Working in Other Trades

When a pest control technician goes on a job, that home or business probably needs more than an ant eradication. There could be ceiling fans to install, malfunctioning furnaces to repair, or leaky pipes to fix.

That’s when many pest control firms seize the opportunity to add synergistic services. These firms are becoming indispensable providers of home repairs, lawn maintenance, tree care, and even holiday lighting and home appraisals.

The extensions are logical for an industry built on trust. Customers who know and rely on their pest control company feel comfortable reaching out for other services that keep their homes and businesses safe, well-maintained, and welcoming.

“It’s kind of a one-stop shop,” says Brian Wescott, vice president, Kingfish Pest Control in Jacksonville, Florida. “Customers don’t have to call companies that they have no idea about who they are or don’t know if they can trust them.”

It can be easier for the customers, but pest control companies interested in expanding into other fields may be wondering, “What about compliance and regulations?” There’s good news here, too: Depending on how you grow your company, it can be easy to fold additional regulations into business as usual.

The 'hows' of what we do ARE TAKEN CARE OF BY THE 'WHOS' that we hire.

-Brian Lunsford, Kingfish Pest Control

Growth Plans

Some firms with diverse offerings grow strategically and according to a plan. However, from its base in Austin, Texas, ABC Home & Commercial Services began diversifying “almost by accident,” says Julie Fredlund, director of technology and office operations.

It began in 1999, when 50-year-old ABC Pest Control announced the addition of lawn service, recognizing business opportunities in cross-training pest technicians to improve the health of the turf through lawn fertilization and disease control.

Customers assumed “lawn service” meant something else. “When customers got word, they were so happy that we were going to start mowing their yard,” Fredlund says. “That’s not really what we meant, but we went in that direction.”

ABC purchased a mowing company. When that did well, it added lawn care, landscaping, and irrigation. Then, in 2005, ABC decided to offer handyman services and quickly realized that some jobs demanded more specialized attention, so it hired plumbers, electricians, and HVAC specialists to round out the home-care menu. “They just feed off of each other,” Fredlund says.

It’s the same when it comes to regulations, she adds. For example, in Texas, pest control and lawn care businesses are both required to register with the state’s Department of Agriculture, with individual licenses issued to technicians (technicians working in both fields use the same license number). For other segments like irrigation and plumbing, individual technicians hold the main license, and the company operates under those licenses, says Fredlund.

At ABC, all departments must follow Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations as well, although some departments have additional safety training led by the safety director. For example, departments handling rodent control, HVAC, handyman services, and holiday lights all train to safely climb ladders and work on roofs, and that includes wearing the right footwear and safety gear. Field staff also receive proper driver safety training, regardless of department or position.

Training is a combination of videos, in-house live classes, and presentations by third-party experts. “Other safety training is very specific to a department and is usually conducted by the safety director and department manager,” says Fredlund. “An example of this may be special training for commercial lawn equipment used by our lawn mowing crews or industry-​specific training for the electrical department. HVAC has specific regulations regarding the handling of freon, and many departments must be sure to always follow the product label instructions.”

Filling the Gaps

In Pennsylvania, Newtown Termite & Pest Control expanded by noticing gaps in service and spotting opportunities to be preventive and restorative as well as reactive. The firm adopted pest control insulation services as a “natural segue” to help customers prevent insect infiltration, says Chief Operating Officer Zeus Martinez. When the company noticed the damage termites left behind, it hired a handyman to help customers recover from insect infestations or human interventions, such as drywall cut open to remove a bee colony. For getting squirrels out of attics, it hired a wildlife specialist.

“We figured, why not?” says Martinez. “That’s how we’ve been integrating these different services. We see a need in our service area.”

It’s all done in-house, strategically designed according to data collected about requests for assistance and demand for services. Analysis of that data pinpoints the areas ripe for expansion. “If we can understand it and we can quantify it in the data method, we can really understand how to make it better or how it’s not working out,” Martinez says.

While every new service comes with rules and regulations, Martinez and his leadership take compliance in stride. First, they make sure their software is up to speed—able to track licensing requirements for specific trades and accommodating the legal verbiage required on every ticket.

More importantly, they hire the right people, steeped in the nuances of compliance. Martinez seeks out department heads and tradespeople with up-to-date industry and government certifications. With the rigorous exams and continuing education needed to earn and maintain credentials, “it’s their job to know all these things,” he says.

Careful Compliance

Fredlund agrees. At ABC, branch managers take charge of making sure safety guidelines are followed at branch locations, and the safety director is responsible for ensuring training is completed and that the proper information is shared.

Compliance ultimately falls to the department manager, who oversees company licensing, technician licensing, industry regulations and protocols, and the design of standard operating procedures. For technician licenses, this includes ensuring employees have opportunities for continuing education and are reminded when it’s time to renew licenses.

