum, encourage and listen to feedback, and utilize the time to demonstrate management’s commitment to the new direction.”

Use the meeting to make sure you have their buy-in and they understand how they will benefit and find success in the new market segment. “If all you are going to discuss is why it’s good for the company, or only how the company benefits or that it’s mandatory, don’t bother with the meeting; it will be a waste of time,” Wyly said.

Instead, make the meeting about their professional development and compensation, and yours will come as a result. Such meetings will help your team understand how important their role is, how it will help the company to grow and exceed goals, and most importantly how that will help all of them individually to grow professionally and earn additional compensation. “You only have one shot at a strong first impression that will drive ambitious pursuit of your vision. Make it count,” he said.

A Partner to Depend On.  Just as pest control customers like that they can hire one company to do everything, so, too, is a single source provider partner advantageous for pest control operations. With experts and professionals located across the U.S.; an extensive range of product options and brands, supplies, and equipment; support by industry specialists; and continuing innovation, Univar provides PCOs with a one-stop shop for both general pest control and a vast range of related add-on services by providing the most innovative and advanced methods of distribution, management tools, and educational resources. 

 In the U.S., Univar is represented through a nationwide network of more 70 Pro Centers, each of which is staffed with knowledgeable sales representatives who span the needs of its core industries. Univar also provides web-based services for online purchasing, multi-buyer management for large organizations, employee technical training, and an extensive document database and other technical resources to support your business.

Univar’s ProTraining provides both online and in-person training in areas such as public health, turf and ornamental, and wildlife services for PMPs, giving managers, technicians and other employees the flexibility to advance their professional knowledge as best fits their schedules. You also can supplement technical training with new nontechnical courses and supplier training covering business, safety, and more.

Resources. Whether you are seeking to expand into new markets or further strengthen and develop a secondary market you’ve begun, Univar’s Markets web page (http://univares.com/markets) can provide information and resources for everything from structural pest control to wildlife management, public health, and turf and ornamental services. Not only can you find information on the services and products that align with them, you can find and directly connect with your Regional Industry Specialist for each service type.

Another Univar resource that can be helpful for PCOs and their customers is PestWeb.com, which features a number of resources on pests and weeds including:

• Pest Information. Important pest information and the products used to treat them.
• Pests in the News. Pest control & pest management related news from around the globe.
• Pest Links. A collection of additional online pest websites and resources.
• Product Documents. An extensive and up-to-date database of product SOS and labels.
• Did You Know? A collection of curious and informative facts about pests and the pest management industry.
• Pest ID. Images and identification information on hundreds of common pests.
• Weed ID. A comprehensive weed identification resource, with over 700 kinds of grass and broadleaf weeds.

Whether you are seeking to start a new line of business, you’re just getting started with an add-on service, or you’d like to further build an existing program, Univar can help. No matter what point of the process you are at, it is important to maintain delivery of a quality service, said Terminix Service Wildlife Division Manager H. Dixon Herman, Jr. “As you expand, you must continue to train employees new to the service to provide it at the same level as your more experienced employees.” To do so, he said, you should keep up with new products and market trends through your distributors, so that you can offer the latest to your customers. And, “if possible, communicate with your distributor to stock certain products that you know you will need ahead of time and avoid supply delays when things get busy.”