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Transcript of PestWorld Magazine - July/August
FOR MEMBERS ONLY OF THE NATIONAL PEST MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION WWW.NPMAPESTWORLD.ORG
JULY AUGUST 2011
ALSO INSIDE: » Leveraging Technology to Grow Your Business » Managing Your Office and Using Technology to
Create a Successful Pest Management Company
The Technology Issue
I N S E R T
FOR MEMBERS ONLY OF THE NATIONAL PEST MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
WWW.NPMAPESTWORLD.ORG
JULY AUGUST 2011
contents
D E PA R T M E N T S «2 Executive Vice President’s Message
14 Pest Focus
18 Marketing Corner
22 Operations Management
24 Calendar of Events
F E AT U R E S «
8 MANAGING YOUR OFFICE AND USING TECHNOLOGY TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL PEST MANAGEMENT COMPANY By Daniel S. Gordon, CPA As the information age matures, information moves more quickly, the quantity has increased and it needs to be dealt with in a much more efficient manner. Setting up an office in a correct and efficient way is paramount to succeeding in the Pest Control business. So, where do you start?
I N S E R T
Canine Scent Detection Certification Testing
Because of the labor intensive nature of visual bed bug inspections, canine bed bug scent detection teams have gained popularity to indentify infestations and verify that treatment measures have been successful. Performance testing of canine scent detection teams confirms the team’s competence by an independent third party evaluator by demonstrating the canine team’s ability to perform an accurate search for live bed bugs and viable eggs.
4 LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS Tips and tricks for PMPs on the cutting edge By Paula L. Yoho Forward-looking PMPs are capitalizing on existing and emerging technologies to increase their efficiency and effectiveness, and even to help grow their business. This month, we look at just a few ways you can do precisely that for your own pest management company.
2 PESTWORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011 www.npmapestworld.org
» E X E C U T I V E V I C E P R E S I D E N T ' S M E S S A G E
You hear it every year: Come to PestWorld! See the newest and best the
industry has to offer. Learn about the latest research and technologies.
Come for the networking and the motivation.
Well, there’s a reason you hear this every year: It’s all true. From the packed
exhibit hall to the popular educational sessions to the camaraderie at the
receptions, parties, and golf courses, PestWorld is the best opportunity you’ll have
all year to plug into what’s happening in the pest management industry.
The reasons to attend PestWorld, to be held this year in New Orleans,
October 19–22, are tangible and intangible. What’s tangible is the knowledge
you’ll gain not only by attending any of the educational sessions, but by the
business opportunities you’ll discover as you wend your way through aisles of
exhibitors and talk to over 3,000 pest management professionals.
The Exhibit Hall: If you’ve been to PestWorld in recent years, you know the
excitement you feel when you set foot into the exhibit hall for the first time.
There are aisle after aisle of manufacturers and distributors vying for your
attention, eager to show you the newest and the best products and technology.
If you’re looking for something specific, you’ll find it, along with several
variations and choices. And you’ll find friendly, knowledgeable company reps
who can answer any questions you have.
Education: In addition to learning what’s new in the exhibit hall, you’ll have
the opportunity to learn from the industry and academic experts about both new
and tried-and-true practices in many areas of the industry by attending any of the
educational sessions. There are many opportunities for you to enhance your skills
and learn something new.
Networking: Sure, you go to PestWorld to see the people you know, many of
whom you haven’t seen since last year’s event. But there are so many opportunities
to meet people you don’t know and expand your business contacts. Every year,
PestWorld has first-time exhibitors, first-time attendees, people you haven’t met yet.
You don’t know yet all the people whose association might prove valuable to your
business. PestWorld gives you many chances to meet these people—on the show
floor, at receptions, on the golf course.
Motivation: Attending PestWorld is a great way to recharge your professional
batteries and get motivated about your business. Nowhere else do you meet such a
large number of people all interested and excited about developments in the pest
management industry. It’s easy to get locked into a routine as you practice business
as usual for most of the year. But at PestWorld, you’ll find yourself charged up and
passionate about the industry as you share your views and opinions with people
just like yourself.
As for the intangible benefits, well, it’s a sort of feeling you get as you mingle
and network with your fellow pest management professionals--whether you’re
reconnecting with old friends, or making new contacts.
Every year, PestWorld brings together all the players in the pest management
industry—PMPs, manufacturers, vendors, distributors—everyone who calls
this business their business. One thing’s for certain—everyone leaves PestWorld
with something that they didn’t arrive with. You don’t want to miss it.
Visit www.npmapestworld.org/pestworld2011/index.cfm to register. «
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Rob Lederer
EDITOR
Janay Rickwalder
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Blue House
© 2011 National Pest
Management Association
PestWorld is the bi-monthly publication
of the National Pest Management
Association (NPMA).
Editorial Offices:
10460 North Street, Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (703) 352-6762
or (800) 678-6722
Fax: (703) 352-3031
Professional and Member Web site:
www.npmapestworld.org
Consumer Web site:
www.pestworld.org
For advertising information,
call Janay Rickwalder at (571) 224-0384
or e-mail [email protected].
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The term “high tech” is not one commonly associated with the pest management industry, and for many small structural pest management companies, the latest and greatest computer gadgets are pretty low on the priority list.
