PMP Industry Insiders

The Most Important Ratio for High Profitability In good times or bad, gross margin is the key performance indicator that all pest control companies must keep in check to remain profitable. Dan and Donnie explain gross margin, where it should be, and strategies for keeping it there.

Pest control software industry veteran Andrew de la Chapelle talks with Dan and Donnie about steps PMPs can take now to route more efficiently to save on fuel costs and improve efficiency. Speaker: Andrew de la Chapelle Corporate Development PCO Bookkeepers & PCO M&A Specialists

On this episode, Dan and Donnie review Q2 2022 and take a look at the broader forces affecting the pest control industry as we head into the second half of the year.

Certus Pest CEO Mike Givlin shares lessons learned from doing 57 acquisitions in three years. He discusses how the $80 million company approaches integration and executes change management within the organization. Mike Givlin, CEO, Certus Pest

On this episode, Dan and Donnie talk with Todd Burke, COO of PestSure, to learn more about how captive insurance works and understand why it's a good fit for pest control companies. Todd Burke COO PestSure

Atlanta's Arrow Exterminators has grown steadily over the last decade—much of it through acquisition. On this episode, Kevin Burns joins the podcast to talk about Arrow's acquisition strategy and processes. They also discuss the M&A market as a whole. Kevin Burns Chief Development Officer Arrow Exterminators

Savvy pest control operators already raised prices late last year or early this year to offset inflation. Is it time to raise prices again or more than you already have? On this episode, Dan and Donnie walk through why you should consider it.

Dan and Donnie welcome Tony Massey to the podcast to discuss how Massey Services excels at execution by focusing on accountability, communication and transparency. They also dive into inflation, the state of the economy, M&A and more.

Firing a team member is always a gut-wrenching decision. On this episode, Dan and Donnie talk through their experiences parting ways with employees. They cover the problems with keeping people too long, how to know if additional training will help, and other things to consider.

Dan, Donnie and Access Holding's Josh Finifter discuss why the pest control industry is so attractive to private equity investors and the differences between selling to a strategic buyer and a PE buyer. Josh explains how PE deals may be structured and the business case for an owner to partner with a PE firm.

In this episode, Dan and Donnie cover SBA loans vs. conventional loans, use cases for SBA loans, how they work, the pros and cons, and much more.

Dan and Donnie talk mergers & acquisitions with Sebastian Tomassoni, VP of M&A for one of the largest pest management firms in the U.S. Learn about strategy, decision-making, factors that bring maximum value to a seller and more.

Whether you're considering hiring your first supervisor or you're at the point where you need to add someone to your executive team, this episode is for you. Dan and Donnie cover 10 signs it's time to bring on a manager and other considerations.

Your company's brand is more than your logo or marketing tactics. In this episode, Dan and Donnie break down exactly what a brand is, why brands are ultimately a reflection of the owner, and how to create a company image you're proud of and that your team can execute on.

What is cross-functional selling, why is it important, and how do you execute it in the pest control industry? Tune in to this episode to hear Dan and Donnie answer these questions and more about developing a team approach to sales.

On this episode, Dan and Donnie review the first quarter of 2022 and look into the crystal ball to predict what may occur the rest of the year. They cover the Pest Index, the overall economy, interest rates, price increases and more.

With the deal of the century expected to close in Q3, Rentokil's President & CEO, John Myers, sits down with Dan and Donnie to discuss some background details and what the future holds for the company in terms of integration, franchising, branding, M&A, and more.

Customer service stinks these days. There's a huge opportunity for pest and lawn care companies to differentiate themselves by delivering excellent client service. Dan and Donnie delve into how to create a killer customer experience.

Dan and Donnie discuss how to sift through the mountains of data in your business to determine what's most useful for your pest control company. They cover leading vs. lagging indicators, how to get started, how to monitor your KPIs, and more.

When it comes to successful inside sales, pest and lawn companies need sound fundamentals and consistency. On this episode, Dan and Donnie outline what it takes to get your office staff selling better in a short amount of time.

On this episode, Dan and Donnie delve into how to maximize your investment in marketing to effectively grow your business. They cover various budgeting methods, the pros and cons of each, and key numbers to track, such as cost per sale, cost per lead and more.

In pest control, field technicians are your direct link to the customer. On this episode, Dan and Donnie walk through why and how to implement systems to ensure you're finding, training and retaining the best techs in the business.

On this week's episode, Donnie quizzes Dan on what's a true cash emergency, how and why it happens, and how to prevent a cash crisis from occurring in the future.

What role should search engine optimization play in today's digital marketing strategy? Is SEO still valuable for field service businesses like pest control companies? Coalmarch's Senior SEO Manager, Jay Stalls, shares his perspective along with strategies companies can use to tackle SEO challenges.

