Do you buy me cockroaches?

It is common that when offering the service they talk about eliminating insects or rodents that exist in the home, food plant, self-service store or maquiladora industry, among others. The reason why pests may not be accepted is not raised. Presenting the sale of pest control in this way already puts the person offering the service at a disadvantage, as it automatically limits their argument to how it will kill them and how much it will cost. As they said in the “Old West”, there will always be those who shoot faster; In the same way, there will always be someone who offers cheaper. Quality will be left aside and the value of the service will always tend downwards.

It is very important to prepare the visit to the client, know their profile and needs, to be able to offer them solutions, not dead bugs. A general analysis of what you do, sell or require is always very useful to create a tailored sales pitch. It is true that there are general protocols and recommendations by sector, but each prospect may have their own concerns.

First of all, it is necessary to sell the MID (FUD in English), which is fear, uncertainty and doubt, but with ethics. It is a purely emotional aspect, but it can alert you to the risks that may arise due to the presence of the pest, such as complaints, non-conformities in certifications, diseases or simple lack of comfort. It is not in vain that fear is a natural survival strategy among species and the release of adrenaline with all the related effects allows living beings to escape danger, search for food or shelter. This approach is especially key in offering services in residential homes or sectors that are not sensitive to economic aspects.

Secondly, it is important that pest control is promoted in a structured manner, with well-defined goals and deliverables that allow the client to visualize the advantages of the implementation of a comprehensive pest management program and the involvement of the different departments and people of interest. In the case of companies, they need to be able to perceive in their pockets the reason why having it is convenient, not only for the losses they may have, but for the profits they may not have, so that the program practically pays for itself thanks to its results.

An intuitive approach is often very useful for the economic justification of pest control. It is important to understand it, but above all to be convinced of the program. Nobody sells what they don't believe or understand. Therefore, it is said that before starting with quantitative methods that imply greater apparent complexity, it is very important to understand the subjective side of pest risk.

It is important to communicate the benefit, since it is difficult for the client to differentiate placebo from the real value of risk management methods. For this, it is necessary to consider several aspects:

1. Convert everything into numbers, no matter if they are subjective or mathematical evaluations. Number is easier to handle as a concept than ambiguity.
2. Present evidence or testimonials that allow the results sought in the plan to be achieved.
3. Involve people, interest groups, intelligently, so that they feel a certain degree of ownership of the program.
4. Build the pest control program on known processes, to make it part of them and make it easy to assimilate.
5. Make simple and clear proposals about the client's reality, not with elaborate speeches. The client is more interested in not having cockroaches than in knowing if they have pathogens; If there are no cockroaches, there are no pathogens.

The transmission of information is a key point. It is important that the sender's message is transmitted on time and to whom it belongs, down to the structure of the content. It is necessary to establish appropriate channels so that information flows properly, without deviations, confusion or blockages.

The structure must be well defined. It is said that it must comply with the principle of CHAOS, that is, that the information is clear, assertive, objective and sufficient. This means that communications, in addition to being timely, must be made in a way that leaves no room for assumptions of interpretation, with an effort to generate results about what is communicated, without involving aspects that can be taken to the personal level. It is worth remembering that customer satisfaction is based on the expectations that are created for them, or they build themselves. Although in many cases the point of view cannot be avoided, it must be expressed as objectively as possible and with the necessary data content, neither excessive nor scarce.

In conclusion, to achieve a correct assessment when identifying, evaluating, analyzing and treating pest risks, it is necessary that all those involved feel and base the management on what interests them most: their money, their effectiveness, their productivity or other satisfactions. The basis for arguing the implementation of a pest control program must initially be oriented towards the emotional part, considering what it would mean to lose or gain something. Within this, prioritizing the true benefits of IPM, over simply “killing bugs”, can give a little more certainty to those who must decide whether to implement it or not; realize that it is not an invention of a false fatalistic guru, but of an expert analyst who determines true priorities without pseudo-academic discourses.