Anyone who knows me or spends anytime reading my blog knows I’m no big fan of reinventing the wheel and at the same time I’m not exactly enthralled with the way Mega Pest Control Company Inc. runs its operations. I’m sure you can imagine that treating customers as a number and employees as just a vehicle to achieve monthly stats is what I view as the negative but there are however numerous things that the big companies do which we, the smaller companies on the ladder should emulate and for good reason.
In my early days as a technician it was a requirement to wear a tie. The thing was ugly by anyones standards and I don’t know how many times I almost hung myself in an attic as my oversized noose grabbed onto a exposed nail. Still, it gave the impression to any housewife that opened the door that at least on first look, she had a professional who came to service the home. Besides, getting caught without it on brought the managers wrath so it was something we all would wear at least while we were at the office. Other large companies have trademark symbols such as epaulet’s which everyone knows or replica trucks running around town that people instantly recognize because of some large mouse ears on the roof and a tail permanently attached to the bumper. As a tech I hated my tie but I’m not sure I would have been real happy with a 4 foot rodent tail on my truck either. Regardless of how I feel about it there is definitely something positive about brand recognition and in this highly competitive industry perhaps ‘we the little people’ might just learn something from the Mega pest control conglomerates.
The beauty of owning your own company is that you get to make your own decisions and if you choose not to have rodent parts glued to your truck or wear a tie no one will give you a second thought. Hmm wait a minute, maybe there’s a point in there somewhere, let’s say that again out loud. No really-say this out loud.
No One Will Give You A Second Thought
Wow, that’s not something that’s a goal of my company, how bout you? It’s different when you think of it this way isn’t it? and really different if you said it out loud. For years it’s been my goal to get away from a tie and anything corporate and be my own man. If I wanted to grow my hair or not shave for a week then by God that’s what I was going to do and no branch manager was going to have a thing to say about it. But now as I strive to grow and losing a customer or just not getting one because of a perception or lack there of, I begin to think, maybe a tie wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
The Security Patch
Fortunately I have a solution for the tie dilemma which will give any tech instant credibility without choking him or looking to formal. If
however you want whiskers on your front fenders I’m sorry, you’re on your own. It doesn’t matter if you wear t-shirts, golf or button ups, an easy add on which can visually set you up as a true pro is a simple patch sewn or ironed onto the sleeve. This silent reinforcement in my mind far outweighs the professional look of a tie or epaulet. Of course the patches need to communicate something of value and not just your company logo or name. Even a message embroidered in like “Senior Technician” will suffice and your customers eyes will be drawn to it like a dollar bill on the sidewalk.
Effective Patches State A Value
Effective patches almost always state an achievement or certification and almost as often buys you instant credibility with the client. Customers view patches as an award for the most part and everyone wants to be associated with a winner. If your company doesn’t have any such patch perhaps you should consider having a few made up or at the very least take your shirts in for some embroidery. Are you a Termidor user? Did you know you can get free patches from them on their web site? ‘Termidor Certified’ is great patch to wear and when asked what that means you can truthfully reply that “not everyone can use Termidor, you have to be certified.” See what a little patch just did for your credibility? It immediately went up, now wasn’t that easy. Other manufacturers also offer these types of arm wear and yes, it is advertising for them but who cares? The trade off is that this small woven sign puts you in a place of the customers mind instantly what might take a whole conversation to achieve or what a tie might never do.
While I do own some business shirts that are fancy and even have a tie or two that go with them I have never worn them. I’m more of a golf shirt and shave twice a week kind of guy and if you see me at the end of most days you’d understand why. While ties don’t help me as I drag myself out from your crawl space with the news of termites, my patch is there as I dust myself off and says out loud, “I’m a professional and you can feel secure with me.”