4 PESTWORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011 www.npmapestworld.org
Forward-looking PMPs, however, are capitalizing on exist-
ing and emerging technologies to increase their efficiency
and effectiveness, and even to help grow their business. This month,
we look at just a few ways you can do precisely that for your own
pest management company.
Navigating toward success
Since becoming widely available for corporate use, many PMPs have
embraced GPS (global positioning system) technology to better man-
age their vehicle fleets. Relatively inexpensive and easily-implement-
ed, a GPS system is scalable to meet the needs of any company size.
An early adopter of the GPS boom was Michael Rottler, presi-
dent of Rottler Pest and Lawn Solutions in St. Louis.
“We’ve got a fleet of 90 trucks, and we’ve put GPS in everything,”
said Rottler, a past NPMA president. “When I first got into it in
2002, I only did new hires and anybody who’d gotten in an accident
in the last twelve months.”
Then, about three years ago, Rottler was approached by a vendor
offering a special incentive program in which the initial investment
was subsidized in exchange for a long-term contract. He decided to
outfit every company vehicle with the service and, in the years since,
has become a champion of the technology and frequent presenter
on the topic at seminars and webinars.
TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS: BY PAULA L. YOHO
Tips and tricks for PMPs on the cutting edge
LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY
5www.npmapestworld.org JULY/AUGUST 2011 PESTWORLD
6 PESTWORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011 www.npmapestworld.org
“A lot of companies look at GPS and think, ‘I’m go-
ing to get increased productivity and a bunch of new
sales just because I put GPS in a technician’s vehicle,’”
Rottler said. “To some degree, I think those things can
be accomplished, but I try to warn them not to fall
blindly in love with technology.”
Though the typical GPS sales pitch is likely to
promise ‘your money back in six months,’ Rottler cau-
tions PMPs not to believe everything they hear.
“We thought that we’d be able to respond quicker
when customers called because we’d be able to figure
out who’s closest to the customer,” he said. “In some
cases, they’re closer, but they don’t have the time
to pick it up or they don’t have the right tools or
chemicals to respond in an emergency. It wasn’t a
flawless solution.”
When his company first installed GPS in its trucks,
he was met with resistance from employees who felt
they were being ‘tracked’ by the company. To mitigate
the discontent, he looked for ways to help the team see
the new technology as an advantage.
“We started allowing a lot of our employees to take
their vehicle home at night, because we felt more com-
fortable that they were going to be parked—and if they
weren’t, we could check it,” Rottler said. “So GPS was
all of a sudden a benefit, because they could use their
vehicle to get to and from work, which is a savings.”
He has also been able to keep a better cap on fuel
costs, a side benefit that proves more valuable every
month as prices at the pump continue to soar.
“Marrying GPS to fuel bills allowed us to track
where it was being wasted and when our drivers were
idling and burning gas without ever moving the
vehicle,” he said. “Now, we get an alert if a vehicle idles
for more than 5 minutes. We also can identify speed-
ers, so that’s kind of a nice feature, in that you can have
a discussion with somebody who’s driving 87 mph on
a highway through the middle of town.”
Tapping into the ‘tablet’
Many PMPs are testing out laptop and hand-held
technologies to manage and promote their businesses.
NPMA President Ray Johnson, president of Sevierville,
Tennessee-based Johnson Pest Control, for example,
is an outspoken proponent of the iPad, and says the
device has helped his company streamline its market-
ing message.
“The iPad has been a great piece of technology,”
said Johnson. “If I were to go into my sales team right
now and say, ‘Okay guys, this iPad thing is not working
out and I’m taking them all up,’ I’d have a fight on my
hands because it’s making their jobs easier.”
Before the iPad was even available on the market,
Johnson was brainstorming ideas for incorporating the
device into his firm’s marketing plan. One of his first
moves, once he got his hands on the new gadget, was
to digitize the 15-slide paper flipchart presentation his
sales team was using.
“We built several different presentations into
iPhoto, so my guys can now go out in the field
and, if they’re talking about fleas, or roaches, or
termites, or occasional pests, they can just bring up
what we’ve created right there on the iPad,” he said.
“It’s not like they have to have a whole bunch of
outdated printed brochures, and, with digital media,
we can also go back in and make changes quickly
and efficiently.”
Johnson has had success using the iPad to help his
customers better understand the termite elimination
products his company uses. Before the iPad, Johnson
said, it was almost impossible to convince clients to
watch an informational video on the product. Now, it
is uploaded to the iPad for instant viewing.
“Sometimes while you’re doing an inspection on
a house, the customer will follow you around,” he
said. “This way, they can be watching the video while
they’re in their garage or basement, or even walking
around the back of the home following the inspector.”
He also uses the iPad to show customers, up-close,
the kind of pest infestation they are up against.
“Since the homeowner can’t always go up into
an attic or crawl down into a crawlspace, we’ve
always just taken pictures of termite damage with a
Blackberry or digital camera and tried to show it to
them on the little one-inch by one-inch square screen
which is kind of hard to see,” he said. “So I thought,
‘Hmm, how can I get that picture for the customer to
see on the iPad?’”
MARRYING GPS TO FUEL BILLS allowed us to track where [fuel] was being wasted and when our drivers were idling and burning gas without ever moving the vehicle. Now, we get an alert if a vehicle idles for more than 5 minutes.
