Pesty Marketing Podcast

5 Moves Every PCO Should Make Before 2026

If you're a pest control operator planning to grow in 2026, this episode is non-negotiable.

Most companies wait until January to strategize — but the ones growing 20%, 30%, or 50%?

They’re already building momentum. Shane Dutka and Rachel Kent reveal the 5 critical moves every PCO must make before 2026 — from SEO to automation, speed-to-lead, and real-time data analysis.

Whether you’re trying to break into the PCT 100 or just scale smarter, this is your blueprint.

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 – Why Waiting Until January Is a Mistake
00:42 – Intro: Meet Shane Dutka and Pesty’s Mission
00:57 – ✅ Move #1: Build Your Spring SEO Strategy Right Now
03:09 – ✅ Move #2: Build a Data Feedback Loop (CRM ➜ Google Ads) 06:04 – ✅ Move #3: Fix Your Speed to Lead – Now, Not Later
08:51 – ✅ Move #4: Implement Automation for “Not Ready” Leads
16:05 – ✅ Move #5: Review Monthly Data to Find High-Value Lead Sources
20:45 – Final Recap & Key Takeaways

📬 JOIN THE PESTY PLAYBOOK Real tactics. Real growth. Built for pest control owners. → https://www.pestymarketing.com/playbook

📞 BOOK A FREE DISCOVERY CALL Tired of mediocre marketing? Let’s fix that. → https://calendly.com/sarinna-pestymar...

5 Marketing Agency Red Flags for PCOs

🚨 Is your pest control marketing agency quietly costing you thousands?

Most pest control companies spend $3,000–$10,000/month on marketing — but still struggle with low-quality leads, confusing reports, and disappointing growth.

In this episode, we reveal the 5 biggest red flags to watch for when hiring a pest control marketing agency.

If you're investing in SEO, PPC, Google Ads, CRO, or website design, this guide will help you avoid costly mistakes and choose a partner who can actually grow your pest control business.

Shane teams up with Rachel Kent, Pesty’s Marketing Manager, to dig into real stories from hundreds of discovery calls — exposing the common agency mistakes that quietly cost PCOs real revenue.

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🔍 What You’ll Learn

• How bad marketing agencies waste your budget

• Why owning your website + content is non-negotiable

• The difference between “more leads” and actual revenue growth

• How to spot fake reporting, weak attribution, and poor tracking

• Why cookie-cutter SEO & PPC strategies don’t work for pest control

• What a real pest control–specialized marketing strategy should look like

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⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 — The hidden agency mistake costing PCOs thousands
01:54 — Red Flag #1: You don’t own your website or content
05:04 — Red Flag #2: Leads vs. revenue (the real metric)
08:41 — Red Flag #3: No clear attribution or campaign tracking
13:39 — Red Flag #4: Cookie-cutter strategies that ignore your business
21:31 — Red Flag #5: No real understanding of pest control
24:55 — Final thoughts + next steps

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📬 Join the Pesty Playbook

A weekly newsletter packed with actionable marketing strategies for PCOs proven to boost leads and revenue:
https://www.pestymarketing.com/playbook

 

📞 Book a Free Discovery Call

Ready for a marketing partner who actually understands pest control? Book your free discovery call:
https://l.pestymarketing.com/intro

 

How to Scale Your Pest Control Back Office With Virtual Assistants (Without Losing Control)

What if you could save $35,000 per hire, increase productivity by 30%, and free your team up to focus on revenue — all without adding more U.S.-based staff?

In this episode, Seth Watson, founder of Focus Virtual Assistants and owner of Arete Pest Control, shares the exact playbook he’s used to build a 100% VA-powered back office — and how he’s helping pest control companies across the country do the same.

If you’re doing $1M–$20M and want to grow 30% year over year, this conversation is packed with actionable insights on hiring, training, managing, and scaling with VAs — the right way.

What You’ll Learn:

✅ The first roles pest control companies should offload to a VA
✅ How to set up VAs for success (and avoid common failures)
✅ Why most operators hire wrong — and how to do it right
✅ Real cost breakdown: agency vs. DIY VA hiring
✅ How VAs are helping companies save overhead and grow top-line revenue
✅ What separates the pest operators who scale successfully with VAs

 

Connect with Seth. Check out Focus Virtual Assistants.

