Step five: Evaluate success

So you've finished the job. It's time to tip your hat and ride off into the sunset, right? Well, maybe not. Have you really been successful? Or is the "problem" just waiting to re-emerge, like some bad horror movie that spawns thirteen sequels?

Should you care? Why spend time on follow-up, when you're already so busy? After all, you're confident that you do good work, so you expect success. But it's not a bad idea to figure out how successful you've been. How happy is your customer with the work now?

Evaluations help you to improve your control techniques and your business planning, if that's relevant. For example, after studying his records, one NWCO realized that it didn't make financial sense to go out on a call unless he'd earn $50. Otherwise, he couldn't justify the cost of the truck maintenance, the gas, the time, and all the rest.

There are many ways to evaluate your success. A low-key approach might simply be to give your customers your card, and ask them to call you if they have any problems. But keep in mind that many people don't return to a business if they're unhappy—they go to someone else. And they often tell friends and acquaintances about the raw deal that they believed they received. In other words, no news is not necessarily good news.

You could plan a follow-up visit to personally evaluate your success. This, of course, takes time, but you could view this as marketing effort. Many customers will really appreciate this extra effort, and that could lead to great word-of-mouth advertising. Also, you see the situation yourself, instead of relying on someone else's description. Be sure to leave an inspection report (preferably written) with the client.

If you can't invest the time to go back to all these sites, you could call or email your customers, or leave them a brief evaluation form to fill out and return (use a postcard with your address printed on it, and provide the postage. Then, all your customer has to do is fill out the form and drop it in the mail).

If you are performing nuisance control work to make money, you'll want to know how well you're doing. To figure out your profit margin, keep track of your costs for each job (such as materials and labor). Then add in the overhead (truck payments, gas, insurance, phone, taxes, marketing costs, and maintenance and replacement of equipment, for example). Your income, minus your costs of doing business, is your profit margin.

Once you know your exact profit margin, you can think about all sorts of questions that might affect how you run your business. For example, are you consistently making money on certain types of jobs while losing money on others? Then maybe you'd decide to specialize in the profitable work. Or increase the price for the less profitable jobs. On the other hand, some people consider the low-cost, less profitable jobs as a way to build your client base.

Evaluation helps you become a better NWCO. No matter how often you do it, you can still learn something new.

Handbook Contents

Introduction

• Understanding Nuisance Wildlife
• The Business Side

Needs of People and wildlife

• Six Questions NWCOs must ask

Federal Laws and Regulations

• New York State Wildlife Control Laws
• Local Regulations for Wildlife Control

Safety Risks for Customers

• Job Risks
• Safety Gear
• Carcass Disposal
• Wildlife Diseases

Best Practices for Wildlife Control

• Assess the Situation
• Choose Management Options
• Tools and Techniques
• Preventing Problems
• Evaluating Success

Professionalism Resources for NWCOs

Disclaimer

This manual was written as a guide to train nuisance wildlife control operators in New York State. Laws and regulations may differ in your state. Always consult local and state laws before implementing wildlife damage management activities.

Contact Information

Contact your local Extension Office

Resources

Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
National Wildlife Control Operator's Association
Wildlife Control

Acknowledgments

We thank the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for contributing this information.

Produced by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the NYS Integrated Pest Management Program.