Imagine if you’re a farmer with acres upon acres of land filled with corn or tomatoes or wheat or whatever was the best crops for the season. You’ve been tilling the land with all the hands and pieces of machinery to help you, have taken all the precautions, and are waiting for the fruits to be old enough for harvest.
Then all of a sudden, one summer afternoon, a dark cloud descends from the sky. It’s as if the sun was covered with millions of hail. When you realize what was going on you run to cover your wells and your precious belongings. But you’re too late. When the sky finally clears, nothing is left standing of your crops, leaves, fruits, even stems are devoured. That was how millions of locusts or ‘hoppers’ carried destruction to farmers all over America in 1874, aptly called the ‘Year of the Locust’.
Today things are not as dramatic as those days. We are not seeing destruction so wanton ‘everything is eaten but the mortgage’ as the farmers of 1874 described it. But pests still do undermine a lot of America’s businesses today. This is especially true if you’re dealing with food production. Already, scientists are sending alarm signals of how pests could derail global food security.
If you don’t think pests can touch your business, you may have to think again. Here are three major ways they can destroy your brand and bankrupt your business.
Damage to Property
Whether you’re in the manufacturing business or are a reseller of goods, pests are bad news. To boot, they don’t abide by your rules and destroy what’s precious to you.
A common example here is termites. It’s estimated about 600,000 American homes are left damaged by termites year in year out. That destruction translates to about $ billion in repair and costs in keeping the ever-hungry army at bay.
But there are other pests that can bring harm to your operation. Carpenter ants, though not as voracious as termites, can extract a heavy toll on your precious structures. Then there are powderpost beetles and carpenter bees. These diminutive pests bore through wood, so any office or industrial structure that contains wood assemblies is a target.
Take note that powderpost beetles can make short work of your beautiful wood, turning it to flour-like powder over time. As they’re just an eighth of an inch long, finding them can be a struggle.
Then there’s the case for rodents. We’re talking about squirrels, mice, and rats which with ardor chew holes in your cherished structures. Worse, they can cut through electrical wires inducing fires. Careful, their dead bodies in your walls can be a biohazard fuming with stench and decay.
Undermine Your Brand
Your brand is a precious thing. If you don’t groom it right, you could jeopardize your brand’s image and damage your reputation. It’s why calling pest extermination experts sooner rather than later to handle things is wise if you have pests bothering your business. That way your brand won’t be associated with all the flak associated with a mouse running from one corner to another through your office.
Certainly you’re playing with fire if you let pests linger in your stores, your outlets, or your offices. With social media at its fiercest these days, one video could be all it takes to put your brand down. Just a quick look at how Steffano Gabana’s social media fiasco calling women ‘fat’ took a huge toll on the Dolce and Gabanna brand is telling.
And not to be left out, there are reviews. Know that customers and all sorts of online citizens can pounce on you about everything, posting negative reviews in the process. What do you think will happen if people see your brick-and-mortar stores filled with cockroaches?
While you may view pest management as an act you do after pests come trotting in your premises, bear in mind that the best way to handle these little monsters is to prevent them from breaching your premises.
People Loss
Think productivity. It’s no secret that if you want to build a strong brand, you’ll have to have great production. Without the backs of your people, you may not have a company running.
But even the best of your workers would think twice working with you if your production site is ripe with bed bugs, cockroaches, and fleas, not to mention spiders and a hundred more abhorrent creatures.
It rsquo;s a no-brainer. If you want to keep your people, you need to have a safe working place free from pests. They say the cost of replacing a single employee amounts to half or twice his annual salary. That number could rise to $ 0,000 to $60,000 depending on how valuable a worker is.
Actually, you need not compute how much. You just have to take care of the issue at hand and you’re good to go.
