Many pest control business owners feel that they don’t fully understand the sales process, and for that reason, they don’t manage their inspectors very well. They say things like, “don’t just stand there, get out there and sell something.“ How often do you think this works? NEVER!!  You do not need to be a sales expert to manage the sales process.

If you don’t believe me, watch Alec Baldwin play a hard-ass sales manager in Glen Garry Glen Ross. I can guarantee you that Alec Baldwin has never managed a sales force, but you would never know that by his performance. Go to YouTube and search for “Glengarry Glen Ross speech.“ Play the longest version. It just keeps getting funnier and funnier.

Sales is like any other function of your pest control business: there are inputs and there are outputs. Those inputs and outputs are either acceptable or unacceptable. The difference between the business owners who are strong in sales and those...