6 Stupid Behaviors Wildlife Control Operators WCOs should Avoid Wild Life Control Training.

Summary

In this insightful episode, Stephen Van Tassel, a wildlife control consultant, highlights the common mistakes made by wildlife control operators that hurt their businesses and relationships. He emphasizes the importance of carrying business cards, accepting free advertising, treating government officials with respect, giving back to the industry, being open to learning, and fostering friendly competition. With practical advice and thought-provoking examples, Van Tassel encourages operators to avoid these pitfalls, embrace professionalism, and build mutually beneficial relationships within the industry. By addressing these issues, wildlife control operators can enhance their businesses, maintain positive connections, and contribute to the overall growth and success of the field.

Takeaways

• 👜 Always carry business cards with you to be prepared to market yourself and your business.
• 📈 Accept free advertising opportunities to promote your products and services.
• 🤝 Treat government officials with respect, build relationships, and cooperate with them to benefit your business.
• 🤲 Don't just take from others, give back and show gratitude to those who contribute to the industry.
• 🧠 Be open to learning from others, attending training events, and experimenting with new techniques to improve your skills.
• 🤝 Cultivate friendly competition and collaboration with other wildlife control operators to tackle larger jobs and support each other during difficult times.
• 🚫 Avoid treating competitors as enemies and harming your business by missing opportunities for mutual growth and support.
• 🔄 Continuously seek ways to learn, grow, and become more professional to stay competitive in the industry.
• 📣 Market your products and services effectively by creating high-quality literature, photos, and promotional materials.
• 🌱 Balance your work life with personal time and prioritize your goals to avoid burnout and maintain a healthy perspective.

Q & A

What is the main topic of this podcast episode?

The main topic is about the stupid things that wildlife control operators do to ultimately hurt their business and relationships.

What is the first mistake that wildlife control operators make, according to the speaker?

The first mistake is not carrying business cards with them at all times. The speaker emphasizes the importance of always being prepared with business cards to market oneself and take advantage of opportunities.

What is the second mistake that wildlife control operators make?

The second mistake is refusing to accept free advertising. The speaker mentions instances where he offered to feature businesses and their products in a newsletter for free, but many businesses failed to provide the necessary information, missing out on valuable advertising opportunities.

How does the speaker suggest wildlife control operators should treat government officials?

The speaker suggests that wildlife control operators should treat government officials with respect and try to build positive relationships with them. He advises sending them cards, making occasional phone calls, and inviting them to job sites, as these relationships can be mutually beneficial and help in the long run.

What is the fourth mistake that wildlife control operators make?

The fourth mistake is taking without giving. The speaker encourages wildlife control operators to find ways to contribute and give back, even in small ways, to those who have helped or supported their industry or business.

What is the fifth mistake that wildlife control operators make?

The fifth mistake is refusing to be trainable. The speaker emphasizes the importance of continuing education, learning from others, and being open to trying new techniques and ideas to improve oneself and stay up-to-date in the industry.

What is the speaker's advice regarding competitors in the wildlife control industry?

The speaker advises wildlife control operators not to treat every other operator as a competitor. He suggests building friendly relationships with competitors, working together on large jobs, and helping each other out when needed, rather than harboring animosity or hatred towards one another.

What is the purpose of the sponsor mentions throughout the podcast?

The sponsor mentions are for promoting and advertising the services of Aaron Bray from ServantLabs.com, who helps with website design and maintenance, particularly for WordPress sites.

What does the speaker suggest wildlife control operators should do to improve their businesses?

The speaker suggests that wildlife control operators should carry business cards, accept free advertising opportunities, treat government officials with respect, give back to those who contribute to the industry, continue learning and being trainable, and foster friendly relationships with competitors instead of treating them as enemies.

What is the overall tone and style of the speaker?

The overall tone and style of the speaker are direct, straightforward, and sometimes sarcastic. He is not afraid to call out "stupid" behaviors and mistakes in a blunt manner, with the aim of providing constructive criticism and advice to help wildlife control operators improve their businesses and relationships.

Outlines

00:00

🎙️ Introduction and Sponsor Mention

The host, Steven Van Tassel, welcomes the audience to another episode of the Living the Wildlife podcast, part of the Pesky Podcast family. He introduces the topic of the day: stupid things that wildlife control operators do to ultimately hurt their business and relationships. He then highlights the sponsor for the podcast, Aaron Bray of ServantLabs, who has helped with website issues for Van Tassel's WordPress site. Van Tassel encourages anyone with a product or service to advertise to the wildlife control and pest control community to consider sponsoring the podcast.

05:01

🗣️ Stupid Mistake 1: Not Carrying Business Cards

The first stupid mistake highlighted is not carrying business cards. Van Tassel emphasizes the importance of always being prepared to market oneself, even when not actively working, as you never know when you might encounter a potential customer. He shares an anecdote about a wildlife control operator who missed an opportunity to hand out a business card, which reflected poorly on his professionalism. Van Tassel stresses the need to always have cards on hand, even if it means carrying a large wallet, to be ready for any opportunity to promote oneself.

10:01

📢 Stupid Mistake 2: Refusing Free Advertising

The second mistake is refusing free advertising. Van Tassel expresses disbelief at companies that fail to provide information or literature about their products when given the opportunity for free advertising. He shares his experiences as a newsletter editor, where he would offer businesses the chance to advertise their products at no cost, but many failed to send any information. Van Tassel emphasizes the importance of taking advantage of such opportunities to market products to potential customers, even if it's as simple as sending some text and photos.

