Sales Training Manual 2023

SALES REPRESENTATIVE
TRAINING MANUAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prospecting 4
Objections 6
Qualifying Questions 9
Initial Approach 11
Closing 13
The Pitch 15
Features vs Benefits 17
Featured Training: D2D Millionaire x Avayda 19
Our Treatments are Safe 47
6 Step Process Overview 49
Avayda 6 Step Process in DETAIL (Tech copy) 51
Tri-Annual Treatments + Avayda Promise 61
Pest Identification 64
1000 Little Things 110
3
PROSPECTING
4
PROSPECTING
One of our jobs as sales reps is to gather the most information about every specific situation as
we can. This helps us not only close more sales but also customizes and maximizes the value to
the customer.
1. APPEARANCE AND BROAD APPEAL

This is speaking, conducting and presenting ourself in a matter that caters to as many people
as possible.
If we want consumers to trust us, then we have to speak properly, confidently and avoid slang.
This instills trust in the customer that we are professionals. When we couple the power of
language with proper hygiene, and dress, we create broad appeal.
2. KNOWING YOUR TURF

We want our customer base to know we can solve their issues, and we can relate to their
circumstance. While every customer is unique, often the problems that we are attempting to
solve follow trends.
Knowing the age of the subdivision, age of the home, current events, current weather trends
and specific pest related issues will make our job much easier. People are much more inclined
to make purchasing decisions if their community has already done the same. When we can
approach a customer with credible knowledge, it buys us more time and makes them more
inclined to listen to the offering rather than trying to find the ‘scam’.
There is a number of ways to find all of this information out but the easiest way is to connect
with members of the community who have lived in their home for an extended period of time.
Whether or not this person in interested in what you are doing or not, take the time to ask the
proper questions about the community. For example- how long have you lived here? What’s
your first name? How old is the development? Is the area transient? What pests are the most
common? Does your sump pump work pretty hard year-round? As you acquire this
information, make sure to keep detailed notes and incorporate it in your sales flow immediately
to customize the process.
EXAMPLE
WITHOUT PROSPECTING
My name is Chris, I work with Avayda. We’re the bug guys. Did Jen and Bill mention we’d be
coming by? Tomorrow while I have a truck in the area, we are doing the service for 60% off. How
long have you been here? What’s the age of this development? Are you guys like the neighbours-
you also get a ton of spider activity?
WITH PROSPECTING
My name is Chris, I work with Avayda. You’ve probably seen our trucks at Jim and Shelley’s, they
moved in about 2 years ago. No one is dealing with anything crazy, but like them, I’m sure you’ve
seen that this time of year typically gets bad for mice.
(Please make sure to get permission to use the specific neighbour's name)
5
OBJECTIONS
6
OBJECTIONS
TWO TYPES
Smoke screens and qualifying objections
SMOKE SCREENS
Smoke Screen is simply an attempt to remove you from the situation as politely (or not politely)
as possible. These will happen immediately after knocking the door and will occur without the
customer knowing both who you are and what the offering is. The way to handle smoke
screens is simply to agree and move on.
EXAMPLE: Right after knocking the door, a lady answers and says “I’m busy right now.” The
response to this is “I understand, my name is Chris and I work with Avayda, did Jim and Nancy
mention we’d be stopping by or have you seen our trucks?” This immediately buys time and
builds quick credibility to be able to transition to the next step of the sales process. The way we
transition off a smokescreen is by asking a question immediately after agreeing.
QUALIFYING OBJECTIONS
Qualifying objections are questions or problems the consumer needs solved to purchase the
product. These will generally occur once the customer knows who you are and what the offer is
to them.
EXAMPLE: “Too expensive”, “I don’t have any bugs”, “I do it myself", “The weather is cold here”, “I
already have a service”, “This isn’t environmentally friendly”. The way we transition off of a
qualifying objection is to normalize it and provide an anecdotal solution to it.
ANTICIPATING OBJECTIONS
in any industry we will hear common objections. In pest control we will hear objections such as
price, environment, do it yourself, we don’t have bugs, we have another company. Common
objections need to be brought up before they happen. From a psychological standpoint once a
customer’s think of an objections, they have a hard time processing the sales pitch until they
are heard. Humans love to be heard.
EXAMPLE: “While we are out here we are actually doing it for 60% off. Customers are willing to
work with our route”…Without the customer saying “We can’t afford this”, we’ve let them know
that this service will be cheaper than it usually is and gives us time to build more value before
dropping the final price.
EXAMPLES
“The reason we are out here is because a lot of customers haven’t found an environmentally
safe products to use because they have pets.” [ Environment objection ]
“The Jones’ didn’t use any pest control service until they got ants, and like most people tried to
go to Lowes and handle it themselves which was super frustrating. Our Techs must be licensed
to handle the product, which obviously what works isn’t available over the counter”.
[ Do it yourself ]
(Continued on next page)

7
OBJECTIONS
It’s very normal for the customer to object without you having brought it up first. There are
many ways to handle this; but using feel, felt, found is typically the most effective.
EXAMPLE
“I think most people feel that pesticide is naturally harmful to the environment. The Jones’ felt
the same way, they have pets and don’t want anything to hurt them obviously. What they’ve
found is that because our Technicians are fully licensed, and the product is organic, this is the
safest method to handle their wasps. They also loved that the product is guaranteed for wasps,
which can sting pets or children.” [ Overcoming harmful to pets ]
8
QUALIFYING QUESTIONS
9
Throughout the entire process of prospecting to closing, we are attempting to gather as much
information as possible to create specific value for the customer. Credibility will always come
before value. So, we cater our early qualifying questions to trust, and then begin to build value.
WHAT IS A QUALIFYING QUESTION?

These are questions designed to give us a road map of the next step in our sales process.
EXAMPLE:
“Are you the homeowner?” “Have you talked to the neighbours?” “Have you seen our trucks?”
In these examples the customer answering yes or no will allow to proceed or to pull back. If a
customer has seen our trucks in the area, then we will need to focus slightly less on credibility
and more on how our trucks being the area can specifically build value to them, and how our
trucks have built value for some of their neighbours.
If the customer hasn’t seen our trucks or talked to the neighbours, then we need to focus on
being simple and credible with our initial approach in an attempt to pull back and build
credibility. After we have gotten through our initial approach, our qualifying questions will start
to tell us the direction we need to take in order to close the sale and add value to the customer.
“Do you guys have a service that comes out for you yet?”
“Have you seen our trucks in the neighbourhood?”
“Did (neighbour) mention we might be stopping by?”
“What have you traditionally done in the past to get rid of pests?”
“What kinds of pests have you noticed?”
“Are you more concerned with pests on the inside or outside?”
“What part of your property have you noticed the most activity?”
“What time of year do you generally have the most activity/concern?”
“Are you familiar with the year-round pest model?”
“Has flooding ever been an issue here?”
"How old is the home?”
“Where did you move from?”
10
INITIAL APPROACH
11
INITIAL APPROACH
GOAL
Who you are, what you’re doing, and what’s in it for them/us ( over and over again in a day, it’s a
numbers game) The initial approach should take roughly 30 seconds and will usually involve
overcoming a quick smoke screen. Starting with the door approach we want to master simplicity.
EXAMPLE:
“Sorry to bug you, do you own the house? I’m Chris I work with Avayda- we’re the bugs guys. You’ve
probably seen our trucks working with Jim and Susan up the road, while we are in Cranston, we are
doing our service for 60%. No one is dealing with anything crazy, but this is a new development and
being this close to the ridge we know that once the homes start to settle people will start to see the
spiders and wasps etc.”
Simple and repeatable are the important points here. We know we need broad appeal through
proper prospecting; but it’s equally important to have broad appeal through our initial approach and
this is done through simplicity and by building rapport.
12
CLOSING
13
CLOSING
ABC
Always Be Closing
The more “Yeses” we get ultimately leads to the final “Yes”
Misconceptions about closing

Soft close/hard close/option close
Cues to close
Closing isn’t about a magical one liner. Closing is the process of getting the customer to gradually
agree that value is being built, this value ultimately exceeds the price which is the definition of a sale.
SOFT CLOSE
Are subtle “Yeses” throughout the process, we want the customer to slowly start to see value in our
product. Repeating questions like “Does that makes sense?” throughout the process is critical to find
out where we are in the process. Assumptive phrases such “We know everyone takes care of pests in
some capacity” or “Nobody enjoys having a wasp nest in their backyard or ants in their basement” are
good examples of soft closes as well.
HARD CLOSE
We typically use this as an “Assume the sale”. Doing this, we attempt to skip the customer having to
give us a hard “Yes” and move past that into signing the agreement or giving us information to add to
the contract.
EXAMPLE: “I’m sure that makes sense, what’s your address?” or “What time works best for your house
to get sprayed?”
OPTION CLOSE
We don’t want the customer answering a lot of “Yes” or “No” questions because there is little dialogue
involved with this ,and it gives the customer a quick out by simply saying “No” so we give them an
option.
EXAMPLE: “Do you see more value in this in the Summer or the Winter?” “Do pests on the inside or the
outside of your house concern you more?” By doing this we are gauging we are at, and engaging the
customer in specific dialogue.
14
THE PITCH
15
THE PITCH
“Hey sorry to bug you, are you the homeowner?”
“Perfect, my name is Chris and I work with Avayda- the bug guys. Did Tamara and James mention I’d
be coming by?”
“Tomorrow, while our trucks are in the area servicing your neighbours, we are doing our pest control
service for 60% off to fill our route in Cranston. No one Is dealing with anything crazy out here, but
obviously being that’s its April and we are this close to the river, James and Tamara decided to get
something done before the spiders (ants, rats, mice etc.) started to get bad again.”
“How long have you guys been here for?”
“Perfect, we treat homeowners seasonally. This means that we come 4x this first year on scheduled
visits because it’s impossible to solve the problem with a one-time treatment. In between scheduled
visits we guarantee the service so if you see any of these issues arise, we will come out for free as many
times as we need to solve the problem.”
“I’ll show you exactly what we are doing at your neighbour’s tomorrow and then I’ll get out of your hair:
The first thing we do is, sweep and dust the soffit and the eaves. This gets rid of and prevents future
spider web accumulation by leaving behind a residual that prevents the spiders from egging and
hatching up there. The second thing we do is a barrier spray- this goes about a foot up and a foot along
the base of the home getting rid of bugs as they come into or out of the home, on contact.”
“Have you guys mainly seen pests on the outside, or is it on the inside as well?”
“The third part of our process is to check higher risk areas on the inside of the home like electrical
rooms and faucets for pest activity, so we can ensure that nothing is getting into the home. Lastly, we
will treat any specific areas that you have seen pest activity, I know that Tamara had seen wasps around
her back deck so we will make sure to get rid of problem areas like that."
“So, like I said, tomorrow while the trucks are here, we are doing the service for 60% off to fill our
technician’s route in Cranston. We charge you $750 for the year- typically the first service is $500, we
discount that by $200 tomorrow, and then the 3 additional treatments are $180 each, but we break
that down monthly. So, the first treatment is $200 and then its $49.99 after that per month, with no
long-term agreement. If you like our service after the first year, great we will come and do it again the
following year. If it’s not for you, then you are not tied into anything after the first year.”
“What have you guys typically done in the past to get rid of the spiders?”
“The neat thing about our service, is that our Technicians are licensed to use eco-friendly products that
are much more effective than what you can get at Lowes or Home Depot, so our treatments are a
much better long term solution. Make sense?”
“What time works better for you tomorrow – morning or evening?”
16
FEATURES VS BENEFITS
17
FEATURES VS BENEFITS
Far too often, as Sales Reps, we are concerned with the features of what we are selling.
To define what a feature is let’s use a simple example.

EXAMPLE: When we purchase a TV, the features are the pixels (4K), the size (65 inches) and the
frequencies (120Hz). While these specs are impressive, they don’t simplify the value to the customer.
The benefits to the same example are incredible colour, crystal clear picture, and convenient for our
living space.
Ideally, we then use an example specific to the customer based off of qualifying questions. What we
want to attempt to do is describe a feature and follow it with a benefit.
EXAMPLE:
If the customer likes watching sports, we can say this TV is 65 inches in 4k. This means it will perfectly
fit your man cave and you can watch basketball with a crystal-clear picture.
The 6 Step process of Avayda’s service are the features of what we are offering, the benefit is going to
be tied emotionally to each household differently. Let’s give some specific examples of this.
EXAMPLE:
If a customer has never really had any issues with bugs, we can tell them that’s exactly why we are here.
Most people wait until there is an infestation which requires spot treatment, to eliminate the pest. Our
6-step process not only eliminates existing pests, but prevents future pest pressure. The first thing we
do is an exterior coverage through our sweep/dust process and then we do a crack and crevice
treatment. This eliminates things like spider webs and bugs living in the cracks of the exterior. We then
provide a water-resistant barrier that makes it difficult for bugs to enter home with dying. Lastly, we
treat the inside of the house with eco-friendly product to eliminate bugs in common gathering areas.
These are great because the interior and exterior part of the home are now treated and warrantied for
any future problems.
EXAMPLE:
If a homeowner has had specific issues with wasps, we let them know that not only will we come out
and safely remove the nest, but through our spot treatment (which is specific areas of concern for the
customer) we will provide guarantee that if they ever return, we will re-service them for free.
EXAMPLE:
Ants are a very common issue where we work, and through our foundation barrier treatment, which is
spraying from the ground to 4-6 inches above the ground, we begin to fight the pest pressure they
cause. It’s important we do an annual service on ants, because a one-time treatment such as a can of
raid, simply reroutes them. It can take up to 3 years to fully get rid of the problem, which is why our
year-round service becomes so important.
18
FEATURED TRAINING
D2D MILLIONAIRE + AVAYDA
19
INITIAL APPROACH
THE INITIAL APPROACH

While selling door to door you will be stating your initial approach more than anything else. Day in and
day out, door after door, your initial approach is intended to be the first 30 to 45 seconds of your
conversation with everybody you are trying to sell. You will increase your success by mastering an initial
approach that is confident, conversational and fits your personality.
THE ANTI-SALESPERSON
As a rule of thumb, you will want every one of your contacts to believe you are not a door-to-door
salesperson. In general, when people open the door and see you standing on their doorstep, they
initially react in a defensive manner. To bypass this reaction, you cannot live up to their expectations.
They are expecting you to act like a salesperson – loud, pushy, fast-talking and obnoxious. Instead, you
must remain calm, confident, professional and mild-mannered. Displaying characteristics going
against the person’s expectations will allow you more time to sell them.
The best initial approaches are simple and confident. When you get too complicated and wordy, you’ll
lose the potential customer in a maze of useless information. Each person will be different in what they
need to hear to be sold. It’s better for them to ask questions than it is for you to rattle off mindlessly
giving information that is of no concern to them. It’s important to know as much as you can about the
service you are selling because each particular contact’s questions and concerns will be different.
People generally have short attention spans and need to be captivated with simple, direct approaches.
Even the most interested of potential customers will only retain a small portion of the information you
give them.
QUALIFIERS
Before you explain every detail of what you are selling, you need to qualify potential customers to make
sure they are ready to hear more and you aren’t wasting your time. Below are the three main qualifiers:
1) If the contact asks you how much the service costs.