7www.npmapestworld.org JULY/AUGUST 2011 PESTWORLD
The solution? Sales inspectors take photos using
their Smartphones, then e-mail them immediately to
themselves on the iPad.
“They can open up that e-mail on their iPad and
the homeowner can instantly see what was underneath
their home that they couldn’t get underneath to see,”
explained Johnson.
The real secret to being successful with the iPad,
Johnson said, is making sure the message you are put-
ting into it is clear and concise.
“I tell people the very first thing you need to do,
if you don’t have a flipchart, is to sit down and do a
storyboard,” he said. “Draw out slide number one and
slide number two and so forth, and decide what your
message needs to be.”
Once the message is created, keeping it consistent
and current across the entire sales team—and their
iPads—is critical.
“I think we have seven or eight iPads right now and
all of those iPads are synced on my Mac computer per-
sonally,” he said. “I do it myself, they don’t sync them on
their own computer, therefore I have control over the
message and they can’t go in and change the message. It
maintains consistency within our organization.” «
BEFORE THE iPAD, it was almost impossible to convince clients to watch an informational video on the product. Now, it can be uploaded to the iPad for instant viewing, to help customers better understand the products used by a company.
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9www.npmapestworld.org JULY/AUGUST 2011 PESTWORLD
The way you go about setting up your office is vital to enabling your organization.
Everything from filing systems to intercom configurations can make your company’s
workforce efficient and productive. Think through every minute detail, from the flow of
traffic through the office to the positioning of phone and data jacks.
When you’re a small company, what you do is pest control. Maybe you’re a one-man
show, so you organize yourself and your truck and your route and the world is pretty
simple from the office prospective.
BY DANIEL S. GORDON, CPA
and Using Technology to Create a Successful Pest Management Company
10 PESTWORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011 www.npmapestworld.org
As you get bigger, you need to think about how
you organize your office. Think about the workflow
of your business and how that impacts your office.
Remember, there are two areas of consideration in
office set up:
1. It’s the physical setup, meaning office space, desks,
chairs, water coolers, phones, faxes, computers, etc.
2. The other aspect of office set up is the dynamic
flow of information. This means incoming calls,
voicemails, emails, instant messaging, intercoms,
escalating and filing paperwork, and other such
activity driven facets of the office.
As the information age matures, what we’ve noticed
is that information moves quickly, the quantity has
increased and it needs to be dealt with in a much more
efficient manner.
Setting up an office in a correct and efficient way is
paramount to succeeding in the pest control business.
So, where do you start? Ask yourself some questions
about how your business operates:
■ When the phone calls come in, whom do they go to
and how are they answered?
■ How is the technician or salesperson that goes out
to the customer informed?
■ How is work posted?
■ What paperwork (or paperless information) comes
back to the office after the service is performed?
■ How do you file that paperwork (or paperless
information)?
■ How do you bill the customer?
■ How do you process payments?
This is merely a small sampling of the activities that
needs to be considered. Think through your company’s
specific workflow and plan your office accordingly.
What’s all this about the Cloud?
Everybody is talking about the cloud. What does it
mean and what can it do for you? In the simplest of
terms the cloud refers to computer programs that are
available on the Internet. It allows small companies
to utilize programs that were once available to only
larger companies who could afford the purchase of the
software and an IT professional to deploy the software
on local computers. Usually these software programs
are used to manage workflow, perform accounting and
mange your customers as well as other aspects of your
business. They are usually purchased on a subscrip-
tion basis paid monthly. Price is usually based on the
complexity of the program and the number of users.
What about backups, security and maintenance? If
purchased from a reputable software as a service (Saas)
provider, your data is safer than if you kept it in your
office as it is usually hosted in a professionally man-
aged server farm using data encryption. Remember
though, as with any computer program, the weakest
link in terms of security is sharing passwords.
Cloud computing is the next chapter in the infor-
mation age. Just look at some of the most popular
software. Microsoft offers their office products online
using the remote hosting model and bills usage
monthly. The most popular accounting software for
small businesses, Quickbooks has developed a browser
based program call Quickbooks Online. At first it
only appealed to techies. Now many small businesses
subscribe and in a few short years more that half of my
accounting clients use this platform. If you are still us-
ing local versions of Quickbooks watch out. My guess
is that within five or so years, the online version will be
the Intuit’s primary accounting package.
Technology can be Your BEST Friend or Your
WORST Enemy!
Cell phones, PDAs, GPS devices, laptops… you name
it. There are all sorts of technology tools available that
can increase productivity and enable your business.
On the other hand, poor planning, lack of knowledge,
or improper application of technology can sink your
business. The key is finding the right places to imple-
ment technology solutions and determine the best way
to implement it.
If you can increase productivity with technology,
then it is worth it. There are many great nice-to-have
If you can increase productivity with technology, then it is worth it. There are many great nice-to-have technologies out there. The key is to make sure costs are under control and you don’t spend a ton of time getting the technology to work. Don’t be fooled because the price is right.
11www.npmapestworld.org JULY/AUGUST 2011 PESTWORLD
technologies out there. The key is to make sure costs
are under control and you don’t spend a ton of time
getting the technology to work. This is an important
point. Don’t be fooled because the price is right for the
software or hardware. Keep in mind that there may be
hidden costs coming down the road when you have to
hire a tech guru to install the system and maintain it.
