Business Questions? Ask a Locksmith.

[pinky]

you will find it almost impossible in the uk to find a locksmith to employ and train you dave, most locksmiths are 1 man bands or small family affairs.

the best way to start up on a low budget , is to learn enough to get you in non destructively most of the time and sub contract to a national company like reactfast, the moneys not great but at least you are earning all be it self employed.

[Floater]

Hi Dave
Pinky is right, you won`t find many locksmiths willing to take you on.
The national companys will give you work, but be prepared to do a lot of miles for little return. They pay 45/60% of their fee and they take the rest.


{edited by Varjeal: Let's keep this thread on topic please.}

[davidgjr]

This is a question mainly for locksmiths who have been in business for a while. I just want to make sure I am on the right path. I really enjoy doing it and hope to make it my full time career one day. I took the Foley Belsaw Course and have completed it. I have a good set of picks, car opening tools and manuals, I made my own pinning kit out of a plano tackle box with small compartments. When I have to rekey a lock I don't have pins for, I go to my local locksmith and buy precuts and replacement pins and label the compartments. I am focussing mainly on lockouts and rekeying locks right now. I dont ever take a job I am not sure I can handle. I have every book known to man on keying different knobs and locks. I am fairly good at picking and impressioning. I put an ad in the local classified paper and have gotten decent results from it. Is there any other advice or hints you could give me ? It will be appreciated. Sorry about the length of the post.

[Romstar]

Yellow pages comes immediately to mind. The drop in revenue from a missed yellow pages is is instantly noticable.

One of the strangest things about this trade is that people tend not to think of you until they need you. This means that most commonly, the first place they look is the yellow pages.

You will have to take a good hard look at the ads in your local yellow pages, and think about what type of ad appeals to you. This is your base line. In many cases people equate large with expensive, and small with too cheap. Your goal them is to find something intermediate.

Also, you may want to look at ways to combat the tendency of people to only call a locksmith when they THINK they need one. Often times, there are jobs you could be doing which are instead done by the home owner, or a carpenter, or someone from the local build-it center.

A mailing campaign, or radio advertising will go a long way toward making people think about the types of jobs they should be getting a professional locksmith for.

Also, spend time getting familiar with all of the real estate companies in your area. Often, these companies can be a great source of revenue as they often re-key or completely replace locks on up coming properties. You can help sell this service by letting them know that in the event of vandalism, their insurance costs will be lower if they make an effort at enhancing security in unoccupied properties.

Getting in touch with local contractors can also be a great source of revenue. The work is often mundane, or tiresom, but the pay can be very good. Often, the master contractor will be supplying materials, and your job will simply be a good solid installation. Learn master keying, or obtain software that will help you with this task. New apartment complexes are often master keyed, and as your relationships with contractors grow so too will these opportunities.

If your local area has a real estate paper that comes out on a regular basis, or an insert in the local paper highlighting contractors, consider taking out a small but conspicuous ad in these sorts of publications. You may be amazed at the responses you get.

There are a great number of things you can do, but unless you intend to offer alarm systems stay away from television. The cost vs. return rate for that sort of advertising isn't justified for average residence or commercial locksmithing. The only exception to this rule is if your local cable provider has rotating ads on the channel listings. Often times these ads are cheap, often viewed, and have the added effect of placing your name in the minds of viewers. Think of it as a talking business card.

Look all around you, and ask yourself if the sort of advertising you are exposed to daily would have an effect for your business. How often do YOU hear or see a particular ad? Does that ad leave an impression on you? These are the things you need to ask yourself as you decide on the proper advertising routes for your business, and the type of growth you are hoping to acheive.

Good luck, and I hope you do well.
Romstar

[Varjeal]

davidgjr: Romstar's advice, as usual, is excellent. I would add somewhat to what he's already said:

1. Do everything in your power and ability to make yourself appear professional, yet friendly. This means such things as clean, neat appearance, and the best communication skills you can muster. Everything about the way you are organized, carry yourself, and treat your tools and more importantly the customers locks, etc. speaks volumes.

2. Get to know the locksmiths in your area, and where possible become friends with as many as possible. Let them know what you do, and make arrangements to swap referrals.

