What I learned… selling pest control, with Search Laboratory’s Chris Attewell

I studied languages at university and spent some time studying and working in France, including working as a teaching assistant in a French high school. When I graduated I was keen to make use of my French but didn’t really know what I wanted to do – all I knew was that I definitely didn’t want to be a teacher.

I ended up finding a job with a company in the UK that manufactured electric flykillers – those machines you see in commercial kitchens with the blue lights. They exported all around the world and had clients across Europe, and I was hired as a sales rep for the French market.

How do you go about learning the ropes of a pest control company?

There were some challenges at the beginning. I’d never done sales before, let alone in French, so there was a steep learning curve. I was given the Pages Jaunes (Yellow Pages) for every region of France and was told to start at the beginning and call every pest control company in the country to introduce the company and try to get them to buy flykillers from us instead of their usual manufacturer.

Doing cold calling for the first time ever – in a foreign language, trying to sell the benefits of British-made products to French pest controllers – taught me a lesson in resilience.

I booked sales trips to France once a month where I’d travel round the country visiting clients and prospects. The company would pay for flights, a hire car and a week’s worth of hotels, so the pressure was on for me to bring back orders to at least cover the costs. Being on the road alone, there was nowhere to hide. If I worked hard, I’d see the returns – if I didn’t, it was a pretty miserable return to the office to face the music.

Plenty to learn about different markets...

The role opened my eyes to the world of export and cross-border commerce. The company started as a family-owned business in Yorkshire, but they’d achieved significant growth through looking beyond just the domestic market. They also fully embraced the importance of localizing their commercial strategy and product offering to key international markets, allowing them to compete effectively with local market suppliers.

Search Laboratory started as a specialist multilingual search agency, and global campaign management is still a big part of what we do. I think that first-hand experience of growing international market share puts me in a great position to advise clients and prospects on global expansion.

What lessons have you taken with you from your time on the road?

An important lesson I took from being on the road alone with some big costs hanging over my head was the importance of approaching the role as if it was my own business. Success or failure was down to me, and I quickly learnt to appreciate the value of making a profit.

It also gave me the confidence that I could go out and develop something from nothing, in a foreign country. When the chance came to move to New York to set up Search Laboratory USA, I had no hesitation in taking up the challenge. It meant starting from scratch with no clients and no pipeline, and there were challenging times getting things off the ground. The lessons I learned selling flykillers to French pest controllers served me well. Our US business now represents around 40% of our total revenue, and in 2021 we opened our second US office in Austin, Texas.

Would you recommend traveling sales rep – or pest control – work to someone starting out in the industry now?

I’m a firm believer that some experience of working in sales provides a solid foundation for any career in business. It’s not for everyone – the pressure can be tough, it involves loads of rejection and you experience some awful low points. But you quickly learn how important it is for any business to generate revenue (and profit), and you see that the good times easily outweigh the bad times if you put in the hard work.

I’d also recommend to anyone starting their career to embrace situations where you’re outside of your comfort zone. I really like the Richard Branson quote: “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later.” This is especially true in digital, where there’s constant change. There are always new things to learn and new opportunities to take advantage of. We’ve always had our eye on the next opportunity and haven’t been afraid to go for it. I think it’s one of the main things that’s made Search Laboratory successful.