You can’t have technology run your business. If you
don’t have will power and discipline, then you may
just find yourself implementing technology for the
sake of implementing technology. This is not what you
want to do.
Technological solutions must be deployed to serve
a business need. The ONLY reason to use technology
should be to help improve upon your business. If the
technology doesn’t move you closer to your business
goal, then perhaps you should hold off on the initiative.
Develop Checklists to Cover All Your Bases
Checklists are a business’ best friend! This is how you
ensure that oversights and errors are eliminated. All
systems need the proper controls in place in order to
make them airtight and dependable.
It’s not enough to just cross your tasks off a list. You
have to have a spot where someone initials it so you
know who did it. You need to record the date when the
task was completed. And then make note of any follow
up that’s necessary.
Here’s an example of the items listed on a checklist
used to do a closeout at the end of each month:
1. Run a sales report that shows revenue by service.
2. Print out a payment report with all the deposits
made.
3. Print a sales tax report to show which jurisdictions
you have collected sales tax in and who you have
to remit to.
4. Take all that information and journalize it into
your general ledger system.
5. Look through each account step by step to make
sure everything was coded correctly.
6. Once you know that all the work has been posted,
create customer statements and send them out.
7. Make sure the renewals for the upcoming months
get sent out.
8. After the close is done, produce all the reports that
tell you exactly what you’ve produced, how much
money you have, who owes you money and who
you owe money to.
Checklists can be used for many of your processes.
For instance, a valuable checklist in the pest control
business is an end-of-day checklist for technicians to
submit when they come in at night. This will deter-
mine if everything that was supposed to be covered
WAS actually covered. This will also point out any
follow-ups that are necessary on the part of the techni-
cian, a manager, or anyone else.
Checklists are a great way to take a lot of the stress
out of the day. Any structure you can provide is help-
ful to both the individual and the organization. You
want to make the day boring. Today has to be just like
yesterday and the day before so that you don’t have to
reinvent your business everyday. Boring is good when
it comes to processing repetitive tasks.
The information age is well under way, it’s those
companies that embrace it and figure out how to use
it efficiently to make more money that will prosper in
the years to come. «
Daniel S. Gordon is a CPA in New Jersey and owns
an accounting firm that caters to PCOs throughout
the United States. Visit www.pcobookkeepers.com for
information about his firm, PCO Bookkeepers. He can
be reached at [email protected]
The ONLY reason to use technology should be to help improve upon your business. If the technology doesn’t move you closer to your business goal, then perhaps you should hold off on the initiative.
I
CANINE SCENT DETECTION CERTIFICATION TESTING
JULY/AUGUST
2011
N P M A L IBRARY UPDATE
T he ability of canines to detect, discriminate and track odors is
remarkable. Canines have the ability to detect odorant con-
centration levels at 1–2 parts per trillion (Walker et al. 2006),
significantly better than their human handlers. Many law enforcement,
military and government agencies utilize scent detection canines to
identify and locate people, explosives, fire accelerants, narcotics, contra-
band items and many other odors. In the pest management industry,
canine teams have been employed for years to identify termites and
more recently, bed bug infestations in structures.
In the last decade, bed bug infestations have increased dramatically.
In a recent National Pest Management Association (NPMA) survey,
pest management professionals who reported annually receiving 1–2
bed bug calls a decade ago are now reporting 1–2 calls (or more) each
week (Potter et al. 2010). In the same survey, 76% of profession-
als consider bed bugs the most difficult pest to control. One of the
complicating factors in bed bug control is the cryptic nature of both
nymphs and adults, which spend the majority of their time hiding in
cracks and crevices near their feeding sites. In addition, bed bug
eggs and nymphs are often difficult to detect due to their small
size. Both cryptic behavior and small size make visual inspec-
tion efforts by pest management professionals difficult, time
consuming and inexact.
Because of the labor intensive nature of visual bed
bug inspections, canine bed bug scent detection
teams have gained popularity to indentify
infestations and verify that treatment
measures have been successful. Ca-
nines use their keen sense of smell, to
help handlers target inspections, eliminat-
ing the slow process of visually inspecting
(and often disassembling) furniture, beds
and other features in the room. Canines are an
extremely useful tool for bed bug detection due
to their ability to detect extremely low-level infestations, their rela-
tive speed compared to human inspectors, their ability to perform
searches in non-traditional locations and their proven accuracy. In
N P M A L IBRARY UPDATE
II
a controlled experiment in a hotel room, Pfiester et al. (2008) documented that trained canine teams were
98% accurate in finding bed bugs in hotel rooms.
Canine Scent Detection Certification
The National Pest Management Association Bed Bug Best Management Practices (BMPs) provides guidance
for pest management professionals and consumers regarding bed bugs, and specifically addresses the practice
of canine scent detection. Most importantly, the document stresses the need for canine team performance
testing and certification. Performance testing of canine scent detection teams confirms the team’s competence
by an independent third party evaluator by demonstrating the canine team’s ability to perform an accurate
search for live bed bugs and viable eggs. In addition, certification testing demonstrates the handler’s ability
to accurately interpret the canine’s changes in behavior and final response associated with bed bug odor and
confirms the canine’s ability to differentiate the target odor from other odors present in the search area.
