[Termite Control] Banners Boost Business

One of the first rules of salesmanship is to get the prospect’s
attention! When a home is being covered with tarps for a
whole-house fumigation, it certainly gets the attention of neighbors and others passing by. The "circus tent" reminds everyone that they also need to do something about the termites they know infest their homes. ("Honey, what are those droppings?")

As a quality assurance consultant for Dow AgroSciences, I can testify to the attention a fumigation gets from everyone. It’s not unusual for several people to leave their homes or stop their vehicles to get the name and telephone number of the company that can help them deal with their problem. (This is while the job is being put up, and it is up for about 24 hours.)

I wonder if ambitious termite inspector/salespeople realize how many prospects are looking for the inspector’s name and number? When I was struggling to build my pest control business, I treasured the free marketing opportunity provided by an attractive banner on a home under fumigation. I worked directly with a banner company to make sure the logo and colors were to my liking.

The fumigation not only gets everyone’s attention, it reminds them they need to take action, and here is a company endorsed by their neighbor. It sure beats cold calling. (You might say it is a warm call.)

Keep in mind these prospects are homeowners, which are the best kind of prospects. They want to do the right thing for their home. Homeowners are more interested in who is doing the work, and may be more willing to pay a little more if they have more confidence in a company. The inferred endorsement from a neighbor, by way of a banner, can give the prospects that confidence.

ENCOURAGING LEADS. I once complimented a technician on the banner he was rolling up. He said, "This thing works! We’ll have it on a job in a neighborhood and in month we’ll be doing five more jobs in that neighborhood." Sometimes, it’s like having the only display ad in the telephone book.

Beyond the minimal cost of a banner, there is no ongoing cost. Compare that to your other forms of advertising.

The best banner in the world won’t produce results if it doesn’t make it out of the warehouse in the morning. Let your fumigation crew know how important it is to you that your banner gets up on your jobs. Be sure to compliment them when you do see it up. That will reinforce the use of the banner. Let the crew know how good the job looked. Most crews are proud of the work they do and appreciate someone noticing it.

It is not easy to build a business; we need to take advantage of every opportunity, especially the easy ones.