“Each department manager reports to a division manager, who shares in the overall responsibility,” says Fredlund. “Each department also conducts its own internal and state audits as needed.”

Department managers can then meet with ABC’s marketing director to ensure state license information is properly displayed on any form of marketing, which is required by law, and the fleet manager assists in displaying license information on fleet vehicles as needed, adds Fredlund, who handles including information on technician licenses and any other specific verbiage required on forms. “It sounds rather complicated, but each of us who support the departments understands the importance of our roles,” she says.

Business as Usual

Kingfish Pest Control expanded its services first by adding home inspections as a complementary source of revenue through its sister company, LunsPro Inspections. Those services are now complemented by lighting and handyman services, plus a real estate publishing venture.

Owner and CEO Brian Lunsford agrees that compliance across multiple fields follows when companies bring top talent and expertise in-house. “The ‘hows’ of what we do are taken care of by the ‘whos’ that we hire,” he says.

An ounce of prevention also boosts compliance by preventing misunderstandings about the meaning of a regulation. Kingfish maintains open communications with state regulators, asking for clarification when new regulations come along, or openly presenting its thoughts about planned initiatives.

Often, the questions are about new products and labeling. “Labels can be written in a way that can be up for interpretation,” says Wescott. “We don’t want to hide anything. We try to be as transparent as possible.”

NPMA is a helpful resource for keeping track of changes in pest control, say the operators of cross-​pollinating businesses. Members receive steady updates on new products, industry leaders, and training opportunities. “I always say the NPMA does a wonderful job,” says Wescott. “They’re an awesome resource and a friend to the industry.”

Pest control companies considering adding other services should rest assured, adds Lunsford. While compliance with additional regulations might seem like a daunting hurdle, “it’s really not—and most similar companies to ours would probably agree,” he says.

“Rules and regulations are important to us,” he adds. “They just don’t dominate our small businesses as a worrisome topic, because we operate our companies with high standards and adhere to any and all rules and regulations.” 

Generating Leads  

When employees are ambassadors for your brand, they stay alert for opportunities to serve customers across specialties and trades. Consider these tips from leaders in the field to feed multiple service lines and deepen relationships with customers:

• Sharpen observation: Through videos and regular meetings, train technicians to spot the signs that clients need help in other areas. Customize the training to your service lines, teaching field personnel to watch for a leaky faucet, tree limbs over a roof that could create a rodent problem, windows in need of washing, or lawns left untended.
• Connect the dots: Share key performance indicators with technicians and tradespeople every week to let them see the positive impact of their leads. When service employees understand how their diligence feeds company profitability and growth, leads will follow.
• Connect the people: Use training and company events to break the ice between technicians and the managers and tradespeople in other fields. Getting to know each other personally and learning insider jargon and priorities help people feel confident about reaching out across specialties.
• Seize opportunity: Buy or develop software that allows technicians to submit leads easily and instantly while they’re on a job.
• Cross-market: Use every marketing and communications channel to remind customers about the trusted family of services available to them. Kingfish Pest Control’s website, for example, includes a prominent link for scheduling a home inspection with “our sister company, LunsPro Inspections.” Stay visible, and don’t hide the fact that your companies are related. Even if the customer doesn’t need one of your services at the moment, constant marketing puts it top of mind when the time comes.
• Create incentives: Offer discounts that encourage customers to use your crossover services or make referrals. Use rewards programs that let customers accumulate points to redeem for a free trial of a new service, risk-free and without obligation.

Give Yourself the Green Light

The prospect of entering new fields can be scary. One misstep could erode the trust you’ve worked hard to build. While every pest control company expands for reasons as unique as its region and customers, these tips from multifaceted companies show how to grow organically and with confidence:

• Keep your ears open: Customers might see synergies before you do. Collect data and grow with their questions.
• Acquire instant expertise: A local HVAC, lawn care, or other synergistic business could be open to being bought out.  
• Hire who you know: Stay active in the community and use that network for referrals to trusted, experienced job candidates in unfamiliar fields.
• Double dip: Hire people skilled in multiple trades, such as a plumber/handyman, and license them in your crossover services. This makes especially good use of personnel when adding new services to smaller, outlying branches in your service territory. 
• Look before you leap: Don’t be blindsided by potential costs. Keeping personnel updated on certifications is expensive. Plus, every field demands pricey investments in specialized equipment to stay in compliance with safety and environmental regulations. “You think, ‘I’m going to start a wildlife department, so I’m going to need some cages and apples,’ ” says Zeus Martinez, chief operating officer, Newtown Termite & Pest Control in Newtown, Pennsylvania. “When you talk to a specialist, they say, ‘We’re going to need this and this and this.’ It’s something you want to think about before you jump in there.”