Business Questions? Ask a Locksmith.

by **007** » 30 Jun 2004 12:17

I own a business as well and also found out that word of mouth is the best form of advertisment, BUT WHATS THEbest for a locksmith I would say yellow pages no.......

by **Varjeal** » 2 Jul 2004 18:16

A properly designed and placed YP ad is extremely important to a locksmith's business. It should be both simple and direct, and if possible, located towards the beginning of the alphabet. Also, it's not a wise idea to place your rates within the ad.

by **pinky** » 2 Jul 2004 18:35

i have found that a freephone number has more than doubled my business, also have a moderate sized ad, as the public are becoming more aware of the nationals and their tricks, a locksmith i know placed 2 ads in the yp under both his company names, 1 was a half page ad and 1 was a small box ad, he had almost twice as many calls to his smaller ad .

varjeal is right never put rates in your ad, what i did with my ad was to print my guarantee, which states in black and white "that if our engineers destroy your lock whilst gaining entry, you will only be charged the lock opening fee agreed, and a new lock will be fitted free of any further charge " , in 12 months ive only had to fit 1 lock free.

an honest ad promoting a real local company often grabs the customer.

by **toomush2drink** » 2 Jul 2004 19:22

I totally agree on the ad size my friend has lost work on his car valeting business when he increased the size of his ad. Hes gone back down to a smaller ad and the work is coming in again.
The thing is even the big advertisers are starting to see this and are putting to put in small ads near their big ads to catch this trade.

Pyschology plays a big part in peoples thinking, im certain its a bit like; Too big means expensive but can do it.
Too small means might not be able to do it but cheap.
In the middle means best of both worlds.

Its a changing world so its not set in stone but just got to keep up with the trends i suppose.
Anybody else got thoughts on this ?

by **Rockford** » 3 Jul 2004 3:33

I've had telephone conversations and meetings over the past few weeks with reps from the big advertising publications, and in each instance they have gone staight in with the BIG SELL - you won't succeed if you don't spend major money with us, and take out at least a half page advert. They then speel off local success stories, and indicate your competitors are placing big ads this year.

You just have to be strong, stick to your budget, and use common sense. I've opted for a business card size advert, which is the type of advert I'd look for if I was hunting for a service.

Rockford.

by **Varjeal** » 3 Jul 2004 11:53

That's a good point about business cards. Business cards and ads that size seem to be about the the best sizes for advertising material. If you keep 'em uncluttered but stating your services precisely, I think you'll have great success.

I, too, have been subject to the "Your competition is placing big ads" and my response has been "Show me numbers that prove bigger is better".

No one's done it yet.

by **Eyes_Only** » 20 Jul 2004 20:55

If you were to start a Lock out business what kind of tools should you have on hand besides for the obvious lockpick set, plug spinner, and other lock bypass tools?

by **Chucklz** » 20 Jul 2004 22:11

A Nice big powerful Cordless Hammer Drill, and a bunch of replacement locks. A good selection of common keyblanks, and a decent machine for duplication (would you like an extra key or two, so you don't lock yourself out again....?).

by **mcm757207** » 20 Jul 2004 22:13

Eyes_Only wrote:If you were to start a Lock out business what kind of tools should you have on hand besides for the obvious lockpick set, plug spinner, and other lock bypass tools?

(I'm not really a locksmith, but I know of a few other tools you could use):

Hacksaw
Bolt Cutters
Drill
Dremmel
Credit Cards (lots of em) (you'd be surprised how often you can actually use them)
Screw drivers
Boroscope (if you work on safes a lot)

There's always the chance that you come to a lock you can't pick- in which case you will have to use any other way possible to bypass the lock. You should always have a way of forcefull entry if you can't use NDE.

Oh, it would also help if you had a van to keep everything in.

by **randmguy** » 20 Jul 2004 22:45

Drilling jigs are nice when you can't pick the lock HPC's CDJ1or CDJ2, and the CDJ3 if you are going to do any sfic work...I have all three and they only set me back about $40. A Kwikset lockpuller is great for selling a new lock...When they see how easy it is to just remove the lock they usually call within a day to ask if you have "something better". I actually have plans for one you could make youself. Cylinders for your regions most common keyways. I'm sure I could think of more if I walked into the workshop.

