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You Have Much to Be Proud Of - Show It
1 Jul, 2008 By: Pete Grasso Pest Management ProfessionalYou're unsung heroes. Your industry is one that's suffered from a bad reputation in the past. To the average person — your customers and potential customers — this industry is an after-thought, and when it is thought of, the opinion is typically negative.
I'll admit that prior to taking this position, I too didn't know much about the pest management industry. My views were like those of most people, and television played a big part in forming my opinion. Dale Gribble from King of the Hill and John Goodman's character from Arachnophobia were my ideas of pest management professionals (PMPs), or what I had called "exterminators."
 Pete Grasso |
Even after I came on board here, family and friends would go, "Eww!" when I told them the industry in which I was now working. The problem is, the average person doesn't know enough about your industry to make an informed opinion because you aren't educating them enough.
Obviously my opinion has changed about this industry and about PMPs as I got to know you and this wonderful world of pest management. Something that really helped educate me on the positives of this industry and your jobs though, was the same thing that had been portraying you so negatively in the past: television.
Not long after I started here, I was flipping channels one night when I came across a show on the Discovery Channel called Verminators. I thought, "Wow, this is cool ... a show about the same thing my magazine is about." I was immediately hooked.
I was impressed by the professionalism displayed by Mike Masterson and the Isotech team, as well as how well the pest management industry was being portrayed. This television show was an educational program for the average person.
Mike and his team are basically saying, "This is our industry. This is what we do — and we're proud of it." It just so happens they're able to say that on a nationally-televised cable program.
I knew right then Pest Management Professional had to do a story on this.
SHOWCASE YOUR PRIDE
While interviewing Mike for this month's cover story, he related to me a story about a call he received from a PMP who'd been watching Verminators. This PMP, practically in tears, called to thank Mike for helping make his wife proud to be married to a PMP.
For years, this PMP's wife was embarrassed by what her husband did for a living. Embarrassed to go to parties with her friends and their husbands. Her opinion about the pest management industry was remarkably negative despite the fact that her husband was actually part of it.
Then one day this PMP caught an episode of Verminators. Excited to see a show about what he does every day, he called his wife in to watch it with him. After viewing the entire episode, the wife got choked up as she turned to her husband and said, "You do that for me?"
She finally understood her husband's business. She suddenly realized exactly what her husband does every day to provide them with everything they need.
She was proud of him. She told all of her friends to watch Verminators so they too could see what her husband "does for her every day."
This PMP is now the hit of parties — everyone wants to hear his stories, because they too are now fans of the show.
What Mike is doing every day is not uncommon in this industry: He solves problems and makes his customers' lives better than they were before. What is uncommon is that through Verminators, he's showcasing his pride in this industry to the average person.
You have much to be proud of and, while you may not have a TV show, you can still showcase your pride to your community. It starts with focusing on the positive. Sell yourselves — you've got to take pride in the great service you provide if you're going to work to eliminate those negative portrayals of your industry.
Never forget you provide an important service and, many times, you're heroes in the eyes of the people you help.
You can reach Grasso at 216-706-3775 or e-mail him at
pgrasso@questex.com.
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