3. Don't stop educating yourself. You're going to need to expand beyond the tasks that you currently do, and that requires stretching a bit and testing unfamiliar waters. Don't necessarily refuse to try something just 'cause you don't feel fully prepared. Admit to the customer that perhaps the best you can do at the moment is "have a look" and after examination you think you can do it, great! If not, refer the customer to someone who can.

If there's any other questions you can think of fire, away. Sounds like you're on the right path.

[toomush2drink]

From my limited experience into this profession i have to agree with varjeal that image is everything, keep your van clean at all times get some t shirts/sweatshirts made up with your company name on. I paid out for decent business cards and they have paid for themselves already and also give the appearance of an established company. Ask your customers how they got your number or heard about you and you will soon see which adverts are working. Dont be sucked in by the advertising reps step back and think about what adverts you go for when looking for a tradesman. Ask your friends or partner for honest advice on your companies image, it can really surprise you with what they say. Do they like your adverts, business cards appearance etc ?

The best advertising is word of mouth in my mind

goodluck

[randmguy]

toomush2drink is spot on regarding word of mouth. At least after my first year in business I got as much business from people saying "Call this guy. He was so nice/quick/clean/helpful/understanding." A Yellow pages ad is still your best bet starting out. It gets your number out there where anyone can see it and it gets you listing in directory assistance so the cell phone companies can give it out when Jane or John Doe call asking for someone to unlock their car. I've always used an ad roughly the same size as a business card for the Yellow Pages. Its big enough to stand out but not so large as to make people think I'm gonna be expensive, IMHO. The strangest part of the size VS. price issue is that I'm actually a little more expensive than some of the big chain companies with full page ads.

[davidgjr]

Thanks, everyone for the advice. I have definately looked at in detail everyones advice. In my area of the country, there are more kwiksets than you can imagine. I keyed an office the other day with 15 kwiksets. How do you approach a key in knob lock that you havent seen before (like most inexpensive knock offs) ? I have the door lock encyclopedia which has helped tremendously. What I have been doing is looking in to the book and seeing a similiar knob and use those methods for cylindar removal. It seems most all are knock offs of major brands. are there any other books, manuals, or advice you can offer. I would really like to find a book on aluminum door store fronts with mortise locks. I just want to be totally abreast and have as much info as possible when working on a lock.

[Varjeal]

Weiser is the Kwikset of Canada, and I see 'em everywhere, even on some business' so I know well what you mean.

The first thing I do when approaching an unfamiliar lock is to look at the finish and style of the knob/lever and rose, then the keyway, in that order. Once the door is open, the inside knob and latch face will confirm or change your idea on what brand it is. If I'm still stumped at this point, the lock comes off the door, but once you've gained experience in identifying them, that will be a rare occurance.

The best advice I can give you on that, is to try and identify every door lock you pass. Sounds weird, but it works.

Regarding aluminum store front doors, unless you are coming upon something very old or very unique, there's basically only one set procedure for cylinder removal, so I'll give it here even though this really isn't the thread for it...

1. Remove latch cover plate (if it exists).
2. Loosen cylinder retaining set screw. (Might be a plain screw or hex)
3. Using a keyblank in the cylinder for leverage, a small screwdriver (be careful not to scratch the finish) or just your fingers if it's loose, unthread cylinder from locking mechanism.

It's that easy.

[randmguy]

Books you should have...That's like asking how much money you should have...All of it. But seriously, The National Locksmith on CD is a great investment. So is a subscription to the National Locksmith or The Locksmith Ledger. They're both good references and an excellent way to keep up with some of the new stuff happening in the industry. The Lock Repair Manual (TNL), Sieveking's Safe ManipulationBook, HPC's Door Closer Manual, Safe and Vault Manual, and Sieveking's Auto Fast Facts are all useful additions to your library (IMHO). And no locksmith's collection would be complete without Marc Tobias' Locks, Safes and Security. I'm getting that one for Christmas. I think it'll make a great read while recovering from my back surgery.

[Romstar]

Randm,

You shouldn't be reading LSS after a back surgery or you'll need ANOTHER back surgery. That thing is heavy.

