Apex Pest Control Finds Success With ‘Survivor’-Themed Sales Contest

Peter Eldridge

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — Apex Pest Control President Peter Eldridge handed out more than $17,000 in cash bonus awards to employee "tribes" in a recent sales contest modeled after the TV show "Survivor."

“We were heavily involved in the pre-treat market. Since the downturn in housing, we’ve had to reinvent ourselves to meet our revenue goals,” he said.

For the past year Eldridge and his management team have been inventing various monthly sales contests for all employees — not just the sales force — to partake in. “We had limited success with most contests, but we really nailed it with “Survivor,” he said.

Tribes were rewarded “gold” for each sale, with more gold given per sale as levels increased. Each week the tribes voted off non-participating members, making their share of the pot-o-gold larger. But the castaways could be voted back in if they made some sales.

“Everyone really got into it. People who never sold anything were making sales,” Eldridge said. Apex’s Orlando branch, managed by Russ Barnes, performed the best. Each “tribal member” in Orlando received a bonus that exceeded $600.

Apex’s employees voted for another contest, so “Survivor Deux” is currently underway for October. Says Eldridge, “I’d rather give our advertising dollars to our own employees, than to television, radio, or yellow pages… they do a better job!”