2) If the contact admits (or you observe) a need for the service.
3) If the contact already has the service you are selling.
By using the concept of a discount in your initial approach, you should be able to qualify your potential
customer by getting them to ask you how much the service costs. You could say,
“…and while we’re here we are going to be offering our services at half-price.” At this point you will want
to pause and let the person make the next move. If somebody has an interest in buying something,
one of the first things they’ll want to know is how much they are going to have to spend to get it. If
there isn’t much of an interest, the contact won’t bother to ask the price and it will be time to move on
to the next door.
20
INITIAL APPROACH
If a potential customer admits to needing your service or you observe a need, they automatically
qualify for the service. You may be able to determine this when walking up to their doorstep. If you see
evidence of pests such as spider webs around the windows, wasp nests in the eaves, or ant beds in the
yard, you should address these issues in a non-confrontational manner to qualify them for the service.
For example, “…most of the folks in the neighbourhood are seeing these spider webs by their windows
(pointing to a window) and we’re trying to get them taken care of before they start trafficking inside
your home.” The best way to use this approach is to emphasize that everybody else in the
neighbourhood is seeing the same things and it’s no big deal. This avoids confrontation and the
person will not feel threatened.
Another automatic qualifier is if the person already has the service you are offering. If this is the case,
you don’t need to convince them of the importance of having the service. The correct way to approach
a customer from another company is described in the Overcoming Concerns section of the Playbook.
It should be noted there is value in double qualifying a potential customer. Just because you observe a
need or find out they already have the service you are offering, doesn’t mean you should avoid
qualifying them by getting them to ask how much your service costs. In fact, most sales reps will
initially try to qualify potential customers by getting them to ask how much the service costs before
qualifying them in the other ways that have been noted.
Get in the habit of trying to qualify each contact two or three times before leaving. If you are selling a
discounted price and aren’t asked how much the service costs after your initial approach, don’t walk
away just yet. Make another point about the service and try offering the discounted price again to see if
the person takes the bait. Once you’ve attempted to get the potential customer to ask you how much
the service costs or to talk about their needs for the service and failed at least three times, it’s probably
time to move on to the next door.
Don’t waste time going through detailed descriptions of what you are offering if the potential
customer has not qualified for your time.
Being able to qualify people quickly will save you a ton of time. Once you’re able to identify if a person
has a level of interest, you’ll know how much time you should spend trying to sell them.
FINDING YOUR NICHE

You will learn quickly you cannot perfectly replicate another sales rep’s style of selling. If your initial
approach doesn’t match who you are, it will come off sounding canned and scripted. Potential
customers will see through you in a second and dismiss you readily. If you’re more of a serious person
then a serious approach would probably work best for you. If you’re extremely outgoing and
personable, you’ll want to utilize these traits during your initial approach. No matter what your
personality, you must be interesting in order to keep the attention of the person standing in front of
you.
21
INITIAL APPROACH
It’s important to adjust your initial approach and try making it slightly different with each person you
talk to. You might come across a home with beautiful landscaping, a nice vehicle in the garage or even
a pet. Don’t be afraid to mention these things to the potential customer. For example, “I noticed your
Camaro in the driveway, what year is it?” (Wait for their answer) “It’s really nice, my grandma had one
just like it, well hey, I just want to take a second of your time and let you know what your neighbours
are doing…I’m with…”
By mixing up your initial approach you’ll have a more enjoyable door-to-door experience and the days
won’t seem as long and monotonous. Make sure to try a variety of initial approaches your first few
weeks in the field. You’ll soon start to realize what approach works best for you. Understand, even the
most experienced door-to-door sales reps constantly work to master their initial approaches. Just when
you think your approach can’t get any better, you’re exactly wrong.
NAME-DROPPING
There is a good chance the people you talk to will know several other families in their neighbourhood.
Thus, if used correctly, name-dropping will increase your credibility and sales production tremendously.
The idea behind name-dropping is to create a bandwagon effect and get a group of neighbours to
purchase the same service. Pricing of services is often directly related to how many people in the same
area are set up with the same provider. In fact, neighbours will oftentimes be offered a discount so
customer routes can be filled or established in a close geographical area.
Neighbourhood discounts can cut down on travel time between appointments, thus making the
company more efficient by having the ability to service more homes in a shorter period of time. Many
neighbourhoods you sell in may already have current customers of your company. It will be important
for you to gather names of these customers and use them to your advantage. Using names of
neighbours and/or street names will let those you approach realize you are not a cold-calling, door-to-
door salesperson. You are in their neighbourhood for a specific purpose.
Here are some examples of effective name-dropping techniques:
EXAMPLES:
“Hi, my name is Cody and I’m with ABC Pest, you’ve probably seen our trucks in the area the past few
years, we service the Parker family across the street. We are filling up a route here in this area and are
offering a big discount on our initial service for a couple more homes…”
“Hi, I’m the route coordinator for ABC Pest and I’m not sure if you’ve heard what we’ve been doing out
here the past few days, but we’ve had some neighbours requesting services so we’re offering sixty
percent off the initial service…”
“Hi, I’m the bug guy and we’re going to be over at the Anderson’s and Morris’ tomorrow taking care of
some spiders and wasps, while we’re in the neighbourhood I’ve got room on my route for about two or
three more families that I’m giving a huge discount to while we’re here…”
22
INITIAL APPROACH
EXAMPLES (CONT.)
“Hi, I’m with ABC Pest and we’re servicing some homes on Cottage Canyon tomorrow and Thursday,
we’re giving half off of our pest control services to take care of three or four more homes while we’re
here…”
Name-dropping can even be used when you haven’t sold anybody in the neighbourhood. For example,
“…I was just talking to Bill and Julie next door and we’re offering a huge discount to a few neighbours
while we’ve got a technician out here today and tomorrow…” Bill and Julie don’t have to be customers
to use their names but by using their names you are establishing credibility with their neighbours.
As you can tell from these examples, an important aspect of selling door to door is urgency. If you give
people too much time to think about whether or not they want the service, they will more than likely
talk themselves out of it. If possible, avoid scheduling services for your sales more than a few days away.
The primary reason for the discount is to get your company’s technicians servicing as many homes as
possible in as short of a time frame as possible, thus making it easier to schedule the customer’s follow
up visits on the same day.
Name-dropping can be especially helpful if you sell a customer who is well known by his or her
neighbours. Some sales reps have had success using a well-known customer’s name to get others to
buy. For example, “Hi, I’m with ABC Pest and the Kennedy’s have negotiated a discounted price with us
for the entire neighbourhood. I’m sure you know Craig and Kimberly (nodding your head up and
down)…well, what we are doing for them is…”
Effectively using name-dropping with a sense of urgency will communicate to the potential customer
you didn’t knock on their door by chance. Your purpose is to fill a route and make the scheduling more
convenient. Using name-dropping techniques effectively will help to skyrocket your sales production.
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INITIAL APPROACH
CATERING THE APPROACH

When a potential customer opens the door, you don’t want them to think they are hearing a rehearsed
approach you’ve been using all day. Although this might be true, this is the first and possibly the only
time you will be explaining the service to that particular person, thus you’ll want to make them feel as if
what you’re saying is specifically catered to them. Understanding your surroundings and using
information you’ve gathered from others will make your initial approach seem fresh and new.
Some factors you can use to cater your initial approach are: type of house, age of house, common pests
in the area, wealthier neighbourhoods and surrounding areas.
TYPE OF HOUSE
When speaking to a potential customer with vinyl siding you could knock on the siding and say, “Do
you hear that hollow sound (nod your head up and down)? Siding is great for protecting your home
against the elements, but pests love it because they can easily nest in the space between the siding
and the drywall. Eventually pests move into the home when the weather gets cooler. Our treatment is
designed to stop pests from nesting…” As you explain the process of pests moving into the home, bend
down and put your fingers underneath the siding and ask, “Do you see this opening? You’d be amazed
at what gets underneath here.” You can ask them to put their fingers underneath there too, but
chances are they never will, you’ve already proven your point.
When selling brick homes, explain how the weep holes in the brick allow pests to nest and reproduce
year-round. Then, when the weep holes become overcrowded with pests, they will typically move
towards the inside of the home to find shelter.
If you’re in a neighbourhood with stucco homes your approach could be, “I’m sure you know how
much bugs like these stucco homes (nod and get them to agree). Over the course of time as your
house settles, you’ll start to notice cracks in the stucco. Spiders, mice and other insects move along the
foundation to find these cracks for protection. Before you know it, you’ll start seeing pests on the inside
of your home. What we do to prevent that is…”
Selling in houses with basements, whether finished or unfinished, is another great selling point. The
majority of pest activity starts in the basement because window wells and doorways are easy entry
points. You’ll want to explain to potential customers that as these areas are being treated, pests will be
less likely to find a way into their home.
With any house structure, explaining how pests get into the wall voids is critical. When pests have
access to the wall voids they are left undisturbed and have a perfect place to reproduce. People will
start noticing pests when they become overcrowded and look for somewhere else to nest. Explaining
how cracks and crevices are serviced will help potential customers see how effective a regular service
will be for their home.
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INITIAL APPROACH
AGE OF HOUSE
Brand new homes (0-2 years old) – In a brand new home, there probably hasn’t been much pest
activity since the potential customer moved in. It’s important to address this concern in your initial
approach by saying something like, “Being that your home is brand new, I’m sure you haven’t seen any
pest activity yet (nodding your head back and forth), but this is exactly why we want to start servicing
your home. I’m sure you know what happens if nothing is done to prevent pests from coming into your
home (nodding your head up and down). For these newer homes we like to set the foundation early to
avoid future issues with pests.”
Let the person know when new houses are being built the windows and doors are constantly left open
and there is a good chance that pest activity has already gotten inside prior to the finishing touches
being done to their home. If treatment is started early enough, the pests won’t overcrowd themselves
and become visible in the future. You may also want to point out if other homes are under construction
in their neighbourhood the digging and movement of land has the potential to stir up more pests that
could start making their way towards their home.
By starting your initial approach admitting to the potential customer they shouldn’t be seeing any pest
activity will immediately qualify those who already have seen activity. It only takes one spider in a new
home to convince the potential customer that more are on the way if something isn’t done to find out
where they are getting in and how to stop them from reproducing.
Another concern that comes up with brand new homes is that they may not be landscaped. However,
this is the perfect time to start a pest control service. A good way to combat a person’s objection of
wanting to wait to get serviced until they get their yard put in, is to explain how bringing in foreign soils
such as sod, plants or flowers can also bring in pests with it. Getting the bare soil treated prior to
landscaping assists in controlling pests by putting a layer of product underneath the area where these
foreign soils and plants will be planted. Then, once the home is fully landscaped and treatment
continues, the top layer of product will assist the bottom layer in eliminating pests from their yard.
NEW HOMES (3-5 YEARS OLD)

When somebody has lived in their home for three to five years there is a good chance they have
encountered some pest activity. The best approach for these types of homes is similar to your approach
in brand new homes. Emphasize that most homes start having major issues with pests after five years.
Although a home under five years old will encounter some pest activity, chances are it won’t be
anything too serious, therefore you’ll want to explain how the service helps to eliminate the potential of
serious pest issues down the road.
Most new homes will be fully landscaped so it’s important to explain how a regular service will keep an
active barrier around the home to protect it from pest activity wandering in from other areas.
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INITIAL APPROACH
SEMI-NEW HOMES (6-10 YEARS OLD)

Homeowners in six to ten year old homes are very likely to have experienced some sort of pest activity.
Selling potential customers in semi-new homes is all about painting a picture of what will become of
their home if a regular, professional service isn’t started. There is a good chance the homeowner has
already been doing some type of maintenance for their home, but in no way will this maintenance be
sufficient as the home ages.
The best approach with people in semi-new homes is to explain in detail how your services and
products are much more effective than what can be purchased at the local hardware store. You could
ask, “So what type of products do you use to treat for the ants?” Or, “Do you go around with a hand
sprayer or a granule spreader of some sort?” Basically you want to find out what products and
methods of treatment the homeowner is using and then explain in detail how your services are an
upgrade.
You can explain how the money they spend for their own products is lost if the product doesn’t work,
whereas your services are guaranteed. In the past, sales reps have gone so far as to figure out with their
potential customer how much they spend a month on pest control products. In fact, there have been
some people who spend more than what they would be spending by hiring a professional service.
Nevertheless, even if a professional service is more costly, the service is guaranteed, meaning the
person will get exactly what they pay for.
OLDER HOME (11-19 YEARS OLD)

Potential customers in older homes will rarely tell you they haven’t seen pests in or around their home.
A home this old is certain to have had pest activity. Therefore, your selling point needs to be how hiring
a professional to care for their pest issues will save them the time and stress of having to deal with it
themselves. Explain how the interior service will eliminate pests from being able to traffic in and out of
their home. Be thorough in your explanation of the other services offered throughout the year.
Pay attention to the landscaping around these homes as well. At this age, homes will probably have
trees and shrubs that are grown enough to be touching the sides of the home and/or the roof of the
home. Branches make for easy access into a home for pests. Also look for wear and tear of the home.
Stucco homes will probably have cracks that can harbor pests. Even the most solidly built homes will
have settled over the years, making areas of access for pests to get into the home.
VERY OLD HOMES (20+ YEARS OLD)

