How to Take Advantage of Networking in the Pest Control Industry

As a PMP, there may be times where you feel like you’re on an island by yourself. You’re worried about a laundry list of issues from labor costs to which software or products your team should use to how to promote company culture.

The good news? The pest control industry is full of individuals who are willing to share their expertise with other PMPs. If you haven’t taken advantage of reaching out to your fellow peers across the country, you’re missing out on a wealth of knowledge.

“The pest control industry has some of the nicest people who are willing to share and help others,” said Noah Ingalls, branch manager at Real Pest Solutions in Olathe, Kan. “I can hop on the phone right now and find someone to bounce ideas off of. I wish I could be an encyclopedia of knowledge — but I know I can rely on the kindness and generosity of those around me, and they’re absolutely fantastic.”

Ingalls said he’s been able to talk to others in the industry about how to write bids more efficiently and how to properly price services as Real Pest Solution took on more commercial clients.

Aly Silva-Mulgrew, president of Plunkett’s Pest Control in Minneapolis, Minn. agrees. She’s found that she’s able to exchange ideas with others, especially within industry groups like the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) or at industry events like NPMA’s PestWorld.

“We were piloting vehicle cameras, so I would often ask people at these events what they were doing, what they had struggled with, what vendors they had looked at, how they communicated with their employees and how they addressed ‘Big Brother’ concerns,” said Silva-Mulgrew. “I found that to be very informative, and I brought those insights back to our team.”

Change can be scary but hearing from others on how they navigated certain situations can be so beneficial. What you did decades ago may not work well today, but learning from other companies can help make the transition to a new process or technology easier. This can be especially helpful when thinking about how to find, hire and manage different generations from Boomers to Gen Alpha.

“There’s a huge shift in the workforce, so it’s important to understand how people prefer to work and communicate,” said Megan Thomas-Kurek, director of employee experience at Thomas Pest Services in Schenectady, N.Y. “If we’re not ahead of changes, we’re going to be falling short. Being able to adapt and identify what’s important to each of those generations and trying to find a middle ground in terms of offerings is super important.”

Having that collective voice of other PMPs can mean you’re saving time and money when it comes to ideas on how to grow your business and operate more efficiently.

“Look at what else has been tested, tried and worked well or not worked well from your peer group around you,” said Silva-Mulgrew. “We can all benefit from an exchange of ideas and taking the good ideas and making adjustments to fit our own company’s needs.”