There isn’t a pest management professional out there that hasn’t ventured out on a limb and added a new service in the hopes of generating new revenue streams and establishing a deeper, more profitable relationship with customers.
From wildlife services to mold remediation to lawn care and pool cleaning, pest professionals have tried it all with varying levels of success.
A service more pest professionals are considering adding to their offerings is one many customers assume they already do – mosquito control.
Depending on where your business is located there may be a local mosquito control board or other government entity that provides remediation services but these treatments do not significantly impact mosquito pressure in a homeowner’s backyard. This creates an opening for pest management professionals to step in and use their expertise.
When Scherzinger Pest Control in Cincinnati, Ohio decided to add mosquito control to its stable of residential pest services it took a measured approach.
“We had been watching the market and saw more and more requests from customers asking for mosquito control,” says Eric Scherzinger, vice president of sales and marketing for the company which serves residential and commercial clients in the greater Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus markets. “They just assumed since we were the ‘pest’ guys that we did it.”
In 2014 and 2015, Scherzinger test marketed the service at the homes of employees and select customers and with a positive response, the company made its initial push to existing customers in 2016.
“We experienced a better than average response from our existing residential customers which told us the demand was there to open it up to everyone,” adds Scherzinger.
Last year, Scherzinger offered the service to new customers and is looking to include it with select quarterly and premium residential packages.
“Our technicians sell and service both general pest control and termite services so it was a natural fit,” adds Scherzinger. “It gave our techs another valuable service in their tool box to solve a customer’s problem.”
Scherzinger says adding mosquito services has also led to more production from technicians and contributed to higher customer retention rates.
“We were able to realize some solid organic growth with a service many customers were shocked to find out we didn’t offer five years ago,” says Scherzinger.
The fourth-generation pest professional notes that increased awareness of the public health threat mosquitoes present contributed to an uptick in customer interest.
“You can never play on the fears of the public when explaining the value of pest management services but the timing of the Zika outbreak and us introducing mosquito services to our existing customers certainly did lead to more questions, which we were happy to answer,” adds Scherzinger.
Moving forward the company sees mosquito services, as do most pest professionals across the country, according to a recently released research from Specialty Consultants, as a growth market.
“We are opening doors with both new and existing customers with a service that fits in our wheelhouse,” says Scherzinger, who notes the company has expanded its service footprint by opening an office in Ohio’s largest city – Columbus. “We have built our brand as a full-service, full-time provider of pest solutions for customers and mosquito services compliments that nicely. “
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Customers Play An Important Role In Mosquito Control
Homeowners hire pest management professionals for their expertise in preventing and eliminating annoying and threatening pests from their living spaces. And while the tools, technology and know-how professionals bring to the table cannot be imitated, homeowners also play an important role in the success of any pest control treatment.
When it comes to reducing their yard’s attractiveness to mosquitoes, homeowners can take the following actions:
• Check your yard weekly for water-filled containers.
• Throw away or recycle water-holding containers that are not needed.
• If empty containers or large objects, such as boats or old appliances must be stored, they should be covered, turned over or placed under a roof that does not allow them to fill with water.
• Clean and scrub bird baths and pet-watering dishes weekly and dump the water from overflow dishes under potted plants and flower pots. Check that gutters are not holding water and cover rain barrels with tight screening so that mosquitoes cannot enter.
• Fill tree holes and other cavities in plants with sand or soil.
• Check for hidden bodies of water such as wells, septic tanks, manholes, clogged drains, etc.
• Call the health authorities when you detect unusual numbers of mosquitoes.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention