How To Price Jobs

I've closely watched hundreds of companies over the years. I've seen many make millions, and I've seen many go out of business. Here's the secret: it doesn't really matter how you price your jobs, how you look, how professional you are. All that matters is that you answer every phone call immediately. Never EVER let it go to voicemail. Do this one simple thing, and you will have more business than you can handle, and you can then charge any price you want. Answer your phone, and you will be rich. Let it go to voicemail, and your competitors will just get the business and you're just wasting your marketing. Voicemail equals business suicide.

When I started my wildlife business, I was a coward. I charged very low prices because I was too shy to ask for much money. I was very afraid that someone would turn me down because my prices were too high, and I felt embarrassed about asking for much. I basically worked my ass off during my first year, often 12 hours a day seven days per week, and my first year revenues were about $40,000, which wasn't much more than my total operating expenses. I basically made no money. I would do service calls and trap setup for free. I would charge $25 per squirrel removed. If I couldn't get the snake or find the dead animal in the wall, I would sheepishly say, "no charge".

Meanwhile, I learned about other companies operating in my area. Some were small independent guys, some were large franchise companies. I was absolutely astounded at the prices they were charging. I would quote a customer $150 to remove all the squirrels from the attic and seal all the entry points, and then after the job was done, the customer would show me a written estimate from another company, quoting $2000 for the same job - plus they already paid a $169 service call fee - that's right, other companies were charging more just to come out and take a look, than I charged to complete the entire job! This went on and on. I was a chicken, and I couldn't bring myself to charge appropriately for my work, and I repeatedly watched other companies make ten times as much as I was making.

I gradually gained more self confidence and started to charge more money for my services. I knew that my work was very good, better than those big franchise companies, and I knew that I provided great service. I learned that I could charge more money and people accepted it. In fact, every time I raised my prices, I noticed that I sold just as many jobs as I did before. In fact, I sold more, because I spoke with confidence and I demonstrated knowledge of wildlife over the phone, when making that first sale. And the few customers that I lost? Good riddance! They were the people too cheap to make it worth my while, the people who complained and then didn't even bother to pay my tiny bill at the end of the job, people whose checks bounced, etc. Charging more just increased the quality of the customers I had.

My revenue went up to 130k in my second year, 226k in my third year, and 284k in my fourth year as a one-man operation. I had heard, prior to starting my business, that most nuisance wildlife control operators (NWCOs) earned about $1000 per work day, but it wasn't until my fourth year that I really got close to this amount.

Here is my exact pricing setup: Orlando Prices for you and anyone to see. You can see that I decided to charge per trip for most normal trapping jobs. This is not the only way to do it, but it works out nicely, because it prevents those nightmare jobs that drag on and on, a fussy customer who calls you back constantly because she hears a mystery bump in the night. If you quote a flat rate to solve the problem, you might end up in a very frustrating situation in which you get called back to the house again and again, and you earn nothing. I usually charged $89 per service call to the home, but sometimes $129 depending on the situation. Is the customer worried that their bill might rack up to a huge amount? No, because I tell them that the average job takes no more than three trips. If you go to six service calls in a work day, and you charge your minimum $89 per service call, you make $534 that day. But of course that isn't how the real money is made in wildlife control.

Most of the money is made from damage repairs - The $89 service call is just the little money, the small amount you charge to get your foot in the door and to keep operations running. The real money is made doing the repairs to keep animals out, and cleaning up after them. So for a typical job of squirrels in the attic, I'd charge $89 to come to the house and do an inspection of the house and attic and set the traps or one-way door. I'd make another $89 returning in five days to remove the one-way door, or perhaps $178 for two trips to remove squirrels in traps, if I elected to go with trapping. But I'd make $400 fixing the eave gaps, soffits, installing new steel screens on roof vents, steel screens over plumbing stacks, etc. When you do the initial home inspection, you explain that the only way to permanently solve the squirrel problem is to find and seal all of the entry points leading into the house. The only way a one-way door works, or trapping is most effective, is if the squirrels don't have access to their entry points to come and go into the attic as they please. People will pay a lot for home repairs. Home repairs are valuable. You increase the value of the home if it is secure from animals entering. People pay for total critter-proofing of their home. It's an investment in their property. They always accept my repair fee, once I am there, once they can see that I'm a professional who will get the job done properly. And $400 is nothing for a total home proofing. Many companies I've seen will charge several thousand dollars, even for minimal repairs, without batting an eye. You just write out the repair fee on the service contract, have them sign it, and request half of the fee up-front, and half when the job is complete. The repairs are the most important thing. It's what you do to make yourself valuable, to make the job permanent. Charge for it, it's worth it! When I do a bat exclusion job, the final bill is usually something like: Service fee & inspection ...$89, exclude entire colony of bats from building ...$300, repairs and bat-proofing entire structure ...$650, clean up bat waste ...$400, total ...$1439

...and cleanups - Cleanups are even more money than damage repairs. I have made a brochure which I give to the customer on the first trip, after I've inspected the attic. I explain that the animals have left parasites and waste in the attic, and a pheremone scent behind that can attract new wildlife to try to enter the attic. Read more about it here attic cleanup. It's easy. I just wear a $5 white Tyvek suit, a HEPA filter mask, headlamp, and use a $200 atomizing sprayer from www.wildlifecontrolsupplies.com, and I mix Bac-Azap (easy to buy in gallon jugs online, from www.prginc.com) half and half with water, and I fog the attic. One company I know in Orlando routinely charged over $1000 per attic, and they just used a hand-pump and spent 20 minutes applying it! I usually charged $250-$350 and spent about a half hour up there, also removing animal waste and soiled insulation, bagging it. The real big money in this industry is in full-blown attic restorations with insulation replacement, billed out to homeowner's insurance to the tune of $8000 per attic, but I never got into this because I didn't have the gumption. But doing $300 attic sprays as an add-on is easy, very good profits.

So a job for squirrels in the attic could go as such:

$100 trap setup fee + $50 per squirrel removed = $300 total (you caught four squirrels and the customer called you back to the house three times, thus you made four drives out there - not a very good pricing strategy)

$350 flat rate to remove all squirrels + $200 exclusion repairs = $550 total (not bad, especially if you can use a one-way door or a repeating trap and get it done in two service calls, but charging a flat rate sometimes runs the risk of a never-ending job. Plus a quote of $350 flat rate on the phone might scare away some customers)

$89 per trip + $350 repairs + $250 attic cleanup = $867 (this is what my jobs are like. I charged $267 for three service calls, plus a lot for repairs. I may or may not get the attic cleanup - if not, the final bill would be $617 in this case)

I have witnessed many, many companies that charge an average of $2000 or more for any job involving squirrels, rats, bats, etc in attics. I never had the nerve to ask for that much, but other companies have proven repeatedly that customers will pay it.

Here are some general money lessons, strategies and tips that I learned over the years:

The first phone call is everything - When your phone rings, you must answer it, and you must sell the job. Simple? Yes, but some guys just can't seem to do it right. Be polite. Speak clearly. Listen to their wildlife problem. Then, this is the most important part - show that you are professional and that you know what you are talking about! If the customer says, "I hear some noises in my attic", you say, "That's a very common issue that I deal with. What kind of noises do you hear, and when?". The customer will say, "I hear heavy thumping, at night". And you say, "Well then, that's likely a raccoon. At this time of year, female raccoons commonly break into the attic to find a place to raise young. Do you hear vocal noises in the attic?" Get the customer talking to you. Get them to believe in you. Show them that you know a lot about wildlife. Say, "Well, I'll be able to know exactly what type of animal problem you have when I do a full inspection of the attic". When they ask how much you charge, you say, "I charge an $89 service fee to come to your house, and I conduct a full inspection of the home and attic. I find out how the animals are getting in, and I set the appropriate traps to remove the animals. I charge an additional $89 fee to return to the house and remove any trapped animals and relocate them." The customer is thinking that this price isn't so bad. If they ask about repair fees, say, I don't know how much the repairs will cost until I do an inspection of the home, and I provide a written quote at that time". "What part of town are you in?" ... "Okay then, I can be at your property tomorrow. What time works for you?" Go ahead and say these lines out loud a few times now so you get used to them. I know that scheduling is a challenge - it's probably the biggest single challenge in wildlife control. It's hard to drive all over the city and be every place the customer expects you to be. But a good wildlife operator can manage his schedule. Just be sure to provide quick service: same-day or next-day service, and be polite and confident! Many of the people I list on my websites use a virtual phone service from www.grandcentral.com, and from time to time they record their conversations, so I've heard quite a few. Some guys are great on the phone - they speak well, they assure the customer that they can solve the problem, they schedule an appointment that fits the customer's needs. And some guys suck on the phone - they answer "yeah, whaddaya want? Uhhh... let me check my schedule (rustle rustle). Yeah, I trap dem coons, fifty bucks a coon. Nawww... I don't work weekends, that's when I go drinkin" Belive me, people will pay a lot more to hire someone they feel confident in - they won't hire a guy who sounds like a redneck idiot, no matter how low his price. If in doubt about the quality of your services, take on fewer jobs, do them right, and charge more! I guarantee that your income will go up.

Some potential customers will pay nothing, and some will pay almost anything - A good percentage of people who call want or expect free service. That's just the way it is. They are broke, they think the government should take care of wildlife problems, etc. They won't pay anything. That's fine. Just politely tell them that you charge for your services and that you are unable to assist them for free and hang up the phone. No harm, no foul. And then again, some people will pay absolutely any amount. If a housewife is freaking out because she has a snake in her kitchen at 10:00 PM and you answer the phone, yes, she'll pay $500 for you to come get it. If a hotel has a colony of bats in the ceiling and a customer has complained about a health risk, yes, that hotel will pay potentialy tens of thousands of dollars to get rid of the bats. So learn your potential customers, and how much they are willing to pay.

Don't work for free - I used to charge nothing if I didn't solve the problem. This was a mistake. It left me very frustrated. Be confident about charging for your time! Do your best, but if a job can't be solved, it's just the uncertain nature of wildlife control! If it's a dead animal somewhere in a house, don't charge $200 all-or-nothing. Charge an $89 service fee to come to the house and search, and an additional $129 upon removal of the animal. If you can't find it, spray some Bac-Azap near the area, and tell the customer that the carcass will dry out in 7-10 days and the odor will go away. If it's a snake in the yard, of course it's going to be gone by the time you arrive! Don't drive away for free! Search for that snake, and set a snake trap on the property, and charge your full $189 service fee!

Always use a contract - A professional contract makes a big difference. Having a good service truck and a uniform makes a big difference. You are a professional. Look the part. The contract makes the customer feel better about what they are buying. The contract will have guarantee terms and outline prices. It will protect you if the customer doesn't pay you. Here is a photo of the contract I use. If you don't use a contract and need one, write me an email and I can send you mine to look at and mimic. It took me a long time and many lawyers to develop, but it's an awesome contract.

Carry a digital camera - Essential! Take photos of the damage the animals have caused! Take photos of the poop they have left in your attic! Show the customer these photos with the little LCD screen on the back of the camera after your first inspection. This will increase sales tremendously, especially sales of your attic spraying service.

Accept credit cards - It's easy to do. I set up a merchant account through www.merchante-solutions.com You just write the customer's credit card info on the contract and enter it on your computer, through your merchant e-solutions account, when you get home. They charge about 3% of the sale price. There are plenty of other merchant account providers out there, I just happened to go with this one, and I'm satisfied with them.

Most of the real money is made from big scores - If I break down my $300,000 income in a year, well over half of it is from the top fifth of jobs done, the real pricey ones. In fact, about $80,000 of it is from a dozen or so (one per month) large commercial jobs - bats in an apartment, rats in an office building, etc. Most of the big money is from bat control projects. You don't get rich charging $89 per trip to remove raccoons next to the garbage cans. You get rich when a manager of a commercial building calls you with a bat problem. You schedule a free inspection. You show that you are the best. You fax or email them a professional written proposal with photographs and guarantee terms. You charge $11,500 for the job, and they accept your bid, even though it's not the cheapest one, because you've given them the confidence that you can do the job right.

Work Seven Days a Week - I'm not saying you have to kill yourself. But if an animal is stuck in a trap on a Sunday, you must go get it, you can't just let it suffer. And traffic is lighter on a Sunday. People will pay more for emergency calls at odd hours, such as weekends or late at night, and your dumb competition takes this time off, meaning that you get a higher sales rate. If you really want to make money doing nuisance wildlife, be available 24-7.

How To Make Money from Snake Calls - Here's a little bonus section on how to make money from snake calls: www.floridawildlifecontrol.com/snake-money.html Please read it.

And now the final, and perhaps most important piece of advice ANSWER THE PHONE - I've given online advertising to and watched hundreds of wildlife control businesses over the years. I've seen many businesses thrive fantastically. I've also seen a few fail and go out of business. There was one common link between them - the ones who answered the phone and those who didn't. The businesses that failed just plain didn't pick up their phone! (remember, I can see the call records through www.tollfreeforwarding.com). I just don't understand it. IF YOU MISS THE CALL, YOU WILL NOT GET THE SALE. THE CUSTOMER WILL CALL SOMEONE ELSE. I know of many lazy businesses that just don't answer the phone - they don't want to answer while driving, they don't want to answer while in an attic, they don't want to answer at night. I always answered my phone ALL THE TIME, even if I was in full biohazard gear under a house with a snake in my face, I answered that phone. ANSWERING THE PHONE IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU MUST DO TO MAKE YOUR BUSINESS SUCCEED. I cannot stress it enough. My websites make your phone ring. Not everyone is a potential customer. Some idiots will call at 2:00 AM about their neighbor's barking dog. But most of the calls are from potential customers, and if you are good on the phone at getting them to hire you, your business will do great. But if you miss that phone call, they will simply call someone else, because there are plenty of other options.

I am aware that the economy is difficult in some areas right now. I am also aware that there is competition that charges less than you do. It's not like it was in 1999, when there was no competition and the economy was great. But like I said, I am currently watching the 205 companies that advertise with me, and many are doing better than ever before. It comes down to being willing to be good - to answer the phone, be confident about the ability to do every job, confident about pricing, and keeping a good schedule. Nuisance wildlife control is an amazing business, and if you're willing to be a pro, you make a lot of money.