15:03

🤝 Stupid Mistake 3: Treating Government Workers Poorly

The third mistake is treating government workers with contempt. Van Tassel acknowledges that many in the wildlife control industry may have a tendency to dislike government workers due to licensing requirements or other interactions. However, he emphasizes the importance of building positive relationships with government officials, as they have the power to make life difficult if treated poorly. He shares a story about a product not being registered in a state due to the abrasive behavior of the business owner towards government employees. Van Tassel encourages developing professional relationships with government workers, such as game wardens, to foster mutual understanding and support.

20:04

🤲 Stupid Mistake 4: Taking Without Giving

The fourth mistake is taking without giving back. Van Tassel acknowledges that newer businesses may need to take more than they give initially as they build their operations. However, he encourages finding ways to give back, even in small gestures such as showing gratitude, providing positive reviews, or promoting businesses that have contributed to the industry. He emphasizes the importance of supporting organizations like NWCOA (National Wildlife Control Operators Association) that work to improve the industry, and suggests buying products or services from contributing members as a way to give back.

25:06

🤓 Stupid Mistake 5: Refusing to be Trainable

The fifth mistake is refusing to be trainable. Van Tassel acknowledges that the podcast audience is already demonstrating a willingness to learn by listening. However, he highlights the issue of some wildlife control operators who are so arrogant or set in their ways that they refuse to consider new ideas or perspectives. He encourages an open mindset, experimenting with new approaches, and attending training events to continually expand knowledge and improve skills. Van Tassel shares an anecdote about an operator who believed he had nothing to learn from attending a training event, reflecting an unproductive and detrimental mindset.

30:07

🤝 Stupid Mistake 6: Treating Competitors as Enemies

The sixth mistake is treating every other wildlife control operator as a competitor. Van Tassel acknowledges the natural competitive instinct in business but emphasizes the need to cultivate positive relationships with competitors. He highlights the benefits of friendly competition, where operators can collaborate on larger jobs or support each other during vacations, illnesses, or injuries. Van Tassel encourages operators to view each other as colleagues working towards mutual success rather than as enemies to be hated or avoided. He suggests building networks and associations to facilitate cooperative partnerships that can lead to greater profitability and stability for all involved.

35:07

📣 Closing Remarks and Sponsor Mention

To conclude, Van Tassel summarizes the six stupid mistakes wildlife control operators make that harm their businesses: not carrying business cards, refusing free advertising, mistreating government workers, taking without giving back, refusing to be trainable, and treating competitors as enemies. He encourages listeners to reflect on whether they are making any of these mistakes and to take corrective action. Finally, Van Tassel once again highlights the sponsor, ServantLabs.com, and encourages listeners to visit his website, WildlifeControlConsultant.com, for more information and resources.

Keywords

💡Wildlife Control

Wildlife control refers to the management and removal of wild animals that have become problematic or dangerous to humans, their property, or other interests. The video discusses various aspects of the wildlife control industry, including the challenges and best practices for operators. The term is used throughout the script, as the host, Stephen Van Tassel, is a wildlife control consultant and is addressing wildlife control operators.

💡Business

Business refers to the commercial or professional activities involved in operating a wildlife control company. The video focuses on the mistakes that wildlife control operators make that can harm their businesses, such as failing to carry business cards, refusing to accept free advertising, or treating competitors as enemies. The term is used extensively throughout the script as the host provides advice on improving business practices and fostering positive relationships to benefit one's wildlife control business.

💡Government Workers

Government workers refers to individuals employed by government agencies or organizations, such as wildlife services, state agencies that handle licensing, or enforcement officers. The video emphasizes the importance of treating government workers with respect and building positive relationships with them. The host suggests that government workers can make a wildlife control operator's life easier or more difficult, depending on how they are treated. The term is used in the script when discussing the third mistake wildlife control operators make - treating government officials with contempt.

💡Competitor

A competitor is a wildlife control operator who operates in the same geographical area and competes for the same customer base. The video advises against treating competitors as enemies, suggesting that a friendly and collaborative relationship can be beneficial. Competitors can work together on larger jobs, help each other during emergencies, or cover each other's work during vacations. The term is used throughout the video when discussing the sixth mistake - treating every other wildlife control operator as a competitor.

💡Advertising

Advertising refers to the promotion of products or services to potential customers. The video emphasizes accepting free advertising opportunities, such as providing information for newsletters or publications that can market a wildlife control operator's business. The term is used when discussing the second mistake - refusing to accept free advertising, which can be a missed opportunity to reach potential clients.

💡Training

Training refers to the process of acquiring new knowledge, skills, or abilities through education or practical experience. The video advises wildlife control operators to remain open to training opportunities, such as attending industry events or workshops. It emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and improvement. The term is used when discussing the fifth mistake - refusing to be trainable, which can limit an operator's growth and effectiveness.

💡Relationship

A relationship refers to the connection, association, or involvement between people or entities. The video stresses the importance of building positive relationships with government workers, competitors, and others in the industry. Developing relationships can lead to mutual benefits, collaboration, and support in various situations. The term is used throughout the script, particularly when discussing the significance of treating government workers and competitors respectfully.

