The “Pest In Class” podcast from FieldRoutes, a ServiceTitan company, offers listeners an opportunity to learn from pest control company owners, thought leaders and other industry professionals.
ServiceTitan Content Specialist Amanda Salvatore hosts each episode. “Everyone has a story,” she says. “As a storyteller, my job is to share those stories and find the through line.”
The podcast’s tagline is “Expert voices in pest management” for a reason. Guests are invited to discuss topics from their points of view, so each perspective is different, whether they’re talking about their businesses, customers or employees.
“This podcast is an opportunity for people to share their knowledge, tips and tricks they’ve learned along the way,” Salvatore says. “Listeners are able to take something away.”
She says she is learning about the industry as well: “I am not from the pest control industry, so I like to approach these interviews from a place of learning.”
New beginnings
“Pest In Class” evolved from FieldRoutes’ “Field Famous,” which the provider of cloud-based and mobile software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms for field services businesses produced a couple of years ago.
Salvatore is adept at interviewing guests and making them feel comfortable. She records about 10 episodes a season, and a new season of episodes begins this month.
Before she records an episode, Salvatore informally chats with her guests to get to know more about them. “I ask what they are passionate about and what they want to say,” she says. “This is an opportunity for
them to bring a megaphone to the pest control industry.”
Their responses dictate the topic and guide the questions she develops. Touching base in advance also gives guests time to get over any butterflies they may have. “We get to know each other so that when we’re recording, we are comfortable and have a rapport. It’s nice to have the opportunity to connect before hitting the ‘record’ button,” Salvatore adds.
Regular listeners know every episode starts with an “icebreaker” question that varies with each guest. She asks fun questions that reflect their personalities, such as name the song you’ve been listening to on repeat, or the book that impacted you the most.
Supportive community
The goal of “Pest In Class” is for listeners to learn something and gain new perspectives. Salvatore hopes people who listen feel a little less alone in the struggle of owning or running a pest control business.
“I hope they feel heard. There are people you can connect with when you’re having a hard time. They want to learn from one another. There’s not a sense of competition,” she observes. “There’s always going to be a need for pest control, and if you do a good job, you’re going to have work.”
Hosting the podcast has taught Salvatore that pest control is a small, tight-knit community whose members want one another to succeed.
“I’m lucky I have an opportunity to showcase incredible people in the industry,” she says. “It’s a very rewarding job.”
Sofranec can be reached at dsofranec@northcoastmedia.net or 216-706-3793.
About the Author
Diane Sofranec is the senior editor for PMP magazine. She can be reached at dsofranec@northcoastmedia.net or 216-706-3793.
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