It’s probable that a home this old has been occupied by more than one owner. Emphasize the
importance of a flush out program and explain how difficult it is to know if the previous owners of the
home have had pest issues and if so, what they’ve done to help the situation. If nothing or very limited
pest control measures have been taken, there is a good chance that nesting, overpopulation and
possible infestations have already occurred. Explain how a regular service will break up the
reproductive cycles of the pests and start the process of making their home completely controlled of
any pest activity.
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INITIAL APPROACH
No matter how old a home is you can always use the approach of, “Generally it’s recommended in
homes this age that they get a flush-out done…” This approach is designed to get the potential
customer to ask you what a flush-out is, thus opening the door for you to explain what the service
entails.
COMMON PESTS IN THE AREA

Whether you make the sale or not, make sure you are finding out all you can about common pests in
the area. Even when you’re rejected you could ask, “So what type of pest activity do you normally see
during the warmer months of the year?” Getting a few neighbours to answer this question will build
your arsenal of information for later in the day. Once you find two or three homes dealing with the
same type of pest, you can confidently use that pest during your initial approach.
EXAMPLE:
“Hi, I’m the bug man in the area and we’re going to be servicing some homes in your neighbourhood
today and tomorrow. I’ve been talking with the Reeves’ and Sorensen’s they say they’ve been seeing
some spiders around the outside of their homes, most people out here are. We want to make sure
everybody is getting serviced so we’re not just chasing the spiders around from home to home...”
Make sure you don’t disqualify the potential customer by saying, “Everybody out here is getting the box
elder bugs and we’re going to be servicing them tomorrow...” If the person hasn’t noticed any box elder
bugs it will be more difficult for you to sell them. Try saying something like this, “I’ve been talking to a
few neighbours and most are starting to see the wasps on the outside of the home, which is odd for
this time of year, but we want to make sure everybody is getting a treatment done so the activity won’t
increase in the next few weeks…”
Listen carefully to where and what pests are being noticed. It’s not often people will admit to seeing
pests, however, when they do it’s important to focus on that pest and then cater the rest of your
approach accordingly.
If somebody has spiders, the last thing they’ll want to hear is how the service will take care of ants. If a
potential customer admits to you they’ve seen a particular pest then stop everything and start asking
questions about that pest. For example, “Where did you last see the spider?” “How big was the spider?”
“What colour was the spider?” These questions will give the person time to reflect on all the spider
activity they’ve seen and increase their interest in getting the service.
Another way to approach a scenario where the potential customer admits to having a certain pest is to
explain what happens if that one pest is left alone. You could say, “The interesting thing about spiders is
that one spider egg sac can contain several hundred baby spiders, so it doesn’t take long for a spider
issue to develop…” Another point to make is if a person asks, “Does your service treat for earwigs (or any
other pest for that matter)?” Don’t be the sales rep who readily says, “Oh for sure, you bet we treat for
them.” Instead, try asking, “Where have you had issues with the earwigs?” This way you can cater the
explanation of the service to exactly where the person has had the issue.
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INITIAL APPROACH
WEALTHIER NEIGHBOURHOODS
Most people in affluent neighbourhoods will not have an immediate pest problem (if so, they’ve
probably already called somebody to come and take care of it). In wealthier neighbourhoods selling
maintenance plans is usually the best way to go. Selling the service as a way to maintain the value of
their home will probably get you further into the sale. The bandwagon effect also works well in
wealthier neighbours because if the Smith family buys a new car, they’ll likely go buy a new car too.
SURROUNDING AREAS
When knocking in a neighbourhood with a surrounding field, it’s always important to mention mice
and spider activity. Ask potential customers if they know when the open area is going to be developed.
Construction on any open space will usually stir up a lot of pest activity.
A water source such as a lake, pond or stream that is close to a neighbourhood will also attract a
lot of pest activity. Make sure to observe the surrounding areas of the neighbourhoods you’ll be
knocking so that you are aware of ways to cater your approach.
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INITIAL APPROACH
CHANGING THE APPROACH
Along with catering your initial approach you’ll also want to change your approach upon hearing the
same concern over and over again. If potential customers keep saying, “We’re not seeing any bugs,”
your approach should be adjusted to address this concern before it surfaces. You could say, “I’m the
route coordinator in the area and we’ve had some neighbours request our service to prevent spiders
and ants from getting inside. Of course nobody is having any issues now, but we want to get things
going before these pests become active.”
Another point to consider about changing your approach is simply to name drop different names of
customers or people you have recently spoken with. Although this might seem insignificant to you, it’s
much more effective to drop names that people will recognize. Thus, the necessity to constantly ask for
names of everybody you interact with, (whether you sold them or not) so that the next person you
approach will be more likely to know their nearby neighbour.
You should have a goal each day to say something different in your initial approach with each
potential customer you approach.
Remember, there is a ton to learn about finding an initial approach that fits your personality and the
neighbourhood you are knocking. When you first start talking to people, try a variety of approaches
and then decide which one is working the best. Once you feel comfortable with an approach, spend
the rest of your day perfecting it and making appropriate changes along the way.
The following are examples of initial approaches successful sales reps have used in the past. Note that
at the end of each initial approach, the sales rep will attempt to close the sale. Sales reps failing to close
after their initial approach can ultimately plan on failing.
EXAMPLES:
I’m doing you a favour approach – this approach makes it appear to the potential customer you are
offering them something because it’s convenient for you and them. “Hi, I’m Ryan, I just wanted to stop
by really quickly and let you know we’re going to be servicing Frank and Diane next door and the
Peterson family across the street (pointing to their homes). We’ve still got room for a few more homes
and we’re offering half off if we can stay in the neighbourhood the entire day. I have an opening in the
morning or the afternoon, whatever is best for you guys.”
This approach works well for homes that post “No Soliciting” signs. You are only there to inform them of
what their neighbours are doing.
Route coordinator approach – as the route coordinator, you don’t care if they buy the service because
you are just filling a route. If the person you are talking to doesn’t take the spot, no worries, somebody
else will. This attitude will give the impression you are not a salesperson.
EXAMPLE: “…you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, but while I’m here tomorrow, I can save you a
lot of money.” Or, “…you may or may not be interested, but let me tell you what I’m doing for your
neighbours…”
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INITIAL APPROACH
Question approach – try starting your approach with a question. “Hi, did any of your neighbours tell
you I was coming by today?” This question gives the impression that someone should have already told
them you were going to be in the area. Go on to explain what neighbours are going to be serviced and
how they may have already told them about the special offer. When you ask this question most people
will respond by saying, “No” at this point you should act curious to understand why they should have
known you were coming by.
Authoritative approach – a more direct initial approach could go something like this, “Hi, my name is
Cory, licensed pest inspector, (show them your ID badge) we’re offering free black widow spider
inspections for the neighbourhood, have you guys been seeing any spiders inside, or are they mainly
outside?” This approach gives you a great reason to be on their doorstep.
Inspection approach – the idea behind this approach is to get inside the potential customer’s home or
yard and perform an inspection. Your chances of selling somebody are vastly increased if you get them
to agree to an interior and/or exterior inspection. You could start by saying, “Hi, I’m the health and safety
inspector for ABC Pest Control and I was just over at the Baird’s home (point towards their home). I’m
giving free inspections for hobo spider activity, I just need a second to come in and make sure you guys
are doing alright (start wiping your feet on the doormat and move towards their door)…” The idea is to
get inside their home and check for problem areas and show them how the service can help. You
could also offer to inspect their yard, garage and/or window wells.
Anytime you are semi-invited inside a home, or have a good chance to get inside, go for it! If you get an
offer for a glass of water or an invite to get out of the heat, take advantage of these opportunities. The
best way to do this is to start wiping your feet on the doormat and motioning towards the inside of the
home. As soon as they open the door a hair, or step back an inch, start walking inside. Once you’re
inside be sure to act in a confident, professional manner.
Another way to perform an inspection on the inside or outside is when a potential customer admits
they’ve seen pest activity. If they say, “We’ve seen a few spiders in the kitchen and around the
playground in the backyard…” then you say, “Let me inspect these areas so we can determine how
they’re getting inside and how we can disrupt their nesting sites outside…” You then could say, “Would
you rather I inspect the kitchen or playground area first?”
Remember, you are the expert on the subject and in order to develop an effective strategy for
eliminating pests, you will need to inspect the areas of concern.
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OVERCOMING CONCERNS
While knocking doors and attempting to sell potential customers, you will hear every objection
imaginable. The key to overcoming any objection is to act as though you’ve heard it time and time
again. If you act surprised or caught off guard by a particular concern the potential customer is in the
driver’s seat.
Transitional phrases help you buy time if you aren’t sure where to take the conversation.
COMMONLY USED TRANSITIONAL PHRASES INCLUDE:
“That’s a great question.”

“I’ve heard that same concern from a few other neighbours.”
“Like I was saying…”
“Well, that’s exactly why I’m here.”
“That’s fine, let me just tell you what I’m doing for your neighbours.”
When using transitional phrases, be sure not to talk down to potential customers. These phrases are
used to get you on their level. Don’t be caught off guard when a concern comes up, always act as
though the concern is something you hear every day.
Remember, if the same concern keeps surfacing, be sure to change your initial approach to overcome
it from the beginning. If you keep hearing that services are only needed once a year, your initial
approach should include the phrase, “…obviously this isn’t one of those one-time services that will not
guarantee the pests won’t come back. As you know, most pests lay egg sacs and it’s important to do
follow up visits to ensure we take care of all of them. I’m sure you are aware that different pests are
more active at different times of the year…” As with all aspects of door-to-door sales, confidence is the
key when overcoming concerns.
HOW MUCH IS IT?

No matter where you are selling, price will always be one of the most important factors in determining
whether or not somebody buys your service. And as you already know, when somebody asks how
much your service costs they have qualified themselves as a potential sale. Therefore, it’s important to
learn the steps of how to effectively answer this question.
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OVERCOMING CONCERNS
The wrong way to address this question is to immediately show the person your rate card and tell them
the price. The potential customer may have a preconceived notion how your service works, therefore
when you show them the price it might seem incredibly high until you explain the details of your
service. Make sure the potential customer knows exactly how they are spending their money.
That being noted, if you are talking to a potential customer who is in a hurry or doesn’t want an
explanation of the service, it’s best to show them your rate card and tell them the price you are offering
or make an appointment to come back later. By prolonging the conversation with somebody in a
hurry, you will likely irritate them and make it nearly impossible for you to make a sale. However, most
of the time when somebody asks you what your service costs you will be able to follow the steps below:
• 1. Regain control of the conversation by asking, “Actually, the cost depends on the size of your yard
and square footage of your house…about how big is your home?” This forces the person to first
answer your question before you have to answer theirs.
• 2. Once the person answers your question, begin to explain the basics of how the service works. You
could say, “Normally for a home this size, and keep in mind our services cover the interior and exterior
of your home. Also, for this neighbourhood we’re not doing one of those programs where you have to
sign up for three to five years, we just get people familiar with us by getting them on our starter
program that is just for one year. Typically to do all of this (show your rate card) you have a startup fee
of $____, and the regular services are $____, but since we’re in the neighbourhood we’re getting
everybody started at $____ and we’re doing the regular services at $____. We could get you started
tomorrow morning before the Klein’s or even this afternoon once we get finished at the Hall’s home…
what would work best for you?”
This explanation can be as exhaustive as the potential customer will allow. Every potential customer
will be a little bit different. Some people may even start asking more questions about the service before
you get to the price. Others may cut you off in the middle of your explanation and ask you to get to the
bottom line. If this is the case, focus your attention on what the service will do for that person, not what
it will cost them. If the potential customer sees the value of the service, price won’t be a major concern.
WE DON’T HAVE THE MONEY FOR IT

Once you reveal the price you may hear, “I don’t think that’s something we can afford.” There are only a
few phrases that can be used to counter this concern. To water-down the price you could say, “So the
initial service will cost you $____ and then the regular services we’ll do for just $____…so basically this
breaks down to just over $____ a month for a guaranteed service.”
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OVERCOMING CONCERNS
Or, “What you’re looking at is around $____ a day for an inside, outside, guaranteed service.” If you’re
selling in a wealthy area and you hear this concern you could chuckle to yourself and say, “I only believe
that concern when I’m downtown but out here I know that $____ a day isn’t too much for a guaranteed
pest control service...” Be sure to monitor your tone, saying this the wrong way could easily offend the
potential customer.
If your company allows, you could also offer the potential customer another service plan that is less
expensive such as an outside only plan or a service plan that only guarantees particular pests.
Unfortunately, if these methods don’t work, unless you want to pay for the person’s service yourself, you
probably won’t make the sale. However, it’s important to try and sell them on the idea that some type
of service is better than nothing, especially if they run into a pest issue down the road and aren’t
offered the same discount as you are offering.
I NEED TO TALK TO MY SPOUSE

This is a legitimate concern, especially because most husbands and wives make financial decisions
together. This concern can only be handled on a case-by-case basis but here are some general
guidelines to follow:
A good question to start with, while nodding your head up and down, is, “With the spiders out here, I’m
sure you guys have talked about getting something like this started?” If answered in the affirmative,
you may be able to proceed with the sale and sign up the person without getting their spouse’s
permission. However, be very careful when signing up a potential customer without their spouse’s
consent. One of the worst feelings you’ll experience is coming back to the office after a long day’s work
and finding out one or more of your sales have cancelled.
To limit cancellations you could simply ask the spouse, “Will this be something your husband/wife
would be opposed to?” or, “Is this normally your department or your spouses?” You could even suggest
the spouse call the other to confirm if this is something they’d like to sign up for.
If at any time you feel the spouse you are talking to isn’t the decision maker, it’s probably best to make
an appointment for later in the day so you can talk to them together. You should avoid letting the
person you have explained the service to, sell the service to their spouse. If their spouse asks them how
much the service costs, it’s unlikely they would take the time to build value in the service before
revealing the price.
If you know you’re not talking to the decision maker, try to conceal the price until you come back. You
don’t want to spend 20 minutes of your time signing up a spouse and then finding out later the other
spouse talked them out of it. Making a return appointment will increase your chances of making and
solidifying the sale.
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OVERCOMING CONCERNS
It’s also important to remember that just because you have sold one spouse on the idea, that the other
spouse isn’t a guaranteed sale. When you return to speak to the other spouse, make sure to qualify that
spouse and don’t just assume they will be ready to sign up. Use the information that you have
gathered from your first contact to help you generate interest from the other spouse. For example,
“When I was talking to your wife earlier, she mentioned that you guys have recently spoken about
getting this service…”
JUST LEAVE ME YOUR CARD

Most of the time, this request is a friendly way for a potential customer to get you to leave. The chances
of somebody calling you later are very slim, so rather than handing them a card or flyer and waiting for
them to call, it’s better to say, “This really isn’t a call-in discount. Like I said, we’re only out in the
neighbourhood tomorrow and Wednesday and once we fill the spots the discount will no longer apply
in this area. I could give you the office phone number but you’ll probably have to pay full price for the
service if you call in later.”
This response will immediately identify how interested the person is in the service. If they are
somewhat interested the response will be, “Well how much is it?” Or, “Can you give us a few minutes to
think about it?” On the other hand, if the person says, “Well I’ll just take my chances and call back later,”
they probably weren’t going to call back anyways.
CAN I THINK ABOUT IT AND CALL YOU LATER?

