From AI agents that handle leads and collections around the clock, to voice AI finally sounding human, to the real reason most operators are wasting money on tools they don't need... Antoni pulls back the curtain on what's actually working in pest control right now.

We also get into the underrated superpower that separates operators who thrive with AI from those who don't, why your ability to document your processes matters more than ever, and the mindset shift that's helped both of us communicate better with AI and with people.

If you've been wondering how to cut through the noise and start using AI in a way that actually moves the needle, this one's for you.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcoming Antoni Hoshino: How AI Has Evolved in Pest Control 01:05 – From Text to Agents: The New Capabilities of Pest AI 04:24 – The Truth About Voice AI Adoption (And Its Biggest Roadblock) 07:17 – Where Should You Start With AI in Your Business? 11:01 – The Process Mapping Tool Every Operator Should Know 24:23 – What’s Next for AI: Context, Data, and Smarter Decisions

🔗 Connect with Antoni & Pest AI: https://pestai.io/

🚀 Grow Your Pest Control Company with Pesty

If you want more high-quality leads, better close rates, and a marketing system built specifically for pest control, learn more about working with us:

👉 https://pestymarketing.com

Meet Bobbie Terry (Owner of The Bug Lady – Austin, TX & Founder of Women in Pest Control) and Nanette Rota (Owner of Praying Nantis Pest Control & COO of Women in Pest Control). 

With 50+ years of combined experience, they share what it really takes to succeed as women in a traditionally male-dominated industry—and how they’re opening doors for the next generation 🚀

If you’re a pest control business owner, technician, or leader looking to grow your company, build a stronger team, and create a better culture—this episode is packed with insights you can actually use.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

✅ How women are thriving in the pest control industry ✅ The real challenges (and opportunities) for women in home services ✅ How to recruit, train, and retain female pest control technicians ✅ Building leadership and culture inside a pest control company ✅ Why community (like Women in Pest Control) is a growth lever ✅ How events, networking, and mentorship accelerate success

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Why Pest Control Needs More Women (And What’s Changing) 01:12 – How Nanette Got Her Start in Pest Control 10:04 – The Moment Women in Pest Control Took Off 13:00 – Inside the First All-Women Pest Control Conference 15:35 – The Scholarship Changing Women’s Careers 18:26 – Why Women Quit Pest Control (And How to Fix It) 31:37 – What Makes Women Stay (Most Companies Miss This)

🌐 Get Involved:

👇 Learn more about Women in Pest Control, events, and how to support the mission:

Evelina Empower Her Fund: https://www.womeninpestcontrol.com/em...

Join The Community: https://www.womeninpestcontrol.com/

Women in Pest Control Conference: https://www.womeninpestcontrol.com/ev...

🚀 Build the growth engine your market demands: https://pestymarketing.com/

Margaret Garcia, President of Grit PPO, is back and she's pulling back the curtain on the hidden revenue leaks inside your office. 

Missed calls, weak lead handling, bad booking rates — these "small" mistakes are quietly killing your growth.

If you're serious about hitting your next million in pest control, this episode is required watching.

🔥 What You'll Learn: ✅ The real cost of missed calls and poor lead handling ✅ What booking rate your office team should actually be hitting ✅ The #1 mistake killing pest control companies at the $3M mark ✅ How to hire the right CSR and what to look for ✅ The most important move in the first 60 seconds of a customer call

⏱️ Jump to What Matters Most:

00:00 Welcome & Introduction to Margaret Garcia 1:20 How Much Revenue You're Losing From Missed Calls 3:04 Owners' Shocking Reactions to Lost Revenue 4:08 The True Cost of Missed Leads 5:38 What Booking Rate Should Your Office Actually Hit? 6:40 What Drives High vs. Low Close Rates 8:08 The Factors Behind Higher Close Rates 10:09 Should You List Pricing on Your Website? 12:23 The Power of Strong Brand Differentiation 14:22 Matching Your Sales Language to Your Website 15:38 Why Call Analysis is a Game Changer 17:38 Real Example: Pivoting From Customer Feedback 19:42 Fast Follow-Up and Learning From Non-Conversions 22:29 Bottlenecks Holding You Back at $3M 25:50 Top 5 Numbers Every Pest Control Owner Must Track 26:14 The Most Expensive Office Mistake When Scaling 27:13 How to Hire the Best Customer Service Rep 29:24 The Most Important Move in the First 60 Seconds 32:00 Is Grit PPO Right for You?