💡Mistakes

Mistakes are actions, decisions, or behaviors that are incorrect or ill-advised, often resulting in undesirable consequences. The video outlines six specific mistakes that wildlife control operators make that can harm their businesses, such as failing to carry business cards, refusing to accept free advertising, or treating competitors as enemies. The term is used repeatedly throughout the script as the host identifies and discusses these mistakes, providing advice on how to avoid them.

💡Podcast

A podcast is a digital audio or video file that can be downloaded and listened to or watched on various devices, such as smartphones or computers. The video is presented as a podcast, with the host, Stephen Van Tassel, discussing topics related to the wildlife control industry. The term is used throughout the script as the host refers to the podcast and invites listeners to provide feedback or become sponsors.

💡Sponsor

A sponsor is an individual or organization that provides financial or other support to a person, event, or product in exchange for promotion or advertising. The video mentions the importance of sponsors in supporting the podcast and encourages wildlife control operators or companies to become sponsors to advertise their products or services. The term is used when the host promotes the current sponsor, Servant Labs, and invites potential sponsors to reach out.

Highlights

Steven Van Tassell, a wildlife control consultant, shares insights on common mistakes wildlife control operators make that harm their business and relationships.

Highlighting the importance of carrying business cards at all times to seize every opportunity for networking and business growth.

The critical mistake of not accepting free advertising opportunities, which can significantly enhance business visibility and growth.

Underestimating the value of treating government workers with respect and building positive relationships with them for long-term benefits.

The significance of giving back to the community and industry, rather than only taking, to foster goodwill and mutual growth.

The importance of being open to training and continuous learning to avoid stagnation and to keep improving in the wildlife control industry.

Encouraging wildlife control operators to view competitors as colleagues rather than enemies, promoting a healthier industry environment.

The potential loss of business opportunities due to not carrying a business card and being prepared for impromptu marketing moments.

Ignoring free advertising as a no-brainer mistake, emphasizing the importance of seizing every opportunity to promote one's business at no cost.

The nuanced approach to dealing with government officials, stressing that positive interactions can lead to easier business operations and opportunities.

The value of contributing back to the community and industry, including through memberships in professional organizations, to support the broader field.

The danger of refusing to be trainable and the importance of maintaining an open mind to new techniques, technologies, and business strategies.

Recommendation to leverage friendly competition and collaboration with competitors for mutual benefit, especially in larger projects.

Mistakes like not carrying business cards, rejecting free advertising, and poor treatment of government officials can significantly hinder business growth.

The emphasis on continuous improvement and education as a cornerstone for success in the wildlife control industry.

Transcripts

[Music]