One way to approach this concern is to confidently respond, “You can think about it as long as you’d
like, but as I mentioned we only have two or three more spots I can do for the discount. If these spots
are filled by the time you call, then you would have to pay full price.”
Although bold, this statement is great for weeding out those who aren’t really interested. Similar to the
previous concern, if somebody is trying to get you off their porch they will probably say, “Well I’ll just
take my chances and call you later.” Whereas, somebody who is seriously considering the service may
ask how much it costs or bring up another concern.
Another way to address this concern would be to say, “Not a problem, like I said I have about two or
three spots available, so I’ll just come back in 20 or 30 minutes to give you some time to think it over, in
fact here is my cell phone number if you know sooner than that give me a call and I’ll run right back
over.”
This way you make the assumption it won’t take more than 30 minutes for the person to think things
through. It will also eliminate uninterested people because they’ll say something like, “I need more
time, don’t worry about coming back later I’ll just call you if I need it.”
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OVERCOMING CONCERNS
Another technique is to assume you know what it is they have to think about by saying, “Are you
worried about being able to schedule a time for us when you’ll be home?” Or, “This is probably
something you weren’t planning on doing in the next day or two so you’ll probably have to look at your
schedule.” This puts the potential customer on the spot to respond to your assumption. If you’re not
right, you may flush out their real concern.
In fact, this type of assumption can be made at any time when you feel a potential customer isn’t
divulging their reason for not buying. When talking to a female try asking, “Is it a little too costly for you
guys?” Or, “Is it something I’ve said?”
When talking with a male you might say, “Are you worried about the safety of our products?” Or, “Is this
something you typically do yourself?” Once again, if you aren’t right, the real concern will probably
surface.
Finally, you could simply ask the person, “What is it you need to think about?” Sometimes the simplest
questions are the most effective.
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OVERCOMING CONCERNS
I ALREADY HAVE THIS SERVICE

This concern can be addressed during every initial approach. By supposing the potential customer
already has a pest control service you are setting up a win-win assumption. If your assumption is
correct, you can confidently continue with the conversation. If the person doesn’t have the service, your
assumption has established precedence that the service is used by most people in the area.
Check with the company you work for to understand if there are added discounts or specials for
customers switching over from other companies.
If the potential customer already has the service you are offering, make sure to let them know the
service they have been using has probably been a good service, but your service is an upgrade. Never
tell a potential customer the service they have been using is inferior, this may offend them. Find out
what the person likes about their current service and then briefly talk about the similarities your service
offers. Then, spend the majority of your time explaining how and why your service is superior. The
potential customer will also need to know that others have switched over to your service from the
company they are currently using.
To find out how long the person has been with their current company you could ask, “So you’ve
probably been with them for a few years now?” Or, “Who did you sign up with this year for services?”
How they respond to this question will let you know whether the person is contractually obligated to
their current company.
Most companies offer a one year service agreement. If the potential customer isn’t under contract,
then switching them over becomes easy because they will incur no penalty for canceling with their
current service. Typically the only thing they will need to do is give written notice of their wanting to
cancel the service.
If the person is still under contract, find out how many more services they have committed to. If
possible, have them find their original service agreement so you can see the penalty for canceling their
current service.
Companies may have penalties for termination of services. It will be up to you to inquire of each
potential switchover and find out what needs to be done in order to switch them over to your service.
Switchovers should be fairly easy to do. These people already have what you are selling and thus know
they need it. Once you explain how your service is better and possibly less expensive, they should
switch right over.
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OVERCOMING CONCERNS
Other ways to approach this concern could be to qualify the potential customer as soon as possible to
see if they are a likely candidate to switch companies. You could say, “Great! When was the last time
your home was serviced?” Wait for their response and continue by asking, “So do they service the
inside of your home or just the outside?” Wait for their response. If the inside is included in the service
you could say, “So when they come inside are they using the baseboard sprayer (nodding your head up
and down)?” If they say yes, make sure to reply, “This is the main reason why so many people switch
over to our service because we don’t use a baseboard sprayer.
As you already know, baseboard spraying is not the safest or the most effective method for doing pest
control. What we do is…” Explain your reasoning in a concerned tone and not a degrading one. If the
potential customer has had success with their current company you don’t want to offend them.
Another way to qualify the potential customer would be to ask them, “Are they doing a good job?” If
they answer in the affirmative, you may not want to spend much more time with them. You could also
ask them how much they are spending on their service or how often the service is performed. If they
are not being serviced on a regular basis, you could explain the benefits of an ongoing service plan. Or,
if they are being serviced monthly or every other month, you could explain how a quarterly or seasonal
service plan makes more sense and offers a guarantee.
You might also find out the person’s lawn care service provider is treating their home for pests as well.
If this is the case, start by explaining how your service differs from a lawn care service pest application.
You could say, “Most people who have a lawn care service will also have a pest control service. Your lawn
care company probably charges you about $10 to spray your foundation (nod your head and wait for a
response). The foundation spray is just the beginning of what we do. We also guarantee…”
It’s typical that lawn care companies don’t offer a guarantee for their pest services and are not licensed
to treat for rodents. It’s also typical for a lawn care company to use inferior pest control products
because it’s not their focal point of service.
Another switchover issue you might run into is with a person who has just recently signed up for a
service. If this is the case, explain how your service is better. If the potential customer is within their
three day right to cancel, switch them right over to your company.
As noted earlier, if you are speaking to somebody who already has the service you are selling, they
automatically qualify for more of your time. In fact, if they have a service but still ask you how much
your service costs, they are an above average interested contact.
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OVERCOMING CONCERNS
Sales reps that have had the most success at switchovers have used the following tactics:
1. Be friendly to the potential customer and never disrespect their current company.
2. Emphasize that people switch over to your services all the time.
3. The switchover will be easier if you know how your company differentiates itself from the
competition and if their current pest control provider enforces any cancellation penalties.
4. Discuss similarities between your service and their current service but emphasize the differences in
terms of services offered, scope of service, customer service, price, etc.
WHY DO I NEED THE SERVICE IN THE WINTER?

It might not make sense for some people that a pest control service is needed during the winter. If this
is the case you could respond to their doubt by saying, “I’m sure you don’t see much pest activity in the
winter (nod your head back and forth)…but that’s actually when we do our best work (nod your head up
and down). Our technician will be inspecting and treating in cracks and crevices throughout your
home to ensure there are no pathways for mice or other pests to enter. We’ll also be treating in the
garage to disrupt other nesting sites. This way, when spring rolls around, an active product will be in
place and you won’t have to worry about the same type of pests coming back.”
With a smile on your face you could also say, “I’m sure you know that pests don’t magically disappear in
the winter and then come back in the spring. Even though most pests are dormant in the colder
months, a lot of them are reproducing and that’s why in the spring you typically see an increase of
pests because egg sacs start hatching. Our winter service is designed to disrupt the reproduction cycle
of most pests, allowing us to maintain control of them year round.”
WE DON’T HAVE PESTS

When addressing this concern you might say, “Of course not, if you did you would have called us
already, (smiling and nodding your head up and down) in fact most of our customers out here aren’t
seeing anything either. Those getting it done are being proactive and wanting to make sure as the
temperatures keep heating up (or start cooling down) they don’t start getting any pest activity moving
into their home. Our maintenance program is designed to protect your home from getting pests in
the future.”
You could also say, “I’m not talking about right now, at this point of the year nobody is seeing much
activity, but what type of pests did you see last year?” It’s up to you to make sure people realize if they
don’t get the service their chances increase of having pest issues in the future.
It’s also much easier to address this concern in your initial approach by saying that nobody in the area
is really having any major concerns with pests. Doing this will help you to avoid this concern most of
the time.
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OVERCOMING CONCERNS
WILL IT HARM MY KIDS OR PETS?

You should sell almost every person who asks this question. Basically the potential customer is telling
you they are interested in getting the service, they just want to make sure the service won’t be harmful
to those they love.
At this point your job is to convince them that your company provides the best service out there. You
could say, “That’s a great question, I’ve been asked that a lot in this neighbourhood, it seems like
everybody has either kids or pets or both. In fact, this is the main reason why your neighbours are using
us. Our services include…”
Prior to explaining the service, you could also ask, “How old are your kids?” or, “What kind of pets do you
have?” Showing personal interest in your potential customers is a great way to gain favour in their eyes.
WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU DO?

When this question is asked you have been given a golden opportunity to explain your service and the
benefits it offers. Don’t rush it…take your time to thoroughly explain the details of the service. Cater
your explanation to the person’s home and living arrangements. If they have pets, tell them what they
will need to do with their pets to prepare for your service. If they have a rock retaining wall, talk to them
about how certain pests will nest in those areas and why we would want to treat those areas as part of
their exterior service. If you see spider webs, explain how those will be treated. Customizing the
experience for your customers will help them to see that the service is perfect for their situation.
As you explain the service, ask the potential customer a lot of questions in order to find as many ways
as possible you can cater your explanation of the service to their particular circumstance.
I DO IT MYSELF
The first step to addressing this concern is to find out what the person does. Second, explain how they
can continue to do what they have been doing and that your services are going to supplement what
they do. Third, explain the benefits of using a professional service (guarantee, length of residual,
superior products, etc.).
In fact, for contact-kill purposes, over-the-counter products work great…spray a spider in the face and it
dies…but window cleaner would do that too. Remember, licensed pest control operators have the
ability to purchase superior products that have a longer residual and overall are more effective.
39
OVERCOMING CONCERNS
You can also tell people about your company’s service guarantee (if applicable). If they need additional
services in between their regular services, they don’t have to pay for these services. Whereas, if they
spend money on an over-the-counter product and it doesn’t work, they still have to pay for it.
CAN I TRY IT ONCE AND SEE IF I LIKE IT?

