Business Questions? Ask a Locksmith.

[pinky]

as a trading uk locksmith competing in the open market with other talented locksmiths and many driller killer cowboys, i undoubtably come accross alot of bad locksmiths and alot of good ones, those striving to improve and be a real locksmith and not a drilling con man ,i will help as much as i can, the others i have little time for.

8 , 101 members have emailed me to ask in essence the same question, basicaly who will bail me out and come to my rescue when i cant get in ?

if any potential locksmith has doubts on his or her ability on a lock out then i suggest they are not yet ready to trade, the final resort is the drill which will open every time if done correctly, though not my chosen method.
if anyone is concerned as to their ability then ask yourself what proper training have you had ? can you open non destructively 95% of the time including bs3621 locks , can you use and do you have sufficient tools and stock ?

i can guarantee that 99% of potential locksmiths going out there without sufficient training will if they are lucky just go under and fail in the first 6 months, if unlucky they may be sued as well.

any company or individual you accept a job from will expect you to complete this job proffesionaly, if you opt to drill and then cannot get the door open due to bad workmanship then no one is going to rescue you, you can call out a locksmith who in these circumstances would charge you treble as you shouldnt have attempted the job.

its a harsh reality, locksmiths dont want badly trained pretenders and drillers tainting the industry name, any worse than it already is.

to anyone serious about making a go of it, dont believe the hype its not easy out there, its tougher than on your bench at the door , and trust me when i say you will go broke without the right training and back up, the old saying " A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS A DANGEROUS THING " is a very true one

1 ) get properly trained
2 ) get properly tooled up
3 ) get sufficient stock
4 ) properly research and plan your ads
5 ) properly research your area

without all the above any newcomer is doomed , i see over a dozen new yellow pages ads a year appear and more disapear every year.

to those that enter the profesion in the uk then i hope you will do things right and enter the industry properly and become a locksmith and not a cowboy.

[locksmistress]

A laminated copy of your local statutes regarding service calls (for when you show up on a call and meet 2 other locksmiths that the customer called with the intent of paying only the first to show up).

Applicable laws regarding legal proof of ownership to allow entry as well as your licensing requirements to carry your equipment can also be handy. I'm not insulting law enforcement, but there are situtations in which it pays to be well informed and you can't always count on them to be. Having it in writing can save you a lot of time and trouble.

[mbell]

Thanks Pinky for the highly informative post.

It's a common fact that most businesses fail withing the first year. Evidently locksmithing is no exception.

I know exactly what you mean about getting the best training and tools - I have always got the best tools etc. that I could afford.

Just a note though, you sound a bit biased coming from one of the very few training companies and tool suppliers in the country.

[toomush2drink]

One of the biggest things pinky mentioned in his last post was that" its different on the bench than on the door"
This statement is so very true its the pressure of when its not going to plan that i dont think a lot of people mention. If it wasnt for my background repairing shoes while the customer watched me i dont think i would have survived this long. Ive been on a few jobs where it hasnt gone to plan but i stayed calm and "fronted it out" to a successful end and the customer never knew. But this was another skill i learned all those years ago in another trade where i had a lot of bad experiences where it went wrong.

Dont under estimate the pressure of someone watching you at work, it can make you lose half your "feel" instantly.
Knowing you have other options when it doesnt work out helps your peace of mind and confidence too so get every tool you can afford that can make life easier.
As ive mentioned before pinky trained me with his sidekick but was realistic at all times, he told it how it was and shocked people. Many thought it was just easy money as they had picked a couple of wren bird cylinders, how wrong they were.

Since i have opened up my company work has been on the thin side, you really do have to seek it out and find your market, you have to want to succeed badly, be under no illusions.

When i was buying picks after one of the courses someone questioned why i was doing it ? If your instructor used certain things on a daily basis wouldnt you get them as it obviously has helped his success.

I think a lot of people think "i'll have a go at that" like its a hobby. As a hobby that attitude is fine but it wont help in business. When i placed my first order at the supplier it said it all when i asked for a discount for a big first order. They said as long as it is big we will sort something out but mentioned £40 isnt big. When i mentioned a £1000 they suddenly apologised as they thought i was another wannabe locksmith. Turns out they had a lot of this sort of thing with people asking for discounts on "big" orders and only spending £40 !! £40 wouldnt even cover a handful of locks required really, but these are people out there trading as locksmiths.

It is a hard uphill struggle at first but not unachievable, but maybe i will say different next year, lets hope not.

