We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stephanie Eaddy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. How do you think about spending on the little things / small joys when finances are tight?

With inflation on the rise many small businesses are looking to cut cost, reduce spending and overall be more conservative during tough times. I’m taking a different approach with my business. I have observed that as competition pulls back and gets quiet that is the perfect time to stay the course and continue to invest in areas that will drive growth and revenue down the road. Build brand awareness and strengthening brand reputation happen over time and with consistency of message. So we are not cutting corners on spending that are customer facing or build brand over time. As other companies make cuts to marketing investments, such as media, we are staying the course but shifting our focus a bit in channels that get us closer to our customer. This comes through as local community sponsorships in schools, sports and community events and in maintaining a consistent media presence online in social media and search. I believe it is important to stay top of mind even when sales are dipping or customers are holding back on spending, because as competition goes dark, my brand can stay in front of the customers with less noise and sometimes for less cost. With the reduction in competition over the same inventory I can stay relevant and top of mind for the time when my customer is ready to shop again for services like mine. Moreover, I am using a quieter period to invest in stronger relationships in the community that help others who may not have the support they need. I see it as a long term commitment to my business, my customers, and my community.

Stephanie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

In 2020, I left my career in Corporate America to start a small, local pest control company that helped families be able to enjoy their yard more, with less pests. I was tired of sub-par customer services and technicians who rushed through the process at my home and I knew I could build something better. Mosquito Hunters of Buckhead, Sandy Springs and Smyrna focuses on hiring local talent and building customer loyalty with high quality customer service and a dedicated eye towards outdoor pest. We are laser focused on a discreet product and services set so that we are not watering down our services by trying to be everything to everyone. We prefer to be a specialist you can rely on that is qualified and pays attention to details that other might miss. Our team surveys our customers yards, shared feedback and suggestions to homeowners and offers a Happiness Promise if for any reason you are unsatisfied. We primarily focus on mosquitoes, fleas and ticks and pay close attention to habitats where these pests live without disrupting habitat for other beneficial insects. We do this by focusing on training, coaching, careful product selection and taking our time.

We are different from other companies in this space because we are very hands on, share recommendations and observations with our customers and communicate regularly so that together our customers have an outstanding experience. As a Smyrna-based business, I am proud that our staff is active in the community it serves and that our leadership team sit on non-profit boards, cultural task-force committees and volunteer regularly. Being close to community events and youth sports keeps us connected to what is important to our customers.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

We work hard as a team to stay active in the community where our customer live. That could be sponsoring a local little league team, participating in a trunk or treat at a local church or being on the sidelines of Friday night flag football at the middle school. Being visible is a great way to foster brand loyalty. Other ways we show our commitment to customers is by offering a Happiness Promise. We proactively check in on our customers and seek feedback mid-way through our season. We don’t want any of our customers to get to the end of their treatment cycle and be unsatisfied, so we work hard to be pro-active. Additionally, we give our current customers hand written thank you cards and a small token of our gratitude at the end of the summer. Finally, with inflation and gas prices on the rise we held prices steady and did our part to keep some of the operational and financial burdens off our customers.

When we hear from customers that things are not going well, we jump into action and send out a team to survey the property. We will bring additional treatment options like Mosquito Traps or offer complimentary re-treatments with different products to get to better outcomes. We will work and work until we make it right, or else provide a refund. We are not okay with just okay, we want our customers to feel the difference doing business with us.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

One of the best strategies for growing the business has been to ask friends and family to be a customer or refer the business to others. In short, networking among the people you know (church, school, neighbors, etc) can be a very powerful multiplier in your early days. People are very generous and if they are already using a similar service asking them to give you a shot can help you build a base but also develop a feedback loop with a trusted ally. Just looking at word of mouth customers, referrals and people I know and who know me I have been humbled by how many people want to help me be successful. Networking may feel awkward for some, but I always encourage people to spread their own story of why they are doing the business and ask for the sale.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mosquitohunters.com/buckhead-ga
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mosquitohuntersbuckhead/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MosquitoHuntersBuckheadSandySprings