What is the General Practise among Professionals?

If one considers the academic professions, you will realise that most if not all specialise. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, even authors will specialise in a particular genre, be it horror, romance or thriller. The same goes for professional athletes that earn their living in a particular sport and even specialise in playing a particular position as a batsman, bowler, striker, goalkeeper, etc.

Why Specialise?

The answer is simple, it is to place focus on a specific area of one’s trade and to strive for a level of perfection in what we do. The alternative is to be ‘a jack of all trades and a master of none’.

Are there Enough Areas of Specialisation to Go Around with Pest Management?

Let us consider how many possible categories one could specialise in as a pest management professional:

1. Rodent control
2. Bird control
3. Bat control
4. Ectoparasites
5. Garden pests
6. Bees & wasps
7. RMCA
8. Wood destroying organisms
9. Mould & mildew remediation
10. Dust mite remediation
11. Fumigations
12. Non-chemical controls
13. Live trapping: cats, dogs, iguanas (with the appropriate permit), snakes, etc.
14. Health facilities (IPM)
15. Schools (IPM)
16. Food processing plants (IPM)

I am certain we can think of some more to add to the list or combinations of two or more of those listed.

What are the Economic Advantages of Specialisation?

Specialising allows us to streamline our business by the more efficient utilisation of resources. Instead of having to finance the purchase and maintenance of a wide range of equipment for every type of application, some of which may be used infrequently, your arsenal of equipment can be much smaller and better utilised. Now, instead of compromising on quality to be able to afford ten different pieces of equipment, you may have two or three of really good quality. You may also require a much smaller range and stock of chemicals. There is also the time savings to be derived from reduced packing and unpacking of service vehicles, as well as the increased efficiency of your technicians by the daily repetition of the same or very similar tasks.

Are you Open to Networking with your Pest Management Colleagues?

Pest management “PROFESSIONALS” can now network with one another. A customer is more likely to accept the referral and recommendation from a trusted service provider who may not offer a particular service that they require. Referrals like these are, more often than not, a sure thing. If you are wondering if this could work, it already does, as I and several of my colleagues are specialised in certain areas and work together like this – quite successfully.

Do you want to be a Jack of all Trades or a Master of your Trade?

If we want to be seen as an industry of professionals, we must bring several factors together synergistically, to create what we want for ourselves. These are an industry-based framework of training and certification/s, adherence to our codes of practice and code of ethics, recognition by the state with representation on advisory boards and drafting committees for policy and standards and by specialisation, which conveys that a degree of knowledge and experience in a specific area has been attained.

Anthony Rostant

PMATT Chairman

Email: chairman.pmatt@gmail.com