Finding and keeping quality technicians has become one of the biggest operational challenges for pest control companies across Tennessee. Whether you're operating in the fast-paced markets of Nashville and Memphis or covering wide service areas in rural regions, staffing issues are affecting efficiency, customer service, and growth. The labor shortage isn't unique to pest control, but the specialized skills, certifications, and customer-facing nature of the job make technician roles particularly hard to fill—and even harder to retain.
In urban markets, competition for talent is fierce. Technicians in cities often have higher expectations for wages and benefits, especially with large national companies offering signing bonuses, take-home vehicles, and flexible schedules. Meanwhile, rural operators face an entirely different challenge: fewer candidates in the labor pool and longer commute distances. But rural companies may have the advantage of community relationships and lower turnover if they invest in the right people.
One solution is offering a clear training path and supporting certification efforts. Businesses that invest in new hires—through on-the-job training, prep courses for applicator licenses, and paid CEUs—are more likely to see loyalty and stronger performance. Partnering with vocational schools or community colleges for job placements or internships can also help develop a consistent pipeline of future technicians.
Opportunities for certification support, CEUs, and hands-on education are also available through industry events like TPCA's Summer Conference (July23-25). It's a chance for both owners and technicians to stay current on regulations, sharpen their skills, and connect with others in the field who are facing the same workforce challenges.
Pay is still king, but benefits like predictable hours, a strong safety culture, and growth opportunities within the company can be equally persuasive. Consider creating advancement tracks that reward experienced techs with lead roles or specialization in high-value services like termite or commercial accounts. Regular team meetings and performance incentives can also strengthen engagement and reduce the risk of burnout.
Tennessee pest control companies are also getting creative with recruitment, from offering referral bonuses to leveraging local social media groups and community boards. And once you've found the right people, retaining them may depend more on how they're treated than how much they're paid. Transparent communication, recognition for good work, and an organized work environment can be powerful tools in keeping great employees long-term.
If staffing has become a pain point for your company, you're not alone. TPCA is continuing to explore ways to support members through workforce development initiatives, training partnerships, and technician resources. Let us know what strategies are working for you CLICK HERE to share your ideas —we're stronger when we share solutions.
A new cyber scam is making the rounds—and it's targeting even the most cautious users. This latest threat appears in the form of a simple, familiar feature: the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of marketing emails. Traditionally used as a tool for reducing inbox clutter, these links are now being weaponized by scammers to launch phishing attacks and install malware. Clicking what appears to be a harmless unsubscribe button could lead you to a spoofed website designed to steal your information—or worse, automatically download malicious software onto your device.
The scam works by mimicking legitimate email formats and inserting fake unsubscribe links. These emails often come from what looks like a reputable company or newsletter. When you click "unsubscribe," instead of removing you from a mailing list, it verifies to cybercriminals that your email address is active and vulnerable. In many cases, it redirects to malware or ransomware installations disguised as survey forms or confirmation pages. It's a trap that's easy to fall into, especially for busy professionals scanning through a cluttered inbox.
So how can you safely unsubscribe from emails you no longer want? First, use your email platform's built-in unsubscribe tools. Platforms like Gmail often display a verified unsubscribe option at the top of the message—clicking this is much safer than the link within the email body. Second, if you know the sender, go directly to the company's official website and log into your account settings to manage your communication preferences. This ensures you're on a secure, trusted site and not a spoofed version. Avoid clicking links in emails if you're even slightly suspicious—especially if the email was unsolicited or seems oddly formatted.
That's why staying ahead of scams like these is so important—and it's part of the value we strive to offer to our valued TPCA members. We know our members are focused on running their businesses, protecting their communities, and managing teams. Our goal is to help carry the load by filtering out noise and delivering practical, relevant alerts and resources directly to your inbox. Whether it's a new scam, a change in pesticide regulations, or an opportunity to earn CEUs, you'll find it in our newsletter.
