Starting Your Pest Control Company File #4 | Branding Your Business | A Pest Control Podcast

In this episode Anthony talks about the importance of a brand and how to build one for your business. Your brand is how your company looks, but also how it operates. 

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to another episode. As always, I'm your host, Anthony. I am a business owner and operator of a pest control company out of the state of California. How goes it? We're recording this in June, and business is picking up, and bugs are going crazy, as always, right? Today's episode is the fourth installment of starting your own pest control company. And today's episode is about branding. Branding your business. So let's jump right into it, shall we? What is a brand? Right? Well, a brand is essentially an identity. Okay. It is who you are, what you look like on surface level, but also what's underneath. So it's a mixture of both, right? So we're going to start with what your clients and future clients will see. So we'll start with the surface level of your business, and then we will dive into what separates your business. What is essentially your business's brand? Okay. So perception, the looks, the optics, whatever you want to call it, of your pest control company. Well, you need a branded, right? Let's say you had a work truck, and your work truck was in a wrap, and the wrap was, let's say, black and blue. And then in three months you re-wrapped it to black and red. And then in four months you rewrapped it to black and yellow. And all while having your company's name on there, right? Well, you're not really building a brand there. You're jumping back and forth. You want to build familiarity, you want clients to get familiar to your company, to your business, to who you are, right? For example, you want to be consistent. Let's say you want a white work truck, and then you want uh red letters on the side with your number on there, your logo, things like that, whatever it is. Let's say if you continue to have that for one year, two years, three years, that is going to get a lot of impressions. Now, impressions are essentially eyeballs, right? People that are looking at your company. Well, guess what? People don't call the first time they see your company. Sometimes they do, but it's been proven that you need to have impressions, right? You need to have a lot of people looking at your business, looking at your company, okay? And essentially that's going to lead to identity, a brand, right? So what is a brand? Well, a logo. What's your company's logo? Is it just a word? Is it an actual logo? Is it like a bug, or is it someone stomping a bug? Whatever it is, right? That's where you start. Let's start simple, okay? So if you have not listened to the other three episodes, please do. Uh sort of breaks down everything from the ground up, essentially, you know, helping you understand how to organize your business, understand how to grow your business, things like that. Well, now let's brand your business. Likely you've already had a logo and a name. Obviously, you do because you need to have your licensing. But essentially, how are you going to stand out, right? What's going to separate you from the other companies? Okay. So, what does your logo look like? This is one of the key ones, right? This is going to be on your website, on your emails, this is going to be everywhere. So I use Microsoft Outlook, and essentially I have a uh email signature. So, what an email signature is, is that whenever you send an email, it'll have perhaps your phone number, it'll have your name, your title, and your you know, company name, and your company logo. My signature has the company logo, it has my name, it has my title, the business owner, right? And it has my number, it has all my contact info and the website. And that's the key too. Your logo will be on your website, it's going to be on your Facebook page, it's going to be on your Google page. So these are things that you want to keep consistent. So try your best to find a logo early on that is going to stay and start to build those impressions, start to build the identity and start to build the familiarity. Well, what are some good softwares to build your logo, to design your logo? Okay, I'm not sponsored by any of these, so I'll just go ahead and let you know what I've had experience with and what I've personally used. I've used Photoshop, and there's also another free software that is available called GIMP. Now I am not that good at Photoshop or the latter, but I will say, and I'm not sponsored by them, but Canva.com is huge. It's like Photoshop for dummies, essentially. It's very easy to use, they have plenty of templates, everything like that, and that's how I designed my logo. Now, again, not sponsored, so I know it kind of sounds like a sponsor, but um go on canva.com if you're not too you know versed in design and things like that. Um, there is another website, again, not sponsored, but Fiverr. Um, Fiverr is a essentially a freelance website where you can commission artists, you could commission graphic designers, you could commission people to do freelance work for you, such as design your business logo, or help you perhaps design like a mascot or you know, whatever you want to do. Every business is going to be unique, every business is going to approach it in their own way. So now that we're getting our logo essentially fine-tuned and ready for permanent use, quality check it, send it to family, friends, clients, things like that. What pops more? What color scheme are you going to use? And how will that logo look on your hats? How will it look on your work shirts? And how will it look on your vehicle? Okay, so keep all that in mind, right? Because this is the optics of your business brand. This is what is going to build that identity in your community. This is what's going to say, oh, whenever we see that logo, we know that that's Chuck, right? Or we know that that's Chuck's business, right? So you want to start building that brand. Now, color scheme, huge, right? That is a huge part. Red pops. So there's a reason why a lot of people use red. The color schemes matter. I personally use blue and green, those are my favorite. I use a light blue and a light green. They feel