[pinky]

im certainly not biased, im a locksmith first a trainer second, i have spent approx £20,000 in tools and carry £10,000 in lock stock, i spend £5,000 a year in advertising as a locksmith, i offer a free lock if i have to drill it, i have spent approx £ 15,000 in my own training and still go to states for further training ( safes ) as one must to succeed.

i actualy take pride in what i do and am one of a few trying to drag the uk industry to the same levels as our cousins across the pond, im pro licencing locksmiths, im pro police checking every locksmith , im pro having rules and industry policeing, as the uk is full of driller killers, wannabees with a drill, dupe the customer with low hourly labour rates and then stiff them with overpriced lock replacements, ending up charging double what a locksmith would have charged.

most new commers to the locksmith industry go under , as they lack the necessary skills required to succeed, they are nieve and dont realise the tool, stock and advertising costs, it is impossible in most areas of the uk to survive on advertising available alone, you need contract work etc, if you cant work 95% non destructive you wont make it, no matter who trains you.

of the uk training companies, 3 of them were trained on 2 day courses by justlocks ( not my company ) and instantly set up in training with no prior or any since working knowledge of the industry, what standard of locksmith do they teach without any working knowledge themselves.

as for biased to those i have trained , in the past 6 months i have taken out with me on my jobs 36 potential locksmiths who were not trained by me, and at no charge, i even paid for there refreshments and lunches, this at no benefit to me, only because they were interested in becoming locksmiths and not driller cowboys, and im happy to help all those who think this way, and when good enough all of those i have taken out that are in areas i have work il feed them work, this is whether trained by me or not, i only stipulate a high non destructive rate.
one of this sites members has been out and is welcome again any time and we are in the process of organising regular contract work for him, he has a good touch and the right skill and personal qualities to be an excellent locksmith.

il take jibes about rambling on about standards, as i believe in this industry and what it should be, but i wont accept that im biased as i train, this is neither here nor there to me, im a locksmith/safe engineer , and unlike the nameless one i dont tout courses or training and i wont, but i will tout standards and do all i can to improve them.

[pinky]

toomush, you will do fine , you have gone about it the right way, you also dont rely solely on your locksmith income yet, this helps in that first year.

to be honest i enjoy the training, but ken and i do it for that reason, we enjoy it, we actualy earn more money on safe openings than we do training .

i do get on my horse over this sometimes, but too many trainees are conned into believing its easy and they will make a bomb, they will but only in time and with investment. too many trainers con the trainees into believing the work will come to them, some even doctor locks to sell tools that dont work, some offer false qualifications and others teach very little of relevence.

all i want to get over to them all is enter this industry having done alot of research, with your eyes open and fully prepared, enter as a locksmith and not as a cowboy, and help the uk locksmiths achieve the standards and recognition found around the world.
at least find out what locks are in your area and tool up for them or practice them to death.

[kempoka]

I'm looking to get into plain vehicle lockout service calls. A BIG moneymaker, and takes only a few seconds on most, from what I've experienced. Any tips on how to get on with the motor clubs so they call you for the jobs? I've seen lockout techs operating from vans, econoboxes, all the way up to new Caddy cars! I'll be in a red 96 Geo Metro with a magnetic sign on the side and a blinking safety light on the top. Not looking to make a killing, but wouldn't mind having a few callouts each week!

[Guitar_J]

[quote="pinky"]i offer a free lock if i have to drill it [quote]

Do you offer a lock of the same quality as the original lock?

[hzatorsk]

Many county sherriff and police departments are required to be 'neutral' in helping a motorist choose a tow truck or lockout service and many maintain an alphabetical list by company name with your phone number on a clipboard for the motorist to choose from. You should be able to contact them and ask how you can be added to the motorist assistance lists carried by the officers.

Easy to see why there are "AA-Able", "AAAAA Locksmithing" and other funny alphabetically first business AKA names!!

Referrals from insurance agents, auto rental agencies, etc... are usually relationships you nurture through social business networking. How is your golf game? Are you involved in local city happenings and local events that promote local businesses? If not, get in there and meet people and ask them what it would take to get their business.

[kempoka]

<<Referrals from insurance agents, auto rental agencies, etc... are usually relationships you nurture through social business networking.>>

Well, actually I want to get affiliated with the big motor clubs that provide lockout service to their members, like AAA, Allstate, Amoco Motor Club, et al.Several times I have been locked out, dialed the toll-free motor club number, and the locksmith came out, spent 10 seconds writing down my motor club card info, then another 30 seconds or so opening my vehicle, then 10 moer seconds having me sign the receipt for service so he can bill the Club. In all, a minute or so of work, maybe 10 minutes of driving. You KNOW he had to be billing $50 or so for coming out at night, right? If I could get on the "Call List" with the motor clubs, I'd sure be willing to do it!