 

Learn more about Pesty Marketing.

 

2:11 – Why Pest Control Is Perfect for VA Support
5:00 – How Seth Built a 100% Virtual Back Office
7:54 – First Roles You Should Offload to a VA
10:36 – How to Set Up a VA for Success
13:15 – The Biggest Mistake Pest Companies Make with VAs
16:04 – Real Retention Numbers: How Long VAs Stick Around
18:32 – DIY vs. Agency VA Hiring: What’s the Real Cost?
20:55 – What a $9/Hour VA Can Really Do for Your Business
22:08 – The Roles Pest Companies Are Filling With VAs
23:48 – How One Operator Saved $100K in Overhead
25:47 – Boosting Productivity and Margin With Offshore Talent
29:26 – What the Best Pest Companies Do Differently
34:07 – How Seth’s VA Helped Build Company Scorecards
36:18 – SOPs, Loom Videos & Using AI to Train VAs
38:09 – Why VA Training Includes AI Tools Like ChatGPT
39:21 – Final Advice for First-Time VA Users

How PCT Top 100 Companies Increase Revenue Through Automation

Automation is the future of pest control, but are you leveraging it to grow your business? In this episode, Gary Burch from Cinch dives deep into how top pest control companies use data to increase revenue, retain customers, and eliminate inefficiencies. Don’t miss these game-changing strategies.

 

Check out Cinch and connect with Gary.

 

Learn more about Pesty Marketing.

 

00:00 Introduction to Gary Burch and Cinch
01:20 The role of data in crafting marketing strategies for pest control
03:45 Challenges pest control companies face in leveraging their data
06:40 The inefficiencies of manual processes before automation
08:07 At what size should a company start prioritizing automation?
11:35 The leaky bucket: fixing customer retention and value gaps
15:00 Combining automation with personalization for better results
17:28 Success story: Using automation to sell mosquito and rodent services
20:35 Addressing fears around automation and customer communication
24:00 The importance of relevance in marketing campaigns
26:55 Common automations pest control companies start with
30:28 Campaign deep dive: How win-back and cross-sell campaigns succeed
34:20 How companies can prepare for automation success
38:20 Final thoughts: Filling holes in the data bucket

SEO Secrets for Pest Control: $1.3M Blog Blueprint With Shane Dutka

00:00 Introduction to Shane Dutka and his experience
01:21 What is programmatic SEO?
03:38 Why use programmatic SEO?
07:00 Disadvantages of programmatic SEO
09:43 Examples of effective programmatic SEO
11:45 Technology needed for programmatic SEO
16:19 What is digital PR, and how does it support SEO?
18:51 Examples of successful digital PR campaigns
23:01 Using data to create compelling stories for digital PR
26:30 Strategies for developing revenue-generating content
29:12 Social media's impact on SEO and brand building
33:53 The importance of branded searches for SEO
35:09 Conversion rate optimization: 7 key levers
41:44 Optimizing post-click user journeys
44:53 Conversion rates by content intent
47:45 Attribution in SEO campaigns
51:43 Introducing Shane’s new software, SiteCurve

Unlock Easy Hidden Revenue In Your Pest Control Business With Cody Barbour

00:00 Introduction and Cody’s background
01:03 What does Baton do for the pest control industry?
03:09 Personal experiences that inspired Baton’s creation
04:12 How Cody joined Baton
05:45 The financial impact of unqualified leads
07:51 Benefits of Baton for companies of different sizes
10:53 The quality of referral leads compared to other sources
14:08 Expanding Baton’s referral network beyond pest control
16:33 Competitive landscape and Google’s potential entry into referrals
18:44 Blueprint for integrating Baton successfully in the first year
20:14 Importance of tracking lead sources and marketing ROI
26:52 Calculating customer lifetime value for pest control companies
31:04 The role of branding and indirect marketing
36:30 Sample size and evaluating lead generation sources
41:18 Final thoughts on teamwork and defining success

