Termites are scary to property owners. They are “invisible.” They are silent and misunderstood. Many owners imagine their home is about to fall down around them when they find out they have a termite infestation.
This is when our relationships, our professionalism, and our knowledge can calm these fears and ease their minds. I recently had the opportunity to attend a leadership engagement seminar. While this may sound about as exciting as watching grass grow, the speaker was enthusiastic, energetic and had several fantastic tips for engaging employees and building a better, more engaged workforce.
The entire topic got me thinking about what we do in our jobs and in our businesses. What exactly are we doing every day? I think most of us would say managing pests. Killing bugs. Stopping rodents. Solving problems. We think of hard work, sweat, dirt, windshield time, cell phones ringing, expectations and consequences.
However, this speaker got me thinking about it from a different, more “big-picture” perspective. In reality, we are doing much more than managing pests. We are protecting homes, businesses and investments. In truth, we are protecting health, reputations and property. At the end of the day, we are easing fears. None of these things are directly related to managing the pests. They are directly related to our relationships with our clients, however.
When providing termite management, how do you handle complex situations? How do you handle difficult clients? I think taking some time to remember that today, the day you tell a client they have a structure infested with termites, is a very difficult day for them. They are facing a problem they have most likely never faced before, and they are scared and unsure.
As leaders in our industry, and as professionals, we need to remember to be patient and compassionate, even with the most difficult clients. An everyday occurrence for us — finding active termites — can be, quite literally, your client’s nightmare.
Take a few minutes to understand your client and their perspective. Your clients will notice. This simple reframing of a conversation can mean the difference between a great interaction and a frustrating one.
Our team at Control Solutions Inc. strives every day to understand our clients — pest management professionals. We work to provide our industry with tools you need and can use. We want to help make your business better and more profitable. We want to increase your customer’s satisfaction by providing effective, economical solutions to their pest problems. CSI is working to not just provide great products, but innovation you can apply.
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