Guest Feature: How to Prosper and Build Your Pest Control Career

Editor’s note: Chris Luther, WDIR inspector for Ledford’s Termite & Pest Control's Columbia, S.C., submitted the following guest PCT feature, which shares his pest control journey and advice for what it takes to succeed in pest control. 

First, a bit about my experience in the pest industry. I started in pest control 10 years ago with an amazing family family-owned company, Ledford’s Termite and Pest Control, here in Charleston, S.C. I have loved almost every minute of my time here. Yes, I said ALMOST every minute. I mean who really loves every minute of their job!? Anyways, like I said, I have been in the pest control industry for 10 years and have worked in every position the company has to offer. I took it upon myself to learn as much as possible about every position as I could to ensure that I always have path within the company. I started as a termite technician, and after a few years I moved into residential and commercial pest. I then made my way up to lead technician and eventually assistant manager and WDIR Inspector, where I am today.

CAREER FIT. That brings me to our next topic: career fit. Pest control definitely isn’t for everyone, but it can be a very rewarding career. If you are a self-starter, want to help people, and enjoy fast-paced work this may be the industry for you. BUT! If you can’t take heat, cold, tight spaces, and icky bugs you may be in the wrong career, and it may be time to move on before you get too involved.

COMPANY FIT. Once you’ve decided that pest control is a career that you want to explore, it’s time to decide if the company you are with is a good fit. Every company should have a mission statement that explains why they exist as a company and their core goals. If you believe in the company’s mission statement and beliefs, you’ll probably be just fine. 

HAVE A GOAL. From the start of your employment you should have a goal in mind. Do you want to be just another tech, or do you want to be the best damn tech in your area!?  Do you want to be a supervisor or is your end goal to be the a manager. There is nothing wrong with any of these options, but it’s important to have a goal to work towards. Pest control can become very monotonous at times, so your goal will help give you motivation to be the best that you can be every day and help you to not become complacent. 

MAKE YOURSELF INDISPENSABLE. Don’t get me wrong, nobody is 100 percent indispensable to the company that they are employed by, but you can definitely make it hard for them to lay you off during the down season (if your area even has a down season). By creating value for yourself within the company you are well on your way to making yourself indispensable. Some ways of doing this are buying in to your company’s goals and learning as much as possible about this industry.

DO THE LITTLE THINGS. Make it a personal goal to better the company and add value any way you can  — EVERY DAY. If that means talking to the guy at the gas pump beside you about the services you offer or simply slipping him a card so that he knows the company exists, do so.  Ask the gas stations attendant if you can leave a stack of your business cards on the counter. Or, volunteer to clean the office toilet on a slow Friday afternoon. Little gestures like this can go a long way with management. 

LEARN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Whether you’re still in training or a seasoned vet, you will never know everything there is to know about our industry. I recommend taking every opportunity you can to hone your direct job skills, as well as learning your co-workers’ job. If you aren’t learning or willing to learn something every day you will more than likely fail. Personally, I joined the Facebook page Pest Cemetery, and I have found it to be a wealth of knowledge. Every time someone asks for help identifying a bug or a tip for ridding a home a pest I go straight to Google and try to identify it, figure out control methods, if any are needed, and try to learn as much about its habits and habitat. Most of the time there will be many answers once I get back to that post, but I am improving my knowledge base and learning how to properly identify insects, which is extremely important in this line of work.

THIS IS A PEOPLE BUSINESS. When it comes to customer interactions, treat customers as people - not transactions. Your customers will know when they are more than just a house you are treating for pests. You can do this by commenting on new plants on their lawns. It doesn’t take much to make most customers feel that you care about them or their home on a personal level and are not just there for a business transaction. Trust me, when the office staff starts getting those calls complimenting you and the company, or requesting that only you service their home for now on, you are definitely adding value and job security to your employment. 

Being dedicated and consistent in all of these things will more than likely get you where you want to go in your career. Now, get out there and kill some bugs!