“We do our own pest control”: what to say at the door
Plenty of homeowners spray their own perimeter. The answer is not that they are doing it wrong. It is a question about how this season is going.
The situation
It is the most common pest control brush-off. The homeowner buys a spray at the hardware store and does the outside of the house a couple of times a year.
Some of them are doing fine. Some are still seeing ants in the kitchen and have stopped mentioning it.
We do our own pest control.
The buyer
I just spray it myself.
The buyer
What it can mean
- It works well enough, and I don’t want to pay for it.
- It is not really working, but it is cheaper.
- I don’t want to talk to a salesperson.
What a good answer covers
Credit them for doing it
Telling a homeowner their spray doesn’t work makes them defend it.
Ask how it is going this season
If they are still seeing pests, they will say so, and then it is their problem, not your pitch.
Offer one thing that is hard to do yourself
The eaves, the wasp nests, the crawl space: something specific beats “professional grade”.
A strong answer
Good for you, most people don’t bother. How’s it going this summer, still seeing anything inside? The thing people usually hand off to us is the eaves and the wasp nests up high.
The rep
Why it works
- It credits them, so nothing needs defending.
- The question lets them admit what they are still seeing.
- It offers one specific thing, not a better product.
What not to say
- “Store-bought stuff doesn’t work.” They just told you they use it.
- Safety scares about the products they bought.
- Leading with the price before they have said they have a problem.
How to practice it
Five minutes, before the shift. Any manager can run it.
Say the line
The homeowner, already turning: “We do our own pest control.”
Answer in three beats
Credit them, ask how this season is going, name one thing that is hard to do yourself.
Listen for criticism
Stop the run if the rep says anything bad about the homeowner’s spray.
Run it both ways
Once where the homeowner says it is working fine (the rep thanks them and goes), once where they admit to ants in the kitchen.
Shadowpitch puts this drill in every rep’s pocket. A voiced buyer says the line, the rep answers out loud and keeps the take worth hearing, and a manager hears it before the rep says it at a real door.
Questions
What if it really is working for them?
Then thank them and go. A rep who lets a happy homeowner be happy is the one they call when it stops working.
Should a rep talk about the products they use?
Only if the homeowner asks, and only what your company has told reps to say. Comparing chemicals at the door is a conversation nobody wins.
How short should the answer be?
Three sentences. Pest control reps knock more doors than anyone, and an answer that runs long sounds rehearsed by the afternoon.