comfortable, they look nice, they pop well, and essentially my whole thing is like, okay, I have my logo, I have my color scheme, and I essentially match my uniform based off of that. So usually I'm wearing anything from like, you know, a gray work shirt, blue. Um, I got my workshirts off VistaPrint, but the issue is that um they're not like high-quality work shirts. Eventually, I will need to work with a uh uniform company, although maybe a little bit more expensive than a one-time buy. Now, with that said, figure out your color scheme for your logo, figure it out for your vehicle. You can never go wrong with a white vehicle. Um, it's pretty safe. Because essentially, the white vehicle, like let's say work truck or a work van, is easy to add lettering. Maybe you're just starting out and you want to use a magnet that you're gonna throw on the side of your vehicle on the back of it, things like that. But you can never go wrong with a white vehicle. Um, or go get it wrapped, regardless of what color your vehicle is. There's plenty of companies out there that'll wrap your vehicle. I know in California for one to two thousand dollars. I know it's a little hefty, but hey, you're starting a business, right? Um, get your vehicle wrapped. It's going to look professional, sleek, nice. It's going to have your logo, your contact info, maybe a promotion you're running, maybe a deal you're running, right? And it's going to help you build that optic, build that brand, right? That's what we want to do. So sit down and theorycraft that fine-tune it. Run the idea by people. Say, hey, this is the you know, I want to do beige pants with a red shirt, work shirt, and a red hat, or perhaps you want to do, I want to do a black hat with a white work shirt and black work pants, whatever it is. You need to run it by people. Perhaps if you're in a hotter area, you probably want to use a white shirt or a light blue shirt or blue shirt, right? Um, things like that, you know, you just want to stay on top of. So you have your work uniform color scheme done, your logo is done, and the color scheme is done. And essentially, now you have your optics. You got your vehicle wrapped, or perhaps you have a logo on the side through a magnet that you bought. So, with that all in place, now it's time for you to spread that brand, right? Spread your identity, spread your optics. Okay, and it's simple. Upload your logo everywhere, right? Upload it, upload pictures of you in your uniform on your website or on Facebook or Google Business, things like that, right? So, to me, that is building the optics, that's going to build that familiarity. Now, people will see you, and perhaps, let's say you're a lone wolf, a solo guy, or you're a partnership at a very small company, or maybe you have four or five uh route runners on your roster, and essentially they're all wearing your uniform. That is going to add up. People will start seeing you around, and it's contagious because they'll say, I always see this truck. I always see Chuck's company, you know, like I always see these guys, they're in the white truck and they have that little um green logo of the tree or whatever it is, right? And that's going to start to build up. That branding is going to build up. And let's say that you correlate that to advertising, which is key. Perhaps you have a picture of one of your employees in the work uniform, maybe removing webs, or maybe treating for an insect or a pest, maybe setting traps in the attic or inspecting the home, and people will start to see that. Coupled with your logo, you have an employee or you in the picture as well with your work uniform on. People are going to see that, and then they'll probably start seeing you in the community or your employees, right? And they'll start seeing that. Oh, okay. I see them. I seen them before. I seen them on Facebook or I seen them on Google. Now I see them over here. Those little things are going to make people more inclined to purchase from you, to buy from your company, to become a client. And that's what the game is. We need revenue, we need income, we need clients to get comfortable with us, and we need clients to work with us, right? And what more better way to do that than to build trust? You can build trust with the client before you even talk to them, and it's all by branding, all by your company brand, the optics of it. Because if they see that you are always working, maybe you're always over at Bill's house every 60 days, and the neighbors keep seeing you, and they see your blue truck coming up, and your employees jumping out, or you're jumping out, right? It's all about the brand. People get familiar to it. They say, Well, they do bill every couple months. I mean, they've been doing it for three years now. Maybe I could give these guys a try. So that is the optics. Put your logo everywhere, put your uniform everywhere, build that trust and build that identity in your community, in your area, because it starts one city at a time. I know everyone wants to grow statewide or they want to grow nationwide. You have to start small. Prove you can build it in your own city first. So, out of Sacramento, there's a lot of like satellite cities around. So when I do sales, essentially I focus in areas and I go up and down streets. And I have built a pretty hefty route in certain areas, and it's weaker in other areas. But with that said, people are seeing me in my uniform, they're seeing me conduct service, they're seeing my logo, things like that. And it's helping slowly build that trust, right? So that brand identity is key because it's going to lead to referrals. You know, there's a lot of times where how does a referral work? People only refer a company, a business, or a person if they actually trust that person, right? If they actually trust, if I have my friend Ted over here use your services, I know you're going to succeed in helping Ted with his issues. You're going to help him. Then I look good, you look good, now you make more money. And what better way to help soften the blow of a of a referral than looking presentable, looking good, you looking uniform, having a brand. This way people understand who you are and what you do. Okay. So that is the optics portion. Now let's jump into the non-visible parts of your brand, right? This