hi

everyone steven van tasley here wildlife

control consultant

another episode of living the wildlife

as part of the pesky podcast

family thank you so much for dropping by

and listening again

today's topic is about stupid things

that wildlife control operators do

yeah stupid things that wildlife control

operators do

to ultimately hurt their business and

hurt their relationships so i wanted to

highlight a few of these things

um had some experience in this

particular area as you know i've been

out of the field work

for a fairly long time been working in

academia and of course for

my government job but i still maintain

relationships within the wildlife

control industry

and what i've found is being as an

outsider who's sort of associated with

the industry

i don't i'm not gunning for work i don't

have some of the stresses that you guys

are going to have gunning for

for work but i wanted to try to give you

sometimes when you step out of the box

you can see behaviors that damage

people's

businesses and it it strikes me

as just bizarre as to why this happened

it really

it really underscores for me that

sometimes

people who are great wildlife control

operators in terms of their ability to

capture animals

doesn't mean they know how to run a

business

and sometimes the best people that know

how to do

wildlife are horrific business people

why because they just hate people but

i'm digressing here a little bit so i

wanted to

highlight our sponsor for today again we

have a sponsor

for the what for the living the wildlife

podcast and i wanted to definitely give

a shout

out to him uh let me get my information

his name is

his uh adam

oh where do i go here here we go get it

out

i had it written down yolk sorry not

adam aaron bray

sorry but slipped my mind it's too many

things going on aaron bray of servant

labs

i have a blog i have a wordpress site

had some issues i've hired him a couple

of times now

and aaron bray has come through to take

care of cleaning things up without

breaking the bank so which is always

helpful sometimes

when you pay a little more per hour you

actually get someone who works fast

so sometimes going with the cheap hourly

rate means you're paying a lot more

because the person's basically

having you pay them for them to learn

well i've been pleased with some of the

work he's done for me

and my website

wildlifecontrolconsultant.com so contact

aaron brayservantlabs.com let me reserve

labs.com

and he will be able to hook you up with

your website talk to them today

conservantlabs.com aaron bray should be

able to help you out with your website

certainly with your wordpress site which

is what i have give them a ring

reach out to them tell them that living

the wildlife

podcast with stephen van tassel sent him

we would love to have more sponsors for

our show with the pesky podcast family

if you have a product or service that

you want to advertise to the wildlife

control and pest control community

we do hope that you will give us a ring

that's

wildlife control consultant at gmail.com

wildlife control consultant

gmail.com all right well let's get right

into it in terms of the topic today

things that wildlife control operators

do

to hurt their business so

what's number one well they're not in

any necessarily hierarchical order i was

just sort of doing some brainstorming

and i came up with a short list this

isn't comprehensive by any stretch of

the imagination i'm sure you can

probably think of others

but i hope that you would commit

yourself not to commit these mistakes

because these are really

unforced errors folks

don't do it do your best to avoid these

particular areas number one

this one really gets my goat i don't

know why it happens it totally blows my

mind

carry a business card with you all right

if you're in self

one of the challenges with

self-employment is you're always

on the job even when you're not on the

job you're on the job because you don't

know

where that next customer is going to

come from and you know i

i've asked wildlife control operators

sometimes pcos but not to the same

extent

but wildlife control operators hey do

you have a card oh no

i left it in the truck i don't have it i

ran out i just handed out my last one

and you know they probably had two in

their wallet

don't do this folks you know they're

really not that heavy

be prepared for those

moments where you need to market

yourself

have a way to make sure that you're

constantly carrying

business cards with you i get a lot of

criticism and people make fun of me for

the size of my wallet

there it is okay it's the costanza wall

of those of you that remember seinfeld

okay

i have a costanza wall look at how thick

that is all right

that's pretty thick let me put it right

up there to the screen for you

it's probably an inch that people said

you sit on that no i don't sit on it's

in my front pocket

now this is a little over the top but

if you look carefully i have

business cards okay i've got business

cards in here i got because i i

got business cards so in their mind okay

there are cards that i have i have to

carry more than

one type of card because i have a

government job and of course i have my

business

self-employed my own personal business

right so i have to carry more than

one type of card carry your cards

i don't know how to explain that anymore

carry your cards

so always be prepared to do that

why does this matter because i was

talking with the wildlife control

operator

he's not a pro in the sense he's doing

this full-time

but he was telling me how he's charging

150 dollars a skunk

and i said would love to have a cart

i mean because i could i do referral i

refer

people to wildlife control operators

very happy to refer people to him oh he

didn't have on the card he told me he

already gave me several but this was a

different context and he probably did

i'm not denying he

might have given me several cars in the

past

but he took the opportunity he lost the

opportunity to follow

i handed him my card it looked to him as

if he didn't even care

so what does that tell me about his

professionalism

what does that tell me about is this

someone i really want to refer

people to visit people do strange things

i don't know why

they would look an opportunity in the

mouth let me give you even another

illustration

of how silly people are so number one

carry business cards okay

number two accept

free advertising

you may say well that's that's a

no-brainer stephen why why wouldn't i

accept free advertising well you know i

i'll be quite one with you i have had

this encounter

numerous times this is not just a

one-off deal here i'm talking about

numerous situations i was the editor

of a newsletter i edited for

a particular association and i would

offer

i would talk to different businesses and

i said hey you know you have

a new product coming out service

send me a little bit of information i'll

put an ad in the newsletter free no

charge

no charge we'd simply be interested in

getting you getting you getting your

information out to our constituents

you would be shocked how many never sent

me information i've often i'm kind of a

sarcastic guy if you haven't figured

that out because i'm i'm always

intrigued

at the stupid things people do i mean

i'll just call it what it is it's

absolutely stupid okay

i'm not talking about an issue of people

not having information

and not knowing something i'm not

talking about ignorance here i'm talking

about fundamental

stupid behavior okay

the heaviest thing when i was you know

this is it's changing now thank god but

years ago i would argue that the

heaviest

object in the world was the send key

and they say why would i say that

because i would ask people

send me you know your advertising

information send me

literature about your product this is

primarily for people trying to sell

products

and they would never send it

now think about that for a minute you're

selling a product you're trying to find

a market for your product

someone is asking you to send