How to Improve Your Inside Sales Team With Elisabeth Bazanac

00:00 Introduction to Elisabeth Bazanac and Lozani’s Pest Control
01:24 What the sales department looked like before improvements
02:55 Challenges in combining customer service and sales
06:29 How to assess what needs to be improved in sales
07:31 The role of psychology in customer interactions
10:39 Implementing a streamlined sales process
12:01 Sales funnel management and automation strategies
17:07 Tracking performance metrics for sales teams
20:14 Setting and achieving close rate goals
23:40 Aligning incentives with business objectives
25:50 Training resources for improving sales team performance
27:04 The impact of customer feedback on sales strategies
28:06 Lessons learned from trying different CRMs
31:41 Handling common customer objections effectively
36:40 Advice on finding the right people for sales roles

Customers Service & Sales In Pest Control With Grit President Margaret Garcia

00:00 Introduction
01:10 Margaret's origin story in pest control customer service
02:47 Common misconceptions in pest control customer service
05:37 The role of technology and AI in pest control customer service
07:27 Integrating and training new customer service agents
12:16 Managing emotional labor in customer service
14:31 Optimizing call flow for better customer interactions
16:53 Ensuring customer service consistency across clients and regions
18:05 Advice for new customer service representatives in pest control
21:27 Measuring success in customer service and sales
25:50 Close rate benchmarks and other key performance indicators
27:12 GRIT's next big goal

How Tailor Made Pest Control Utilizes Social Media to Drive Pest Control Sales

Welcome back to another episode of the Pesty Marketing Podcast! Today, we have a special guest joining us: Christian Allan, the founder and owner of Tailormade Pest Control. Christian has an inspiring story about growing his pest control company using social media and embracing the mindset of not underestimating the time and effort required for success. In this episode, Christian shares his unique perspective on growth in the pest control industry and how he applied strategies learned from Grant Cardone's book, The Ten X Rule. We'll dive into the power of consistent social media posting, the importance of communicating with customers, and the success of building trust and credibility through online platforms. Additionally, Christian will discuss the tools he utilizes, such as Go High Level, and provide valuable insights into generating leads and differentiating his services in a competitive market. Get ready to be inspired as we explore Christian's journey and learn how to boost your marketing game in the pest control industry. Let's dive in!

Leveraging Automation To Turn 85% Of Leads Into Sales

Antoni started his career in the pest control industry ten years ago as a door-to-door salesman. Although he quickly realized this was not the ideal role for him, he knew he loved growing the business. He approached of the company and suggested they focus on digital marketing to scale the business without having to knock on doors. Together with some key talent, they successfully grew the online presence of the company, which led to revenue skyrocketing from $300,000 to $6 million in just four years. Antoni is now the founder and CEO of a new pest control sales software company called Fiohs where he's turned his industry knowledge into the best sales enablement tool on the market.

 

[00:06:58] Created successful sales funnels, sold about a million of dollars annually, trained two people for sales approach, improved another company's conversion rate from 50% to 85%.

[00:12:19] Fios software solves the problem of pest control companies losing money on leads. Automation is key, but the companies still need to close deals. The top three automations needed for success are not specified.

[00:24:49] Referrals are important with lower customer acquisition cost and better lifetime value. Offering incentives to both the referrer and referred can increase success. Many pest control companies don't focus on referrals, but it can be an effective marketing strategy.

[00:34:20] Create free directories on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Nextdoor to be discoverable. Engage with these communities and pay attention to conversations. Paid options like local service ads, Angie's List, Thumbtack, and Home Advisor can work, but be prepared to handle calls. Yelp advertising is simpler with less control compared to Google.

[00:40:11] Competing on low prices can lead to incapability to scale a business. Pest control companies should focus on initial treatments with follow-ups instead of quarterly services. Companies investing more in customer acquisition can easily outcompete other companies. A payback period of 50% is not uncommon for companies that are scaling aggressively. Companies should be prepared to lose money for a decent period of time to grow. The writer asks what a reasonable payback period for an annual service customer is.

[00:49:32] Customer service is about helping the customer, not defending the company. Role-playing should involve putting the customer and employee on the same team, with the computer representing the company. Communicating well with customers and providing a great experience, including automation and being a happy person, is essential. The goal is for customers to be happy and willing to call for help.

[00:59:28] The text describes a guided tour and onboarding process for a software solution that focuses on building custom solutions for businesses, including automation and efficiency. Basic setup takes a week, while more complex integrations can take up to a month. A new feature allows easy plug-in for automation, with no work required from the user's end.

[01:02:43] Solo operators can compete with big companies through strategic partnerships and working with a marketing company that specializes in their industry.