isn't your logo, not your uniform, not your work truck. What is your brand? What is the soul of your business? What is the inner workings? What makes your business the best business to use, to choose, to essentially have get rid of your issues? So, what set you apart? I know in the last podcast, the three tips of getting more sales in the pest control industry uh towards the end of the podcast. If you haven't listened to it, please do because it's uh some pretty easy information, very cheap information. It's free, um, but that will help you get more sales. Um, and I'm proof of it. I've generated a business from zero to where it's at now through sales and through following those simple tricks. Okay. Well, one of the tips was promotion, was what's setting you apart from other companies, from other businesses, right? So maybe your business has an ongoing promotion always. Maybe no matter what, you waive your initial fee, or maybe no matter what, you get half off when you start with us. What's going to set you apart? What is the identity and the brand of your business? So I'll talk more on to what I do with my business, but I have a three-year price lock. So essentially, if you sign up to my business and you become a client and you sign the agreement, then you will lock your price that I quoted you for three years. That is one thing that I tell people. It is one thing that people tell their friends, things like that, where it helps generate you that brand. Okay, cool. I know that Anthony over there, um, he's gonna lock my price. He's not gonna raise it, he's not going to essentially hit me with a surprise fee or anything like that. Because I know my price is locked. So that is essentially me branding. What is setting me apart? Well, the other guys might raise your price after a year after your contract's up. I have a three-year agreement, it's not a binding contract, and it locks your price. That's how I separate myself, along with guaranteeing the results. You know, there's just plenty of things you could add. Good customer service, always on time, always in time in the time windows. This is where you build your business, this is where you build your business's identity and brand. What are you going to enforce? You have to build your rules, not for just you, but for your clients and for your employees. You have to understand what is the importance of your brand. Because if you don't have a set price and you're charging Joe over here $59, and Bill $109, $109, and then Nancy $89, and then Michael over here is paying $79, and they all have the same exact service. Well, now you're a little scattered. Now, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with having variable pricing, but the tough part is there's no consistency. You're essentially looking for a deal. And I'll tell you a story where it's funny we had three clients all next to each other on the same street, and they're all residential clients, literally next-door neighbors. You we'd put them all on the same day and show up and get them done. Well, they weren't all paying the same price. And one time the clients talked and they said, Hey, I'm not being treated right. Why are they paying less than me? Right? And so sometimes, and obviously it's a little rare, but I like to have consistency, right? Because whenever people refer for me, they say, Hey, you know, you treat my friend John. Um, he says you usually do homes around this price. I have the same size home, and I always honor that. You know, I say, Well, I need to check it out if there's any active infestations or anything like that. There might be, you know, some variables to it, or if you want additional work done. But essentially, I'm charging the same price for everybody for all of my residential clients and commercial clients. I follow a price list, I follow a price sheet, and it helps with my identity because people know what to expect. Because imagine if you have a client that let's say you're charging for $100 per trip, and they say, Hey, I'm referring you to my friend, he's in the neighborhood, and maybe you are like, Okay, cool, let me try to get some more money. And then you try charging his friend $150. They might talk, and the friend might say, Well, wait a minute, why am I paying $50 more dollars than you? I have the same type of home. Well, it could go bad. You can lose a sale, you might lose some trust, and you might lose someone who says, Man, I can't refer my friends to my company anymore because they're trying to charge people more. Now, don't get me wrong, prices change. Let's say this person's been on with you for a long time, right? And you're sort of grandfathering their price for them. So I get that, but also there's some compromise needed, and ultimately, perhaps maybe raise the price, it'll help you out. But what is it that your brand will be? Right? This is all things that people don't see. This is how you conduct yourself. Maybe your office people answer the phone a certain way. Maybe there's a little gimmick. Maybe you advertise on the radio and you have a theme song. Maybe you have, you know, funny, a funny billboard campaign or something. These are the little things that are the optics, but also they promote who you are, how people will know when they interact with your business that they can trust you, that they can say, okay, they will deal with my issue, all while grabbing my attention and essentially holding on to it. Because you have to stand out, you have to be able to understand what the clients want. You know, do clients want the company that guarantees the work or the company that essentially looks better? Well, it depends because guess what? The client doesn't know the difference. Maybe the more catchy company is the one they want to go with. So, what if you're the catchy company that guarantees work? Well, now you're in business, right? Because you can show up to an unmarked vehicle with your products and your web pool, and then you're just in a plain, you know, work shirt, work boots, pants, no hat, no identity, identity, no uniform, nothing like that, no logo. And you show up, sure, you might get the job done good, you might get done right, and and the client's completely satisfied, but that's not going to work for every client. They want identity, they