literature about your product

and you don't send it

now why would they do that

especially when they knew that their

product would be spotlighted

in a newsletter that would go to

individuals

that could possibly buy that product at

no

charge the only cost to that individual

was simply

to send the material for the ad

how how is that complicated they didn't

even have to do a layout

we would do the layout i just needed

some text

and a preferably a photo wouldn't send

it

so i've argued that the heaviest object

in the world and let me kind of show you

what it is it's going to be upside down

but it's the return key okay where is it

right over here

the send key here it's called the enter

key that's the heaviest object in the

so as i said the heaviest object

in the world is the send key

don't let that be you when people are

asking you

for information about your company make

sure you have something that you can

send them it doesn't have to be

the great american novel but if you

don't have someone that created there's

a ton

of software programs out there you can

do you can even use

wordpad in if you have microsoft

uh you know office you should be able to

do that apple of course has their

materials i mean this is

not that kind of go to the library it

creates something

okay it should not be that difficult for

you for you simply to do this

carry a business card

be willing to hand it out of course make

sure you have literature for your

company particularly those of you that

are trying to sell products it just

boggles my mind a subset of that is you

need to have the ability to have some

photos of your product if you don't know

how to take photos have someone take

photos

i take photos if you're looking for

someone to take photos of your products

send me a product i will take photos of

your product and send it back to you

okay we'll do it as an exchange it's

really not that complicated right

but getting good photos is a little

takes a little bit of skill

it's not rocket science i'm not

suggesting that at all

but you want to be able to market your

product appropriately not just sending

people a postage stamp image either

where it's 54k

okay you want to have something that's

well over a thousand k

so at least a megabyte megabyte or

preferably 2 to three megabytes right so

you can have something that's going to

be

three by four inches in bit size at a

300 dpi

uh pixel rate so

again that may be that may be rocket

science it may feel like that's unusual

for you

again it's we can help you

right we can find or find someone local

maybe your children know all about this

all right but the point is

is that get that material about your

product to be

and have it in a location where you can

actually send it to people

so that's the second problem that people

have that wildlife control operators

the stupid things that they do

number three how do you treat government

workers

now i know for a lot of people in the

wildlife control industry

maybe in the pest control industry and

i'm not as familiar with them of course

but they have a tendency to think that

they they have a

they love to hate government workers

whether it's wildlife services whether

it's the state agency that they have to

get licensed through

whether it's to d whether it's their uh

licensing for their vehicles

whatever the case may be government

workers they hate them

but let me let me kind of kind of clue

you in on some things here

government workers can make your life

miserable

don't encourage them to do that

now i'm not agreeing with that i think

that government workers have to be

have an emotional stability where

they're doing

the right thing even when people are not

treating them properly

however it's naive to think that

everyone

tries to behave in a christian manner

okay a lot of and then there's plenty of

people who think they're christians

and they're not okay you could not

convict convict that person to being a

christian in the court of law if you'd

be tried

there's just not enough evidence

okay people are human i've heard a story

of a gentleman who was trying to get a

product registered in the state

and the only reason why that product was

not registered in that state

was because he was so abrasive that he

basically was part of my language he

pissed off a bunch of government people

and they would not register that product

now

i don't think that's right that's wrong

to do

but i understand it

how does what does this mean does this

mean you can't disagree with a

government worker no does this mean that

you always that you can't raise your

voice for the government work

no it means you have to watch how are

you behaving

is this person who is giving you a hard

time or in your perception

giving you a hard time is this person

simply following the law

or is this person being a jerk and you

know what before you get to the jerky

you have

one other issue and that is sometimes

never

assume conspiracy when incompetence

is suffices the fact of the matter is

is not every government worker knows

what they're doing

and a lot of government workers are lazy

i'll admit it yeah it's a problem okay

they're not all

we have a bell curve right not everyone

is out here in the other end

shooting the lights out there's a lot of

people who just sort of go along

to get along to do the least amount of

work necessary

that sometimes happened i'll be and i'll

be frank with you sometimes you should

be very grateful that government workers

don't want to work more

okay because if they do sometimes

they'll do things that you've been

skirting the law about that you glad

that they're not paying attention to you

okay

so it kind of cuts both ways at times

my point being is that

i had an incident where i was talking

with a wildlife control operator

and i was trying to get some information

because

i i i like to

relate relate information out to other

people

i try to help market businesses i i

believe that's just part of

my job i'm not speaking here in behalf

of my government position i'm simply

telling you my experience

as a government worker i've also worked

in academia which is similar but not

identical

but similar i don't have a regulatory

role in my job i'm strictly an educator

but i have influence right and i do get

phone calls

and i do refer people to wildlife

control operators

when a government worker wants your

information

give it to them if you're running a

business

and this person can help you market your

company

why not give it i have to i have to

refer

i have people that call and they want

someone to do wildlife control

i can't do that wildlife control right

because that's a conflict of interest i

can't be in the business of competing

with

local businesses so

if i don't have anyone to send that

individual that potential customer

too then there's that the customer's not

helped and you're not helped it doesn't

make any sense

so don't be a jerk to your

government workers and i'm even going to

go a step further

and that is try to make contact with

your government workers

if you can develop relationships so that

you're

helping them do their job

they can help you do your job

and so it can be a mutually beneficial

it doesn't have to be hostile

okay so let me give an illustration when

you

when you give your enforcement officer

let's say your game board many of you

are going to be working in states with

game wardens when you're working in a

state with a game warden

it doesn't hurt you know to give your

game warden to call every now and again

send them a christmas card send them a

thanksgiving card whatever the case may

be

letting them know you're around keeping

that person in your memory

invite them to go on a job with you they

may never go

but the fact that you were open with

them

means a lot because you're like you know

that guy is professional and i'm not

trying to exclude you ladies we just

we're primarily a male-dominated force

right so

when they know you in a good way

that can be helpful for you

