A Primer on Selling and Providing Exclusion Services

It takes the right type of person to sell and provide pest exclusion services. Providing exclusion services isn’t for everyone. Some don’t have the interest in sales, while others lack the needed skill sets. Some who begin providing services discover it just isn’t for them and don’t continue. That’s okay. But if you have the interest and skills, give it a try! It can be very profitable.

Switch from a mindset from “selling” to “solutions.” It may help you overcome some of those initial sales anxieties. Focus on being the person who provides your customers with solutions to their problems. Your client will appreciate it. It will also help you differentiate you and your business from others by competing on quality preventative services, not simply providing a commodity.

What will it cost a customer if they don’t invest in pest exclusion services? 

STATE YOUR CASE. The best way to sell exclusion services is by stating a business case to the client: this is why exclusion is necessary and these are the possible repercussions if not performed, including damage and lost product. When the public is involved, such as in retail settings, there’s also the potential damage to the company’s brand and reputation. That’s a pretty clear business case. 

Handy man experience and a trouble-shooting mentality are needed to provide quality exclusion services. Among other things, you’ll have to be very comfortable working on high, steep roofs.

You’ll have to understand construction materials and how they impact exclusion, as well as how structural transitions, such as roof intersections with pitch changes, can contribute to pest infestations.

There’s a definite learning curve to providing exclusion services. Trial and error is a faithful instructor. Strive to always do things better next time based on what you learned. The simplest advice to getting started is practice, practice, practice.
Learn more about exclusion services
Here are a few recommendations PMPs offering exclusion services suggest if you’re just getting started. They would be good refreshers, too.
• Attend seminars. Bobby Corrigan, for example, conducts several exclusion seminars every year and at PestWorld. You can also find him on Twitter, @rodentologist.
• Join the Scientific Coalition on Pest Exclusion (SCOPE). Look for the Exclusion Academy, which they’re currently developing.
• Read “Pest Prevention by Design,” by Chris A. Geiger, Ph.D and Caroline Cox, MS.

REFINE PROCESSES. There’s no reason every PMP can’t offer minor exclusion services. The very minimum products you need to get started are ¼” galvanized metal mesh, a tin snips to cut it, and a variety of fasteners. Every PMP should have these essentials in their truck. You can immediately begin to remedy obvious access points on residential and commercial accounts with just these few items. 

Provide a comprehensive inspection, solution. Too often inspections focus on checking traps and bait stations. Provide your customers with comprehensive exclusion inspections identifying active pest infestation points, as well as structure characteristics that may lead to infestation. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism—you see things a customer may not identify as a potential problem. Be the expert your client expects you to be.

Be honest in your inspection. Provide a detailed description of legitimate risks to your client’s residence or facility. Properly documenting your findings will protect both you and your customer in the future. Most importantly, document what you will do to address their problem to reduce future infestation risks.

If you don’t know the answer to a customer question or what to use to use, say so, then find the answer. It demonstrates true professionalism. Your customer will appreciate your honesty.