In a world where digital threats evolve as quickly as pests adapt, information is as essential as pest control products. Cyber scams don't just affect individuals—they can compromise business systems, employee data, and customer trust. That's why we believe our role goes beyond technical knowledge and industry advocacy. TPCA is also here to protect your business on all fronts, including digital safety by keeping you informed.
In an industry where timing and precision are everything, predictive analytics is emerging as a powerful tool for pest control companies looking to stay ahead of the curve. By analyzing historical data, environmental conditions, and pest behavior patterns, predictive analytics allows companies to anticipate infestations before they happen—and act proactively rather than reactively.
This means a shift from traditional service models to data-driven decision-making. Imagine being able to forecast termite swarms based on weather trends, or identify which multifamily properties are most at risk for bed bug outbreaks based on past service data. With predictive tools, you can allocate resources more efficiently, reduce emergency callouts, and offer clients a higher level of service backed by science.
These systems often integrate with smart traps, IoT sensors, and CRM platforms to collect and analyze real-time data. Over time, the software learns from patterns—such as seasonal spikes, geographic hotspots, or building vulnerabilities—and generates alerts or service recommendations. This not only improves operational efficiency, but also opens the door to premium service offerings that differentiate your business in a competitive market.
While still relatively new, predictive analytics is gaining traction among forward-thinking companies, especially those servicing commercial accounts, food facilities, and multifamily housing. As the technology becomes more accessible, early adopters will have a clear advantage in terms of customer retention, cost control, and brand reputation.
An appreciation of integrative technologies in the pest control industry is enhanced by the exploration of the past. The TPCA 2025 Summer Conference, July 23-25 in Chattanooga, will feature Dr. Karen Vail discussing, Discoveries: A Decade of Pest Monitoring in Multifamily Housing. Additional CEUs will be offered on sessions that range from the top, AI in Action: Top Tools and Time Savers, to the worst - The Worst of The Worst in Turf, that is. Conference registration is now open!
Back in March 2025, PWIPM and TPCA hosted the webinar Marketing 101, Best Practices for Small Business Owners. It was presented by Jackie Lott, Marketing Manager of Bug Busters. Across the next several issues of this TPCA newsletter, Jackie's marketing wisdom will be featured.
Win-Back Marketing Strategies: Reclaiming Lost Customers
"This (win-back campaign) has been successful. We've been running this now for over a year. It's one of the first campaigns that I launched when we started using HubSpot and it's been successful. We've had quite a few customers that we've gotten back using the win-back strategy." - Jackie Lott
Customer churn is a reality for every service business, but in the pest control industry—where seasonality, pricing sensitivity, and perceived service value often cause customers to drop off—having a strong win-back marketing strategy is essential. Unlike acquiring new leads, which can cost 5–25x more, winning back a former customer often requires fewer resources and delivers faster conversions. With strategic timing, personalized messaging, and tiered incentives, pest control companies can turn “goodbye” into “welcome back.”
The Critical Timing Window for Win-Back Success The first 30 to 60 days after cancellation is the most crucial window for re-engagement. According to data from Invesp, companies that reach out within this period are 3x more likely to recover a lost customer than those that wait longer. Another study by HubSpot reports that 45% of customers who re-engage with a brand do so within the first month of their cancellation. The key is not just speed, but structure—well-timed, thoughtful outreach that reminds the customer why they signed up for your services in the first place and what they’re missing now.
"For folks that have limited marketing budgets and staff it really does the lion share of the work to take some of those colder leads and drive them down the funnel." Jackie emphasizes the use of automated platforms which can free up your staff's marketing workload. Platforms such as HubSpot, Mailchimp, or Klaviyo are just a handful of products on the market that range in costs and some are even free. Always do your due diligence in researching the platform that best fits your needs and budget. At Bug Busters, Jackie uses a hybrid, cost-effective method of manually pulling reports of cancelled customers and dropping them into a targeted win-back drip campaign.