because they may remember your name they

may not be trying to exclude any other

wildlife control operators

because that would probably be legal in

their state right but the point is they

may

sometimes a person will ask well who

would you use if you had a choice we

know you can't recommend but who would

you

use if you couldn't and that's kind of

how people try to play this game to get

around it

right you want to be sure

that your nay that you he that that game

warden

that enforcement officer for those of

you the pcos there's enforcement for

pest control as well

you want them to know that you are a

straight arrow guy

doing things right and that you're

treating your customers

like a true professional like you are a

paradigm

for what a good pco would be you're a

good paradigm

for what a good wildlife control

operator

should be and that pays dividends you

you know it's it takes time to build

that type of reputation

but you do that by calling up

occasionally i'm not you know don't make

don't be a pass to yourself not every

week

don't don't do it every day you know

once a month maybe once every couple of

months

just say hey you know i had this really

strange strange job you may want to come

out and check it out

it can be very helpful because sometimes

your game wardens

don't know what you do they really don't

they're so

used to going after hunters and

fishermen that they really don't know a

whole lot about the wildlife control

field and they might just come along

and it would be an opportunity for you

because you probably know the law

better than they do when it comes to

wildlife control that that's not going

to be true in every case of course

but it may be more true than you think

and then you become

the go-to person for them so that way if

there's a complaint

and you know if you're in business long

enough you're probably going to get a

complaint because you don't have to do

anything wrong to get someone to

complain about you right we've talked

you may have heard me talk elsewhere

about the issue between malpractice

and malik currents right that's a topic

for another time but

malpractice uh is when you've done

something wrong you had a bad result

mal occurrences you didn't do anything

wrong you just had a bad result

you know how many times have you you

know maybe set a trap somewhere

did everything by the book and the

raccoon still blew out

another event what did you do wrong well

you didn't do anything wrong

raccoon responded to that trap in a very

violent way and

damage the house more that's mal

occurrence that's not malpractice

right so a lot of people don't

understand that

and when your game warden gets a

complaint he's gonna be like

oh that doesn't sound like so-and-so

you know think of a good friend that you

have and so say

someone came up to you and said well i i

believe this person's a mass murderer

you're going to be like i i you know i'm

over their house

a lot boy if they're a vast murderer

they sure hide it pretty well right so

it's just there's certain things that

you learn that

just aren't just are just so not likely

just beyond the pill not impossible but

just

really the skepticism comes up i'll i'll

give an illustration for myself for

instance

i in my job here i was

doing some doing some of my paperwork

type activities that requires me to

reach out to different

uh to different people why i got someone

that i had contact with they got mad at

me and they called up my boss

and complained and they believed or not

accused me of being a while of

being an animal rights activist now

that is kind of funny

stephen van tassel the animal rights

activist writing a book like this right

so

um no it might my boss actually laughed

on the phone

from what she told me

relationships matter

i know it's work i know you're busy

but you're probably but you're not too

busy to build valuable relationships

where you become

someone who is thought about in a

positive manner

and that could be a very helpful

relationship because something will go

wrong eventually

you want to have people willing to

give you the benefit of the doubt

and if you have good education of your

game wardens or your enforcement people

when they understand the complexities

that you are confronted with on a

regular basis and you will find that

sometimes the law

doesn't fit and it's a matter of

interpretation

sometimes someone says you broke the law

when in fact it's a matter of

interpretation

we it's sometimes the law is

contradictory there was a situation that

happened in massachusetts where a farmer

was jacking deer at night which was

illegal in massachusetts shooting the

deer with a rifle which was illegal in

massachusetts he had to use a shotgun

and he was

spotlighting the deer and he was

shooting the deer out of season

so a whole host of violations

well he got pinched by enforcement went

to court

the the judge said well you know

the farmer were you killing these deer

and guys said yup sure was your honor

they were depredating on my

my apple orchard and the law says if an

animal is depredating on my

food i have the right to kill it

and sure enough it was like an 1880 law

or something in massachusetts

long-standing law

right and that law

contradicted state regulations guarding

governing hunting and the judge looked

at it looked at the statute and said

yup you're right case dismissed

so sometimes you could be accused of

breaking the law

when in fact you did break a law the

problem was

is that which law because the laws

didn't

the law is contradicted yes it does

happen not common but it can happen

so build those relationships send a card

make a phone call sometimes just a few

minute phone calls your game will

go a long way and just sort of say hey

you know i'm out here working

just figured i'll let you know

especially if you're dealing with high

risk high visibility jobs where

you might be getting into trouble

those relationships can matter okay all

right

so number four

the fourth mistake that wildlife control

operators make is they take

without giving

certainly those of you who are young in

the industry

obviously you're going to be taking more

than you're giving because you don't

have a lot to give

i mean i get that right so we're not

that i don't want to make sure i don't

want to make you guys are new

feel bad okay so yeah you need to take

you need to understand you need to you

need to be bringing in because you got

to try to build your business and get

going

but what it does mean is that there's

different ways you can give

it doesn't always have to be money but

you know respect

goes a long way gratitude

goes a long way i mean it's very

gratifying to me when i

when i have people drop me an email and

they're saying hey steve appreciate the

podcast

keep keep it up i didn't earn any money

on that

i didn't make any money on that but it

meant something that person took some

time out of their day

and said hey steve thanks i appreciate

it

because in this type of a medium we

don't get feedback it's not like i'm

speaking before an audience where you

can see the body language like

they hate my guts or hey they're having

a good time in this type of meeting we

have no feedback unless someone

actively sends it out there and gives it

which would be an

email phone call or they meet me in

person

and a lot of people and a lot of people

from

uh in america aren't traveling to

montana okay so they're not seeing me

too often

make sure that

you do some of those things it also

means that when someone is you don't

given you a lot

that you take the opportunity to you

know maybe buy

some other stuff if they're selling

something

you know this has been something that a

lot of people don't understand and that

is

when you had early in our industry where

we had certain businesses that were

really doing a lot they were leaders

within this particular industry

one of the ways you contributed back and

thanked them

for their contributions and the amount

of information they were giving away was

staggering

