Level 15 - 140 Arthur St Sydney - 4 to 7pm - Monday 1st December 2008
A Presentation by Glenn DuBois - Managing Director - Fumapest Group Pty Ltd
Invitees include new business advertisers in 2009 Sydney Yellow Pages - mainly from the service sector such as - electricians - landscapers - locksmiths - building construction and allied industries.
Topic - Background of Fumapest - What we do - Tips on operating a successful service industry business - financial - regulatory - production - staff relations - marketing aspects
Background of Fumapest - established by Tony DuBois in 1964 as Bankstown Pest Control - operated from an office and storeroom at the Revesby family home until 1987 - sons Glenn & Michael acquire the business in 1990 and Termite.com in 1995 - Glenn DuBois qualified as a chartered accountant in 1979 and started designing the business Yellow Pages advertising in 1984.
Services provided by Fumapest - protection of new and existing homes from termites is our major service category - domestic pest control services - commercial premises - AQIS methyl bromide fumigation - internet customer referrals in USA and Australia - Australian Pest Control Training College.
Operating a successful service business - make the effort to develop a written business plan - covering (1) financial (2) regulatory (3) production and staff relations (4) marketing and advertising.
(1) Financial aspects - in the present economic climate "cash is king" - in other words you should plan, monitor and control the provision of credit and collections from customers - have a written policy re credit - customer to complete an application form for a credit account - COD policy - email Terms & Conditions to customer before job is commenced - to ensure no misunderstandings - service technician confirms money collection terms at commencement of service on-site
Cash Flow Budgeting is essential for any business - project anticipated deposits and payments and month end cash at bank balance - compare actual with budget - helps focus attention on a vital aspect of your business - get a good accountant - more details
(2) Regulatory - obtain a good working knowledge of the rules and regulations that directly affect your business - workplace licences - income tax - GST - fringe benefits tax - payroll tax - industrial relations - environmental laws - search the web for legislation - join an Association - subscribe to relevant business and trade magazines - get a good lawyer specialising in relevant areas - obtain or compile checklists of records and documentation you need to maintain to comply with the law and any audit or investigations by the authorities.
(3) Production - Staff Relations - advise each staff member in writing of their specific duties and responsibilities - keep a copy signed by them - have a detailed comprehensive Occupational Health & Safety Policy Manual - conduct written tests of their knowledge of OH&S Manual upon commencement of employment and regularly thereafter - encourage staff to notify you of any workplace hazardous situations not covered by the OH&S Manual - update accordingly - keep comprehensive records.
(4) Marketing is the sharp end of the business - personal referrals - yellow pages - newspapers - brochures and promotional giveaways - and internet search engine marketing - the human psyche and the buyer decision - memorable name, logo, slogan and phone number - create the slogan first - register as a Trade Mark for national ownership.
Personal Referrals - from existing customers - a job well done - through liaison with community groups - industry associations - being a guest speaker or attendee at trade seminars - networking groups - sponsor a local football team - get involved in community developments - local council residents groups
Yellow Pages - the cornerstone of our marketing since 1968 - Fumapest in the 2008 year spent over $200K in Yellow pages for Sydney Metro - Penrith Blue Mountains - Campbelltown - Windsor - Wollongong - Central Coast - Newcastle - Singleton Hunter Valley - Southern Highlands - plus all the Sydney local Yellow Pages - for tips on what works for us ... more details
Newspapers - local newspapers and statewide newspapers - Daily Telegraph - Sydney Morning Herald - if you are a regular advertiser seek editorial coverage - present to the editor a well researched intertesting topic relating to your business .... more details
Brochures and promotional items - give existing and potential customers something they are likely to keep in a prominent position - we use the Fumapest spider chart - calendar mouse pads.
Search engine marketing - Fumapest acquired Termite.com in 1995 - currently about 2 million unique visitors per annum - mainly from USA where visitors can apply for a FREE termite inspection as offered on our website by Orkin a national USA pest control company with sales exceeding US$1billion - Orkin is based on Atlanta and owned 60% by Rollins family.
Fumapest related websites include Termite.com.au - Termites.com.au - PestControl.org.au - Spiders.com.au - TermiteControl.com.au - TermiteControl.org - Fumapest.com.au - Architects.net.au - HomeBuilders.net.au - CustomsBrokers.net.au - Freightforwarders.net.au ... more details
The Future is Here - Embrace the new digital technologies - Fumapest is currently assisting NEXUS Service Manager in the design of service industry software to help efficiently manage a range of specific service industry businesses eg pest controllers - electricians - plumbers - other businesses with vehicles on the road attending to prescheduled visits at customers premises.
NEXUS Service Manager is written in MicroSoft ASP.NET and MySQL database software
- Includes comprehensive debtors and customer file maintenance and sales reporting.
- Low cost GPS tracking and real time reports to monitor field-staff activities.
- Seamless communication with field-staff in remote locations eg program can send SMS to field staff direct from customer files in database eg "customer job cancelled etc".
- Pen scanner mobile technology can be used by field-staff for instant download to office ie send inspection details, invoices, etc via mobile network from remote locations to business office computer then say inspection report is compiled and emailed as a PDF immediately to customer.
- Technician from home can fax/scan hand written invoices etc to our office which go directly into customer file in business office database - for checking by office staff.
- Barcode scanner to input information direct to office computer - used for tracking of staff attendances to equipment used and stored at customers premises.
- Unique routine to schedule best available future customer service times to minimise traveling time between jobs - this and GPS monitoring will save money and generate additional revenues.
The Global Financial Melt-down - NSW economy - there has recently been a huge jolt to investor and consumer confidence in the most western economies - with some good and bad aspects for the short to medium term for NSW businesses.
The bad news - the high level of household debt generated by a 10 year spending binge based upon a perceived "never-ending" increase in real estate prices. HOWEVER recently property prices in most areas have decreased sharply - resulting reduction in consumer spending - reduction in sales income for most businesses - if ongoing in the medium term will increase in business bankruptcies - survival of the fittest (most efficient)
The good news - the world authorities are spending trillions to correct the credit freeze - inevitably the system will right itself - current and future lowering of interest rates - lowering of petrol prices - lower exchange rate good for Australian exporters - need for service business to focus on efficiencies and profitable niche market areas - many inefficient and highly geared businesses will disappear - leaving increased market share for the survivors - coming soon cost reductions and advances in broadband and digital technologies like ServiceManager will become very affordable to Small Business and result in massive cost savings to the world economy.
Australia is in a prime position with major developing economies in South East Asia, China and India and their combined population of 2.5 billion people near our doorstep - many of these people seek a much better standard of living - a car, fridge, entertainment products, high protein foods, roads, modern equipped factories etc. These countries have a strong capacity to import iron ore, bauxite, coking coal, steaming coal, copper, LPG, wheat, wool - all of which Australia is a leading world supplier.
The lucky country - besides Australia is such a good place to visit, holiday and live - politically stable - beautiful weather - tolerant multicultural society. This means much of the Asian money will continue to flow into Australia for several generations to come.
Emphasis on existing customers and relationships - talk to customers - what are we doing thats right - be innovative in in marketing efforts - be different - look for an edge - agility is the key to success.