Win-Back Campaign Timeline: A Proven Email Drip Sequence
Here’s a sample win-back campaign that pest control companies can implement :
Day 1: "We Miss You" Email Friendly and simple: Acknowledge the cancellation, thank them for their past business, and express that you’d love to help again. Include a small incentive (e.g., 10% off next service). Subject line example: “We’re sorry to see you go – here’s 10% off if you come back.”
Day 5: "Did Something Go Wrong?" Email Ask for feedback. This builds trust and gives insight into why they left. Reiterate the incentive. Subject line example: “Can we fix this?”
Day 10: "Why Our Customers Come Back" Email Include a testimonial or case study. Focus on value and peace of mind—highlight your results, guarantee, or proprietary process. Subject line example: “What our returning customers say...”
Day 17: "Final Offer" Email This is your strongest offer—possibly 20–25% off, a bonus add-on, or a free inspection. Use urgency with a deadline. Subject line example: “Last chance – this offer ends in 48 hours!”
Day 30: "Still Thinking About It?" Email Optional: A gentle nudge for those who didn’t respond. No discount—just a reminder and a contact link to speak directly with a service rep.
Measuring and Optimizing Your Results A good win-back campaign can recover 10–30% of churned customers, depending on how long they’ve been inactive and how targeted the message is. Be sure to track open rates, click-through rates, and conversions at each email step. For best results, segment customers by type (e.g., residential vs. commercial), service history, and reason for cancellation when possible.
For pest control companies, win-back marketing is not just a good idea—it’s a high-ROI strategy that keeps your customer pipeline healthy and reduces acquisition costs. By acting quickly, creating a clear 3–5 email sequence, and offering meaningful incentives, you can turn cancellations into second chances—and keep your routes full!
Want to hit the easy button on creating win-back emails? CLICK HERE for samples to stir your creative juices, or copy and paste into your email platform and implement IMMEDIATELY.
CLICK HERE to see samples of emails for a win-back email drip campaign. You can even copy and paste these emails for immediate use! Be sure to read the instructions about customizing the emails.
A high customer cancellation rate is more than just a metric—it's a red flag indicating underlying problems with customer satisfaction, pricing models, or service quality. When customers leave in large numbers, it suggests they're not receiving the value they expected, whether due to unmet expectations, excessive costs, or poor service experiences. This can erode trust in a brand and damage its reputation, making it harder to attract new customers in the future.
Customer satisfaction often plays the most significant role in retention. If a product or service fails to deliver on its promises, customers are likely to cancel. Poor onboarding, slow support response times, or unreliable performance can quickly push users away. Similarly, pricing that feels disproportionate to the perceived value—whether too high or confusing—can discourage long-term commitments. In competitive markets, customers have options, and even minor missteps can lead to churn.
Service quality is another critical component. Consistency, responsiveness, and the ability to resolve issues efficiently all factor into how customers perceive a brand. A service that works great one day and poorly the next undermines confidence. High cancellation rates in this context suggest a need for operational improvements, better training, or more robust infrastructure.
Keeping cancellation rates low is essential for sustainable growth. Acquiring new customers is expensive—requiring substantial investment in sales and marketing. When existing customers leave, those costs increase because more effort is needed to backfill the lost revenue. Reducing churn stabilizes income streams and allows companies to focus resources on innovation and improving the customer experience instead of continually rebuilding their user base.
In short, high cancellation rates should be treated not as an isolated Key Performance Indicator (KPI), but as a critical indicator of business health. Identifying and addressing the root causes—be it satisfaction, pricing, or service delivery—can lead to stronger customer relationships, lower acquisition costs, and a more predictable path to long-term growth.
In next week's post, the series: Marketing 101 - Best Practices For Small Businesses returns with valuable strategies for winning back cancelled customers.
