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Mentor Chat
Chats between a Mentor and Mentee
Our Start
John and I started working at Alterra Pest Control 2-3 months apart from each other in the Summer of 2015.
John, looked like an old, hippie, gets it done, type of guy. Hair in a ponytail.
I am a younger, overweight, do what I got to and go home, guy.
The summer of 2015, Alterra is doing an employee incentive: Certain # of sales gets (something). John is killing it... Off the charts killing. Hitting and exceeding the goals set. Double Commission, Gifts, Trips.
After the "Employee Incentive" ends, Mr. Hot Shot goes MIA for a week, then 2 weeks. I thought, "This old dude made bank selling these services and knocked out the services. Must be nice taking 2 weeks off. This Texas heat sucks!"
John comes back and we get paired up to knock out a route together. While working a stop, I asked "How was that 2-week vacation ya' had after killing it in sales?" John's response will have an everlasting effect and something I'll never forget: "Not bad, spent it in the emergency room! Got pneumonia. Made all that money and damn near killed myself. You know what happens when you die? You die... you can't spend no money when ya dead! Thanks for asking though, better than being out in this heat. By the way, I got it by getting into a freezing cold truck after busting my ass in the damn heat."
I remember asking John, "How do you sell services?"
"Believe in the product and service, and you will do just fine!" he said.
I then asked, "What if I don't believe in the service?"
"You are going to have a hard time making sales until you believe in the service." is what he said. "You can also develop a service you believe in, and you'll have better sucess." he added.
A few days later, John and I are paired up again and he asks, "so, why don't you believe in this service?"
I explained, "If you read the labels, the thing they stress as being the law and the proper way to be applying the chemicals, it says for our granules, that we are to apply 2-3lbs/1,000 sqft. If we apply 2lbs/1,000 sqft/stop, how many bags of granules should we use on average every day with 16-20 stops/day?"
As John is reading the label for the granules, I explain, " 2lbs times an average of 6,000 sqft lot being treated, we should use 12lbs/house. Times that by 16 services a day is 192lbs/day. That's 7.68 bags per day, and we are only allowed to pull 2 bags (50lbs) per day. We average 2-5 re-services a day, because we are providing a shit service, yet claiming to be the best provider in the industry. Also how does your old ass make it through a complete service in 20 minutes?"
"You, young buck, are correct... we are under treating. What do you do on a service, that it takes you longer than 20 minutes to do a service?" he asked.
"Inspect the property, granulate the entire yard, sweep the eaves, treat the foundation, dust the weep holes, offer to do the interior and do it if wanted. It's what we are supposed to do, right?" I stated.
"Well, yes, that is what you do if you want to do it the right way, but to keep on schedule, you gotta do what you gotta do." John stated.
Almost at the same time we both say, "You get what ya pay for!"
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