Confidence is critical in handling this concern. You could say, “That’s a great question, I get asked that a
lot…just so you know it’s really a waste of money to come out and service your home just once. One
service will get rid of some pests around your home for now, but in a few months, once the products
break down and egg sacs start hatching, more pests will resurface. Our products are regulated by the
EPA, so you can’t find a better product on the market, but they still wear down over time. Also, each
season as the weather changes, different pest activity will peak. A regular service will ensure complete
control of all pests. And the nice thing is we won’t sign you up on some three to five year plan, we’ll only
set up services for the first year and then go from there.”
NOT INTERESTED
The issue with this concern is you don’t really know why the person isn’t interested, so you can’t try to
overcome their objection. As noted earlier, you could assume you know the reason by saying, “So you
already have this service (nodding your head up and down)?” This could make the potential customer
realize you’ve either found out their concern or everybody has the service. And, if you’re not right in
your assumption, it’s likely the potential customer will tell you why they aren’t interested.
Soon after knocking doors you will grow tired of hearing these 13 concerns. However, make sure you are
continually finding better ways to overcome them. You should experiment with other ways to
overcome concerns that aren’t listed in the Playbook. No matter what the concern, act with confidence
and make it seem like a routine objection you deal with every day.
CLOSING
Learning how to close a sale is a lot like learning to speak a new language. The language of closing is
not typically used on a day-to-day basis. It will take a lot of practice to become a good closer. The best
door-to-door sales reps will tell you closing is one of the most important skills they attribute to their
success. If you avoid closing the sale, you might as well plan on an unsuccessful experience knocking
doors.
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OVERCOMING CONCERNS
Potential customers will not take the initiative to close the sale for you and besides they already know
you are at their home to sell them something. Don’t be afraid to ask for the sale, especially when they
have qualified and show interest in what you are saying. Assume each contact wants to buy the service.
Some of the best closes come by assumption. As with everything else in sales, confidence is critical
when closing the sale.
EXAMPLES:
“I have openings on my schedule tomorrow morning between eight and ten or in the afternoon from
one to three, which is better for you?”
Make sure to give the potential customer a couple of time slots to choose from. This will make it
difficult for them to disqualify themselves. If a potential customer claims it is impossible for them to
take advantage of the discount on the days or times given, ask them what day or time would work out
better for them and call the office to see what arrangements could be made. You should be able to
recognize the difference between a person who sincerely cannot receive services during the time slots
offered and one who is trying to avoid making a commitment.
“We’re servicing in the area today and tomorrow so whatever is better for you…in fact if I can do it today
I’ll take another five dollars off of the initial service price.”
“Can you be ready by four o’clock this afternoon?” Pause and look at their expression. If there is any sign
of contemplation you could say, “Don’t worry you won’t have to make any preparations prior to our
servicing the home.”
“I have some room tomorrow at noon or at five, and because the service truck is already in the
neighbourhood you don’t have to wait around for us all day. So which time would work out better for
you?”
Some of the best closes are conversational closes. These closes help you find out more about the
person you are talking to, so you can use that information later in the discussion while customizing the
service to that person’s needs.
EXAMPLES:
“…so how long have you guys lived in the area?”
“…did you buy the home when it was new or were there previous owners?”
“…what year was your home built?”
Closes don’t have to be in the form of a question. You can also close by implying the person wants the
service and non-verbally let them know they’ll be happy with their decision.
EXAMPLES:
“I’ll just need a credit or debit card number and I can fit you in while we’re here.” If the person shows no
reaction, proceed to ask them which time slot would work best.
“All we need you to do is keep the pets off the outside for 10 to 15 minutes and we’ll be good to go for
either tomorrow morning or afternoon.”
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OVERCOMING CONCERNS
Avoid closes ending with a yes/no question. For example, “Do you guys want to get the service?” Or,
“Can we come out tomorrow and get things done?” When you offer a yes/no question, you will
probably get the answer you don’t want to hear.
An exception to this rule is called the light bulb close. This close catches the potential customer off
guard with a yes/no question in order to use another close. As you are explaining the service you
interrupt yourself and say, “Oh, will you be here tomorrow (nodding your head up and down)?” If they
respond in the affirmative you say, “So would the morning or afternoon be better for you?” This close
doesn’t sound rehearsed because you interrupt your own train of thought. It’s also a very soft close that
gets the person saying “yes.” If you happen to get a negative response from this close you could say,
“Then what day would work better for you?”
Once the person accepts your close, you have to start filling out a service agreement immediately. You
could say, “…that sounds good, well let’s get things set up for tomorrow between one and three (start
completing the service agreement if you already haven’t). What was your first name (if you haven’t
already asked)?” At this point go through the service agreement and start filling out the pertinent
information. Make sure the name on the service agreement is the name of the person signing the
agreement.
Using the service agreement makes things official. In fact, if a potential customer has any other
concerns they will typically come up once you start going through the service agreement. Some sales
reps even use service agreements of current customers during their initial approach to establish
credibility and to eliminate any awkwardness later in the conversation when the person agrees to sign.
REPETITIVE CLOSING
Very few people will agree to the service after your first close. You will need to overcome concerns,
reassure them, and close again. Successful sales reps understand the necessity of repetitive closing and
don’t shy away from it. In fact, one successful sales rep’s initial approach went something like this.
EXAMPLE:
“Hi I’m Joe the bug guy, we’re servicing a few of your neighbours tomorrow for the spiders, what part of
the day would be best for us to get you started?” This approach isn’t intended to close the potential
customer but to bring out their concerns. This sales rep understood that people will likely have
multiple concerns so there is no sense wasting time to postpone the inevitable. Even if this approach
doesn’t fit your style, you should still find ways to close each contact within the first few minutes of
starting a conversation.
You should also know when to stop closing and move on to the next door. There is no rule stating a
person can only be closed a certain number of times. Each scenario will be different. If a potential
customer continues to progress in the sale, meaning they continue having concerns needing to be
dealt with, you will need to overcome the concern and close, then overcome the next concern and
close again and again until there are no more concerns.
Never walk away from a sale without trying to close a potential customer at least twice. Closing will
help to reveal who is really interested, somewhat interested, or not interested, by their responses and
reactions to your closing statements. Don’t get too caught up trying to close those who fall under the
category of not interested. Your time will be better spent closing those who are somewhat and really
interested
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MAKING EACH SALE SOLID
Even though you have a signed service agreement, don’t start counting your money just yet. There are
certain concepts your customers need to understand to ensure they are solid and not likely to cancel.
Your customers will be far less likely to cancel if you are able to overcome concerns while you are with
them.
There is no doubt you will have to deal with cancellations. There are a certain percentage of customers
that will cancel because of unforeseen issues like loss of job, moving out of state, or even death. These
are circumstances you cannot control. However, the majority of your customers and the time they stay
with the service will be in your control. Accounts sold poorly will only waste your time and lose you
money in the end. Therefore, it’s imperative you understand how to make each sale as solid as possible.
OVERSELLING THE SERVICE

Overselling the service is a common mistake made by a lot of door-to-door sales reps. It’s challenging
to convince somebody to buy something on their doorstep, so if it appears a sale is slipping through
your fingers you might be tempted to say whatever necessary to appease the customer. Don’t fall into
this trap. Customers should have realistic expectations of the service and if anything you should make
an effort to undersell the service so they are pleasantly surprised when it is received. Customers will not
be solid if they believe that your company is going to resolve all of their pest issues immediately. Your
customers need to realize that pest control is an ongoing process.
MAKING RETURN APPOINTMENTS

Each day you will come across households where only one spouse is available. Most of the time you will
want to have both husband and wife agree to the service. But asking questions such as, “Is this your
department or your husband’s department?” Or, “Is pest control something you guys have talked
about getting?” will help you determine whether or not you should sign up just one spouse or make a
return appointment to talk to the other.
If you have any doubts in this situation it’s probably best to make a return appointment when both
spouses are home. In fact, return appointments can even be more effective than having the spouse
who is home call the other spouse who isn’t. This way you are not leaving the sale up to somebody else.
Leave the household by saying something like, “What I can do is tentatively reserve one of these last
spots on the route for you. I’ll also leave you a phone number where you can reach me so if your spouse
gets home earlier, give me a call and I’ll come over as soon as possible.”
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Tentative reservations should not be put on the schedule. If the potential customer hasn’t signed a
service agreement they haven’t made the most important commitment. Make a list of your tentative
sales so you will remember to go back and firm up their commitment. In order to maximize your
selling time, make return appointments after dark.
GETTING PAYMENT AT EVERY SALE

Even the most tentative sales become solid when payment information is given. Asking for payment is
not only a great way to close the sale but it will also solidify the sale. When it comes time for the
customer to receive service, if any concerns arise, they know they have already paid and they are going
to get what they have paid for.
Getting payment information is quite simple especially when the potential customer is convinced you
are a professional. If you act worried, ask for payment in a weak manner, or give them the option to pay
later, kiss the payment good-bye. When given an option to pay now or pay later, almost every customer
will pay later.
Getting payment information really comes down to confidence and believing you need to have it to
complete a sale. Don’t be afraid to walk away from a sale if you don’t have payment. By getting in the
habit of getting payment information from each customer you’ll get more sales than you’ll lose. You’ll
also walk away from sales that are tentative and would probably cancel their appointment anyways.
Since customers already know your services aren’t free and they’ll have to pay at some point, make
them realize you take their payment information to reserve the discounted spot on the route for them.
You need to believe getting payment is required to complete any sale. You could say, “You can submit
your payment information with a credit or debit card or also with a voided check…what would work out
best for you?” Or, “I’ll just need to take care of payment for the first service to reserve the spot for you
and I’ll email you (or give you) a copy of your service agreement to keep for your records.”
If a customer ever questions your request for payment, simply respond, “I am required to get payment
information at the point of sale, but don’t worry your payment won’t be processed until after our
services have been completed.”
If you ever get a customer who is adamant they don’t pay for anything until it’s done, call your
manager to see if a special arrangement can be made. You could say, “I’m sure you can understand
from our perspective we only have a few of these discounted spots available and if we reserve them
and then somebody changes their mind, we are back to where we started.”
Once you get in contact with your manager be sure to make it sound like the customer has asked for a
strange request but you have confidence they want the service and will pay for it. At this point the
manager could even talk with the customer to try and solidify the sale then determine whether or not
to reserve them an appointment.
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Another way to ensure getting payment is to casually show the customer payment information you
have collected from their neighbours. When you ask the customer how they’d like to pay for the service
you could show other service agreements and say something like, “Most of the neighbours have
chosen to set up payment through a credit card or checking account, what works best for you?”
In door-to-door sales, time equals money. The more time you spend with people who aren’t going to
pay for their service and then end up missing their appointment, is the more time you’ve lost in finding
customers who will pay for their service.
ALWAYS GET PAYMENT INFORMATION!!!

If you reserve an appointment for a customer, you must have payment. If you can’t get payment it will
be up to your manager to determine whether or not the scheduled time can be reserved.
ACH
As noted, ACH payments with a credit or debit card or through a checking account (with a voided
check) is a great way to solidify the sale. The credit/debit card will be processed or funds will be drawn
from the customer’s checking account.
When a customer commits to paying for their services by ACH, be sure to record the pertinent
information accurately on their service agreement. For credit and debit cards, you will typically need to
record the card number, expiration date, CVC number, and also the billing information for that
particular credit or debit card.
For ACH through a checking account, the routing and account numbers will be recorded from the
information on the customer’s voided check.
Generally, ACH customers do not receive a bill for their service and are rarely delinquent on payments.
Customers who are set up on ACH will inherently stay with the service longer which is money in the
bank for you!
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REAFFIRMATION
Another way to solidify the sale is to praise your customer’s decision of signing up for your service.
People like to be complemented on their decisions. You might say, “Thanks again for your business you
are truly getting a great service for a great price. This decision is one you will be glad you made.”
Before leaving (possibly while you are completing the service agreement) it’s a good idea to reaffirm
the most important details of the service. As you are explaining everything to the customer for the first
time you are giving them a lot of information, thus reiterating the important points will help to solidify
the sale.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Your customers should feel confident in the customer service team they will be dealing with once you
are gone. Solidify the sale by endorsing your company’s customer service department. Customers who
know their questions or concerns are important will stay with the service longer. Before completing a
sale your customers should feel totally confident in the company they have hired to provide them
service.
RE-EMPHASIZING THE NEED FOR REGULAR SERVICE

A great way to solidify customers is to tell them the details of what will be done for each of their regular
services. Use your pictures to help explain how the services are performed at different times of the year.
Make sure the customer understands you are not selling them a one-time service. An ongoing service
is the only way to ensure control of pests.
The need for a regular service is one of the most important points you can re-emphasize. You could say,
“As you know, the reason we come out regularly is to ensure all of the pests on the service agreement
will be controlled. I’m sure you know if we just come out once or twice we wouldn’t be capable of
breaking the life cycle of the pests and they’d keep coming back.”
Make sure the customer knows it takes time to get rid of pests. It’s not pest elimination…its pest control.
There’s no way to guarantee the service will eliminate every pest in and around their home, thus the
need for a regular service.
PERKS
When applicable, explain your company’s loyalty or referral programs and/or perks their customers are
eligible to receive. When somebody takes advantage of a customer-specific perk, they are endeared to
their company and much less likely to cancel.
The best time to bring up perks to customers is after they have signed the service agreement and also
right before you leave. By ending the customer interaction on a positive note you are able to reinforce
their decision and get them feeling good about their choice to use your service.
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OUR TREATMENTS
ARE SAFE
47
OUR TREATMENTS ARE SAFE
48
6 STEP PROCESS
OVERVIEW
49
6 STEP PROCESS OVERVIEW
6 Step Process ( all products are eco friendly)
Sweep and dust- on the perimeter of the home we use a boric acid formula to dust for pests on the
exterior portion of the house. This gets rid of webs and any bugs living in or around the exterior part of
the house. Death to the bugs is caused by waterloss
Crack and Crevice treatment- this provides residual treatment to the exterior part of the house by
getting into the cracks and crevices on the outside part of the home.
Foundation Perimeter Barrier- this is applied 4-6 inches above ground level on the outside part of the
home. The goal of this step is to provide a water resistant barrier to keep bugs from coming into the
home in the future.
Spot Treatment- This is used to treat any specific areas of concern the homeowner may have. Can be a
specific part of the home with mice or an exterior shed with spiders. Anything specific they need done
we can cover with this treatment (limited to the pests that we cover under our plans)/
Interior Protection- This process involves targeting pest specific entry posts from the inside of the
home. Examples of this include underneath doorways and pipes in the wall. If they do make it inside
we try to limit the pest pressure through interior protection.
Mosquito Knockdown and Control- This part of Avayda Premium package and with this process we
target specific areas that mosquitos rest in the grass or barrage. This is done four times in the summer
time to control these pests.
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AVAYDA 6 STEP
PROCESS IN DETAIL
[ TECHNICIAN COPY ]
Remember as a sales and routing specialist you do not want to get into the
specifics of exactly how the treatments are going to be carried out. The technicians
are certified and trained on proper IPM (Integrated Pest Management). They have
extensive industry knowledge and experience that will allow them to treat a pest
the way they need to. Please do not promise the customer exact ways they will
have their pest treated.
"When our licensed technician arrives he can assess this with you on how to best
take care of this ant concern."
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PRE-SERVICE CHECK LIST
Do Not Park in driveway.
Look at notes and names in ServSuite before going to the door.
Check to make sure that the is payment on the account from

the CSR's/Sales Rep and if it is not collect it now from the
customer. Inform them that it will not be charged until after
the disrupt service is complete and they are satisfied.
Bring your Eaton Pole to the door when you introduce yourself.
Introduce yourself, address them by name and review any

notes of concern with the customer.
Go in depth on any specific concerns or spot treatments

needed on the property.
Conclude the conversation by mentioning that you are going

to go outside to do steps 1-3 and mention that you will be back
to do the inside of the house in roughly 30-45 minutes.
Remember along the course of your service that Avayda

requires 1-2 pictures to be uploaded into Servsuite mobile work
order for a Control or Maintain service and 3-4 pictures on a
Disrupt service. Take these pictures of your key
recommendations, treatments, and actions you're taking at the
home.
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STEP 1 SWEEP AND REMOVE
INITIAL SERVICE
Key Concepts
• Inspect residence for spider and stinging insect activity on outer walls and take note
of where the excessive activity is for spraying and dusting focus in steps 2 and 3.
• Remove any nests or webbing from walls and first set of “reachable” eaves up to 15ft.
• Go around house - focus is on siding/windows with brush always touching house.
Focus also on eaves, under overhangs and fascia and entry point areas.
• If there are any active stinging insect nests, treat them prior to removal.
• Notify Supervisor if you find excessive pest activity.
• If wasps nest is in the notes, treat the nest with foamblast if there is a lot of
activity, if not, knock it down and treat the area with dust or spray. Then
complete the rest of your service, and go back and remove at the end of the
service. Instruct the customer that if the foraging wasps rebuild, then give us
a call.
Key Recommendations
None for this part of the service
REQUIRED EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS

REQUIRED
MATERIAL TYPE BRAND NAME ZONE WHEN USED
EQUIPMENT
Clear away cobwebs and

Eaton 20 Ft 5-Piece
stinging insect pests
Extension Pole with aluminum pole
Exterior Hand Use (after treatment)
brush head Eaton #1710YL
Webster Yellow Head
Up to 15 Ft above grade
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STEP 2 CRACK AND CREVICE TREATMENT
Key Concepts
• Walk around the house perimeter, prepared for what pests you might encounter.
Common pests are spiders, beetles, and ants.
• 2nd trip around the house.
SUMMER
• Spray properly labelled product (Tempurid or Dragnet) into cracks and crevices. .
WINTER
• Dust as you inspect with your bright flashlight.
• Examples of areas to inspect are: entrances to home from AC unit piping,
telecom cables, gas line services, along the edge of facia, siding or gaps around
window casing.
• Always apply dusts according to label directions.
• On disrupt, block access points smaller than the size of a dime with steel wool,
etc. Recommend anything bigger be fixed by customer through pictures in work
order. Winter service will focus heavily on more exclusion work for larger problems.
Key Recommendations
• Recommend that the customer fills any larger holes or do more intensive home
repairs to prevent pest entrance.

