The average pest control business earns almost $402,000 in gross revenue each year, which amounts to about 1,700 service calls each year, or up to seven calls per day.

Of course, as a pest control business owner, you’re not just in the field taking care of pests. Along with developing and refining your service offerings, where are you going to find the time to train your employees on door-to-door sales tactics?

We’ll guide you through this crash course on best practices for maximizing your pest control sales without completely overwhelming your already busy schedule. Let’s get into identifying your optimal audience, training your technicians on the art of upselling, and making it easier to close more deals with pest control software.

6 tips for increasing pest control sales and creating long-term customers

These six best practices can help you attract new customers and sign long-term contracts.

1. Understand your target audience

Understanding your audience allows you to illustrate the benefits of your services in a way that resonates with potential customers. This becomes your value proposition or the reason someone should choose your service over a competitor’s. 

You can break your value proposition down into three separate pieces:

1. How your pest control service solves your customers’ pest control problems
2. How your service provides unique and specific benefits
3. How you’re different from other pest control companies

Your value proposition should differ based on your audience’s unique needs. Is your service geared toward single-family homeowners or rental property owners? Do they need emergency pest control help, or are they new homeowners? 

It’s also important to create a value proposition that resonates most with your ideal customer profile (ICP). The biggest impact on your bottom line comes from homeowners or landlords who commit to long-term service contracts, and these are likely your ideal customers. 

On the other hand, while one-off service requests are less profitable in the long run, they may make up the majority of your pest control sales. Make sure you can also convey your value proposition to these types of customers by addressing their specific concerns. 

Dive deeper: Learn how to create a brand story that engages and educates your ICP.

2. Address customer concerns about your pest control services

Your value proposition provides a framework for addressing the concerns of your target audience and ideal customers:

• Worries about toxic chemicals that may harm children or pets
• Concerns about the cost of pest control maintenance
• Questions about pest control services for rental properties
• Frustrations with scheduling services around work and other responsibilities
• Questions about the effectiveness of different treatments 

Empathizing with potential customers is key to understanding their concerns and addressing them. Ask clarifying questions and repeat what they say back to them; a clear understanding of their pain points should be a top priority.

Next, directly address those concerns and refer back to your value proposition to reassure customers that your business is their best choice. Some potential sales scripts you and your team can use include the following:

Cost of our service vs. DIY: “I understand you’re concerned about the cost of our pest control service, but our annual preventative program costs less than the time and money it takes to treat pests on your own. Many of our customers find our pest control services are well worth the investment. Have you had a previous experience with a pest control service where you didn’t feel like you got your money’s worth?”

Pricing and discounts: “If you’re still concerned about cost, we do offer a discount if you sign up for our annual treatment plan. We also offer flexible payment plans to make our service more affordable.”

Efficacy of our service vs. DIY: “It’s great that you’ve successfully gotten rid of pests on your own. Our company uses professional treatments designed to provide more effective, longer-lasting protection. And we’ll revisit your treatment for free if you still have a pest problem.”

Communication: “I can see how it would be frustrating not to know when or if your pest control treatments were applied. Our company sends an appointment reminder and a text message when we’re on the way.”

Follow up on additional concerns: “I’m happy to address any other concerns or questions you have. Is there anything else you’d like to know about our pest control services?”

3. Train your team

Use GorillaDesk to create digital estimates in minutes—whether you’re onsite, going door to door, or in the office. (Source)

Sales scripts are ideal for helping your team successfully convert leads into sales by addressing customer objections. Along with defining your sales process, look for opportunities to train your sales team and technicians on effective in-person sales techniques. After all, they’re in the field interacting with customers just as much as you, if not more. 

Training opportunities include attending a sales training course from That Knock Life, 360 Sales Consulting, or D2D Experts, or role-playing door-to-door sales scenarios. Allowing technicians to shadow you as you canvas a neighborhood is also a helpful way to show them the ropes, let them take the lead, and provide instant feedback on their techniques.

Here are some key skills your technicians should master:

• Active listening and tailoring sales pitches to each customer’s objections
• Personalizing interactions by remembering clients’ names and preferences—GorillaDesk’s CRM helps you capture customer notes to make personalized recommendations easier
• Overcoming objections and closing more sales

You can measure progress by tracking closing rates for each technician. Additionally, set clear sales goals and communicate them with your technicians so everyone’s on the same page. Provide feedback and additional training opportunities for underperformers, and reward top performers.

Additionally, using software that allows technicians to quickly provide estimates—even while onsite—can help them close deals faster. Using a CRM like GorillaDesk ensures estimates are accurate and allows customers to eSign so work can start right away.

