Vinke, yes, bugs. I've been a trapper since 1973 or 1974. I got into PC in 2000. When I started my own Company, I would do anything, including Mole and Gopher trapping. Trapping takes too much time, unless, it is close to home. My PC route covers about 300 square miles. I have 8-10 customers in each far away city I service. I learned the value of planning my route at my first job in PC. I go too many different directions making money every day to try to check traps in different areas everyday.
I don't use poison for Mice unless it is a farm. I don't trap squirrels unless they get around my exclusion attempts. My early customers called me the 'mouse detective' because I would find the opening and fix the problem permanently. Doing that has earned me many customers by word of mouth. I don't even advertise. 90 percent of my new customers are referrals. My only web presence comes from my membership in my local Chamber of Commerce. I get about ten calls a year from that.
Being a one-man show I don't have time to add a lot of customers. I add about 20 from word of mouth. My customers know I am 'old school' with my phone. If I am busy, talking or working, I don't answer my phone. Unless the caller ID says a name, family calls twice if its urgent, otherwise it goes to voicemail. When customers refer someone, they tell their friend up front, that is how I am.
Lt Grey called me once. His message cracked me up. "I'll be a good customer, I'll leave my name and number." I met him at 330-trappers house and explained how I do business. I saved that message for three month's before I saw 330 again. When I met Lt at 330's house, they had caught a skunk, and removed the quill. 330 mentioned something about his shop smelling 'skunky'. I had my atomizer with Epoleon in my truck. 330 asked what I would charge to clean up the smell. Lt about bust a gut with my response! "After 5 PM, on a Sunday? You ain't got enough money!" Of course, I did it for free
