Have you ever had the thought? – “man, if only I never had a cancelation- just think how big my route would be.”
Most companies keep a canceled file. I worked for one where 5 or 6 ceiling high cabinets were full of nothing but customers that once were. Wow! Seems like a big waste. You’d think once someone was on board with your service you’d keep them forever, but alas, not to be. Every pest control firm has clients who quit the service.
This question often crossed our entrepreneur Jim’s mind. He couldn’t fathom why some customers just ‘up and disappeared’, where they went, why they went.
So when Jim was presented with the awesome opportunity of having 3 pest control business related wishes come true by the Great Chlordaney–(follow this link to see how that happened) that was the first thing that entered his mind.
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There are moral and ethical challenges in just about anything you can think of. Some are as simple as black and white, right and wrong and there is no gray area at all. It’s pretty easy to decide what actions to take in those instances. It’s also one of those times when breaking the cardinal rule of “judge not lest ye be judged” is usually widely accepted–because you’ll have so many agreeing with your assessment.
Last inspection of the day and it couldn’t end quicker for Jim. Don’t get me wrong-Jim’s thankful for the business. He’s been on a roll as of late and it looks like his 7 years of hard work is finally paying off. Not quite top dog in his area but surely he has left the start up blues behind. He’s got a high 5 figure production route, new truck (new to him) and he’s been off on a few sweet vacations that he could only dream about a few years ago. 
Over the years I’ve uncovered a lot of hidden termite damage in my WDO (wood destroying organism) inspections for home buyers and banks. Some has been very obvious and the checkbook is already on the kitchen counter, open and just waiting for a number. Most times however, it’s no more than a pin hole’s worth of evidence that the owners walked by everyday for years. Emotions run the full gambit with these reveals. Disbelief is the first emotion followed by anger (sometimes vicious) when they learn that little speck is keeping them from buying or selling what to them, may be their largest investment. Other times severe depression or sadness, always fear and doubt but what never fails– Their eyes go wide and their jaws drop when that tiny speck of mud I discovered turns into a huge chunk of the wall thats been destroyed by termites & the only thing that was holding it up may have been the drywall that just was removed. Such was the case with the pic above.
There’s something about a person who’s “career” is in pest control. Specifically a tech. I’m often asked how I became a bug guy or hear stories of others and not one has ever been ‘born’ into it or knew from an early age that this is what he or she had such a passion for. Sure there are the family companies but I have two boys (men now) both who worked for me. Dad the bug man is all they knew growing up but now… 
Do you remember when Termidor first came out? What an awesome product — but back then I hardly ran into anyone who knew exactly how it worked, what it did to the bug. Sure it killed em but in what way? When we asked, the answer we got more often than not was “The Transfer Effect.” Up to this point all we knew was cholinesterase inhibition, and firing synapses and the like. And we sounded real smart didn’t we? People shrilled with excitement when they heard how our products affected the nerves of a bug. Remember? Boy we were practically geniuses back then.
I had no idea about the Florida heat when I moved here back in 1990. Relentless and oppressing isn’t even the strongest way I could describe it. To add to my misery, my new company that was so happy to have me relocate 1500 miles, was too cheap to even give me a truck with working a/c. I use to show up to many a sales meeting looking like a drowned rat.
I used to dream of the day when I’d have a full route. All my problems would be solved if I could just fill up that daily sheet with names and addresses. So I worked and scratched and clawed trying to achieve this goal.
Tubes in the wall pest control systems seem like the perfect answer to many drawbacks of traditional pest control service. On paper- it seems like a ‘win win’ for both consumer and provider alike.
Hey there termite techs! Ever get to a termite job, unpack and plug in your big drill only then to see that you’ll be drilling through a tiled floor? To make matters worse the sales weasel, eh,emm, I mean sales professional…. didn’t even tell them that you’d have to treat that area by using a HAMMER drill. 
