Wannabe locksmith - now what?

[globallockytoo]

Kendale,

Do you sell the 5 year maintenance plan as an add-on to the original install or is it a pakaged deal?

What are the circumstances of the 5 year maintenance plan?
- Bi annual service that the customer pays for?


I believe you are on to something there, but how do you implement it and is there an option for no maintenance plan?

[79commando]

<censored> did i forget to mention ICL !

The last thing we need in Scotland is another locksmith

glad you have found a niche and doing well at it and hope it achieves that move to warmer shores you aspired for.

[EmCee]

Back from the somewhat prolonged trip away.

Again, thanks to everyone for taking the time to contribute. I've read all the posts and taken everything on board. A few comments stood out.

I'm probably wasting my breath as you've already succumbed to a few other courses

I haven't succumbed to any courses - I'm still looking into the options and hence the request for advice about the best course.

"Oh and be prepared to give up your social life as contrary to belief the phone doesn't ring when you want it to so you can't work your own hours".

I realise that. In fact, I'm counting on it. Evenings/nights/weekends will be my main target initially.

when you consider it is basically 1 pick for each lock this is well worth considering.

Hmm. One pick for each lock? I've read differently but I'll keep on reading and learning.

Incidentally you should also consider why so many people are now training locksmithing rather than doing actual locksmithing, simple answer is because they don't have enough work to survive as a locksmith.

Yes, that's one conclusion. Another might be that there are some who have a desire to pass on their skills. Another might be that the trainers are not and never were interested in practicing as locksmiths, but simply saw the 'demand' for training as an easy way to make money and are not concerned about their own levels of skill or the level of skill they pass on. Again, that's why I hoped for some assistance with sorting the wheat from the chaff.

You will find it hard to earn good money....Its great to do alongside another job and now and again you have a load of work for no particular reason.

I'm in the position where I have another source of income. I do not expect to train for a few days and then start a business that will pay me a full time wage. To begin with I can afford to start slowly and build up the business. If, over time (and I don't mean a few weeks) the business grows and the profit increases, then one option would be to move full-time into building the business.

from your example given, i would say that £115 for a simple euro change is extortionate , but i dont know his circumstances , after all when he works out his costs per job , ie his advertising spend , tool and stock investment, van running costs , admin costs , and general business costs such as insurance bank charges etc, total divided by his number of jobs , its not unusual for many to have a very high cost per job ratio due to them not having a sustainable job volume to bring this down. so without knowing his cost to job, time of day , quality of cylinder being fitted etc , its hard to judge whether hes just trying to make a living or ripping you off.

I don't know if it was a rip off price and obviously I don't expect anyone here to comment one way or another without knowing all the circumstances. I can tell you that this was not an evening/night time/weekend call out. It was not an 'emergency' because the house is occupied and until the lock was replaced some additional security measures were in place. I wanted to find a lock of the right size. I called. Some told me what size I needed without apparently needing to visit (when I removed the cylinder myself and measured it, the 'guess' I was given by one of the locksmiths I called was wrong). Two had not heard of anti-bump. If a locksmith had been used, it would have been no problem to fix a date a few days ahead for them to visit and fit the replacement - like I said, it was not an emergency. Rip-off or not, £115 was too much to pay for what turned out to be a five minute job even though I'd never changed a euro cylinder before, using an anti-blah blah lock bought from an online supplier. Regardless of the locksmiths' costs - in business you still have to charge a market rate for your service. If you have invested so much that in order to cover your costs you have to charge a rate that is too high for the market, then you do not have a business. Nobody owes anyone a living.

The answer for anybody starting in locksmithing now is get into the electronic side

My 'plan' is to find some training on mechanical locks and also to learn about electronic locks. I agree they are the future, but at the moment most domestic locks are not electronic (more so in commercial premises, obviously), so I need the 'traditional' skills too.

I really do appreciate all the comments. I have read through several forums on this site and seen the constant references to how tough it is and that people should save their money and not bother. However, I have a certain business 'profile' in mind which will not be the same as most. It might be a crowded market, but that might change and if by that time I have some experience behind me and have built the business a little, I will be able to take advantage of that. If I do nothing, I won't.

My goal will be to be the 'best' in what I do, offering the best service and reasonable rates. I will have to invest in some tools, but I'm not going to be buying 'one pick for each lock'. I will slowly build up the necessary selection of tools based on what I see as commonly installed in my area.

One thing that most concerns me is the amount I read some people are spending on advertising. Advertising is something that I do know about - it's what I've been doing for the last 20 years. Obviously individual locksmiths will have different needs and cover varying sizes of geographical market, but when I hear some spending £15-20k a year, I feel pretty confident that if I analysed their business, markets and goals I could save them a LOT of that without loss of profile. I know for sure that I'm not going to spend anything like that amount, but I will still achieve a lot of coverage. I'm not going to end up with thousands of pounds' worth of tools I don't use; nor thousands of pounds' worth of locks just to cover every possibly eventuality.