Get ready to explore the best of Chattanooga with our 3-part series featuring a curated 3-day activity itinerary! Each day is packed with local highlights, outdoor adventures, and must-see attractions to help you make the most of your visit. The best part is that most of these adventures are FREE! Whether you're a first-timer or returning for more, this guide will help you experience Chattanooga like a pro.
Day 3
For the final day in Chattanooga, travel just outside of downtown and hit the rails. Train rails, that is, for all those train buffs the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a must-see! You can do more than just see, experience train rides of various lengths and locations to fully explore Tennessee.
This moving museum offers several ways to ride the rails. The popular Missionary Ridge Local, is a 65-minute ride to the East Chattanooga station where passengers travel through the famous pre-civil war Missionary Ridge tunnel, cross four bridges, and disembark to watch a 20th-century turntable in action for the ticket price of $25/rider. You can enjoy longer train rides, which can span six to eight hours round-trip .
Another great train adventure is at Lookout Mountain, which features one of the world's steepest passenger trains - Incline Railway. But Lookout Mountain is famous for the nation's largest and deepest waterfall, Ruby Falls. The journey begins with a 260 ft. descent down a glass-front elevator to journey deep inside Lookout Mountain where you will view the tallest underground waterfall.
Eye spy 7 states - Lover's Leap at Rock City is the spot to spot seven states from one viewpoint at Lookout Mountain. Rock City is 1700 ft. above sea level with views of High Falls, the 100 ft., man-made waterfall that cascades down the mountain, and the chance to cross the nearly 200 ft. Swing-A-Along bridge.
Want to explore from the clouds? Get your adrenaline pumping with a zip line adventure. Thrill seekers can experience stunning views and a 40 ft. climbing tower.
For the best prices and less wait times, it's best to pre-purchase tickets for these activities and to make reservations when available.
TPCA Summer Conference - DAY 3
July 25, 2025 - The TPCA Conference wraps with honors and connections. The TPCA Executive Board will honor distinguished members that have greatly contributed to TPCA and the pest control industry in Tennessee with the TPCA Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Then a networking opportunity to connect with TPCA leadership, hear key updates, and contribute to shaping the future of pest control in Tennessee.
CEUs such as, Mimicry and Deception in the Pest Control World, will be offered. CLICK HERE for the full schedule of sessions.
Scroll down for more information about conference attendee and sponsor registration.
Visitors to Walt Disney World often marvel at the park’s immaculate landscapes, thrilling attractions, and pristine environments—but few realize one of its most impressive features: the near-total absence of mosquitoes. Located in central Florida, one of the most mosquito-prone regions in the U.S., Disney’s success in mosquito control is no accident. It’s the result of a sophisticated, multi-pronged strategy that combines advanced drainage systems, strategic architecture, intelligent landscaping, and professional spraying programs. For pest control companies, Disney’s methods offer a powerful selling point and a proven model for success.
A key component of Disney’s mosquito-free experience is its drainage infrastructure. The parks are engineered to eliminate standing water, which mosquitoes need to breed. Even decorative features like swamps and ponds are designed with constant movement—thanks to fountains or flowing water—to keep the pests at bay. In addition to smart engineering, the park’s architecture avoids features that collect water, such as flat rooftops or poorly graded walkways. Every inch of the park is carefully built to reduce mosquito habitats before they ever begin.
Landscaping is another subtle but effective tactic. Disney uses plants that naturally repel insects and designs their green spaces to minimize hidden, damp areas where mosquitoes could thrive. But perhaps the most transferable strategy for pest control businesses is the use of professional-grade mosquito spraying. Disney employs safe, targeted fogging and larvicides to keep mosquito populations under control without disrupting the guest experience. This aspect of their strategy can be a compelling pitch for pest control services aiming to offer effective mosquito management.