The BMPs state that all canine scent detection teams performing bed bug inspections should be certified by
an independent third party evaluator according to the Minimum Guidelines for Canine Scent Detection Test-
ing outlined in Appendix A of the BMPs. At a minimum, canine teams must be able to detect live bed bugs
and viable eggs. The test should include distractors, or non-target odor sources in the search area that test the
ability of the canine to differentiate the odor of bed bugs from other odors that they may encounter. Distrac-
tors may include (but are not limited to) food, toys, other insects, dead bugs or other commonly encountered
things that the team may encounter in the search area. During the test, canine teams are tasked with identify-
ing the location of hidden bed bugs or eggs. The use of bed bug odor extracts or chemicals that mimic the
odor of bed bugs (pseudoscents) are prohibited from being used during the testing process.
The location where the test is performed should mimic real-life scenarios, using actual locations where bed
bugs could be encountered. Naturally, all testing areas should be inspected to make sure that they are free of
“wild” bed bugs before the test starts. In addition, the potential for airflow between testing rooms must be
taken into consideration and controlled for by the evaluator to limit the likelihood of cross contamination of
odors from one room to the next.
The BMPs also provide guidance defining the credentials of the evaluators who perform the test.
Bed bug scent detection certification tests should include two evaluators. The evaluators
should not be the person who performed the initial training of the canine or someone
who is affiliated with the pest management firm of the team being tested. At least one
of the evaluators should have at least five years of experience in scent detection
canine handling and or evaluation in law enforcement, government agency,
military or other comparable experience.
Canine Teams
The concept of teamwork is manifested in the close working relation-
ship between handler and canine. Without human handlers interpret-
ing the behavioral changes in their canine counterparts, canines have
little value as bed bug detectors. In fact the concept of the canine team
is so important that the BMPs require that canine/handler teams be
certified together. If multiple handlers are assigned to perform inspec-
tion with a single canine, each combination of canine and handler must
be tested individually. If a single handler works with multiple canines,
the same rule applies. The reason for this requirement is that each
canine has unique, often subtle, behavioral cues that indicate that it
has detected a target odor, so handlers need to be trained and tested for
N P M A L IBRARY UPDATE
III
work with each canine. In the same way that the BMPs do not provide for certification of individual handlers
or canines, individual companies are not able to be certified either.
Choosing an Evaluator
Scent detection canine certification testing can be provided by an organized body or individual evaluators.
When choosing who will perform the certification testing and provide the credential for your canine team,
there are many factors to consider, not the least of which are the qualifications of the evaluators and the test-
ing protocols and procedures employed.
Interview the evaluators or organization representatives to determine if their testing protocols are in line
with the Minimum Standards for Certification Testing (BMP Appendix A). Request a copy of testing materi-
als in writing before the test date so that your team can be prepared and you can compare them to the BMPs.
Keep in mind that many organizations may have testing standards that are more stringent than the BMPs.
The BMPs are meant to provide a minimum guideline, so stricter standards are perfectly acceptable. It’s also a
good practice to ask about the credentials and experience of the individuals that will be performing the testing
to make sure that qualify.
Some additional questions to ask the evaluator might include:
■ What kind of written proof or credentials will be provided to the team upon successful completion of the
test? Will the credential indicate that the test was performed in accordance with the BMPs?
■ What are the fees associated with testing? What are the fees for re-certification?
■ Are there additional resources or services available from the evaluator such as training advice, networking,
or support?
■ Will evaluators come to your location to perform the testing, or will the canine team need to travel to the
test site?
■ If there is a disagreement with regard to the results of the test or the evaluator’s assessment, what is the
process for dispute resolution?
■ What if a team fails? Can they test again immediately, or is there a waiting period required to allow for re-
training before re-testing?
When choosing who will perform the certification testing and provide the credential for your canine team, there are many factors to consider, not the least of which are the qualifications of the evaluators and the testing protocols and procedures employed.
N P M A L IBRARY UPDATE
IV
Reach out to other members of National Pest Management Association or state associations to get refer-
ences for potential evaluators. Ask them about the testing procedure: Was the testing procedure easy to under-
stand? Was the test what they expected relative to what was described by the evaluator?
It is also important to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest when choosing an evaluator. Evaluators
should be independent, third party, neutral observers with nothing to gain or lose if a team passes (or fails)
the certification test. Evaluators who have an stake in your business, such as business partners, current train-
ers or others who have an interest in the canine, handler or business should be avoided.
What About Other Scents?
Certification testing is available for other pest management scent detection disciplines including termite,
carpenter ants, and rodents. There are currently no BMPs or minimum testing guidelines for these disciplines,
however the same considerations for choosing an evaluator should apply.
For more information about the NPMA Best Management Practices for Bed Bugs and the Minimum Stan-
dards for Canine Scent Detection Team Certification, or to view the most recent version of the BMPs, visit:
http://www.npmapestworld.org/publicpolicy/BedBugs.cfm «
References
Pfiester, M., P.G. Koehler and R.M. Pereira. 2008. Ability of Bed Bug-Detecting Canines to Locate Live Bed Bugs and Viable Bed Bug Eggs. Journal of Economic Entomology 101: 1389–1396.
Potter, M.F., B. Rosenberg and M. Henriksen. 2010. Bugs without borders: defining the global bed bug resurgence. National Pest Management Association, Fairfax, VA
Walker D. B., J.C. Walker, P.J. Cavnar, J.L. Taylor, D.H. Pickel, S.B. Hall and J.C. Suarez. 2006. Naturalistic quantification of canine olfactory sensitivity. Applied Animal Behavioral Science 97: 241–254.
