[Annual Termite Issue] Tips & Tricks

Stating that "The use of termite monitoring stations can be an inexpensive way to obtain full termite control jobs," Craig Gordon, vice president and technical director of operations for HomeGuard Distributors, provided suggestions for PCOs on how to create year-round termite customers.

HomeGuard recently launched a new termite monitoring station called the HomeGuard Subterranean Termite Monitoring System into the national marketplace after selling its product for the last few years on a regional basis in Florida.

HELPFUL TIPS. Gordon offered PCOs several suggestions for the successful use of termite monitoring stations, including:

• "PCOs need to look at a new concept in selling termite monitoring stations and that is to see them as a tool for selling full termite control jobs," Gordon said. "Providing customers with inexpensive termite monitoring stations that can effectively attract termites is a powerful tool when it comes to generating new, full termite control jobs, out of swarm season. When you pull up one of our stations, you can actually show a customer thousands of termites 2 feet from their home and that’s a powerful image."

• Sometimes PCOs forget that just because they sell a lot of termite jobs during the swarm season, it doesn’t mean that termites go away during the rest of the year, Gordon said. "If you have effective termite monitoring stations outside a person’s home, that can open new revenue sources," he added.

• Monitoring is a service you can perform year round, he said. "With our stations, you can have harsh conditions, such as ground frost, and our stations can still be full of termites."

• "Our research has shown if a PCO keeps termite monitoring stations in a pest control or lawn care customer’s yard and charges them a reasonable quarterly or yearly monitoring fee for this work, the overall retention rate for that customer greatly increases," Gordon said. "By physically being able to see a termite monitoring system year round, customers will have a better understanding of what they are getting for their money."

• Also, when PCOs show customers a termite monitoring station that contains active termites, they are less likely to shop around and get other control estimates, Gordon said. "You already have the customer involved with you."

• Gordon also stated that some PCOs have figured out that they can almost give away the termite monitoring stations in the slow part of the year in order to get termite hits in the stations that can lead to full termite control job.