I spend four 10-hour days a week working on heavy trucks (where I do LOTS of service calls, but they're back-breaking hard, manual labor), a few hours a week doing reflexology treatments, a few hours a month in BDUs for the Guard, and think this would be a real nice filler to turn a few extra bucks!

[locksmistress]

Be careful of the motor clubs - I've heard from a couple of locksmiths in the area who signed up that it wasn't such a good deal.

Probably good to check out their reputation with other locksmiths in your area - couple of things to check-

How much certification do you need to obtain/maintain to get on the list? Is ALOA or State Certification enough or do you have to pay to be certified by the auto club?

Who's covering liability - the auto company or is it all on you?

Do you have to pay a subscription or advertising fee to be on their list?

How many afterhours or out-of-area calls can you turn down a month and stay on the list? Can you pick your on-call hours or do they assign?

How are they at paying their locksmiths?

That last one has been the big sticker for a couple of oufits in our area. Customer has a car club membership, they don't pay you on the spot: the company issues you a check for your services after the fact. In some cases, way after the fact. In some cases not at all.

It's not like it's that way with all car clubs, I know a couple of people who have been picking up extra business that way for some time but they do take a fair number of night and weekend calls.

[pinky]

yes guitarj

if i drill a chubb 3G110 or 3G114 then i replace it like for like and model for model.

i will offer and supply a like for like like. though due to the tools i have and use , i have only had to fullfill this once in 12 months.

i charge £10 more for a lockout than my rivals but will make my offer good if in the unlikely event that i must drill it.

[pinky]

many locksmiths are offering this type of guarantee and most can live up to it, to give a like for like lock is an honest and ethical promise to the customer, i do however add that this excludes safes and faulty or damaged locks.

this is not a hard guarantee for a new locksmith to offer, ie , lets say you have drilled a chubb 114 on the left of the door , you can supply a new lock and keep the old lock and key. the cost of a new 114 is £20 to you , you now have a lever pack with keys which you will sell for approx £25, a spare bolt and case .
one locksmith i know offers a similar guarantee, though he offers to supply a replacement lock ( no mention of new ) what he does is, if hes drilled a lock on the left of door he will fit it to another door on the right and vice versa.

what i do is keep the keys , and levers and bolts, i hang the levers on a peg board, then if a customer wants a new lever pack i will select the keys and the matching levers and fit for them, again keeping the old levers on my peg board for use at another job, these are also handy when a customer wants two or more locks keyed alike, i just select the levers and fit identical lever paterns to the desired locks, with old bolts levers and cases i put together refurbished locks for sale, and offer lock repairs.nothing goes to waste.
i get asked to rekey locks all the time, i can either put a reclaimed lever pack in, or use my pick to recut new keys after swapping the lever positions about.

incidently ebay has a chubb 3G110 decoder pick for sale, just put in chubb and look, new this pick is £470, it works well and is a superb bit of kit, though shouldnt be on ebay as it is a pick.

[D_Shane]

In my area the local and county and state police call wrecker services for lockouts. I've been in the auto repair business for years and they have wrecker drivers on a rotation to call. The locksmiths I've talked to around here say they have a rotational with them too, but rarely get calls from them, and if they do it's almost always residential. Sad thing is most of the wreckers have a set of lockout tools from Snap-On or equivelant, but have absolutely no idea how to use them. Quite afew really shouldn't be towing either. I've been on my own for about 2 years, mostly customizing, and general repair and body, and I can't count the number of times I've had to repair lock mechs on doors from the untrained. I have started a collection of tools I have REMOVED from cars that were stuck, dropped.
I started hobby picking a few years ago, and do lockouts and change outs for friends, family, etc. If it's from friend of a friend type of thing I usually won't do it, just refer to a known skilled locksmith, or the company I work for.

Best thing for ad on lockouts though, would be leaving a few cards at every gas station you stop at. I get quite a few calls a week for lockouts at gas stations, even though there is no mention of locksmithing services on my card. First thing they do is ask the cashier, and my card is sitting there.

Consider working at a locksmithing company if you want to start your own business too. I'm working part time at one. Getting training, and paid for it. Great way to learn the ins and outs. Which tools I use most often, fastest. Also a sponser for membership later too.

[dave]

Dear Group:

I am pursuing a career as a locksmith. I had some initial training several years ago, but it was incomplete.

What companies will provide paid training for "wanna be" locksmiths, so I can learn while earning?

Thanks.