14 PESTWORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011 www.npmapestworld.org
P E S T F O C U S»
Outside of the pest control industry, “blood
feeder” evokes visions of mystical, ageless
creatures who walk in the dark of night and
survive by feasting solely on the blood of mammals.
Realistically, how far does this depiction stray from
the actual definition of a blood feeder; within the pest
control industry or otherwise?
When pest management professionals speak of
blood feeders, they may be referring to one of three
insects: fleas, mosquitoes and bed bugs. Ticks are also
a usual suspect but are not insects; rather they are
members of the arachnids in super family Ixodoidea.
You may ask, why all of the hype or fuss concerning
these tiny bugs? The simple answer is human health.
These arthropods have been deemed as unwanted pests
that invade our homes, feed on our blood and, in many
cases, threaten human health.
As PMPs, we have to understand the historical signifi-
cance of these aforementioned arthropods. This article
will focus on the flea and the mosquito. Each has had
a profound affect on the quality of life for many of our
ancestors as well they each have contributed to numerous
deaths throughout history. Therefore a continued study
through progressive research is required to understand
life cycle evolutions, points of entry and to identify al-
BY DAMISI BAILEY
BLOOD FEEDERS ternate viable hosts in hopes of preserving human health
through control and or eradication when necessary.
The Flea
When many historians speak of Europe’s Black Plague
during its various peaks, images of towns overrun with
rodents seems to flood the imagination. First mentioned
images of rats concerning the Black Plague are somewhat
fair assessments. It is the rodent’s body that initially har-
nesses the disease. But the true culprit and distributor of
this horrible disease was the flea. The flea takes a blood
meal from the rodent which allows the disease to transfer
from the rodent into the flea. As the rodent travels near
humans, the fleas then gains access to an alternate host
and food source—human blood. As the flea injects its
proboscis into the human, it must regurgitate a small
portion of the infected blood from the rodent. This is
how the disease is introduced into the human system.
World Health Organization statistics accredit better
living conditions, targeted antibiotics, and improved
sanitation practices for the mortality decline over the
last century. While there are still hundreds of bubonic
cases reported annually around the world, the pest
control industry in conjunction with entomological
research stands in the gap to maintain control and act
as prohibitors of pandemic outbreak.
Mosquitoes
Another blood feeder with a timeless history of human
health degradation is the Mosquito. Ancient writ-
Image courtesy of Neal R Chamberlain © 2003
15www.npmapestworld.org JULY/AUGUST 2011 PESTWORLD
ings document Malaria symptoms and
deaths as early as 2700 B.C. and a con-
tinued presence even into the twenty-
first century. World Health Organiza-
tion records show 1,500 American
cases reported in 2009. This number is
remedial in comparison to 247 million
cases reported from Africa during the
same time period. And, of those cases
in Africa, one million reported deaths.
While these numbers seem drastic
and discouraging, the war has been
waged and these astronomic figures are
actually a representation of decreased
mortality.
It wasn’t until the latter part of the
nineteenth century that French sur-
geon Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran
discovered parasites in the blood of a
malaria patient. Soon after, Camillo
Golgi, an Italian neurophysiologist,
was able to identify at least two forms
of the disease: tertian periodicity (fever
every other day) and quartan periodic-
ity (fever every third day). Both men
would eventually receive the Nobel
Peace Prize for their discoveries. To
date, countless hours have been in-
vested by many talented and dedicated
scientists, in hopes of eventually elimi-
nating the threat of Malaria.
While much of the public focus is di-
rected towards reacting to the threat of
diseases distributed by this tiny insect; it
would do you well to initiate aware-
ness and be a proactive professional by
understanding the biological life cycles,
mating habits and alternate breed-
ing sites. This information is regularly
released to equip you with the necessary
knowledge to create effective mosquito
programs.
A thorough assessment of the prop-
erty will determine if your inspection
will be confined only to the property in
question. The median distance a mos-
quito is able to fly is charted somewhere
around 0.789 miles. Therefore, adjoin-
ing properties should be inspected and
only a limited warranty can be offered;
even with a neighborhood or com-
munity treatment. A careful inspec-
tion should expose multiple breeding
sites. Most literature points out that we
inspect the obvious sites: tires, buckets,
plastic kiddie pools and tree bowls; but
you have to keep in mind the actual size
of this insect. Conducting an inspection
with an open mind allows you to visual-
ize shaded, leaf littered gutters, bottle
caps and various debris (plastic bags in
particular) as potential breeding sites.
These known and alternate breeding
sites require only that you dispose of
the debris. Mosquito inspections and
treatments require time, attention to
detail and ensuring you have set realistic
goals of success for your customer. «
You may ask, why all of the hype or fuss concerning these tiny bugs? The simple answer is human health. These arthropods have been deemed as unwanted pests that invade our homes, feed on our blood and, in many cases, threaten human health.
16 PESTWORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011 www.npmapestworld.org
M A R K E T I N G C O R N E R»
I magine what it would be like to be able to reach
thousands of potential customers directly via
email and offer them your services at a discount?
Enter social coupon websites, like Groupon, which
have positioned themselves as the alternative to tradi-
tional advertising with promises of reaching a coveted
demographic who has voluntarily signed up to receive
discounted offers for a variety of life’s necessities.
