Quick Hits

What’s Your Take So Far On THE Economy & Bugbiz? — JUNE

1. Charles Ruby, Safe Exterminating, Jasper, Ga.
   Pest control seems to be about the same seasonally but year-round services are being replaced by short-term service requests. My customers tied to the housing industry (developers, builders, real estate agents, etc.) are cancelling or converting to one time only. Termite business — I’ll leave to others to evaluate in their area. Overall my impression is the economy is floundering and “bumping along the bottom” and waiting for things to get better (or much worse). I service business and professional folks with lots of money and they are very tentative. None are wearing “rose-colored glasses.” What are your customers experiencing? Are they all “rolling in dough”? This board is a good barometer of what “real folks” are thinking
2. Jerry Martin, Martin Exterminating, Winston-Salem, N.C.
   Our business is way ahead of last year due largely to a good termite season for the first time in about five years. Our triannual pest control services are about the same. Cutting expenses has been our goal also this year. One way I have done this is to sell termite jobs by phone instead of spending money going out for an inspection as long as the property owner knows for sure he/she has termites. I do this by having the info on the house already in front of me from county tax records online. Our counties have a graph with measurements and a full description of the construction of the house along with a picture. I can price, sell and collect by phone all in about 15-20 minutes. This has cut down on vehicle expenses a lot. All together this has been, for us, one of the best years in the last 10.
3. Harold Clifton, Pest Pro Services, St. Peters, Mo.
   I agree that people are holding onto their money more. Seems like more one times, two times a year, not much contract business. I don’t think people want to sign anything that locks them in for that long of a period of time.  But on the other hand, I am having a good year because I also think that people are staying home more, and they want to make sure their homes are pest free, if they are going to spend more time in them, instead of going on vacations and spending lots of money (and not much to show for it).
4. Gerald Schappert, Bug Doctor, Ocala, Fla., and owner, www.pestcemetery.com
   Our company is right on target with where I projected, maybe a little ahead. People are always amazed when they ask me how business is and I reply that we are doing well. I have never insisted on yearly contracts (except for termite and commercial) so the influx is about the same. What I’ve tried to do is sell more commercial work which generally is monthly or more frequent. The pay doesn’t come in as quickly but it is reliable work. Also I do a lot of repossession inspections and that has picked up quite a bit.