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LAS VEGAS — While some leading PCOs have grown their businesses by refining their operations, others have taken a more dramatic approach and reinvented themselves following a thorough assessment of service market trends. Home Paramount and Sprague Pests Solutions took the latter approach and leaders of these companies shared these stories at Good to Great II, sponsored by the National Pest Management Association and Bayer Environmental Science.
Brad Chalk, director of Sales & Marketing, for Forest Hill, Md.-based Home Paramount, pinch hit for Home Paramount CEO Butch Tilley (who fell ill) and discussed three areas the company is focusing on as it poises for future growth:
1) Retaining existing customers – Retain customers who move (and those who move into existing homes) and keep those customers contemplating leaving because they are dissatisfied with the service (or their perceived value of the service).
2) Expanding current customer base – This includes marketing to attract non-pest control customers and taking away customers from competitors. Lead generation and lead conversion are two areas critical to this success.
3) Growing Home Paramount’s commercial business. – To grow its commercial sector, which is relatively small in comparison to its residential sector, Home Paramount recognizes that commercial sales and service requires different employees than residential pest control. This also includes targeting cities Home Paramount believes are growing and will need more commercial services.
An increased focus on the commercial sector also is how Sprague Pest Solutions reinvented itself. In 1983, Sprague’s service mix was 60% residential and 40% commercial. Today, that service mix is 98% commercial and about 2% residential. Treleven and staff evaluated the company’s strengths and weaknesses, specifically its personnel, and decided that more of a focus on commercial pest services was the best route for growth. “We had to figure out what we wanted to be and how to be better at it,” Treleven said. “We said the best way we can use our talents is to refocus on the commercial sector.”
Another area Sprague refocused on was creating an environment that embraced change. “One of my favorite sayings is ‘be uncomfortable being comfortable,’” Treleven said.
Day two also included presentations from Western Exterminator President Mike Katz, Lloyd Pest Control CEO/President Jamie Ogle, ABC Pest, Pool & Lawn Services President Raleigh Jenkins.