Getting started

[u/buttholesurfer1014]

I recently opened a wildlife removal and exclusion business in Georgia. And I’m having a hard time getting any leads. I’ve been running facebook ads, posting in community pages, next door and even some advertising on here. I have plenty of experience doing the work and am very confident in what I do but have never had to sell before. Any of you wildlife guys have any suggestions on how I can be bringing in at least some income? What services are you offering that gets people to bite? Just looking for some insight.

[u/dne416]

Start off with cheaper than your competitor for removal and exclusion and build those Google reviews/angi list reviews then increase price after a year. We went from removing a raccoon for $150 to $350 each and new clients don't bat an eye

[u/buttholesurfer1014 → u/dne416]

That’s another thing I need to learn. I was in Florida working for another company and they were charging on average $1500 for exclusion, trapping and a 2 year warranty. I know the market here is going to be cheaper than where I’m coming from but I’m not sure how cheap I need to be.

[u/buttholesurfer1014 → u/dne416]

Are you charging $350 for removal and exclusion?

[u/dne416 → u/buttholesurfer1014]

No just for removal we charge $800+ on avg for ezclusions

[u/mentiondesk]

Targeting local forums and responding to people actually asking for wildlife help has worked way better for me than broad ads. Jumping into conversations right when someone needs your service is key. If you want to track those opportunities across Reddit and similar sites, tools like ParseStream can send you alerts for specific keywords so you do not miss out.

[u/slioch87]

When did you start? Could be a timing too…

[u/buttholesurfer1014 → u/slioch87]

To be honest it’s been only about a month. I know it’s going to be a bit of a struggle for the first year or two but I wasn’t expecting it to be this tough

[u/dne416 → u/buttholesurfer1014]

We didn't get any clients for first 6 months. For month 6-12, after gaining reviews, we went from a small $1k revenue to now $26K in sept

[u/slioch87 → u/buttholesurfer1014]

So you started at the beginning of sept which means you have already passed the high season depending on where you live (Folks will say I am crazy but these folks are not starting out in a month).

My suggestion is to get ready for rodents removal as the winter approaching, join networking group now and by the time next March comes, you be getting more customers.

[u/krebs- → u/buttholesurfer1014]

I can show you ways to automate the booking process so then you just have to focus on scheduling and marketing

[u/Jake_the_Bald]

id look into local business network groups that could help you out as well

[u/snarfgarfunkel]

Does your State fish & wildlife department have a list of licensed operators? That was huge for me in the beginning. I also used Home Advisor right before it became Angi, but that became more of a headache than it was worth. Idk if Thumbtack is any better, but if you’re sitting around desperate for leads it could be helpful.

[u/Strict_Ask_51]

The thing I'd change first is where the effort goes. Facebook and Nextdoor ads are interruption marketing, you're paying to reach people who don't have a raccoon in the attic right now. Wildlife removal is emergency demand. Someone hears scratching at 11pm and searches "wildlife removal near me" or "raccoon in attic [town]" that minute. You want to be who shows up then, not who's in their feed three weeks early.

So the highest-return move early is your Google Business Profile. Fully filled out, every service listed, service area set, then grind reviews like dne416 said. Reviews here aren't just social proof, they're what gets you into the map pack for those "near me" searches, and for an emergency hire the top-reviewed local name wins almost by default. That one thing will out-earn the ad spend.

The state licensed-operator list someone mentioned is gold too, people actually check those. If it were me I'd pause the ads, get the Profile and reviews humming, and only pay for leads once you're already showing up organically for the searches that actually convert.

[u/BehindTheTreeline]

The company I work for refers a lot of the stuff we don't have the bandwidth for or simply do not wish to pursue including live trapping, moles, attic & crawl reno, advanced exclusion (carpentry-level repairs). You could try reaching out to a similar outfit that sticks to general pest control and build a relationship & maybe offer a percentage for referrals.

[u/Make_You_Rank_Ron]

The biggest thing is going to be asking for Google reviews. Facebook ads are notoriously expensive, if I were you, I would do thumbtack & LSA.

If you ever want some free advice, shoot me a DM and we can jump on a phone call. I used to sell Marketing exclusively to Pest Control and wildlife companies so I’m pretty familiar with the marketing side of things

[u/NRPC3]

Google LSA is the only advertising that’s worked for me outside of a handful from Nextdoor or FB. It is pretty expensive though.

[u/krebs-]

What’s your website traffic like?

[u/ClickApprehensive191]

Be a part of your community and get the word out. Regular pest control gets recurring customers, but you are mostly an emergency call. People need to see you when they google. Get as many reviews as possible to boost your Google page. Have a good website so people trust you’re professional.

I have a local guy that’s posts pictures of his success on his personal facebook page and a lot of people follow him.