Want results like Margaret's clients? Work with Grit PPO: 👉 https://www.gritppo.com/

Ready to hit the PCT Top 100 and generate 100,000+ leads per year? Let's build your growth engine: 👉 https://pestymarketing.com/

This episode breaks down what the best pest control companies are doing differently—from technician performance and customer satisfaction to reviews, retention, and company culture. If you run a pest control business and want to learn how top operators scale and improve service quality, this episode of the Pesty Podcast is for you.

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 — Introduction + overview of the Applause 2026 Home Services Benchmark Report

1:12 — Why benchmark reports matter for pest control operators 3:04 — One surprising data point that caught operators off guard 4:12 — Why 5-star reviews matter more than ever 5:52 — What defines an exceptional pest control company 8:04 — What top technicians do to create great customer experiences 9:33 — Small acts that dramatically improve satisfaction and retention 16:33 — How photos and post-service communication build trust 18:46 — Visibility vs invisibility with customers (and why it matters) 23:19 — Technician pay models: quality vs output 25:27 — What actually motivates technicians 27:10 — What the best pest control company cultures look like 29:19 — Creative customer retention tactics operators are using

Read the full 2026 Home Services Benchmark Report from Applause: 👉 https://www.applausehq.com/research-reports/2026-state-of-home-services-benchmark-report?utm_source=pestypodcast

🚀 Grow Your Pest Control Company with Pesty

If you want more high-quality leads, better close rates, and a marketing system built specifically for pest control, learn more about working with us:

👉 https://pestymarketing.com

In this episode, I sat down with Jacob Haslem, a career pest control operator and marketer, to break down how he is building a premium pest control company in rural Wyoming without racing to the bottom on price.

Jacob shares how his background in sales, marketing, and operations shaped Kodiak’s positioning, and why competing on value, branding, and customer experience beats competing on cost every time. 

Kodiak sells time savings, peace of mind, and trust, anchored by a clearly defined brand and a differentiated service model.

If you are a pest control owner tired of attracting price shoppers and shrinking margins, this conversation will challenge how you think about pricing, branding, and long-term growth.

Timestamps:

00:14 – Meet Jacob Halsem 1:16 – Building a Distinct Brand Voice Inspired by Duluth Trading Co. 2:41 – Why Wyoming Requires a Value-First Pest Control Strategy 3:37 – The Core Brand Promise Time Savings and Peace of Mind 4:39 – “Pests Don’t Belong in Your Home or Your Schedule” Explained 6:07 – The Goal Making Kodiak a Household Name 16:23 – The Strategy Behind the Kodiak Unlimited Program 20:29 – Using Bold Marketing to Build a Premium Pest Control Brand 23:26 – How Kodiak Differentiates From Legacy Pest Control Companies 24:30 – Customer Engagement Reviews and Perceived Value 31:17 – How Brand Investment Drives Higher Close Rates

If you want to grow the right way, with stronger margins, better customers, and a brand that actually stands out, this episode is packed with real-world insights you can apply immediately.

When your messaging tries to appeal to everyone, you don’t get more leads  you get the wrong ones.

🚫 Price shoppers 🚫 Tire kickers 🚫 “Just getting quotes” callers

But when your marketing is built for one specific buyer, something powerful happens:

✅ The right people call ready to book ✅ Your close rate goes up ✅ Your sales team stops wasting time

In this video, I answer your questions around broad marketing kills lead quality and how pest control companies can attract higher-intent customers without increasing ad spend.

If you want fewer bad leads and more booked jobs, listen up! 

0:00 — Why “marketing to everyone” guarantees bad leads 1:01 — The first move that instantly improves lead quality online 2:48 — The hidden factor most pest companies ignore (psychographics) 5:33 — How to steal customer psychographics straight from reviews 7:08 — Messaging signals that repel tire-kickers and attract buyers 10:00 — Premium vs affordable: which actually gets better leads? 16:00 — How your website quietly qualifies (or disqualifies) customers 20:32 — One action to take this week for higher-intent leads

📬 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? Check your local market. → https://pestymarketing.com/

👤 BUYER PERSONA GPT (FREEBIE)  https://chatgpt.com/g/g-685c4a198bfc8...

