Caring PMPs gain customers

Click to read PMP‘s 2021 Bed Bug Management Supplement. COVER PHOTO: OXFORD SCIENTIFIC/THE IMAGE BANK/GETTY IMAGES

Pest management professionals (PMPs) who offer bed bug control services know firsthand the stigma associated with these blood-sucking pests.

Our 2021 Bed Bug Management Supplement examines how PMPs who show compassion when called upon to solve their customers’ bed bug problems are rewarded with more than just additional revenue. They earn loyal customers who rely on their expertise for future pest-related problems.

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are commonplace and considered a public health pest by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Although they do not transmit disease, their presence is alarming to those who find them in their homes or workplaces.

People who discover they have them often delay contacting a PMP for fear friends and family may find out and shun them so they don’t get bed bugs, too. Eliminating an infestation is the most important part of your job, but showing compassion may be key to attracting, and keeping, customers who will be forever grateful.