want some familiarity. They want to know, okay, cool. Like, this is the uniform that they wear. I understand that this is like how they're going to take care of anyone I refer and of my own property. So, what is it? A deal, you know. You have to understand this, you have to build this. Are you going to have promotions, deals? What is your guarantee? Do you guarantee your work through free callbacks? It's little things like this that is going to build your brand, build your identity on both the surface where the optics are and the eyeballs are, and on both the sub area, the the you know, where the inner workings, the cogs of your business operate. Now, what good is a brand without having employees on board? So I'm going to address two um parts of it, perhaps your partnership or your uh solo, or you have a small business or a large one, you know, you can benefit from this too. But let's break it down. Let's start with a small company. Okay, let's say you're an owner and you have a handful of people uh employed through your business. Well, your brand is only as strong as who is representing it. Because if you have a brand that you built so long for and you have no enthusiasm from your employees to promote it, to be the brand, to keep the brand alive, then guess what? The brand will die. It will. It people will lose the trust, the optics won't mean much. Because how many times do you get sales where you know I got this company? They were so good at first, they took care of every issue, they got all the webs down, they were on time, prompt, and now they don't even call me anymore when they're on the way, they don't even notify me, they're here for five minutes, they're this, they're that. I hear that all the time. And it's sad because that brand the company built is gone. That facade that you paint, well, it's not really facade, but that image you painted of your business is gone because now the action of an employee has ruined it. The trust was lost, and now that whenever that client sees your work vehicle or sees your uniform, now they'll say, Oh man, that's the people who started doing bad. They were good, then they started doing bad. How to cancel them. So make sure your employees buy into your brand, your identity. Maybe it's something as simple as you always ask if you would like the interior done or the garage done, or perhaps you're always putting glue boards in the garage, or maybe it's something as simple as, you know, I put wash traps and fly traps. I'm gonna change those out for you today. Make sure everyone's on board and enthusiastic about it. It's simple to implement, just add it to their training and just tell them this is how we conduct our home pest control service. What you'll do first is remove the webs, you'll do this, that, things like that, right? Um, one of our identities when I was a general manager, essentially, was always check in to the client's house, no matter what, knock and always check and ask them if there's anything they noticed, any issues, any pest issues they've noticed. No matter what, you knock, you try to get a hold of somebody. There's a lot of companies that don't even knock, they want anytime services, they just want business as usual. You know, there's nothing wrong with that, but you know, it it's perhaps that's your identity, that's your brand, where it's you're the no-nonsense, you're the we don't need to talk to you, you know, just let us know if there's issues. We notify you when we're here, we show up, we don't knock, and things like that, right? So it's just little things like that, navigating through it. What will set you apart? Make sure your employees buy in to your brand, make sure they're enthusiastic about it because you're only as far as your or sorry, you're only as good as your employee, right? You're only as good as the people around you. You can never have the per right mindset or the perfect idea without cooperation from those who take care of your business because that's what employees do. They are the essentially the engine of your business, and perhaps your enthusiasm and everything and your brand could be the fuel, right? So let's go to the freelancers and the partnerships. Make sure everyone's on board about the brand. Make sure that you're on board with your brand. Don't go out there and say, you know, I'm gonna do free callbacks for any issue, and then you essentially say, No, you know what, I can't do that. I'm losing money. Um, any chance that we can work out a deal, maybe charge you a trip fee. Then now clients will start to know, well, no, they don't, he doesn't do free callbacks, or that you know, that business doesn't do them, they don't do it because they you know try to charge me. Make sure you're upholding your own word, give yourself rules, be your own boss. Okay, make sure that once you design your brand, you follow it, you follow your dress code, you follow your service instructions, you follow your brand. And for bigger companies, obviously you've probably already built a brand, but now you need to train train your employees to uphold your brand. What is one thing you do? Well, every single one of our stops has a thorough web removal, and that's why people love your business, right? The webs are gone, can't see any of them. Well, what if an employee does not do good on the webs? And clients start seeing that, and now they're saying, Man, you know, the last guy, or or when I first got with this company, it was great, there was never any webs, but now I'm starting to see black widow webs or webs on my light fixtures or eaves. Now your brand's starting to take damage, and perhaps you won't be referred to people, or maybe the clients talk or leave a bad review, or now you're out for a free service because there's webs, right? Build the brand and then make sure you uphold it, and your employees uphold it and they follow it. So that's it today. Pretty simple, but good luck out there. Thank you for listening. And if you made this far, there is a link that you can send in a voice message or a message. I get to see it and reply to you. So if you want to give some feedback, if you want me to address anything on the podcast, or if you want to be on the podcast, please reach out. I would love to hear from you. Thank you so much and have a great day.