Whether you’re a solo operator or managing multiple branches, this episode is packed with practical strategies to elevate your technician performance, boost marketing ROI, and drive team-wide accountability.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome & Intro: Meet Adam Weber and how his journey from pest control operator to tech founder began 08:01 – The Birth of Driven: How a personal need for better data led to a dashboard revolution 13:48 – KPIs 101: What KPIs are, and why they’re the backbone of operational excellence 17:05 – KPI #1: Callback Rate by Technician — what it means and how to use it to improve service quality 23:20 – KPI #2: Completion Rate — boost efficiency and same-day service success 28:18 – KPI #3: Production Per Hour — understand productivity benchmarks and set the right targets 34:06 – Choosing the Right KPIs: Why less is more—focus on 5, and execute well 37:45 – KPI #4: Phone Call Answer Rate — how missed calls are costing you customers 43:21 – KPI #5: Close Rate — turn more leads into sales with better inside sales tracking 49:34 – Common Data Pitfalls: Why clean data matters, and how to get team buy-in 51:06 – Who Driven Is For: Why operators of any size can benefit from real-time performance tracking 54:09 – Final Takeaways & Next Steps

📈 If you’re serious about scaling faster, retaining more customers, and getting your team fully aligned—this is the episode that can shift your entire operation.

🔗 Learn more about Driven: https://www.bemoredriven.com/about

📬 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-pestymarketing/intro-call

In this episode, Raymond Kidwell breaks down the sales script framework and inside sales system that helped his company close over $2M in revenue — all before a tech ever showed up.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all script, Raymond shares the exact structure, objections, incentives, and training methods that turn CSRs into closers. If you're ready to stop wasting leads and start selling over the phone, this is your playbook.

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 – Intro: Why most pest control companies leave money on the table 0:19 – Meet Raymond Kidwell & his $2M phone sales background 2:43 – How customers want to be sold today (and how most companies miss it) 3:47 – Selling over the phone = closing the deal before the tech arrives 4:21 – Transitioning from in-person to phone sales: Lessons learned 5:20 – Overcoming internal resistance and aligning team incentives 7:30 – Why getting team buy-in matters more than buy-in itself 9:09 – The #1 objection in pest sales (and how AI proves it) 13:03 – Preventing objections through questions and rapport 13:46 – The $2M Phone Script Framework (Full Breakdown) 16:18 – How AI tracks true leads, call outcomes, and missed revenue 22:11 – How to train CSRs to sell (not just serve) 26:28 – Why technical training boosts phone conversion rates 27:43 – The biggest mistake pest companies make with inside sales 30:25 – The hidden cost of not having dedicated phone sales staff 34:26 – Contact Raymond & learn more about Voice for Pest

🔗 Learn more about Voice for Pest: https://voiceforpest.com

📬 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://pestymarketing.com/

With 18+ years of industry experience and a current role as a fractional CMO for growth-minded pest control companies, Eric pulls back the curtain on what’s actually holding operators back from scaling past $3M—and how to build the systems to break through to $10M+.

⏱️ Timestamps:

01:12 — Setting up processes before working with a marketing agency; common pitfalls for operators

03:29 — Calculating customer growth based on closing rates and revenue

04:36 — Collaborating with marketing partners: using data to set marketing goals, budgets, and lead expectations

06:07 — Operational challenges and infrastructure needed for rapid scaling

10:16 — Marketing campaign effectiveness: tracking performance, re-allocating budgets across channels

13:07 — Growth philosophies: speed vs. cost, quality, and volume of leads

17:48 — Marketing budget considerations based on company revenue and growth appetite

30:22 — Defining a qualified lead and aligning expectations between teams

34:43 — 40/40/20 marketing framework: list, offer, and creative

39:10 — Differentiation exercise: analyzing and improving your competitive offer

44:02 — Year-end review: using data to inform next year's plans and budgets

46:41 — Key traits of top performing teams: accountability, data-driven decisions, and leadership

👉 Listen now and learn how to build a marketing machine that works with your ops—not against it.