I've also read some posts that stress this site is for those interested in lockpicking as a hobby/interest and not for those wanting to set up in business. Fair enough - but it's about the only site (that's active) that I have found. If anyone knows of a site more geared to locksmith businesses but open to people who are not yet trading as locksmiths, I would be grateful if they would let me know.

Cheers…

[79commando]

I wish you well in your new venture but you must realise the night time work is the profitable work and as such the multi-million pound businesses like Reactfast, Timpsons, Able etc spend a fortune in this area and they have some highly paid marketing experts doing their work. That and slipping the local directories and 118 numbers loads of money to keep appearing on top.

Also have a plan B ready for when a competitor sets up on your door step and starts a price war.

As for targetting a speciifc market sadly 5 plus years ago you probably could be selective, nowadays you target every area of work as there is too much competition out there. That's why locksmiths do boarding up, security shutters, access control etc.

Anyway enough of my gabbing I'm off to my next customer. I hope he's got brown hair as I only target customers with brown hair it's part of my cunning marketing ploy that no one's thought of yet.

[exspook]

note to self... Brown haired men...

skills and drills 79

lol

[EmCee]

Anyway enough of my gabbing I'm off to my next customer. I hope he's got brown hair as I only target customers with brown hair it's part of my cunning marketing ploy that no one's thought of yet.

As long as you steer clear of the blonde, blue-eyed female market we'll be able to co-exist without competition If my wife asks, I didn't post that.

Thanks again. I accept all you say. I do have a couple of 'ins' that will get me a little work initially, but although I'm making a 'plan' it will be flexible. Until I begin trading I won't know exactly what the market needs, but I will adjust if necessary. However, until I've had SOME training I can't even start, so it's chicken and egg. Train, and then find there's no market for the service I want to offer; or not train and not find out. Yes, I know it means spending some money and if I could get training for free I would. Whatever happens, I will be acquiring (and yes, regularly practicing what I learn) a new skill and that's got to be better than the alternative.

Cheers...

[EmCee]

That's why locksmiths do boarding up, security shutters, access control etc.

As others have said before me...where's the edit button

Meant to add...you're right. I will focus primarily on one thing, but boarding up is obviously part and parcel, and fitting security shutters and access control systems (possibly in league with another company I know) is all fine. In fact, anything MIGHT be fine..it depends on what the market demands.

As I said, I personally would not have thought about calling a locksmith for auto entry or to repair a uPVC door or hang a new timber door. Maybe I'm odd and most other people would call about these things. If the demand was there I'd find a way to service it and perhaps end up changing my whole business.

However, I don't at this stage intend to repair uPVC nor to fit new doors. How long would it take you to trim and hang a new exterior timber door? And if you did fit one would you paint/stain it as well? If your 'day' hourly rate is (random figure) £50, is a customer really going to pay that for you to fit a door? £50 to come and open a lock or to fit a new one is one thing (even if it takes you only a few mins). But £50/hr to fit a door?

Cheers...

[Rickthepick]

You will find your own prices as time goes by.

You need to be charging something you and the customer are both happy with but enough to make it worth your while.

Calculate your weekly advertising and running costs so you know where you break even.

If youve had a good week you can afford to go a little cheaper on the last few jobs to beat competitors.

Get a few quotes off competitiors using a land line, see what they charge.


Seriously though, take it up as a part time profession to begin with. when things are quiet you still have your other job to fall back on. When work is plentiful its like a big fat bonus

[globallockytoo]

How do you fit this profession into part time status? Do you knock back work when you are at the primary job? Most clients want it done now. Many primary jobs dont like moonlighting.

Try it, you'll soon see that there is no part time locksmithing.

[Rickthepick]

I have been a part time locksmith for 2 years i work my normal job in the evening, so yes, it works fine...

[globallockytoo]

I have been a part time locksmith for 2 years i work my normal job in the evening, so yes, it works fine...

So why the change, now?

What happened when you received locksmith calls while working in your other job? (2nd time asking - I'm starting to believe that some posters here might be dyslexic)

[EmCee]

What happened when you received locksmith calls while working in your other job? (2nd time asking - I'm starting to believe that some posters here might be dyslexic)

Wlel I'm srue taht I'm not deylsixc.

I don't know how rick does it, obviously, but in my case I am self-employed so I will allow myself to moonlight from the day job if a call comes through.

[Rickthepick]

I have been a part time locksmith for 2 years i work my normal job in the evening, so yes, it works fine...

So why the change, now?

What happened when you received locksmith calls while working in your other job? (2nd time asking - I'm starting to believe that some posters here might be dyslexic)

what change?

Its rare i get calls at that time of the evening 6-10pm and when i do i pass the work on to another locksmith who will either pass on jobs to me or give a share of the money.

Its working out great for me

What on Earth has dyslexia got to do with anything in this topic, it so happens that i am and it takes me a whole lot of effort to come on here and say what im thinking so when some prat decides to shoot me down for sharing my experience i hope that everyone sees that.

[globallockytoo]

that's why they call you whingeing poms!

[Rickthepick]

Well im sure we could come up with a few words for your kind too but that would be veering waaaaaay off topic