What Pest Control Companies Can Learn From Disney
Pest control companies can take a page from Disney’s playbook by positioning their spraying services as part of a holistic, premium solution—one trusted by the world’s most famous theme park. It is essential to educate your customers about the vigilance to eliminate standing water at their residence. For those proactive customers, discussing conscientious landscaping can only enhance their mosquito defenses. However, make the point that these methods are utilized at Disney at the highest level, yet the need for commercial spraying is the greater part of the solution.
Day 2
Hope you had a full night's rest after Day 1! You'll want to start Day 2 with a hearty breakfast. So head to Milk & Honey for their iconic Milk & Honey Latte and a farmhouse biscuit. Another Chattanooga fave is Niedlov's - their baked goods are legendary. Day 2 is all about exploring Chattanooga via water. Begin on land with the Chattanooga Ducks kid-centric tour for all ages that winds through downtown streets before plunging into the Tennessee River for a cruise around Maclellan Island. The amphibious tour is made possible by the DUKW boat (AKA Duck), which was used in WWII for water landings with corny jokes and duck-billed noisemakers at no extra charge.
More water adventure awaits aboard the Southern Belle, a vintage steamboat, which boasts panoramic views of the riverfront and Lookout Mountain. After a leisurely cruise and learning about the Tennessee River's history and legends, explore Ross’ Landing and the Tennessee Riverpark. That is, if water cannons, a leisurely walk down The Passage stairs (a waterfall), and a small playground overlooking the river holds your interest. And that's just your morning!
The afternoon is for jaguars, snow leopards, and red pandas - oh, my! Visit the Chattanooga Zoo for a trip through an African forest, South American jungle, and Himalayan Passage. Touring takes about an hour to an hour and a half. Your not done with water fun yet. Head to the Creative Discovery Museum, where kids can splash in a manmade “river,” and dig for dinosaur bones in the sand.
For a classic American amusement park fun experience for the whole family, Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park is only a 15-minute drive outside of Downtown Chattanooga. And if you have dried off at this point, Lake Winnepesaukah features the SOAKya water park.
TPCA Summer Conference - DAY 2
July 24, 2025 - Pack away your bowling shoes from the bowling fun on Day 1, and put on your learning hat. This conference day is packed with CEU's and educational sessions that range from Insects and Light to AI in Action Marketing. CLICK HERE for the full schedule of sessions.
The stakes are raised when the first conference day is wrapped with a Casino Event that includes dinner. Not all will win prizes, but fun will be had by ALL!
Google Business Profile
The first marketing tip can be implemented immediately, and at NO cost! It is essential to setup a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).
Jackie emphasizes that: The storefront for your pest control business is on Google. When people search locally for a business using search terms like 'pest control service near me' or 'pest control company' or just 'pest control near me', various things like that often takes them to a Google Maps search result. And if you don't have a Google My Business page or it's not properly optimized, people are not going to find your business.
If you have already completed this first step, don't get too comfortable just yet. Things to consider:
Jackie advises the following: When you're optimizing your Google My Business page, you want to make sure that you fill it out fully; adding things in like the hours you do business, descriptions of your services.
You also want to include real photos in this part of your marketing as well. Again when people get to your Google My Business page, they don't want to see a bunch of stock photos. This can throw red flags for potential customers and Google doesn't like that either. So use real photos of your technicians in action, and take them horizontally (landscape). You can easily use smartphones, which is a great way to do it; and often it will even add a location to where the photo is taken to help you show up locally when you post those photos in your service area. And just make sure these photos are taken with good lighting.
SEO optimization is the buzz word that still continues to buzz. According to Jackie: When they use this type of search, local SEO is extremely important and something you want to focus on.
The next step is to continuously maintain and update your profile and virtually interact with customers and potential customers. This can easily be done by adding Google Business to your social media marketing list. You can utilize the same post from your Instagram, Facebook and X on Google Business. Each post type can provide your audience with specific details about your business (e.g. adjusted business hours or new services offered) and allows you to add a call to action button.
Learn more about setting up and maintaining your Google Business Profile.
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