PestBossPro Blog — Commercial Accounts

The Commercial Pest Control Walkthrough: Turning a Site Visit Into a Quote

You can quote a house from the satellite map and a phone call. You usually should not quote a commercial building that way. The walkthrough is where you find the grease behind the line, the gap under the dock door, the dumpster six feet from the back entrance, and the manager who wants you there at 5am. It is also your first impression on the client, and a good one is half the sale.

The Visit Behind the Price

Working out a monthly price was covered in Pricing Monthly Commercial Pest Control Service From Your Own Service List. The walkthrough is where you gather the information that price depends on.

Before you go, measure the property from the satellite map in PestBossPro. Building square feet and perimeter linear feet give you the size before you arrive, so the walk can focus on condition and pest pressure.

What to Look At

Walk the building in the order a tech would service it, and look at:

• The exterior. Dumpster location and condition, vegetation against walls, debris, standing water, lighting near doors.
• Entry points. Doors, door sweeps, dock seals, gaps around pipes and utility lines.
• Food areas. Kitchens, break rooms, dry storage, walk-ins. Look under and behind equipment, around drains and in wall voids.
• Storage. Back rooms, stockrooms, pallets, cardboard.
• Current activity. Droppings, live or dead insects, rub marks, gnaw marks.
• Existing devices. Any bait stations or traps from a previous company, and their condition.

Take photos as you go. They help you write the quote, and if you win the account, they are your starting point to compare against.

Bring a flashlight, a mirror and a pair of knee pads, and expect to get on the floor. A manager who watches you look under the dish machine and behind the dry storage shelving sees a company that takes the job seriously. That impression often counts for more than the price on the quote.

What to Ask

The manager knows things you cannot see. Ask:

• What pests have you seen, and where?
• Who services you now, and why are you looking?
• When can the tech come, and when can they not?
• How does the tech get in? Keys, codes, check-in?
• Who approves the service, and who pays the bill?
• Do you have more locations?
• Does anyone need records, like an owner, a corporate office or an inspector?

“Why are you looking?” is the most useful question. If the answer is “the last company never sent us records,” you know exactly what to emphasize.

Write It Down Where It Will Be Used

The walkthrough notes do not belong on a notepad in the truck. They belong in three places:

• The estimate. The services and frequency the building needs, from your service list.
• The access notes. How to get in, when to come, who to ask for. These go on the address so every tech sees them.
• The service notes. Problem areas, conditions, existing devices and what to check first.

If you enter these right after the walkthrough, everything is ready the moment the client approves. Nobody has to remember what you saw three weeks ago.

Turning It Into a Quote

Build the estimate from your service list, priced off the measurements. Most commercial quotes include:

• An initial service to get current activity under control.
• The recurring service, usually monthly.
• Add-ons like a rodent program or fly service if the walk showed a need.

Send it for online approval the same day if you can. Estimate follow-up emails remind the manager if they have not answered. A short text through two-way texting, like “Thanks for the walkthrough today, the estimate is in your email,” helps too.

It also helps to mention the conditions you saw that the client can fix. A quote that says “we noticed the back door sweep is missing; replacing it will help keep rodents out” shows you paid attention.

The First Visit After Approval

When the client approves, the estimate becomes scheduled work. The first visit, usually the initial service, already has the access notes and service notes from your walk on the card. The tech arrives knowing where the problems are.

Take before photos on that first visit from the same spots you photographed on the walkthrough. A few months later, the after photos show the manager what changed, which is a strong case at renewal time. How the tech experiences these stops is covered in What the Tech Sees on a Commercial Pest Control Stop.

To see how the walkthrough fits with every other part of commercial work, visit the PestBossPro commercial pest control software page.