is you would buy some bait maybe you'd

buy their book

maybe you'd have them come and speak

there are little things you can do

sometimes it's not a lot you know you

buy a five dollar bait

you know but as a way rather than buying

one that was 425

you paid the five bucks about the final

bait why because this business

contributed to the industry the other

business did not contribute to the

industry

i make it a habit just truth in

advertising i make it a habit of

of contributing more to people who are

members of of the coal than those who

are not members of nucoa

so why is that well because people that

are members of nucala

are contributing to the injury they're

part of the brotherhood

okay we're not a union we're a trade

organization but our trade organization

is endeavoring to try to make things

better

for the wildlife control industry so why

would i want to

to give more to people that aren't

participating in that

because there's strength in numbers when

i would why would i want to

be doing that when there are people

within my industry

who i could be helping and within my

group that would be that i would be

helping so it doesn't make any sense to

me right so you take care of family

first before you go out and take care of

people that are non-family

so i take care of people who are

non-family but i do more for people that

are family than i would

for non-family members so we could talk

the ethics about that if you wish

so that would be kind of fun uh to talk

about for those of you think that's

anti-christian be happy to have that

conversation with you

so learn how to give back sometimes it

can be as simple as what are some other

ways to get back

photos volunteer

talk up something help spread the word

about this person

you know whether it be let's say if

you've had a good relationship with

i'll call it xyz trap company

well then talk up that trap company if

you've had a good service sometimes just

giving them a five star review that's a

way of giving back rather than just

simply

sitting there like a bumping log and

always trying to just take take take

take take

you know how many of you have reached

out to to franklin

and and told him how much you

appreciated him running the

pesky podcast series okay have you given

him a five-star rating on his podcast

right i'm just one contributor within

this right i'm just a one-man show i do

one podcast

or vodcast now a week you know that's it

so i have nowhere near the investment

that he has

i mean i don't know how he does it okay

but

so i hope you get the idea

sometimes little things mean a lot

to help encourage people to continue the

type of giving

that they are so don't just be a taker

be a giver as well

all right number five

refute the fourth the fifth mistake that

wildlife control operators do the fifth

stupid thing that they do is they refuse

to be trainable now

if you're listening this podcast clearly

that's not you

right so i'm talking to the choir here

i'm not talking to the enemies but

you know who i'm talking about and maybe

that was something

where you were in the past where you

were not able to

you know you have a fixed system

and god forbid someone else tell you it

tells you it's different

certainly there's going to be things in

wildlife control that are going to be

right

and certain things are going to be wrong

but between those two polls there's a

lot of gray area

where people have different ways i'll

give you an illustration right

do you always set the trap you know a

foothold for those of you in the fur

trapping field

do you always set the trap to catch the

coyote by the right foot or by the left

foot right

does it really matter

really does it really matter

you know does it really matter that the

trap for your squirrel

is one inch this direction versus one

inch that direction

doesn't really matter you get where i'm

going obviously most of us aren't quite

that specific right but

you know that certain people have it in

their head they get kind of

tunnel vision that there's only one way

to do something

and god forbid anyone come along and

tell them that there's a different way

to do it

don't be that person i'm not telling you

to just simply swallow everything you

hear

what i'm saying is be open to hear it

out

and then make a judgment experiment a

little bit i hope all of you

during your work take a little bit of

time

to experiment to try something new

uh don't do it in every job just just

you know if you try to think about it

maybe

half an hour a week you know and some

weeks you'll be able to do more than

others because obviously in crunch time

you're trying to make a lot of money

to get to the slope when you're in the

slow time may be a good idea to try to

say

you know maybe i'll do some bait

experiments you know things are slow

i don't i don't i have a lot of time in

my hands maybe i'm only working four

hours a day uh maybe that's the time i

can spend a little extra time at this

house and i'll bait this trap with xyz

bait

this trap over here with abc bait this

trap over here with

uh mno bait right so we're gonna find

out which

trap works the best i'm going to do that

for all the jobs for the next two weeks

see what works you know i hope that all

of you were kind of doing that because

if you're not doing something

different you're not going to learn

what's going to be more efficient

because we have to find new ways of

doing things

faster in this business because we're so

stressed when it comes to

time so i hope you're trying to do a

little learning so you're learning on

your own

but are you going to be learning from

other people now obviously as i said

before

you guys are already learning right if

you're not if you're listening this

podcast you're obviously

not close-minded you want to learn new

ideas and learn new perspectives

okay but if you have an opportunity to

talk to colleagues

who aren't going to training events

i had a guy i i was talking to when i

was trying to talk up going to the

uh to a wildlife control operated

training event

and he looked right at me and he said

well what am i going to learn there

i'm not going to learn anything new

i stood there in absolute

stunned i didn't even bother arguing

with them i was i was so shocked i

didn't even bother arguing

i was like wow because and i thought to

myself

well obviously if you're god you're not

going to

learn anything new right because you

already know everything you know

everything there is to know

this person actually thought he was the

arrogance

of this now other people are more

creative about their arrogance

they will come up with all kinds of

excuses as to why they can't make a

training event

oh it's you know it's the wrong time of

the year i used to claim when i was

involved in doing

writing some training events i always

argued

no matter what the training event is

always

at the wrong date at the wrong time

at the wrong location so i said that's

just a given

and i've argued that there are lots of

people out there that i could put the

training event on

next door to their house during their

vacation

and do it for free and they still

couldn't make it because it was too far

in the wrong time

now obviously that's very sarcastic

but you know exactly what i'm referring

to here's the reason why some people

don't go to trainings they can't afford

it and they just don't want you to know

it

but other times people don't want to go

because their ego will not allow them to

sit down and listen to what someone else

has to say

they hated school and they certainly

haven't learned to love education later

on even education is going to help them

make money or save money

it's amazing i've had been to events

where

a wildlife control operator came out of

the training event and said oh my god i

just

i because of what i learned to one class

today i made a job that was fifteen

hundred dollars i sold the job for

fifteen hundred dollars

he wouldn't have been able to sell the

job unless he took that class

one class

