What is useful to know when becoming a Locksmith?

What is useful to know when becoming a Locksmith?

If you are thinking of becoming a locksmith, there are lots of aspects to consider before setting up your business. Most people are aware of the basics, such as completing a locksmith course and perfecting skills, but there is much much more to it. In this blog we will go through what is useful to know before becoming a locksmith.

 

Knowledge of the local area

It’s a great advantage to know where things are and how to get there quickly. Most jobs you go to will have an element of emergency and most customers won’t want to wait a long time. It would work to your advantage if you don’t have to spend time looking up postcodes and pre planning routes before every locksmith job. If you are planning on marketing yourself as an emergency locksmith, then you need to be able to places quickly. Much like a taxi driver a learned knowledge of the best routes and shortcuts to places, will only help your business be successful.

We are lucky that nowadays technology is on our side, so if you haven’t got one already and don’t know the local areas like the back of your hand; it is worth investing in a good quality sat nav. If you are looking to expand the areas you cover to maximise your return, it is certainly worth getting one also.

Location

A bustling city tends to have higher crime rates than a sleepy country town, so the demand for more security services could be more in areas of higher crime rates where people might be more conscious of their home security.

Likewise, those who live by the seaside are more likely to have issues with their door hardware due to the salt air, so you could potentially see a bigger demand in seaside towns and cities for repair and replacement.

The location in which a Locksmith operates can affect the level of demand for different Locksmith services, but all locations around the UK will need a Locksmith at one point or another.

 

Where to get the best stock and tools

Your van needs to be stocked with everything you need to complete jobs for customers. This can get expensive, so it’s good to know where the best place is to get your stock and tools. You want to be providing your customers with the best quality parts without charging them the earth. It’s important that your customers can trust in the locks and other security devices you fit in their homes. We encourage all locksmith engineers to only work with parts that bare the British standard kite mark. This is way you and the customer know that the parts have been rigorously tested and have met the standard that the British Standard institution set as safe.

Keytek® offer a wide range of the best stock and tools for locksmiths and you can get a discount if you train with us.

 

How to speak to customers

It’s worth remembering that being a locksmith involves lots of face-to-face interaction with customers. While this should be covered in training, having a natural ability to speak to people you don’t know will put you at an advantage. The better you interact with your customers, the more likely they are to use you again, or recommend you to their friends. This word-of-mouth trade is essential to make your business successful. If you have already worked with the general public then this will also put you at an advantage, but if you are a complete newbie to this, it might be worth looking for a customer service course to help prepare you.

A top tip from Keytek® is to always explain what you are doing to the customer and be transparent about prices when you are onsite. Another must is to always put the customers mind at ease, remember you will be coming across a lot of distressed customers if they are locked out, have been burgled or have lost their keys!

Why Not Offer A Free Home Security Check?

Security can be a touchy subject for many, so we always suggest approaching this situation with due diligence and care to ensure that the customers understand that your recommendations are just that, recommendations, and they understand why you are making them. We recommend that should you notice something that could be improved or could be lessening the customers home security you not only suggest the solution but also why it could affect them.

Be Sensitive of a Customer’s Situation

As a Locksmith the likelihood is that you are going to be meeting your customers on a stressful day. This is especially true if they have experienced a burglary, you will probably be the first person they see after the police leave. Be ready for a customer to be upset when telling you what happened, try to offer a few comforting words if possible. Even if you are in a rush to get to your next job, do not let the customer know this, complete their job thoroughly and make them feel secure.

 

How to put a quote together

It’s really important that you don’t under or over charge your customers. Undercharge and you won’t make any profit. Overcharge and you are going to get complaints from customers and no repeat or word of mouth business and most likely, some bad reviews online. You will need to do some research about what other locksmiths charge for their services in your area. You will need to decide how much profit you wish to make from each job and price it accordingly. This also ties in you getting the best price for your own stock and tools as the less you pay for these the more profit you will make.

You can purchase software to help you make clear and professional quotes. Its good practice that you keep a paper or online copy of your quote, this way you can refer back to it, if the customer queries any charges. It’s also important to give the customer an idea of what you will be charging before you get to site. This ensures that there are no shocks for the customer, and you shouldn’t have a problem with the payment at the end of the job.

 

How to Market your Business

All businesses need some form of marketing to gain customers. You don’t need to have the knowledge to build your own website or anything like that. But a good overview of how to market yourself on Facebook and the other main social media sites would be beneficial. There are also plenty of companies, such as Squarespace or GoDaddy that can help you set up and host a website. You can use there templates and guidance to set up a simple website, that customers can access to find your contact details. Some locksmiths find it easier to subcontract with a company such as Keytek®, as they take care of all the marketing for you and send work your way..

It might surprise you to know that marketing ‘offline’ is still very much alive in the locksmith business. So have a look at local directories and magazines near you, you might find you get a lot of work from these! Also as already mentioned, word of mouth is also a fantastic way to market your business, so leave a business card onsite with your customers.

To find out more about marketing your locksmith business, visit our How To Market Your Locksmith Business.

Use Trust Signals

One way a customer knows they can trust a tradesperson, such as a Locksmith, is by seeing they are verified by a few governing bodies. So, if you are a member of TrustaTrader, Which or the NGCL then put it on your van and on your business cards. If you are not a member of these, then it’s worth thinking about signing up. Many people use sites such as The NGCL to find a trustworthy tradesperson, so you could be missing out on custom if you are not a member.

Get Some Good Reviews

Ask your happy customers to write you reviews and make them available for people to see. Many customers will pick a tradesperson by using reviews. So, make sure you have 5-10 positive reviews on your website, or on a platform that customers will see.

Always Respond to Negative Reviews

You may receive negative reviews online. You may think it is easier to ignore these but your potential customers will read these negative reviews and it will reassure them to see a polite, articulated response to the complaint where you state that you will resolve the issue. You should word a negative review response as something along the lines of…”Thank you for your review. I am sorry to hear I did not meet your expectations, please give me a call/email on … to discuss your problem and resolve the issue.”

 

How to do a tax return

It’s very important as a business owner that you file your tax returns promptly and correctly. Failure to do so can get you in lots of trouble with HMRC. Its good practice to keep all invoices and receipts for any jobs you do as this will help you fill in your tax return correctly. Once you have filed the return HMRC will then send you a bill of how much tax you owe. There is software you can buy to help you with tax returns, such as Quickbooks. If you do submit your tax return late, then you could face over £100 in fines. To find out more about Tax Returns then read our tips page.

There are so many things to consider when starting a locksmith business and it can seem overwhelming. Here at Keytek® we are more than happy to take you through all the steps and answer any questions you have about becoming a locksmith. Contact us to find out about our locksmith training courses.

 

Should You Offer An Emergency Locksmith Services?

Emergency Locksmith services are often defined at services which require immediate assistance and resolution where a Locksmith should look to get to a customer as soon as possible.

Lock Outs

Unfortunately, a customer getting locked out is an all too common call out for Locksmiths. And customers usually feel the world is ending when they get locked out and are usually quite upset. An important part of dealing with lock outs is being able to understand why a customer is locked out and the different tools and equipment that will be needed.

After a Break In

Unfortunately, burglary is common in the UK and it’s been estimated that a burglary happens every 106 seconds. As a Locksmith, when you get a burglary repair call out, the customer will not only be under a certain amount of emotional distress but also be in need of services immediately. Understanding how to deal with this Locksmith emergency in a time efficient but compassionate manner is a vital part of your job to help the customers feel secured in their home again.

Not only will you be urgently needed to repair damage of the burglary and secure the home but also might need to add extra security measures to customers’ houses.