REQUIRED
EQUIPMENT
Apply into cracks,
crevices, pipe chases,
electrical openings on
Residual Dust Boradust Exterior Hand Duster lower exterior walls of
residence to a height of
5ft above grade.
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STEP 3 FOUNDATION PERIMETER BARRIER
Key Concepts
• Walk around the house perimeter prepared for what pests you might encounter.
Common pests are spiders, beetles, and ants.
• Always apply liquid formulated pesticides according to label directions.
• If there is a deck with at least 4’ clearance, treat the perimeter wall underneath. For
lower decks, treat the wall above and let the product drip down the wall.
• Focus on retaining walls and areas connected to the home.
• Be careful not to step on flower beds or other sensitive areas around the home, that
could be damaged.
Key Recommendations
• Trim Vegetation -Trim vegetation 45 centimetres (18 inches) from house/building

walls [ SPECIFY area needing attention - EXAMPLE: along south wall ]. This will
remove cover and concealment for structural pests and reveal any current pest
activity. Remove any debris or material that is preventing the Technician from
performing a full foundation treatment.

REQUIRED
EQUIPMENT
4’ Perimeter Barrier
Fan Spray ( 2x2 wall
BOSS 2.5 Backpack and ground)
Liquid Residual Temprid SC Exterior
Sprayer Primary and secondary
structures (garage/shed)
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STEP 4 SPOT TREATMENT
Key Concepts
• Walk around the exterior of the property and inspect for any active pest infestations,
and be prepared for what pests you might encounter. Common pests are stinging
insects, beetles, and ants.
• Focus on driveways, sheds, cracks and crevices, other exterior structures.
• Treat as needed.
• Pay attention to service notes for specific treatments agreed upon between
Sales Rep and Customer.
• Always apply liquid formulated pesticides according to label directions.
• If you treat for ants around driveways, be sure to soak perimeter edges and treat any
visible cracks.
Key Recommendations
• Clean Trash Cans – Clean trash cans

• Clean Under Equipment - Please clean under equipment [ SPECIFY equipment ]
The debris is pest harbourage, and minimizes the effectiveness of pesticide
applications.
• Trim Vegetation - Trim vegetation 45 centimetres (18 inches) from buildings and
structures.
• Gutters Need Cleaning - Rain gutters are accumulating debris which can provide
harbourage for pests.
• Repair Holes, Cracks - Repair holes, cracks and gaps [ SPECIFY location ] These serve
as entry points for pests.

REQUIRED
EQUIPMENT
Bright Flashlight
(15000 candle- power or While inspecting
Flashlight Coast XP11R Exterior
over 100 lumens)
Drench active mounds

and nests and treat trails
Liquid Residual Dragnet Exterior B&G Sprayer
and turf
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STEP 5 INTERIOR SERVICE
Key Concepts
INSPECT furnace room, laundry room, under sinks, accessible crawlspace, garages,
and anywhere there is probable activity. Impress the customer by finding
something they may have overlooked, and ask the customer about any activity they
have noticed.
• Walk into the residence prepared for what pests you might encounter. Common pests
are small cockroaches, mice, ants, beetles, silverfish/firebrats.
• If possible and safe to do so, dust as you inspect with your bright flashlight.
• Always apply dusts according to label directions.
• Pay specific attention to kitchen areas, bathrooms, garage and basement areas (in
particular around the furnace and hot water tank areas.
• Pests are known to hide under fridges, stoves and false bottoms of counters. Inspect
thoroughly with bright flashlight.
• Treat uncovered electrical sockets (around them) and under gas fireplaces that have
access panels. Insects and rodents enjoy harbouring near a heat source
• Look for rodent droppings, insect feces, grease marks and stains
• If pest activity is identified, treat with low impact spot treatments or baits.
• De-web the garage if needed. Pay attention to areas around the door sensors and
corners.
• Look for signs of rodent activity in garage. Pay attention to wall areas and gaps between
the garage doors and the walls. Keep in mind that garages serve as the main entry
point for rodents.
• Refer to QRG for specific pest protocols
• Put insect monitors throughout the home to allow for a winter inspection follow up.
Key Recommendations
• Repair Wall Covering - Repair wall covering [ SPECIFY location - EXAMPLE: holes in
walls, under sinks, etc]. Cracks and gaps allow pests to harbour in the walls.
• Repair Holes/Cracks - Repair holes, cracks, and gaps
• [SPECIFY area - EXAMPLE: in wall under dishwasher]. These serve as entry points for
pests.
• Personal Items - Personal items improperly stored. These can be a source of pest
introduction and should be in a designated area. [ SPECIFY area – EXAMPLE: items
stored against garage wall, potential harbourage for pests].
• Sanitation concerns - Are a key part of this step and need to be documented on your
report. [EXAMPLE: Any clutter that prevents a thorough inspection of an area].
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STEP 5 INTERIOR SERVICE [ CONT. ]

REQUIRED
EQUIPMENT
Bright Flashlight
(15000 candle- power or While inspecting
Flashlight Coast XP11R Interior
over 100 lumens)
Use this product in

areas that remain dry.
Treat openings and wall
voids under kitchen and
bathroom sinks and any
Inorganic Dust De-cide Interior Hand Duster
other openings into the
residence as a
preventive measure.
Put one under sinks

in bathrooms and
kitchen to monitor
for pest activity.
Mouse/Insect Put one on each side
Glueboards Catchmaster Interior Hand Applied of interior garage
doors as needed
against walls and in
furnace/hot water tank
area.
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STEP 6 MOSQUITO AND TICK REPEL [ ADD-ON ]
Key Concepts
• Inspect property for mosquito harbourage and resting areas that provide shade, cover
and concealment. Examples: shrubbery, long grass, overgrown gardens, under trees,
lower tree branches, hedges etc.
• Look for any standing water on the property (any item or object capable of holding
water, puddles in the lawn or driveway etc.) If you notice this on the property, add the
oil and soap mixture.
• This treatment covers the entire yard (up to 1/3 acre). If yard area is higher, then just
treat all harbourage areas as noted below.
• Mosquito knockdown application is to be done very liberally. Please follow the
label and apply the maximum amount allowed, to provide the best coverage possible.
Key Recommendations
• Remove any standing water and objects that would hold it, such as bird baths, tires,
overturned toys, ruts in the lawn etc.
• Avoid over-watering lawns to ensure that water is absorbed into the soil rather than
creating standing puddles for mosquitoes to lay eggs in.
REQUIRED
EQUIPMENT
Spray all foliage and yard

with a small spray
droplet size. Use in areas
NPD 320 Boss Backpack that attract mosquitoes
2.5 GAL Sprayer and ticks such as grass,
Liquid Repellent Mosquito Barrier Exterior
plants, shrubs and under
BOSS 4 Gal trees, wood piles, decks
and porches.
59
DISRUPT SERVICE SUMMARY
Introduce yourself, ask about specific concerns they have and

summarize service you are going to complete
Take payment
Complete through sweep
Complete barrier spray
Complete exterior dusting
Complete spot treatments or specific concerns
Complete Repel (If ordered)
Knock on door and assume they want interior service unless in

notes, they do not.
Inspect inside (sinks, garage, utility room) and complete glue

boards, d-cide dusting or specific problems inside. Mention
importance of future winter interior services.
Finalize servsuite and payment
Recap service, Avayda promise, and set proper customer

expectations for activity in short term.
60
TRI-ANNUAL TREATMENTS
+ AVAYDA PROMISE
61
TRI-ANNUAL TREATMENTS +
AVAYDA PROMISE
We offer a 1 year ongoing pest control plan designed to limit and exterminate pest pressure.
Upon signing up for our services homeowners will receive an initial service within a week, depending
on our schedule. The initial service includes our initial 6 step process, and our first mosquito
knockdown (if they purchase the premium plan).
We will provide each sales rep with a year round schedule based on when the customer signs up after
the initial treatment.
Most importantly, by providing this year round service, it gives us the opportunity to provide the
homeowner with a guarantee. If any of our covered pests return, we re-service the home at no charge.
62
TRI-ANNUAL TREATMENTS +
AVAYDA PROMISE
OUR TRI-ANNUAL TREATMENT
AVAYDA PROMISE
We are a premier residential pest control company that is focused on providing our customers a local
Canadian-owned treatment experience. The Avayda Promise is “if the bugs come back then so do we.”
We guarantee the interior of their home from the general and specialty pests listed based on the Pro+ and
Premium plans and pricing. For exterior, we will also return if they are experiencing a stinging insect
problem in their yard where the nest is on their property or if they have an ant infestation pop up in their
yard or driveway, ect. or if they did NOT notice a 70-80% reduction of mosquitoes in their yard.
It is extremely important to not set unrealistic expectations that if a customer sees one ant on their
sidewalk or a wasp fly through their yard that we are returning to treat these occasional invaders, this is
not the Avayda Promise. We cannot control outside environments, neighbour pest issues, ect.
For example, if the neighbour has a wasp nest in their yard and it is causing our customer to have wasps
flying into their yard, we cannot treat that. Another example is on our repel service, customers will see a
noticeable reduction in mosquito activity, up to a 70-80% reduction in mosquitoes in their yard. We
cannot guarantee that they will never see another mosquito - if they have NOT noticed a reduction then
we are back with a re-treatment.
63
PEST IDENTIFICATION
64
65
*If the customer wants exterior bait stations they are sold at $25/station in the disrupt pricing.
Max 2/home. MIN DISRUPT is $200
66
GENERAL
PESTS
67
RODENTS
Key Pest Category Knowledge
“With weather changes in the winter rodents move closer to the foundation of your
home looking for shelter, water, and food. Mice can squeeze through any opening
the size of a dime. We do light exclusion work to keep them out. We can also
place two exterior bait stations if you are interested.”
“Mice typically don’t travel more than 10-15 feet up and/or out. They nest where
their food source is, if you’re seeing mice in separate areas of the home (upstairs
and downstairs or garage and kitchen), you likely have more than one mouse
colony.”
“Most companies will up-charge for rodents when you encounter issues typically in
the fall. One of the things our customers love is that we are taking care of that for
them in our Pro+ plan using safe products available to our provincially licensed
applicators.”
68
GENERAL PESTS
RODENTS
Pest: House Mouse

Locale On Property
Mice can fit through spaces much smaller than they appear (think the size of a dime). Holes and cracks
in your foundation and outer walls are prime entry points, as are doorways and areas around windows,
chimneys, roof vents, garages and wherever pipes and wires enter your home..
Once inside, mice build nests in hidden areas near food sources. Homeowners may also find them living
in attics, wall voids, under cabinets or inside crawl spaces.
Description
House mice are small, slender rodents with a slightly pointed nose; small, black, somewhat protruding
eyes; large, sparsely haired ears; and a nearly hairless tail with obvious scale rings. House mice are grey-
brown with a grey or buff-coloured belly. Mice breed year round if they have access to food. They will
reproduce every three months. 3-4 litters per year, 5 to 8 pups per litter.
Concerns
They can make you very sick. While the common house mouse is not as dangerous to your health as a
deer mouse, they can still spread disease, such as hantavirus, salmonellosis and listeria through their
urine, droppings, saliva and nesting materials.
Mouse feces and urine can dry and turn to dust, spreading viruses through the air we breathe.
Diseases that can be Spread from Mice to People

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis.
Pneumocystis carinii infection.
Ringworm.
Salmonellosis.
Streptobacillus moniliformis infection.
Tapeworms.
69
ANTS
“Ants are one of the most difficult pests to control because they are very sensitive to
their environment. They create a pheromone trail to communicate their food and
water sources, as well as any dangers. That is why DIY treatments like raid, ant-out, or
home defence aren't very effective, they will kill a few on contact but end up pushing
or splitting the rest of the colony into another location.”
“Ants are also a social insect and have lots of contact with other members of the
colony through grooming and foraging. Our products are designed to be hard to
detect and as well as let the ants live a few days after being infected. This allows for a
transfer effect and the products gets spread through the entire colony and
eventually back to the queen.”
“Pharaoh ants are a nightmare for a DIY treatment. For every pharaoh ant you kill
with an over-the-counter spray, you cause massive colony budding which will
potentially create up to 10 more. Our Licensed technicians know how to properly treat
pharaoh ants with bait that is only available to certified pest control companies.”
70
GENERAL PESTS
ANTS
Pest: Odorous/Thatching/Cornfield/Argentine/Thief
Locale On Property
Ants occasionally come inside in search of water, particularly during dry periods. In this case you may
see them in bathrooms or other humid parts of the house. Heavy rains can also cause ant nests to flood
and force them to relocate to nearby buildings, such as your house.
Inside ants may be found near their food sources, moisture and in hidden, protected places like wall
voids, under appliances, behind window frames and beneath floors. Ants are commensal pests, meaning
they like to live close to people and eat some of the same things we do – sweets, meats, starches and
liquids.
Description
Most ants are either red or black in colour and length can be anywhere from 1/3" to 1/2". Like other
insects, they have six legs; each with three joints. Ants have large heads with compound eyes, elbowed
antennae, and powerful jaws.
Concerns
Many ants are venomous (including the fire ant, bulldog ant, and bullet ant), and some can carry disease.
In fact, recent studies show that the pharaoh ant can carry and transmit organisms such as Salmonella,
Staphylococcus, Clostridium and Streptococcus.
Contamination of human and pet foods is the primary concern, as ants can carry germs and disease. For
this reason, it's important not to let an infestation get out of control. To truly eradicate ants, you need a
professional pest control service.
Odorous Thatching
Cornfield Thief
Argentine 71
GENERAL PESTS
ANTS
Pest: Fire
Locale On Property
As with other species of ants, fire ants are opportunistic foragers and often wander inside residences to
find sustenance and water. Due to the convenience of an indoor food source, fire ants may nest around
the base of a home or commercial building.
Description
Fire ants are red and black in coloration and, like all insects, they are protected by a hard exoskeleton
and have six legs. Worker ants have round heads with mandibles, an armored thorax midsection and an
abdomen, made up of the pedicle and the gaster. The head is typically copper brown in color.
Concerns
Imported fire ants inflict painful stings and can kill human beings. There are large social and medical
costs associated with this pest.
A single fire ant can sting its target repeatedly. Susceptible individuals who have suffered painful stings
caused by red imported fire ants, usually experience physical health effects such as fever, dizziness,
generalized urticaria, or other systemic reactions such as anaphylactic shock.
72
GENERAL PESTS
ANTS
Pest: Carpenter (red/black)