so don't be that person continue to

always ask yourself what can i learn

how can i improve myself how can i

expand my

reading and understanding and learning

about my field so i can continue to be

professional because if you're not

growing you're dying

it's just that simple

all right number six

the six stupid thing that wildlife

control operators do

to harm their business and that is

treating every other

wildlife control operator as a

competitor

this is really a problem sometimes

within the fur trapping industry and

that is they

tend to treat at least maybe i should

put this a little bit differently

i've had the experience that trappers

have always

have often not always often treated me

as a competitor even when i didn't want

to compete with them

some people in the wildlife control

industry do this as well

it's one thing to compete with someone

in the business area it's another thing

to hate them

you don't have to hate your competitor

in fact

it's been gratifying to see a lot of

wildlife control operators

who have learned to have a friendly

competition with their competitors in

the area

friendly meaning that they will actually

join together

and form a mutual aid agreement that

when they get a big

job they will actually work together to

do the job

they'll compete for those school jobs

and they'll you know

undercut each other and fight whatever

the case may be but when it comes to

those bigger jobs

they put their business competition

aside

and work together because they can make

money together that they couldn't make

on their own

but if you hate your competitor

how are you going to work with them some

people have such a good relationship

that when they go on vacation

they send the calls to their competitor

when their competitor goes on vacation

their competitor sends the work to them

there have been situations where

wildlife control operators have gotten

sick where they've gotten injured

perhaps with a fall or

car act or vehicle accident and the

competition would help

close out their jobs and do it at no

cost

that's amazing and that is something

that's a brotherhood

to use a masculine term or sisterhood

that we really want to have we don't

want

our competition with each other to

become so

personal and visceral and

angry it's just not worth it

because we're so labor is such a premium

in our industry

you want to learn how to treat your

competitor

not as a competitor but as a a colleague

that you're growing with and you're

yeah you are competing for particular

jobs but you're not angry with them

you're not

fighting them on a moat at an emotional

level

you know there's a phrase that's

oftentimes used it's like it's not

personal it's business

you know it's not personal don't make it

personal it's business be

business-like but don't be so

business-like that you forget the

opportunity you may have

to do that big bird job with your

colleague now if you don't respect your

colleague because you think they're

incompetent

well obviously that's going to be a

problem

but you know that sometimes your anger

with a competitor has nothing to do with

their

incompetence or their competency i

should say

you actually think they're good you just

don't like them because maybe they're

better than you are

or maybe they're a better salesperson

than you are

that's not something you know that's not

something to be angry about something

that force should force you

to improve yourself and to grow but

don't allow that competition

to withhold the opportunity for you to

make money where you can see them as a

a colleague working together for those

bigger jobs because maybe i

i suspect a lot of what a lot of control

operators are losing

money they're leaving money on the table

because they're not bidding those big

jobs because they don't have the

manpower

to do it

make friends this is why i'm so emphatic

sometimes about associations

where we need associations because you

need to build those networks

those developing colleagues where you

can work together for those larger jobs

and in situations where sometimes

something bad happens

and you need help to take care of

clients so that you don't even keep your

business afloat there even been

situations where people have helped

keep other businesses afloat while

a wildlife control operator was

recovering from a serious illness

or injury that's remarkable

right we want to encourage that to the

extent

that's possible now if you have someone

that you don't trust

that you believe is illegal

where they're not following proper

ethics that's going to be a tough one

you probably don't want to build a

build a business relationship with that

person because

the fallout from their mistakes will

tarnish you as well

but you know that your com with your

competitors are

quality organizations you know who your

competitors are

that you that you should respect even if

you don't respect them

the ones worthy of respect and you just

may have some sort of personal issue

with it you know the old pissing contest

right you don't want to make this

personal

but for those businesses that you know

the guy isn't

ethical maybe doesn't have liability

insurance maybe he's not paying his

taxes maybe he's not licensed maybe he's

working under the

under the radar maybe it's just someone

you don't think is really qualified

he's working out of his honda

okay um you know a little two-door car

well is that really going to be a

wildlife control operator you want to be

associated with

you get what i'm saying here

avoid those types of mistakes

let's do the run down again i have six

six of them stupid things that wildlife

control operators do

the first one is not carrying a card

carry your business cards

number two is accept advertising

accept free advertising don't don't

fight it

number three is treat

government officials with contempt

that's

the third mistake don't do that make

sure that you treat your government

officials properly and try to build

relationships with them because

it can help you in the long run in ways

that you may not be able to see in the

short term

number four take without giving don't do

that

be a giver even little things can matter

a lot

in the long run number five

refuse to be trainable of course i'm

that can't be any of you because if

you're listening to podcasts that's

obviously not you but you know who i'm

referring to

make sure you're always continuing to

learn

because there's always something new we

can get

and then finally number six

treating your competitors

as enemies don't do that always try to

think about

competitors as can i build a

relationship with this competitor so

it's a friendly competition

rather than a competition of of

animosity and hatred

and you'll find the long run this could

certainly be up there's plenty more ways

stupid things that wildlife control

operators do to hurt their business but

i hope that gives you something to think

about give you something to chew on

are you making any of those particular

mistakes i hope not and if you are

now is the time that you turn it around

and you'll bear the benefits down the

road

i want to close this out again with

another announcement of our sponsor

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ring out to aaron bray

if you have a situation with your

website you want to have some

consultation maybe some design issues

especially if you're working with

wordpress sites like i have

uh with my site reach out to aaron bray

at servant labs dot com

servant labs dot com and then lastly i

want to thank you again for listening to

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topic you want to cover

definitely reach out to me at wildlife

control consultant

dot gmail.com wildlife control

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doing love your feedback

hey be safe out there and make sure

you watch out for yourself and take time

spend it with your family and always

think about what goal

are you trying to achieve are you living

to work

or are you working to live

you