Setting your company apart

PHOTO: JUSUN/E+/GETTY IMAGES

We asked Pest Management Professional‘s columnists and editorial advisory board members to share what they do to set their company apart from others. Here are some of the experts’ responses from our July 2021 print edition.

Please take a minute to answer our latest one-question poll on this topic and let us know how you advise commercial customers about cockroaches: Reader poll: Competitive advantage.

PMP’s Editorial Advisory Board and Regular Contributors

Greg Baumann: “Speak kindly about your competition. It reveals a level of professionalism that customers want in their homes or businesses. Bashing the competition never sold an account, but speaking kindly about the competition has.”

Pete Schopen, owner
and founder, Schopen Pest Solution

Pete Schopen: “As I’ve talked about in my column before, we work with urgency. Having urgency isn’t just the appearance of being busy — anyone can do that. Rather, it’s about solving the client’s issues with passion and compassion. So, what sets Schopen Pest Solutions apart? Passion + Compassion = Urgency.”

Mark Sheperdigan, BCE: “We strive to maintain the best-trained service crew in the business.”

Dr. Hamilton Allen: “Consumers are bombarded by company logos and slogans on a minute-by-minute basis, so we focus less on being the ‘in-your-face’ brand with traditional marketing campaigns and more on highlighting the customer experience and our company values.”

Foster Brusca: “Setting your brand apart from other companies all starts with your ‘why.’ All companies should know their ‘why,’ because this is the foundation of a company’s mission and vision.”

Doug Foster

Doug Foster: “Our main differentiator is that we have an entomologist on staff. He not only can solve problems, but directs all of our training programs, so that his knowledge is ‘multiplied’ through our technicians and office staff.”

Kurt Scherzinger: “We keep a consistent and clean image. This includes everything from trucks, to uniforms, to reports, etc. This keeps us top of mind when someone thinks of pest service.”

Desiree Straubinger:“We’re always looking for ways to improve our product selection, technology and training to ensure our customers have the best possible experience.”