Seeing this as too good of a deal to pass up, small busi-
nesses of all types have signed up.
And why not? Unlike traditional advertising or
direct mail, the users are not only expecting the daily
email, but will inevitably spend a few seconds looking
at a deal even if it’s not something they would typi-
cally purchase. These websites have tapped into key
characteristics of the consumer psyche—the love of a
discount or a good bargain.
While many companies have offered seasonal or
first-time buyer discounts to customers online through
their own websites, Facebook fan pages or Twitter
accounts, it is important that businesses take a closer
look at these booming social coupon websites as well.
As one NPMA member who recently advertised an of-
fer through Groupon said, “You can’t lose by doing it!”
Coupon Websites and Their Users
Groupon, undoubtedly, the most successful social
coupon website to date, boasts more than 37 million
subscribers in 160 plus cities across North America.
The subscribers are mostly college educated men and
women between the ages of 30 to 50 with a house-
hold income above $50,000. Groupon’s closest rival,
LivingSocial has amassed nearly 26 million subscribers
in more than 250 markets worldwide. LivingSocial
subscribers skew female (60 percent), are college edu-
cated, between the ages of 35 and 49 with an income
of $60,000 and above.
On April 25, 2011, Facebook announced that it is
introducing Deals, a direct rival to Groupon and Living-
Social. Facebook’s entry into the online discount game
will begin with “pilot” programs in five cities: Atlanta,
Austin, Dallas, San Diego and San Francisco. According
to The New York Times, “the company, which has more
than 600 million members, said it hoped that its ability
to tap directly into the communications and activities of
networks of friends will help it offer a more compelling
service than rivals. It will be easy to share deals with
friends, see when a friend buys something and find of-
fers that your friends are interested in. Facebook will fo-
cus on offers for things that are best done with friends,
like concerts or events.” Although users will be able to
receive Deals via email, they will likely also see the offers
in their Facebook news feed during the day.
It remains to be seen how Facebook’s Deals will
change the online coupon landscape, but it is probably
safe to say that if successful, Deals will have a signifi-
cant impact.
No matter which of these sites survive to rule the
online coupon world, one thing is for sure—they offer
businesses demographic jackpots and a captive audi-
ence, surpassing traditional advertising’s capabilities.
How Do Social Coupon Websites Work?
Consumers typically sign up for daily email notices,
receive invites to purchase a discounted deal at a business
and then buy the deal. Typically the businesses are cus-
tomized to the buyers’ city based on the choice made by
the subscriber when they signed up for the daily emails.
In order to participate, businesses must be willing to
discount their services by as much as 40 to 50 percent
off as well as give a portion of the revenue generated
to the social coupon site as commission. The percent-
age of discounts and commission can vary by site. The
sites also do not charge an up-front cost to run a deal.
However, it is important to note that businesses are not
allowed to run concurrent deals with competitors.
Although, participation rules are usually the same
for all social coupon sites, businesses need to be sure
MISSY HENRIKSEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PPMA
ARE SOCIAL COUPON WEBSITES RIGHT FOR YOUR BUSINESS?HOW THE RIGHT APPROACH CAN FIT IN WITH YOUR OVERALL MARKETING STRATEGY
17www.npmapestworld.org JULY/AUGUST 2011 PESTWORLD
they get all their questions answered and that they
fully understand the terms and conditions of partici-
pation through these websites.
While some sites are more popular than others, the
premise is the same. Businesses need to be willing to
deeply discount their services and pay a commission
to the coupon website in exchange for exposure in
front of numerous potential customers.
How to Make Social Coupon Websites Work
for Your Business?
Some in the pest management industry have been
quick to see the value in social coupons, leading the
charge with this new marketing vehicle. In fact, a quick
Google search using the keywords “pest control com-
panies + Groupon,” yielded several pages of results.
But how successful were those promotions or other
online coupon promotions in general?
According to a 2010 research report from the Jones
Graduate School of Business at Rice University, “How
Effective Are Groupon Promotions for Businesses,”
Groupon promotions were profitable for 66 percent
of the businesses surveyed and unprofitable for 32
percent. The report also found that 42 percent of the
businesses would not run another Groupon promo-
tion. That finding differs from Groupon’s data which
states that 95 percent of businesses would choose to
run a promotion again.
18 PESTWORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011 www.npmapestworld.org
Despite the differing claims, businesses ultimately
need to decide the success of a promotion and willing-
ness to run successive ones based on their own experi-
ences and what constitutes success for them.
Take the case of an NPMA member in Arizona who
is currently reaping the rewards of a recent Groupon
promotion. The company offered a deal for an indoor
and outdoor pest control treatment for $69, originally
valued at $120. The offer was limited to new clients only
and is good until October 21, 2011. As a result, 57 peo-
ple bought the promotion. Not only did the company’s
offer entice those 57 consumers to purchase the offer, it
was seen by nearly 200,000 Groupon subscribers in the
member’s metro area. Additionally, as some consumers
have called to redeem the offer, the member was able to
sell several termite services on top of the Groupon offer.
After all, up-selling and turning one-time customers
into loyal clients are the ultimate goals of businesses
that participate in online coupon programs.
How to Integrate Social Coupon Websites
Into Your Marketing Strategy?