I have access to LSS and LSS+ Govt. and I could really do without them. They are certainly useful, but the other books are far and above more recomended references than the LSS. I would consider the LSS to be a capper book as opposed to required reading.

Another book I will recomend is Bill Phillips's "The Complete book of Locks and Locksmithing" fifth edition. Available from McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN: 0071374949

You can find a description of the book here:
http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/getbook.ph ... &template=

Another good book by Bill Phillips is simply titled "Locksmithing" it's available from McGraw-Hill Professional as well. ISBN: 0071344365

A description of this book is available here:
http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/getbook.ph ... &template=

These two books alone make up almost a complete course in modern locksmithing. I wouldn't hesitate to recomend them to anyone at all.

Romstar

[davidgjr]

Everyone thanks for the input. Varjeal, sorry for posting about the mortise lock here. I have had to rekey a few mortise locks and the procedure you described is what I did. I had trouble with one that had a safety trim ring on it. But I did like you said and put a blank in it. I just want to be totally knowledgeable is what it amounts too.

[Varjeal]

Not a problem at all..having a learning attitude is part of what will make you a professional locksmith.

[TimmieTheGeek]

This is directed at everyone here but especially to the professional locksmiths and the folks who have a lot of actual experience in the business.

I don't have my own storefront yet but do intend to in the next 5 years. I am more experienced with electronic security than I am with the more general locksmithing practices. So at this point I am concentrating on learning all I can about locksmithing so I can operate a business with a solid education behind me.

I've reviewed the correspondence courses and have read everything in this forum I can find about those programs. I ordered, received, and am working on the Lockout Specialist course because this interests me and seems to have the potential of generating profit with minimal investment in equipment and related materials. I've also read and continue to purchase new books such as those suggested in this forum. I am also talking to my local locksmiths (the ones who will talk to me) regarding some sort of training through doing grunt work for them.

My question is: what do you recommend as a "game plan" for the next 3 to 5 years to best prepare me for the locksmithing business? Should I put priority on courses such as Foley Belsaw or should I build a small library, study, work with the locks, and take whatever I can get from the local locksmiths?

I was leaning toward FB but now I think putting a portion of that money into books and some basic tools and practice locks might be a better investment at this point in my learning.

I appreciate your advice. I can't tell you how much I enjoy this forum and the wealth of information it makes available to people like me.

[Varjeal]

Good questions, all of them..
You're missing, however, one vital part to your game plan that although will not directly put money into your pocket, will eventually become an invaluable resource that will set you apart from the average lock shop. As a vital part of your 3-5 year game plan, I would highly advise (and wish someone had told me this before hand) that you take some classes on operating a business, salesmanship, and advertising.

Training in how to start, operate, manage, and promote your business is extremely necessary, and often forgotten in the locksmith industry. Many expect that simply hanging out a shingle, so to speak, and having a YP ad will suddenly make their business boom and customers walk in the door. This is a dangerous fallacy to believe in. To be honest, it's one I'm definitely no expert at and working on myself.

If you wish to start with as little investment as possible, plan to grow your business first through a mobile operation. ie. van, etc... During the first two or three years, keep an eye out for prime locations to have a storefront, but bide your time moving into one unless business dictates otherwise. If necessary, you may wish to expand into a "backyard shop" as an intermediate step into moving into a seperate and distinct building.

Moving into a building in too much of a hurry can damage your business permanently. Ideally, you want to find a good location with plenty of available foot traffic, but low enough overhead to allow your business to at least break even during slow periods. This requires good business sense and lots of planning. It also requires the advice of a professional and certified accountant who preferrably is not a close friend, so that they can give you the straight goods business wise.

I would suggest starting now by collecting tools and resources, and expanding your education as much as you can possibly afford. Also, start charging for your work, even if its only trading services, or charging very little. That way, it won't be a suprise to anyone when you get yourself a business license.

Lastly, and most importantly. Starting now, build a clientele for your services, and keep track of names, phone numbers, and address' for your clients. This is important for banking purposes, as well as other business purposes.

Good luck.