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Owned by Lauralee

GP
Got pests?

1 member β€’ Free

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4 contributions to The Growth Lab
Hiring a sales rep
I have found that a really good sales rep will pay for themselves and maybe even teach you a few things. Not just a good one. A phenomenal sales rep. They come with experience and they may have a few tricks you haven’t seen. And if they came from a bigger company, they may have seen the service done differently or better than yours so leverage that employee’s knowledge to see if you could be more efficient or take on a new service. Sales is one of the easiest positions to manage. 1. Set their minimum quota based on sales from each month last year + 5%. 2. If they don’t hit that number, put them on a PIP. For the next 3 months they have to hit 80% then 90% then 100% of quota. If they miss a month, they get let go. 3. Set their commissions to grow AFTER they hit their minimum quota. Our reps are required to hit $50k. Once they hit their number, their commission grows only 1-2% at a time for the first 3 levels. And then it grows increasingly after that. This is to set the standard that at the minimum, you won’t make much money. But if you push past that you will make boatloads. This mitigates your risk and reserves a fat payday for the sales rep to the point when you can afford it. 4. Know when it’s time to hire your next sales rep. How many leads or appointments can one rep handle? What thresholds will you create so you have guidelines to make your next hire?
Hiring a sales rep
0 likes β€’ 3d
We don't do subscription type stuff aside from mosquitos; we solve the problem and put ourselves out of work But I do know i leave a lot of potential repeat business in the table by not having time to reach out regularly
0 likes β€’ 3d
We are Cottage Country Pest Control for a reason. Season is basically end of May to mid-October. Tried doing winter cottage checks but hell NO. No way that's happening.... trudging through thigh high snow is SO not fun. We use Gorilladesk, and I do have some recurring stuff set up through the season... one, two or three spider sprays per season; every three weeks for skitters.... but really isn't much market for the sort of thing you're talking about.
Why did you join this group?
Good morning everyone! This group has been very quiet since it started. I would love to hear why you joined the group? What is it that you are looking for?
1 like β€’ 3d
I joined because im trying to build my business and move past the i do everything stage. My main competitor has pretty much done himself in, so lots of opportunity- but i can't do everything myself. Or with unreliable or untrained employees. Got a licensed tech with a truck now... another probably coming back (but he's booksmart, not work smart, unfortunately). And two more subsidized employees to hire yet. .... and if I can find another and get another truck on the road, I could probably keep them going too. BUT its scary. Mostly it feels like everyone but me is making good money! Hubby wants me to retire... I want to grow it BUT by focusing on what I do best... the geek stuff and research and dealing with customers. ...we are very highly thought of and im proud of the work we do... be nice to grow it to the point where I could sell it or... whatever. Just walking away at this point would be stupid; ain't doing that! But i also need to standardize prices and make sure im accounting for the number of callbacks we typically do. Most of which I could do from home.
Objections: I need to talk to my spouse
This is the #1 sales objection I see across industries. The person in front of you defers their decision making powers to someone not in the room. Why would they do that? They don’t feel overwhelmed by the value, so they worry they are making a bad choice. So instead, they deflect to the need of a cheerleader. Does that cheerleader have all of the information? No. They weren’t there for your presentation. They won’t see the value, so it will turn into a price decision or brand recognition decision. If you find yourself having this objection frequently, it’s not them, it’s YOU. You are failing to build the value before the pitch. I’ll make a separate post on this. Let’s work on the objection itself. Method 1: Bring the power back Why are they the chosen one to be at the home during your inspection? Because they are the one who spends the money. They are the caretaker of the home. They deal with these things. Or the other spouse can’t be there so they have delegated. All of these reasons are the reasons why they ARE the decision maker. Re-empower them to make that decision. **Word track: β€œOhh I get it. Well I don’t wanna leave you in a bad spot. I couldn’t expect you to repeat everything I just went through for your spouse. So let’s just make sure you can answer their questions. What questions do you think they will have? … (it always boils down to price and reputation, if it’s anything else - you didn’t do a good job in the education portion before the pitch) … Ok so it’s just the money? And if you’re not jumping on board right this second it’s probably because it’s higher than you were either expecting or hoping to pay am I right? Check the boxes close: Perfect now we’re getting somewhere. Look I’ve done this thousands of times and the most common thing that people are looking for are: -A thorough inspection -An expert that can 100% solve their problem -A mom and Pop shop because you’re spending your money locally and you get better customer service -A place with a human that answers the phone
0 likes β€’ 3d
You must be in a more populated area than I am. No way im driving anywhere to do a sales pitch unless its termites. Occasionally doing estimates only over the phone bites me in the butt - but if it saves two hours of driving, im good with that. I will only very occassionally make exceptions.... termites, mostly. But generally I give them a price based on what they told me and then I stick to it. Unless they grossly downplayed the size of the property or problem, in which case I renegotiate. Guess im going to need another SOP for employees in case they show up and find the price needs to change. When I get the "I need to talk to..." thing, I let them know that I gave that price because im going to be in that area this weekend.... if you wait too long, the spot might fill and no guarantee ill be out that way again next weekend.... They usually call back with 10 minutes or so. Or rarely, they don't... but im so busy, I shrug and move along.
What roadblocks did you hit this week?
Did you get stuck on something this week? Did you try something new this week? Did you get some bad news, or fire someone this week? Did you make as much revenue or profit as you planned? Did you get interrupted too many times during the day and feel like you got nothing done? Did employees cause any new problems? Was it hard to get inventory? Did too many people call out sick? Look back at your week and post your roadblocks here
0 likes β€’ 11d
I'm sick. I did not schedule time for sick. And worse, it came on suddenly - right after I'd agreed to a same-day service that I absolutely would not have booked if I'd known my body was about to attack. Made me late, which made customer cranky, which I didnt feel like dealing with. But I did and all was well, more or less.
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Lauralee Proudfoot
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4points to level up
@lauralee-proudfoot-7781
I'm a problem-solver. Computers, pest control, whatever... there is usually a solution if you just BELIEVE.

Active 1d ago
Joined Jan 9, 2026