What is a good add-on service for PMPs?

Control of armadillos, such as this one in Louisiana, could be a viable service in certain markets. PHOTO: MICHAEL OVERTON

On p. 10 of our October issue, you’ll see great responses from Dan Gordon, Eric Scherzinger, Mark “Shep” Sheperdigian and Dr. Stephen Vantassel. But several more of our columnists weighed in on the topic.

Not only is residential duct cleaning a viable add-on service, says Paul Hardy — he lays out how to do it, step by step, in a blog post that will go live next Monday. In the meantime:

• Stuart Aust: In our case, starting Bird Doctor and Animal Doctor were great add-on services. More recently we added Restoration Doctor. Bug Doctor has six subdivisions, and each one played a significant part in our growth. Nothing ventured, nothing gained by breaking out into subdivisions. We’ve really been blessed with tremendous growth.
• Dr. Austin Frishman, BCE-Emeritus: In today’s business world, add-on service is critical to survive. What you select varies greatly based on what you currently do and where you are located. Plowing snow may work well in cold areas; armadillo management is big in Texas and Florida.
• Ray Johnson: I say stick to doing one thing, and do it with passion and excellence. Our business of pest management is unique, and everyone wants to get into it.
• Dr. Doug Mampe: In many parts of the United States, gutter cleaning is a great add-on. Capital investment is low and harborages for pests are removed.
• Pete Schopen: I flirted with the idea of cleaning vents a few years ago, but never saw it through. The truth is, bed bug work has become so huge that most PMPs probably don’t need to think about add-on services anymore. As recently as 10 years ago, most northern PMPs had to do gutter cleaning, holiday decorations, wildlife control, etc. But with the onslaught of bed bugs, even PMPs in the Midwest and Northeast can stay very busy doing bed bug work.

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