Emily Thomas Kendrick and Tim Pollard discuss how they approach employee recognition at Arrow Exterminators in Atlanta. They cover the business case for doing so, their philosophy, and their advice for other operators.

Sarah Verlinger is back by popular demand to share the tactics Triangle Home Services uses to keep good staff, improve employee retention, and foster an overall positive company culture.

Verne Harnish, bestselling author, speaker and founder of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), joins the podcast to discuss the importance of fundamentals (people, strategy, execution and cash), in addition to what inspired him about Rockefeller and how many of his concepts come from 'Good to Great' author Jim Collins.

In this episode, Donnie and Dan review ways to encourage pest and lawn technicians to generate leads and close sales. They cover training, incentives, technology and automation tools, among other considerations.

Dan and Donnie are back to discuss the wild ride that was 2021 and what's in the cards for 2022. They cover COVID impacts, technology, industry growth, taxes, and what's likely to happen with mergers and acquisitions.

What will happen as two of the top three firms in the pest control industry combine into one? Dan and Donnie look at the deal from a big picture standpoint and speculate how it will affect M&A, other companies and more.

HR pro, Sarah Verlinger discusses Triangle Home Services' approach to attracting and screening candidates; onboarding new team members; retaining key players; and developing company culture.

PCO Bookkeepers' Managing Member Anthony Pepe joins the podcast to discuss the importance of having a financial process and how to implement one. He also covers tax planning, budgeting and developing a scorecard.

Dan and Donnie share their takeaways from the pest control industry's first in-person national trade show in two years. They cover the rise of M&A valuations, the proliferation of software and technology suppliers, the expansion of the pest market and more.

Darren Valencia, vice president of wholesale specialty insurance distributor CRC Group, joins the podcast to help pest management professionals better understand Employment Practices Liability Insurance and cyber coverage.

Whether you're looking to sell your business now or down the road, tune in to this must-listen episode to hear Dan and Donnie interview Brian Schoonmaker, former owner of Capitol Pest. He recently sold his firm to American Pest for one of the industry's highest multiples.

Tune in to hear Donnie and Dan analyze marketing data, the Pest Index, tax updates, supply chain issues, the labor market, inflation and other issues currently affecting pest control and lawn care operators.

Dan and Donnie are thrilled to welcome small business icon Michael E. Gerber to the podcast! They discuss taking 'E-Myth' principles to the next level, what all successful entrepreneurs have in common, how to handle staffing struggles and much more.

Sheri Spencer Bachman, president of Pest Control Business Coach and former owner of Spencer Pest Services, joins the podcast to share tools for streamlining your business and how to break the cycle of working all the time but feeling like you're never caught up.

Dan and Donnie talk with Triangle Pest Control's Josh Baker. They discuss what a Chief Administrative Officer does, the benefits of a well-run office, and the technology and systems that make the biggest impact.

McCauley Services CEO Justin McCauley discusses his journey into leadership roles at the state and national association, the biggest issues facing the pest control industry and how he plans to approach them.

Patrick Quigley, a veteran pest control industry sales consultant, gives Dan and Donnie practical advice for training, motivating and hiring sales people in this week's episode.

Coalmarch's resident experts Rachel Betterbid and Rachel Kirkpatrick join the podcast to school pest control operators on marketing moves they should consider now to drive growth in the future.

Attorney, Mark Ruff, joins the podcast to share his expertise in several areas, including wood-destroying organism inspection reports, repair and re-treatment contracts, noncompete agreements, corporate mergers and acquisitions and other topics relevant to pest control operators.

Matt Whiting, who handles mergers and acquisitions for Orkin and other Rollins brands, gives us his take on the pest control M&A market's high valuations, different types of buyers and deals, how pest control companies can increase their values and more.

With the rise of the Delta variant, Jean Seawright is back to walk us through the latest information related to COVID-19 and the workplace. We cover CDC updates, masks, vaccines and a lot more.

Dan Gordon and Donnie Shelton discuss the state of the pest and lawn markets after the first half of 2021 and look ahead to the second half of the year. They discuss digital marketing, a Google algorithm update, the M&A market and much more.

Laura Corbin, president of Spencer Pest Services, talks about how her company gets the most out of its CRM, takes advantages of automation opportunities and uses dashboards and KPIs to run a better business.

Syngenta's Marshall Gaster and Dave Ravel discuss what's driving chemical price increases and how planning ahead and other tactics can help alleviate the challenges for pest and lawn operators.

Analyst, Tim Mulrooney, shares what he's learned by publishing the Pest Index for nearly a year with data from PCO M&A Specialists, how the average pest control company should use this information and his forecast for the industry in 2021 and 2022.

Donnie Shelton & Dan Gordon are excited to announce the launch of PMPIndustryInsider.com. The podcast's new companion website houses all episodes of the podcast, detailed episode show notes, downloads and additional resources for podcast listeners and members of the pest control and lawn care industries.