I don't know if you need a van for lockout work...I did it for 5 years out of the toolbox in my truck bed. Its just a matter of knowing what you're working on. Home lockouts get the residential kit including repair and reinforcing supplies. Auto lockouts get the vehicle kit with trim removal and installation tools and usually jumper cables and a 1gal can of gas. Nowadays you're probably going to need to invest in VATS gear and remotes sometime.

by **Varjeal** » 22 Jul 2004 11:36

When you're starting out a mobile business of any kind, you definitely want your "presence" to be distinctive and professional as possible. That means a vehicle in excellent condition both mechanically and appearance-wise.

Remember, your vehicle is what your customer will see, and it's your rolling advertisement all in one.

Secondly, don't buy cheap (not necessarily inexpensive, i'm talking quality here) tools, especially your opening tools. Shop around and buy the best you can afford.

Besides the standard stuff that I'm sure you're familiar with, take Chucklz offer and purchase a good drill and set of bits. As mentioned, drilling jigs will become important, and though slow to recover the costs (hopefully you'll be learning many ways of NDE) but it's not wise to expect that 100% of the time.

A few replacement locks will do you good since they're a nice upsell, and a good key machine and key selection are wise too. Also, don't forget impulse items such as key holder magnets and the split-apart keyrings, which you can make decent profit from with low costs.

Bolt cutters and dremmel tool, along with your basic set of normal tools such as screwdrivers, pliers, files, etc. are necessary. A good light and inexpensive boreoscope will do well as also mentioned previously.

Also, don't forget the vital Binder (or daytimer) invoice book, waiver forms, business cards, calculator and extra pens.

In case you don't know what the binder is for, it's for keeping notes on things you learn, including tricks and short-cuts (the ones that speed up your time, not compromise the job) At the end of each month, review what you've learned, and type it out. Then either sheet protect or laminate the pages and keep it with you always.
'Course in todays modern era a PDA or laptop would replace all that. In fact, if a laptop can be procured (plus printer) you can also issue professional receipts in seconds, plus have your car-opening manual at your fingertips, and I won't even get into wireless web.

Also, something else you may want to consider is a "uniform". Now I'm not talking suit and tie, but clean pressed pants, and a t-shirt or golf -style shirt with logo give you that added "professional" look.

Just some stuff to think about.

by **cred** » 22 Jul 2004 14:03

back to the y/pages ads i took one out 2 months ago and only had 3 calls yes 3, so i decide to subscribe to the 11824 7 directory number its only been running for 2 days but still no calls,as you say the sales person calls to sort the ad and first words are big is better,but get this the guy sells me the ad for the y/p directory then i get him to come again to sort the 118 24 7 and he starts off with his sales patter and says yeh whos going to have a y/p with them if their locked out what you really need is the 118 24 7 most people have a mobile phone with them all the time!!!!!, so why did he not tell me this before i signed for Â£700 worth of advertising :twisted:

by **toomush2drink** » 23 Jul 2004 2:46

Yellow pages messed me around on my 118 ad, they put my home number on it !! In the end after a lot of messing i got a 2 month reduction on the price. so far only 1 call off of it but that was Â£110 so over a year at least it should pay for itself. Overall as pinky has said before you have to chase the work and get the contracts.
My local paper ad has paid for itself but only has 4 weeks to run so that wasnt too good either. A lot of people are in this game now but i think just as many must give up too, but then thats the difference between people who are successful and the ones who are not.

Dont give up cred its the same for all of us, its a long term thing.

by **Varjeal** » 23 Jul 2004 9:51

I was speaking with some people who worked on newspapers about what type of ads actually "worked, and was given the advice I'll pass on to you, but be warned, I haven't tried this yet, so for me this is untested.

Unlike what you may be thinking or expecting the advice I was given was to take out a business card or slightly smaller sized ad, and have it placed in the top right corner of the right side page, with a simple ad such as "Need a locksmith? Call 555-5555" and have it in the newspaper all year around.

No fancy colors or anything needed, and apparently it should be placed near or in the classified section (which they claim EVERYONE reads) or the section that lists "community events". Anywho, just thought I'd pass that along.

by **Rockford** » 23 Jul 2004 12:29

Sound advice Varjeal - always good to have a view from the inside. Anyone actually tried this approach ?.

Rockford.....

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