Advice From A Pro On Over-The-Counter-Sales

• The first person the public meets should be knowledgeable about the products and services offered by your company. Customer education materials and any press coverage your firm has received from the local media should be on display in the sales area as a way of enhancing company credibility.

• Provide an insect identification service on site, and get your customers involved in the identification process. The Pest Shop has a wall display that lists the names of customers who donated various insects, as well as a microscope that lets them actually see the identifying characteristics of common insects.

• Price is less important than expertise - they know they can get it cheaper at K-Mart. Offer products that are not readily available in other stores. Bohdan has been known to pass out 75 cent glueboards to potential customers free-of-charge as a way of building good will and gaining a reputation as a problem solver.

• Most of your business will come from word-of-mouth advertising. Each satisfied customer, Bohdan says, will tell seven to 10 others.

• This is not a place for high-pressure sales: 95 percent of shoppers who enter your pest control business will buy a product or service.

• Offer customers a good selection of retail items, without advocating one particular product. And offer a variety of non-chemical control items: glueboards, caulk, etc. Customers like to have alternatives to pesticides, but make sure anything you carry is labeled in your state.

• Some PCOs have found it worthwhile to diversify into garden pesticides, fertilizers, even pet supplies.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start your over-the-counter business conservatively. It’s time consuming and expensive to stock a large store. Inventory costs alone represent a significant investment.