Locale On Property
There are two types of carpenter ant nests: parent colonies and satellite colonies. Parent colonies contain
workers, numerous broods and an egg-laying queen, while satellite colonies may have workers, mature
larvae and pupae. Any of these nests can become a problem in houses and buildings. Carpenter ants
may establish their nests indoors or outdoors. As well as tunnelling in the trim of buildings, wooden
steps, and window sills, ant colonies can nest in houses without attacking structural timbers, using
hollow spaces like wall voids, attic spaces, and hollow doors. They can even be found behind books in
libraries, behind drawers in dressers and cabinets, and in Styrofoam insulation.
Description
The red carpenter ant and the black carpenter ant are two of the most common types found in Canada.
The red carpenter ant has a dark brownish-black body, with a reddish-brown upper body. The black
carpenter ant is dark brownish-black all over.
Carpenter ants are from 6 to 25 mm (.24 to 1 inch) long. A carpenter ant's body is divided into three
segments, with a very slim waist separating the upper body and lower body. Their antennae are bent
and in sections.
Concerns
Carpenter ants do not eat wood, like a termite does, but they do tunnel and burrow into wood to make
nests, over time this will completely destroy the structural abilities of wood.. Overall, it's unlikely for
carpenter ants to completely destroy a home since their presence is fairly easy to notice. However, the
damage they can eventually do if they're not detected may lead to a home being destroyed for all
practical purposes. Carpenter ants will ruin your home if you let them.
73
GENERAL PESTS
ANTS
Pest: Pharaoh
Locale On Property
Pharaoh ants prefer to nest indoors and are typically found nesting in the warm, humid areas of your
home located near food sources like behind baseboards, wall voids, underneath floors, or behind large
appliances.
Description
Pharaoh ants are a very small species of ant, reaching only about 2 mm in length. Their bodies range
from light yellow to red in colour and they typically have red or black coloured abdomens. Pharaoh ants
have multiple queens in every colony, this is extremely unique to just the Pharaoh ant.
Concerns
When Pharaoh ants are attacked with a DIY off the shelf insecticide spray, it will kill some on contact but
it will drive some of them back to the colony, they then release pheromones warning of the colony being
under attack. The Pharaoh ant colony immediately buds and will 10x their population numbers, causing
a massive infestation in the home.
They aren't dangerous in themselves, but they're known or suspected to spread over a dozen serious
pathogens, including salmonella, staphylococcus, and streptococcus bacteria. These ants may also carry
the clostridium bacteria – one of the causative agents of botulism.
74
GENERAL PESTS
ANTS
Pest: Pavement
Locale on the Property

Pavement ants often nest under sidewalks, driveways, and building foundations, alongside garages and
houses, and parts of houses which are constructed on concrete slabs. A mound of displaced soil along a
paved area is probably a sign of pavement ant activity. In the winter, they invade homes seeking food
and shelter, through small openings around windows and doors, basement walls, or concrete
floors. Inside they commonly nest in walls and under floors.
Description
Brown to black bodies with paler legs and antennae.
Concerns
Over time they excavate dirt/sand while creating and expanding their tunnel system underneath
driveways, sidewalks and homes foundations. When doing this they erode the support for sidewalks,
interior garage pads and driveways which in turn leads to them settling and cracking.
Food losses that may occur with the presence of a pavement ant infestation may result in several
hundreds of dollars of food having to be thrown out. In addition to spreading diseases, food
contamination, and food losses, if pavement ants feel threatened, they have the potential to sting.
75
SPIDERS
“Spiders are tougher to treat because of clearance created with their legs. They
don’t have the same body contact to the ground. Many other bugs are lower to the
ground and have a lot more drag that helps the treatments attach to their bodies.”
“We get rid of their food sources by de-webbing and then treating for the nuisance
pests like a carpet beetle, pill bug, etc. These nuisance pests are food sources
for the predator bugs like spiders.”
“Spiders are nomadic, they go where the food is, so if there is no food source they
just move on.”
“Spiders are a predator bug and they are nocturnal. If you’re seeing spiders
during the day, that typically means there is a fair amount of competition at night
because it is not what they prefer. What you see during the day is a small percentage
of what the actual population is.”
76
GENERAL PESTS
SPIDERS
Pest: American House Spider

Locale On Property
American house spider webs are often found in corners of ceilings, closets, attics and basements. They
can be especially prevalent in the fall as they move inside to find a safe place to overwinter in.
Description
Common house spiders are typically brown or grey in colour, with darker chevron markings along their
bodies.
Concerns
Typically, spiders do not cause significant damage to homes. However, they certainly can make a mess.
They also may worsen cracks and rotten areas that they use to get in and out of the house.
77
GENERAL PESTS
SPIDERS
Pest: Hobo
Locale On Property
Hobo spiders prefer dark, damp hiding places and often make garages and basements their homes. In
late summer and early fall, males of the species may wander into houses in search of a mate. Crevices in
bricks and dark areas are ideal nesting spots for the pests.
Description
It can be difficult to identify a hobo spider simply by the way it looks. Long legs, a brown body, and a
grayish abdomen with yellowish markings are typical of many types of spiders. The body length of a
hobo spider is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long with a leg span of about 1-2 inches.
Concerns
Hobo spiders are not aggressive; however, they will bite when pressed against the skin. The poison
released by a hobo spider bite is not strong enough to cause life-threatening complications, but there
may be pain, headache, extreme nausea, fatigue in some people after being bitten.
78
GENERAL PESTS
SPIDERS
Pest: Black Widow

Locale On Property
Inside the home, black widows typically hide in sheltered, dimly lit locations such as garages, dark
corners, basements, closets and cluttered areas.
Description
Recognizable due to the red hourglass-shaped marking on the underside of the globular abdomen,
black widows are jet black in colour.
Concerns
Black widow spiders are not aggressive to humans, and only bite when threatened, but their venom is a
neurotoxin. This affects the nervous system, causing symptoms, such as, abdominal and chest pain,
difficulty breathing, nausea, chills, swelling, sweating, weakness and fever.
79
GENERAL PESTS
SPIDERS
Pest: Brown Recluse

Locale On Property
Brown recluses can be found in boxes, clothing, shoes, tires, bedding, furniture and storage areas. If you
spot one of these spiders, there may be many more hiding in your home.
Description
Light to dark brown, with characteristic dark brown violin marking on back
Concerns
A brown recluses’ venom is more potent than a rattlesnake but often less harmful due to the small
amount of venom released.
Some people have a severe, systemic (whole-body) reaction to brown recluse spider bites, including
the rapid destruction of red blood cells and anemia (hemolytic anemia).
Signs and symptoms include:

Fever and chills.
Skin rash all over the body with many tiny, flat purple and red spots.
Nausea or vomiting.
Joint pain.
80
GENERAL PESTS
SPIDERS
Pest: Wolf
Locale On Property
The Wolf spider is drawn by areas that are dark, cluttered and dusty, meaning you'll most likely
encounter these spiders in your basement, attic or cold cellar.
Description
A wolf spider is large and hairy. They have prominent eyes that shine in light. Wolf spiders are usually
grey with brown to dark grey markings.
Concerns
Generally, a wolf spider bite is not dangerous.
81
COCKROACHES
"The thing about cockroaches are that they are tough bugs, they are thigmotactic
meaning they like pressure on three sides and prefer to squeeze into cracks or
crevices. They are next to impossible for homeowners to treat themselves.”
“Most companies will up-charge for cockroaches. One of the things our customers
love is that we take care of them in our pro+ and premium pest control plans.”
82
GENERAL PESTS
COCKROACHES
Pest: Oriental
Locale On Property
Oriental cockroaches often travel through sewers and may come inside through pipes and drains.
Abundant outdoor plants may also provide places for these cockroach populations to flourish and get
inside houses in search of food. Also, leaking pipes and other plumbing leaks are very attractive to
Oriental cockroaches. Once inside, they can survive and breed successfully if they can find an area with
enough moisture.
Description
Oriental roaches are dark brown to nearly black in colour and have a shiny appearance.
Concerns
Oriental cockroaches have the potential to carry food-borne pathogens such as E. coli, salmonella
species, and other diseases.
Oriental cockroaches are very dangerous to have invading your home. Allergens from Oriental roach
shed skins and feces have the ability to trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks in people,
especially in young children.
83
GENERAL PESTS
COCKROACHES
Pest: American
Locale On Property
American cockroaches prefer warm, dark, moist environments, including basements, bathrooms,
storage areas, and kitchens, as well as sewer lines and garbage disposals.
Description
American cockroaches are reddish-brown to dark brown (except for a tan or light yellow band around
the shield behind the head), and have wings capable of flight.
Concerns
Their association with human waste and disease and their ability to move from sewers into homes make
American cockroaches a public health problem.
84
GENERAL PESTS
COCKROACHES
Pest: Brown-Banded
Locale On Property
Brown-banded cockroaches prefer dry and warm locations and can be found inside cabinets, pantries
and closets. They can also be found in electronic equipment or around refrigerator motor housings.
Brown-banded cockroaches can also hide from humans in a variety of places such as clocks and picture
frames.
Description
This cockroach is similar to the German cockroach with its small size and body shape but can be
distinguished by its lack of two dark stripes.
Concerns
Brown-banded roaches will introduce dangerous bacteria and pathogens into your home that can make
you and your family very ill. They carry and spread bacteria and protozoa which causes gastroenteritis
and diarrhea, asthma and allergies. They can also transfer disease organisms that cause food poisoning
and dysentery.
85
STINGING INSECTS
“Wasps and Hornet nests always tend to pop up in your yard in the hot summer
months. Most companies will up-charge for wasps when you encounter issues. One of
the things our customers love is that we are taking care of that for them in our Pro +
plan.”
“We treat their nests with a residual product because they are similar to ants in that
they leave pheromone trails, so if they do come back the treatment is effective. If
not just give us a call and we come back for no charge with our Avayda Promise.”
86
GENERAL PESTS
STINGING INSECTS
Pest: Paper Wasp

Locale On Property
Homeowners should pay special attention to porch ceilings, around roof eaves, soffits, attic rafters,
windows and doorframes, as these are places where paper wasps congregate.
Description
Adult paper wasps tend to have a brownish colouring with yellow markings (although a few paper wasp
species have red markings).
Concerns:
Paper wasp stings can be very painful and can cause the same risk of allergic reaction as other insect
stings. The location of the sting will become red and swollen.
87
GENERAL PESTS
STINGING INSECTS
Pest: Mud Dauber

Locale On Property
Chimneys & Attics.
Walls of homes.
Light fixtures.
Under eaves.
Under decks.
Inside garages.
Description
Mud daubers are usually black, but they may have pale markings or a blue metallic lustre.
Concerns
Stings can also provoke allergic reactions.
88
GENERAL PESTS
STINGING INSECTS
Pest: Yellow Jacket
Locale On Property
Most yellow jackets build their nests underground but a few species build them in trees or buildings.
Description
They are bright, shiny yellow with black markings.
Concerns
Yellow jackets are considered extremely dangerous because of the following reasons: Their sting can
invoke severe reactions. They can sting repeatedly. They release chemicals that attract more wasps that
can sting and attack.
89
GENERAL PESTS
STINGING INSECTS
Pest: Wasp
Locale On Property
Common sites for a wasp nest include under the roof eaves, behind shutters or in garden sheds.
Description
Most wasps are black and have various markings of white, orange, or yellow.
Concerns
Wasps attack when the nest is disturbed and can sting repeatedly. The stings typically cause pain and
swelling around the area of the attack. In some cases serious allergic reactions may occur that can even
result in death.
90
O
OTHER PESTS
"These little guys are not harmful at all other than they are a nuisance and a bit
gross to have in your home.”
“The main issue you will start to see if you don’t take care of them is a larger spider
population. Spiders are a predatory insect that feed on these nuisance pests.”
91
GENERAL PESTS
OTHER PESTS
Pest: Centipede
NOT HARMFUL – Classified as an Occasional Invader – Nuisance Pest
92
GENERAL PESTS
OTHER PESTS
Pest: Millipede
93
GENERAL PESTS
OTHER PESTS
Pest: Pill Bug

94
GENERAL PESTS
OTHER PESTS
Pest: Flea
Locale On Property
Moist, shaded spots near pet resting areas are the places to find fleas. Indoors, flea larvae are usually
found under furniture and in pet bedding.
Description
Fleas look like small, dark, oval-shaped insects with hard shells.
Concerns
Fleas can carry and transmit several potential illnesses of importance to humans, including typhus and
plague, and can transmit “cat scratch disease” (infection with Bartonella) among cats who can then
spread the disease to humans.
95
GENERAL PESTS
OTHER PESTS
Pest: Sow Bug (also known as Pill Bug)

96
GENERAL PESTS
OTHER PESTS
Pest: Silverfish
Locale On Property
Found in moist, humid areas in the home, such as bathrooms, basements, and attics.
Description
Silverfish are wingless insects that have a carrot-shaped, flat body with silver and grey scales.
Concerns
They have the potential to spread germs if they come in from the outside and contaminate food.
97
GENERAL PESTS
OTHER PESTS
Pest: Firebrats
Locale On Property
Firebrats are more common in attics and around furnaces, ovens, and water heaters.
Description
The firebrat typically is white with light and dark spots.
Concerns
Firebrats can cause damage to personal items and can contaminate food, so they should be eliminated
from a home or other property as quickly as possible.
98
SPECIALTY
PESTS
99
RODENTS
“Roof rats typically run the gutters and chew holes through the soffit to get into the
attic. Rats love to sharpen their front Incisor teeth by chewing on things.”
“Most often in a home this is electrical wires, often causing electrical failure and/or
electrical fires.”
“Rats go after pet food as well as human food, causing contamination of the food.
Ectoparasites like Fleas and Ticks live on Rats and transmit disease to pets, they
should never be handled without gloves.”
100
SPECIALTY PESTS
RODENTS
Pest: Rats: Roof Rat/Norway Rat