4. Build engagement and educate customers

Your website, email, and social media are great places to educate and convert customers. It may seem counterintuitive, but an effective way to create awareness around your brand is to publish free educational content on these channels. ZipDo found that 70% of consumers prefer learning about companies through articles rather than advertisements.

While the primary goal of your content should be to educate readers, you can naturally promote your services as well:

• First-time homeowner pest control tips: Explain how new homeowners can check their homes for potential problems and seal entry points, remove breeding areas, and more. Promote your service as an easy and effective way to prevent pests in their new home.
• How to prevent seasonal pests: Walk customers through prevention methods for different types of seasonal pests, like ants, wasps, and mosquitoes. Explain how your pest inspections can strengthen preventative measures.
• Eco-friendly pest control options: Provide customers with information on the latest sustainable pest control methods, like integrated pest management. Highlight any eco-friendly methods your company offers.

Educational content also offers compounding benefits. It can lead potential customers from search results to your pest control company website and establish your brand as an authority in the industry.

Don’t overlook pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, print ads, vehicle branding, and other marketing efforts either. All of these opportunities help potential customers find and learn about your pest control business, making it more likely they’ll call you up next time ants take over their kitchen or wasps start nesting in their yard.

Other ways you can incorporate pest control marketing to help your audience find you include:

• Optimize your website for local SEO and mobile.
• Build a list of relevant keywords to use in your PPC ads and website.
• Allow customers to book new pest control services through your website.
• Claim your Google Business Profile and any listings on Yelp, HomeAdvisor, Angi, and other directories.
• Collaborate with complementary businesses, like real-estate agencies and property management companies.
• Show your pest control company phone number and website on your vehicle along with a clear description of your services.
• Send promotional and transactional emails to remind previous customers of upcoming seasonal issues and follow up on sales calls.

Get more leads: Check out GorillaGrowth, our white-glove service that creates high-converting Google Ads and Map Pack campaigns for your pest control business.

5. Follow up with customers

GorillaDesk automates follow-up emails and asks customers for feedback so you never miss an opportunity for a review. (Source)

One-time pest control treatments can feel like a drop in the bucket when it comes to your bottom line. But you can convert some of these into long-term sales by following up with past and current customers.

Following up with your customers also presents an opportunity to request reviews and gather feedback. Reviews especially can impact whether future customers sign up for your services or not. 

A majority (71%) of consumers say good ratings and reviews make them more likely to buy. Sharing positive reviews improves brand awareness and draws in more leads. Posting reviews on social media can improve conversion rates by up to 40% on Facebook, 8.4 times on Twitter, and 5.3 times on LinkedIn. 

Of course, reviews can feel frustrating, especially if you receive a handful of negative comments. 

But this feedback highlights areas for improvement, like response times and treatment effectiveness. It may also provide suggestions for specialized services you hadn’t considered before. With this information, you can implement targeted improvement initiatives and introduce new offerings that elevate your customers’ experience.

If you end up with a negative review, look at it as an opportunity to differentiate your pest control company from competitors. Provide a timely response, resolve customer problems, and make an active impact.

6. Test loyalty programs and discounts

It may seem difficult to differentiate your pest control service from the competition. This is where special offers can help you stand out:

• Reward customers who submit referrals, like Ehrlich Pest Control.
• Offer guarantees and follow-up services, like Stewarts’ Bug Barrier program.
• Use competitive pricing, like EcoGuard Pest Management’s price match guarantee.
• Bundle services or offer seasonal discounts, like Plunkett’s pest control packages.
• Discount services for first-time customers, like Accurate’s $100 off of termite treatment for new customers.
• Create a rewards or loyalty program that incentivizes repeat customers, like how Croach offers a 5% discount if you pay for a year of service.

Loyalty programs offer additional benefits as well. McKinsey found that 64% of customers are more likely to make more frequent purchases if they join a loyalty program. They’re also 35% more likely to choose that brand instead of a competitor. 

If a loyalty program sounds like a good fit for your pest control company and customers, test it out first. 

Select a small group of customers to see how they interact with your loyalty program and gather their feedback on the program features. You can do this by segmenting your customer base or A/B testing different website experiences. Along with gathering qualitative feedback, check pest control sales metrics like customer acquisition cost, customer lifetime value, customer churn rate, and average purchase value.

Discover how GorillaDesk streamlines pest control sales

Improving your pest control sales isn’t a one-and-done game. You need to continuously train and try new approaches to find what resonates with your customers and stay ahead of the competition. 

Similarly, your needs as a pest control business owner are evolving. GorillaDesk is here to simplify tasks like scheduling jobs, invoicing customers, and maintaining chemical use records. Our CRM platform is designed specifically for field service businesses and includes features that help you communicate with customers and close more deals. 

Discover how GorillaDesk can benefit your pest control business—start your 14-day free trial today.