As the Arizona member noted, “Social media, such as
social online coupons, must be part of anyone’s general
marketing strategy.” As consumers flock to various
websites to shop, make travel arrangements, make din-
ner reservations, decide which business to hire for home
repairs and essentially find anything and everything
they need to live, businesses have to stay ahead of the
curve in order to connect with those consumers.
Whether your business has embraced social media
or is still on the sidelines, social coupon websites are
an easy and relatively inexpensive way to put your
name in front of thousands of new customers without
a long-term commitment. While you may have an
email database of your current and past customers,
these websites have access to thousands of consumer
emails that you don’t. Think of promotions via
Groupon or LivingSocial or Facebook’s Deals as just
another version of the neighborhood door hanger
advertising your services and discounts.
Don’t Be Left Behind
Marketing is a crucial part of building a successful busi-
ness and companies should be willing to try new and
different tactics as part of their overall marketing ef-
forts. Some tactics become outdated and stale and when
the customers move on, your business must too. «
» M A R K E T I N G C O R N E R
As consumers flock to various websites to shop, make travel arrangements, make dinner reservations, decide which business to hire for home repairs and essentially find anything and everything they need to live, businesses have to stay ahead of the curve in order to connect with those consumers.
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20 PESTWORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011 www.npmapestworld.org
O P E R AT I O N S M A N A G E M E N T»
W hat is the real “f” word? It’s failure. We all
want things to go perfectly—or what we
perceive as perfectly. But the truth is, they
don’t, always. Trying new things creates the possibility
of failure. In a business landscape where the message
is predominantly that “Failure is Bad,” it’s no wonder
that failure is perceived as a dirty word.
Now seriously, every manager, business owner,
executive and employee has made mistakes and expe-
rienced what they consider failures. As human beings,
it’s almost second nature to us to follow the path of
lease resistance by beating ourselves up over every per-
ceived failure and then to continually remind ourselves
how often, and how badly, we’ve screwed up.
There is another way. What would it look like if rather
than seeing any task or action that didn’t turn out as
originally planned as a “failure”, we saw each of them as
learning opportunities...? What might we create? What
opportunities might arise for us? What would change if
we were able to step away from self-blame and emotional
flagellation and move forward into celebration?
Years ago, when Bill McGowan was still alive and
running MCI, there was a sign in the lobby that said,
“Make Some Damn Mistakes.” The philosophy under-
neath that sign was that if you didn’t make mistakes you
were not taking risks. Bill truly believed that risk-taking
was the greatest opportunity for learning, and that
nothing new, creative, innovative or exciting happened
without taking risks. It’s simply too bad that the culture
has changed since MCI was sold to WorldCom.
Part of the problem with the entire concept of
failure is that it allows leaders of companies to actually
see things as successes or failures, instead of as learning
experiences. Every single move a company makes, or
action that it takes, is an opportunity for learning—
whether it works or not. Even things that work out
perfectly the first time may not work the next time.
Without understanding what made the action or move
work, what conditions or environment or alignment
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* Generate more revenue from existing customers and cut customer communication costs by using the Customer Account access module. Now your customers can access key account and service history, request a service, and pay bills. You can even market new services to each customer with PestPac’s new cross-sell tool.
* Integrate with QuickBooks or any other general ledger accounting software using the General Ledger Link. Seamlessly sync accounts receivable data to ensure that you have an accurate, up-to-date fi nancial picture for your company.
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22 PESTWORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011 www.npmapestworld.org
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Thomas Alva Edison
» O P E R AT I O N S M A N A G E M E N T
of the stars made it come together, there is no true
success. After all, you won’t be able to duplicate the
perfect action if you don’t understand what condi-
tions allowed it to work out perfectly in the first place.
And will those conditions be the same the next time?
If something didn’t work, was it a failure? Of course
not. If an action didn’t work, it simply means that
something interfered with that action working as well
as planned. Any number of things—from timing,
to economy, to client needs, to the vehicle used for
distribution—any number of random factors may
have interfered with the action working as planned.
But if you automatically consider that action a failure,
you lose the important opportunity of learning how to
make it work better the next time.
When something you’ve planned for your company
doesn’t work as well as expected, it’s not necessarily
comfortable, but it’s usually illuminating. When you
look at everything from the perspective of “what can
we learn from this?”, then you put yourself in a place
where you can make better decisions about the future
and you also encourage your people to work from a
position of innovative re-thinking. They will be em-
powered to constantly improve actions and strategies.
How can you lose with that?
What if we celebrated failure instead of hiding our
“mistakes” in some allegorical closet?
History has shown over and over that not daring
to fail, or conversely refusing to admit failure and the
lessons intrinsic to it, has often created devastating
consequences of grand proportions. It’s no small matter
how we look at the idea of failure and our response to it.
Let us not forget that our greatest successes, in
business, science, literature and indeed, life, have
started from failure. That’s how we learn. Success
isn’t nearly so powerful. «
Linda Finkle, CEO of Incedo Group, works closely with
leaders, entrepreneurs and partnerships to create sustain-
able productivity, organizational strength and most impor-
tantly for these companies and leaders to have more fun.
She holds a Master Certified Coach designation through
the International Coaching Federation. Visit the website at
www.incedogroup.com for more information.
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24 PESTWORLD JULY/AUGUST 2011 www.npmapestworld.org
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