This is a very important post that everyone should take in. I love this approach and definitely lay out the exact same thing to my clients. How you set expectations for your clients right off the bat. Bad companies are the ones that promise you EXACTLY what you want, all the time. Good companies are ones that work within reality. Sometimes it is possible to achieve that perfect end goal, other times you have to work with what you got.
It all comes down to the words you use from day one.
Exterminator? No. Pest Control Technician. Exterminator implies we will rid your house of everything and anything. Which is impossible. I always say, "We will do everything we can to keep your home pest free". That is pest control.
I tell them mice will find a way in if there is one and sometimes those are physically impossible for me to reach with out major demolition and construction. They see me under their deck, in their attic, climbing in roof rafters or squeezing between houses. They know that I am going that extra mile to find every opening I possibly can. When there is a spot that can not be reached I also say "If you want to spend $15,000 to take down this wall/ remove all the insulation from the attic/ take out the deck/ remove the brick and then rebuild it, I can arrange that too". Sometimes you have to be creative with your work and explore other options. In my line of work I use the term "palliative" a lot. It won't solve the problem at the source, but we can add control methods to lessen the burden. I lay out that it is possible, but would take a major investment on their part.
I did have one lady that wanted a bay window removed, excluded and then a new window installed. It's rare, but some people will go to those lengths to not have mice in their home!