📬 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...

🎯 Want to connect with other growth-minded pest control pros? Join the BugBux Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/646060795949979/

 🔔 Subscribe for more breakdowns, interviews, and real marketing strategies for pest pros 

 💬 Got questions or takeaways? Drop them below.

Cody Smith started out like many operators: running solo, wearing every hat, and grinding nonstop. But instead of burning out, he found a smarter path. In this interview, Cody breaks down how he scaled through small acquisitions, overcame the fear of hiring, and transitioned from technician to business leader.

Whether you're trying to grow past $1M or just escape the day-to-day chaos, Cody’s story is packed with lessons you can apply right now.

⏱️ Timestamps:  00:00 – Introduction 01:45 – Lessons from Working in a Family Business 04:39 – How Cody Scaled His Dad’s Business 06:15 – Top 3 Tips for Successful Small Acquisitions 08:36 – How Smarter Launch Started 17:05 – Common Sales Mistakes Pest Control Companies Make 23:41 – Fear, Leadership, and Letting Go 28:33 – Best Resources Cody Recommends  32:34 – Final Thoughts and Smarter Launch's Vision 📬 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-pestymarketing/intro-call 👉 Get Smarter in Your Sales & Proposals with Smarter Launch: https://www.smarterlaunch.com 👍 Like this video if Cody’s story gave you insight or inspiration 🔔 Subscribe for more breakdowns, interviews, and real marketing strategies for pest pros

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.

• 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

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

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

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

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.

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

[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.

Door-to-door knocking is celebrated as one of the most challenging and exhausting marketing strategies. Alex and Davis recognize this hardship, but they took the challenge and developed the ability to have mental and emotional resilience along the way. Today, their sales reps have developed the same skills as well.

Naturally, door-to-door knocking requires you to meet people, communicate with them, deal with rejections, and handle hard times. Whenever Alex and Davis’s company would recruit new talent, they are upfront with this challenge and the rewards that can come from it. They emphasized that different people have their own style of approach when talking to others, which is something that their sales reps learn when they conduct door-to-door sales. Over time, they came to realize that being yourself and feeling comfortable talking to people in your own way could bring sales.

As the episode ends, Alex and Zac also emphasize that creating an environment where your sales reps can be positively competitive, joke around, and have fun does contribute to the business’s success. Maintaining a work culture that’s loyal to their people, properly compensating their achievements, and putting great importance on integrity and honesty in the work they do will benefit not only the employees but also the business and its customers.

Links: 

Reliant Pest Management

Andrew Peluso

Morgan

One of the most interesting things we found in Jason's story, were (as told by him) the three components of the perfect storm that caused his business to shut down: lack of discipline (maybe having too much fun), the economic crisis, and not taking the time to hire and train adequate staff. Added to this same scenario, he commented on the importance of learning to say “no” when you really can’t take over a job (whether it is because you lack the time, or because you know nothing about construction). 

Moving forward 10 years, he tells us some of the secrets that make his business one of a kind: being super on top of Yelp reviews, not settling for being a 4.5 stars company and always striving for 5 out of 5, and making sure your customer’s experience is great by granting clear and useful communication as well as follow-ups once the job is finished.

And finally, we can’t leave aside his success tale: how being known as the “taco guy” and doing a memorable job turned him into the only termite guy the biggest real estate company in Long Beach actually trusts. 

Links: 

Jason Fiala

Premium Termite and Pest Control

Andrew Peluso

Morgan

Bob’s tale is not only a handful of valuable lessons on how to be successful, but also on how to build and maintain a reputation on customer-focus, and the importance of creating a product and service that actually makes the difference from them. 855 bugs’ main premise is definitely something to keep in mind: customers actually really value knowing who they are doing business with because that’s the people they’ll have going into their houses. 

Accompanied by a hilarious practical joke involving dead bodies, Bob’s narrative walks us through the stages he went through during all the years he ran his company and the impact that Marketing had on it. Everything from being initially named “bugs.com.com” (yes that’s not a typo), going through phone book ads, and figuring out the strategies that would actually escalate is told in today’s episode. 

So what are you waiting for to jump right in and watch the complete episode?

Links: 

Bob Howard of 855 Bugs

Andrew Peluso

Morgan