To serve as the voice of the pest control industry, protecting the livelihood of pest management professionals while fostering education, promoting professionalism, raising ethical standards, enhancing environmental stewardship, improving public health and quality of life.
Mark L. Hendrickson, Wingra Group
You have heard before that customer testimonials are a powerful tool when it comes to building credibility and generating new business. However, it is important to know how to use testimonials and how to ask for them. That’s the subject of this month’s e-newsletter from WPCA.
Testimonials are extremely valuable in growing your pest control business. They carry great credibility because they come from people who have direct experience with your service. Research indicates that consumers place more trust in a testimonial that comes from another consumer than from a business’s own marketing claims. That said, how do you obtain testimonials? Here are a few steps to follow:
1)In the quest to serve customers and develop new business, it is all too easy to forget about testimonials. However, remember that every happy customer is a strong testimonial waiting to happen.
2)Few people will take the time to write a testimonial on their own. They often have to be asked. Let’s say you just eliminated a rodent infestation problem for a homeowner. The customer tells you that she is very happy with the results and that she feels safe in her home again. At this point, your testimonial detector should be pinging like crazy. This is the right time to ask: “Your experience would be a great thing for other people to know about my company. Would you be willing to write me a testimonial by the end of the week?” It is important to obtain the testimonial quickly, while the memory of your service is still fresh in her mind. Some customers might not want to be identified as having a pest problem, either in their business or home. In those cases, you can guarantee that they will not be identified by name.
3)People need to be guided in writing a testimonial. Left to their own thoughts on the matter, most customers would write something like this: “They did a really great job and really took care of our problem.” So what. It doesn’t say a thing about what you did. Ask the customer to tell why she choose to work with you, how she benefited from your services, how you solved the problem and what other people should know about your business. Ask her to address these issues, and do not be afraid to offer suggestions.
4)Review and approval. Once the testimonial is drafted, obtain final review and approval from your customer. If they are to be identified by name, ask them to sign a release form.
How to use testimonials
Written testimonials can be used in many ways to build your credibility and to sharpen your competitive edge. Here is how:
1) Include them on your web site. Some businesses place testimonials throughout the site, maybe one per page. Others have testimonials grouped together on a dedicated page or part of another page.
2) Include them in your brochure. Create a short subhead within your brochure that says “What our Customers Say” and place 3-5 testimonials. This is a good number to strive for. Less than 3 looks like you haven’t been in business long enough to earn favorable comments from customers, and more than 5 starts looking like a laundry list.
3) If your pest control business attracts walk-in clients, or has a customer meeting room, put your testimonials in a binder labeled “What Our Customers Say”. Keep this binder in an obvious place where customers can browse through it while waiting.
4) Build testimonials into your business proposals. This works best if you have a variety of testimonials from which to choose. For example, if you are making a proposal for pest control services for a group of assisted living facilities, include a testimonial from someone in the health care or senior care industries.
5) Review your testimonial file periodically to identify testimonials that are no longer useful. For example, you may want to discard a testimonial that relates to a service you no longer offer.
You can and should use testimonials to build your business. Such testimonials act as the next best thing to a personal recommendation or referral. They are believable, relevant, and authentic.
Mark L. Hendrickson, Wingra Group
The American economy has experienced six recessions over the past 40 years. The current one began in the U.S. in December of 2007, so says the National Bureau of Economic Research. Specifically, a recession is defined as “a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in production, employment, real income, and other indicators.”
Most recessions last just under a year; 10.7 months to be precise. Although the end of the current recession is unclear, many economists predict it will end sometime this year. So, what can you do to enhance your business, and your prospects for the future? Here are five strategies to strengthen your pest control business during a recession.
1)Write a letter from your company’s president to key customers. Let them know how much their business means to the firm.
2)Survey competitors’ customers. Find out what attracts them to other firms.
3)Survey your own customers regularly to make it easy for them to air their complaints.
4)Train employees to respond on the same day when customers call with questions, problems, or complaints.
5)Follow up on lost accounts. Ask former customers why they switched to a competitor. Use the information to avoid future problems.