[Annual Rodent Control Issue] Building Them Out

ABC Pest and Lawn Services in Austin, Texas, had always offered rodent exclusion services. But two years ago, it started advertising them. Then, the whole thing took off.

In January, a time with high rodent pressure, the company had its best month to date: Revenues from rodent exclusion service were $300,000, up from $40,000 at the same time last year.

“The business has gone completely off the map,” said Bobby Jenkins, ABC’s president. “They’re going just as well today. We’re still way ahead of what we had done in the previous year. I’m still amazed at the amount of rodent exclusion work we continue to do.”

Jenkins said the service has grown for two simple reasons: ABC explained to customers that it offered this type of service, and a rainy spring and summer caused rodent populations to boom.

THE TRICK WAS MARKETING. Jenkins said the turning point for the service came when the company did something fairly basic: ABC started telling customers about it, through television and radio advertising.

“We actually show some of the things we do when we do an exclusion,” he said. “We’ve been able to convey the concept of ‘Oh, that’s what closing up my house means, and somebody can do it and that’s what it means.’”

Jenkins said many customers couldn’t make the leap from hearing a technician explain the service to actually seeing it being done. So, the company started running television commercials showing technicians installing wire screens, climbing on roofs and setting traps.

The company advertises many of its other services — termite, general pest and fire ant control — through the same media, but didn’t see the rodent exclusion really take off until it started talking about it.

“We just never thought to have a rodent ad,” Jenkins said. “We started truly marketing that rodent work two years ago; it’s just continued to grow as we’ve continued to do the work and continued to market it.”

PICKING UP THE SLACK. The new service has allowed ABC to compensate for less-than-ideal termite swarms this season. Jenkins described the termite swarms in two words: “Bad. Weak.”

But, with the advent of ABC’s rodent exclusion services, the company was able to make up for the loss of the termite work and remain in a strong business position.

Jenkins said that, while the exclusion work still peaks in the autumn and winter months, when falling temperatures force rodents to seek shelter inside buildings, the services are still going strong into the summer.

The exclusion segment brought in more than $110,000 to ABC’s Austin branch in June, and it’s on track to bring in about $2 million this year, Jenkins said.

“It’s still a big, big revenue source, even as we move into the summertime,” Jenkins said. “We’re grateful for it. I’ve got a business that’s still continuing to grow despite the fact that my termite business is shrinking at a less-than-desirable rate.”

NOT A STOP-GAP SOLUTION. The rodent exclusion service also appealed to customers because it acts as a more permanent solution than only baiting or trapping.

“That is what’s appealing to people,” Jenkins said. “You can come up with a permanent solution, as opposed to a stop gap.”

Jenkins said ABC charges between $500 and $700 for the service, and an additional annual renewal fee of $150. The work is guaranteed. Jenkins said each account typically requires three to four visits for cleanouts and to ensure all physical barriers are working.

EMPLOYEE IMPACT. The new rodent exclusion segment, in addition to helping make up for lost termite revenue, also has another benefit: It allows ABC to keep business moving year round. Jenkins said he doesn’t have to lay off any employees during the previously slow winter months.

“This business opportunity is there kind of year round,” he said. “It doesn’t drop off the map in the summer. I’m able to keep all my guys busy this time of the year.”

Jenkins said the new service does require his employees to climb on roofs, and means they have to be good with their hands and skilled at general carpentry — hammering, sawing, etc. To that end, it has meant some retraining of current employees, but it hasn’t prevented ABC from doing any of the work. The added roof work also didn’t change insurance premiums, Jenkins said.

“Now I’ve got to have 15 to 20 guys who can do it,” he said. “That’s a good problem to have.”

ADD-ON ADVICE. Getting into a service such as rodent exclusion does bring with it new challenges. Each house is built differently, and has to be approached with a fresh set of eyes. To be successful, Jenkins said, technicians and managers have to know what pests they’re trying to exclude, as well as the construction they’re working to improve.

“You’ve got to be thinking, you’ve got to be observant, you’ve got to understand the pest and understand the construction,” Jenkins said. “There’s always the situation that you’re going back and looking for that exception.”
Rodent exclusion also requires patience, Jenkins said, from the company, the technician and the customer. It might not work as fast as other methods of rodent control, and all parties need to understand that for the program to be a success.

“But once you solve that problem, then you can maintain that solution for an extended period of time,” Jenkins said. “This one does necessitate more labor and does necessitate a little bit more supervisor time.

“It is labor intensive. You have to understand that. It is a process, and that process requires going through several phases of it,” he added. “It takes a little bit of stick-to-itiveness.”

Jenkins said his customers have been extremely satisfied with the exclusion service because they see it as a long-term, tangible solution that adds value to their home.

“There is an endgame: The endgame being the house is sealed up,” Jenkins said. “They see the time, they see the effort, but it is a tangible asset that remains with the home.”

The author is assistant editor of PCT magazine..

Try this in your business

ABC Pest and Lawn Services in Austin, Texas, has seen tremendous success with its rodent exclusion services after it started marketing them. Bobby Jenkins, president, offered this advice for adding a new service and marketing it successfully:

• accentuate the positive features of the service
• make it the most valuable service you have
• use mainstream media to get your message out, especially television if possible (and if affordable)
• tell customers why this service is different from the competition’s
• make it easy for your customers to see the service and understand how it will benefit them

See more on www.pctonline.tv

All it took to make a good service a profitable one was a little advertising. Visit www.pctonline.tv to see ABC’s television commercial for its rodent exclusion service.