By: Rich Martin, Bird-B-Gone, Inc.
Just like general pest control, a proper and thorough evaluation of the property is key to a successful bird exclusion program. There are steps that need to be followed and considerations to be taken to determine the proper solution.
Assessing the customer’s situation is one of the first steps to take. It’s important to talk with customers and allow them to tell you what they perceive to be the problem. In a lot of cases, customers won’t call you just because there is a bird on their building. However, they will call you if that bird is costing them money.
Customers don’t call unless they have a specific reason to invest in bird control. In most cases, they buy bird control because of the negative effect on their image, the cost of cleanup, work stoppages, property or equipment damage, or possibly inventory damage. By listening to customers, you can determine their reason and then determine an appropriate cost for their situation. This will show value for the service that you will be proposing. Remember, always restate their reason for buying in your proposal.
When installing bird exclusion products, you will likely be changing the way that the building is going to look. Determine how important aesthetics are to your customer. This will help in choosing what products may or may not be used. During your initial visit, you should determine whether the customer has a budget in place for the project, and whether anyone else is providing a quote.
When dealing with new prospects, engage them! Find out whether their interest/motivation is high, medium or low. Regardless of their interest/motivation level, your motivation should always be high. You are the expert. You are the best in the industry. The service industry is nothing more than people taking care of people. You’re there to help.
The actual site evaluation can be, and usually is, quite extensive. We know in general pest control, the most important tool for doing an inspection is a flashlight. In bird control, there are additional important tools we must use in determining the right product/solution.
I recommend a customer assessment work sheet to gather the above information, along with accurate measurements and other key information. You should always have a measuring wheel or tape measure for accurate lengths, widths and square footage. A digital camera is useful to have with you so that you can use these pictures in your proposal, or send them to your supplier so they can help you with any question that you may have.
When doing the inspection, safety for you, your employees and your customer should always be the highest priority. To that end, always have goggles, a dust mask and any other safety equipment needed to do a proper evaluation.
Determine the species of pest birds that you are trying to exclude. You also need to know whether they are a protected species. This will determine what products you can or cannot use. Record what behavior the target birds are showing. They will be nesting, loafing or roosting.
In most situations, the actual work is high off the ground. Proper access equipment will have to be figured into the cost of your scope of work. There are different types of access equipment available, from extension ladders to boom lifts. You need to figure out ahead of time what kind of access equipment you will use. If you have any doubt as to what type of equipment to use, contact your rental company and have them meet you on-site to assist you.
Finally, you need to find out the customer’s timeframe for completion. When are they planning on making a decision? This will give you a timeline for when you need to have your proposal completed and be able to make a professional presentation. Once the decision is made, how quickly do they want to start the project, and when do they expect it to be completed? What days of the week can work be performed? What time of day can work be performed? Is there any additional work that must be completed prior to the actual bird exclusion, such as painting or repairs?
These are just a few helpful tips for site evaluation. I hope these will help both you and your customer determine an appropriate integrated bird control plan, and get your bird control business more jobs than before.
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