Locale On Property
In homes, rats will take refuge under furniture, behind walls, or in dark, seldom-used corners of the
house. They're also famous for making nests inside of and under appliances. They are also found in attics
which provide great nesting opportunities.
.
Description
Roof rats can be black or brown. These rodents have long tails, large ears and eyes, and pointed noses.
They have smooth fur with hairless, scaly tails that are longer than their heads and bodies.
Norway rats are brown and have a gray to yellow-white underside. They have broad bodies, a blunt
muzzle and small eyes and ears. Their tails are shorter than their heads and bodies.
Concerns
They spread disease, such as rabies, rat bite fever, hantavirus and food poisoning. They contaminate food
and living areas with their urine, droppings and hair. Some other diseases that can be spread from rats
to people are bubonic and pneumonic plague, murine typhus, salmonella, leptospirosis, and tularaemia.
Rat feces and urine can dry and turn to dust, spreading viruses through the air we breathe.
Roof Rat
Norway Rat
101
TICKS
“Ticks feed on blood, they can’t fly, their feeding strategy is called questing, it's an
opportunistic hunt where they wait for a passing by host to latch onto. Their
complex mouthparts allow them to hook and anchor.”
“Our repel treatment is extremely effective in keeping them out of your yard. You will be
less likely to have to deal with them on your pets or family members when you get
treated on our Avayda premium plan.”
102
SPECIALTY PESTS
TICKS
Pest: Ticks
Locale On Property
Favourite hiding spots include naturalized or un-mown areas with weeds and tall grasses, especially
when those spots are humid and shady. When lawns are nearby, ticks move into mowed areas, too. But
more than 80% stay in the lawn's outer 9 feet.
Description
Ticks can be greyish-white, brown, black, reddish-brown or yellowish in colour.
Concerns
Some of the diseases passed on by ticks include relapsing fever, tularaemia, Rocky Mountain Spotted
Fever (RMSF), Q Fever and anaplasmosis. The most well-known is Lyme disease.
"Tick Questing"
103
MOSQUITOES
“The summer months are too short to not spend them outside, this is the time to
enjoy your back yard. Our Repel service will drastically reduce the mosquito
population on your property to just a few occasional invaders.”
104
SPECIALTY PESTS
MOSQUITOES
Pest: Mosquitoes
Locale On Property
Mosquitoes are drawn to water sources on a property as they provide hydration as well as a hospitable
area to lay eggs. This means properties with an abundance of water and flowers are likely to attract
mosquitoes. Even plants will attract mosquitoes.
Description
They are mostly grey in colour with white, silver, green or iridescent blue scales.
Concerns
The risk of developing a serious disease is the most dangerous outcome of a mosquito bite. There are
several harmful infections that mosquitoes can carry and transmit, including: Malaria: Parasites cause
this life-threatening disease by infecting and destroying red blood cells.
Mosquitoes infect humans with the Zika virus, yellow fever, dengue, malaria, and other diseases.
Mosquitoes have bedevilled humans for centuries, spreading disease and death to millions. Today, the
latest plague they bring is the Zika virus.
105
GERMAN COCKROACH
“The thing about cockroaches are that they are tough bugs, they are thigmotactic
meaning they like pressure on three sides and prefer to squeeze into cracks or
crevices. They are next to impossible for homeowners to treat themselves.
Most companies will up-charge for cockroaches. One of the things our customers love
is that we take care of them in our pro+ and premium pest control plans.”
106
SPECIALTY PESTS
GERMAN COCKROACH
Pest: German Cockroach

Locale On Property
They can hide in cracks and crevices nearly too small for you to see. These pests come indoors seeking
warmth, food, and water. They like to hide around wiring, under sinks, in walls, and around water-using
appliances.
Description
They are light brown to tan in colour and often distinguished by two dark stripes down their back.
Concerns
German cockroaches are very dangerous to have invading your home. They carry a large number of
viruses, bacteria, and parasites on their bodies and in their feces which can cause diarrhea, dysentery,
salmonella, and other serious health concerns.
107
PESTS WE
DO NOT
COVER
108
PESTS WE DO NOT COVER
Wildlife // Voles, Snakes, Gophers, Skunks, Raccoons

*Why - Requires a different type of wildlife certification. Cannot kill these animals,
they must be trapped, removed, and released in a humane way. This requires
multiple trips to the home and does not fit into an annual pest control model with a
re-service guarantee.
Flying Animals // Pigeons, Bats, Starlings, Common House Sparrow, ect

*Why - Similar to the wildlife concern in that they cannot be killed or poisoned in a
residential area. Requires ladders and different liabilities and insurance
requirements for the company. Does not fit into the annual pest control model with
a re-service guarantee.
Insects // Black Flies, Common House fly

*Why - Treating the home for the occasional air borne pest is tough to guarantee
for obvious reasons.
Murder Hornet
*Why - have not made it to Canada yet. Any identification of these become a
national emergency with gov't protocols on how to eradicate them from the
country. Does not fit into the annual pest control model with a re-service guarantee
Bed Bugs
*Why - Bed bugs are tough to price without a proper inspection, they are often
quoted and treated by room. The success of bed bug treatments is highly impacted
by the customers' cooperation in following a prep list before and after each
treatment as well as follow-up in 7-10 days. Often dealing with high emotions with
people's sleep being affected as well as asking them to get rid of mattresses or arm
chairs, ect. They do not fit into the annual pest control model with a re-service
guarantee
Stored Product Pests

Pests found in cereal products, flour, beans, spices, rolled oats, bran, wheat, barley,
rice ect. Most common in Canada are confused flour beetles, hairy spider beetles,
weevils, drugstore beetles, cigarette beetles.
109
1000 LITTLE THINGS
110
1000 LITTLE THINGS
Often we look at success or successful people and think, “Man, how do they do it?. If I could only find
out what they know or how they do it I could be as successful.” The funny thing about that mentality is
you will never find out anyone’s secret because it is never just one big concept they have or one thing
they say.
Simply put, it is multiple little things we do over an extended period of time that will have a greater,
more impactful effect on our life than the one or two bigger things we do in a shorter period of time.
Take for example the classic New Year’s weight loss resolution. Success rarely comes from this grand
resolution. If we changed it to something like I will walk two miles each day and never buy food from
convenience stores we would see dramatic results a year later and it is a small enough change that we
could probably hold to it. The “inches are all around us”; it’s when you add up all the inches that
together the difference is made. The following information is to help each of us do a set of little things
each day that will have a monumental effect on our summer experience and career with Avayda.
1) KNOWLEDGE
a. “Knowledge is the purest source of competitive advantage” -OSD.

We have the most talented leadership group in this sales industry. You are surrounded by years of
experienced reps and managers who have sold in multiple markets under numerous
circumstances. Learn from them by shadowing one of their sales, asking questions and role playing.
Have the humility to accept feedback and apply it.
b. Our training videos are real time for the current market conditions. Internalize these trainings and
apply them to your day. Our training manual is designed to teach you the principles of the sales
cycle that occurs in all sales programs. Understand this process and adapt it to who you are.
c. Everyone should have a copy of the recommended book club readings– the knowledge base you
acquire in the sales industry will deepen your drive to be successful. Be proactive in your learning –
be engaged everyday with the above sources to increase your knowledge.
d. “Those who know what and how will always work for those who know why” -Zig Ziglar. You
need to know why you are here working for Avayda. Hopefully you can see that the development of
these soft skills, leadership and sales along with the experiences you have is why you are here. These
soft skills are your greatest financial asset. They will set you apart in the workforce and give you the
competitive edge you need.
2) CONDITIONING
a. Richard Branson (Virgin group of 400 companies) was asked, “How do you become more
productive?” His reply was “Work Out”. This doesn’t mean you need to become a gym rat or run
on a treadmill every day for 30 min’s. Find something you enjoy that challenges you physically
and be committed to it weekly. The summer schedule is no excuse for becoming physically
inactive.
b. Proper sleep habits will allow for physical fitness and study. If you are sleeping in till 11 am because
you never went to bed until 2 am you cannot exercise, you cannot study, you cannot role play and as
a result your performances WILL NOT improve.
c. Proper eating and substance consumption seems simple and common sense so be responsible.
Control what you can control. Be strategic when you have your weekly party night-ie: Saturday
nights only.
111
1000 LITTLE THINGS
d. Opportunity at Avayda is crippled when an employee’s hard earned income is spent creating
more debt. Your financial well-being in life has very little to do with how much you make but rather
how much you spend. Learn to spend less than what you make, pay off your debt, save for school,
live within your income.
3) BALANCE
• a. Passion for life.

• Find a few hours a couple times in the mornings each week to relax and engage in a
hobby or an interest where you clear your mind, have fun and laugh, don’t talk or think
about selling. This will recharge your mental energy.
• If you have not already discussed the expectations of this job with your partner or family
please do it now. 2-9pm is “I love you honey but please respect me and let me focus on
work during these 7 hours”. I would imagine your family and partner want to see you
successful and will respect you more for asking for this space during your working hours.
• Give full attention to your relationships when not at work. Learn to turn off work when you
are at home. Set the expectations together and stick to them.
• b. GRATITUDE
• Make up a list of 20 items and experiences that you are grateful for. Review your list each
week or at least each month and add to it or take away based on your experiences each
week. Learning to be grateful is the cure for a multitude of struggles.
• c. SERVICE
• Happiness is the hunger to give and unhappiness is the hunger to get. The greatest
rewards in life come from helping others achieve what they need. Give back to those
around you and you will find that your life’s challenges become easier to manage.
“It’s the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices. Success is earned
in the moment to moment decisions that in themselves make no visible difference whatsoever,
but the accumulated compounding effect is profound. If you want to save money so you can enjoy
your retirement, consider the compounding effect of spending $4 a day on coffee. If you choose to
invest $4 a day at 8% interest rather than spending it on a cup of coffee it would result in
$51,833.79 in 20 years. The same result could also be reached by making your own lunches rather
than eating out. Do both and you will have saved an extra $100,000.” -Darren Hardy
“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your
success is found in your daily routine.” -John C. Maxwell
112
1000 LITTLE THINGS
Make a commitment now to do the small routine like items below everyday and over the course of the
summer you will experience monumental improvements in the way you think, act, and perform out on
the doors and hopefully throughout the rest of your life.
30 min’s each morning

-Study Avayda training AND take notes on what to apply. 15 min’s each morning
-Role play a part of the sales cycle in the mirror, with family or a friend. 10 min’s each morning
-Listen to audio books – psychology of selling recommended as a start. 5 min’s each morning
Sleeping Habits
you need proper sleep to perform. Go to bed before midnight & get up before 8am
Physical Conditioning
What is your diet (fast food, energy drinks, alcohol) and exercise plan?
Expectations
Sit down with family about the expectations of the job. Set out the guidelines and stick to them.
Be engaged in a hobby that allows you to relax in the mornings. Spend less than what you make each
week. Keep a grateful list of 20 things and experiences – review it once a week and evaluate. Find a way
to give your time, skills or money to help someone other than you each week
If you ever need to get a hold of us for anything please call or email. Good luck out there this summer,
and remember that luck follows hard work.
Brock Walburger
Owner, Avayda
403.360.0075
brock@avayda.ca
Chris Steed
Owner, Avayda
403.795.4323
chris@avayda.ca
113

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SALES REPRESENTATIVE

1. APPEARANCE AND BROAD APPEAL

2. KNOWING YOUR TURF

(Continued on next page)

WHAT IS A QUALIFYING QUESTION?

Misconceptions about closing

“Hey sorry to bug you, are you the homeowner?”

“How long have you guys been here for?”

“What time works better for you tomorrow – morning or evening?”

To define what a feature is let’s use a simple example.

THE INITIAL APPROACH

1) If the contact asks you how much the service costs.

FINDING YOUR NICHE

Here are some examples of effective name-dropping techniques:

CATERING THE APPROACH

NEW HOMES (3-5 YEARS OLD)

SEMI-NEW HOMES (6-10 YEARS OLD)

OLDER HOME (11-19 YEARS OLD)

VERY OLD HOMES (20+ YEARS OLD)

COMMON PESTS IN THE AREA

COMMONLY USED TRANSITIONAL PHRASES INCLUDE:

“That’s a great question.”

HOW MUCH IS IT?

WE DON’T HAVE THE MONEY FOR IT

I NEED TO TALK TO MY SPOUSE

JUST LEAVE ME YOUR CARD

CAN I THINK ABOUT IT AND CALL YOU LATER?

I ALREADY HAVE THIS SERVICE

WHY DO I NEED THE SERVICE IN THE WINTER?

WE DON’T HAVE PESTS

WILL IT HARM MY KIDS OR PETS?

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU DO?

CAN I TRY IT ONCE AND SEE IF I LIKE IT?

OVERSELLING THE SERVICE

MAKING RETURN APPOINTMENTS

GETTING PAYMENT AT EVERY SALE

ALWAYS GET PAYMENT INFORMATION!!!

RE-EMPHASIZING THE NEED FOR REGULAR SERVICE

6 Step Process ( all products are eco friendly)

Do Not Park in driveway.

Look at notes and names in ServSuite before going to the door.

Check to make sure that the is payment on the account from

Introduce yourself, address them by name and review any

Go in depth on any specific concerns or spot treatments

Conclude the conversation by mentioning that you are going

Remember along the course of your service that Avayda

None for this part of the service

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS

Clear away cobwebs and

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS

• Trim Vegetation -Trim vegetation 45 centimetres (18 inches) from house/building

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS

• Clean Trash Cans – Clean trash cans

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS

Drench active mounds

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS

Use this product in

Put one under sinks

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS

Spray all foliage and yard

Introduce yourself, ask about specific concerns they have and

Complete through sweep

Complete barrier spray