MOBILE LOCKSMITHING SERVICEThe Locks On The Doors On Most Homes Keep The Skilled Burglar Outfor About 30 Seconds! This Is Especially True If The Only Thingslowing Him Down Is A Standard Key-in-the-knob Lock.Statistically, There's About One Residential Burglary Every 30seconds In This Country. Traditionally, As The Economy Faltersand Times Get Harder, The Number Tends To Rise.Quite Naturally, People Are Concerned And Frightened. As Aresult, Locksmithing Is Not Only One Of The New "demand"businesses, It's Rapidly Becoming One Of The More Profitablebusinesses For Entrepreneurs With Not Too Much Capital To Invest.Today's Locksmiths Are Usually Well Versed In Mathematics Andbasic Electronics. They Almost Always Have To Be, What With Thenew Types Of Locks Being Introduced. Today's Locksmith Is Morelikely To Be Known As A "Security Specialists," Then Justordinary Locksmith, As In The Past.Even So, Most Locksmithing Businesses Are Still One-manoperations. In Many Instances, It's A Husband And Wife Familyaffair, With The Husband Handling The Mechanical End And The Wifedoing The Books And Financial End Of The Business. Most Of Thesesmall Operations Concentrate On The Repair Side Of The Business,and Deliberately Choose To Remain Small In Size. As We Willdiscuss Later, However, This Need Not Be The Case; These Smallbusinesses CAN "grow Up." According To The Area In Which He Is Located, And Established,well Organized And Trained Locksmith May Gross Between 50,000and 60,000 Per Year, Using A Van As A Mobile "workshop," Andspace In His Home As An Office. Remember: As The Economy Turnstoward Recession, Burglaries Increase And People Become Aware Ofthe Need For Better Locks To Protect What They Own; Thus Thelocksmith Enjoys An Increased Income During Hard Times.Just Because Locksmithing Is A "personal" Kind Of Business, Andcan Be Started On A Shoestring And Operated Out Of The Home,that's Not To Say That A Locksmithing Service Cannot Be Developedinto A Million Dollar Business. On The Contrary, There Are Anumber Of Operations In Some Of The Larger Metropolitan Areasthat Have Several Mobile Locksmith Vans On The Road, In Additionto Retail Store Locations. These Operations Are Grossing Wellinto The Million Dollar Figures Every Year.It's A Matter Of Desire, Determination And Personal Fulfillmentand Satisfaction. Attitude, Marketing Skills And General Businessknowledge Are Also Positive Attributes Necessary For Realsuccess. Very Definitely, The Sharp Businessman With Determinedambition Can Dominate Any Market With A Modern Locksmithingservice.The Key Ingredient To This Business Is The Utilization Of Propermarketing And Selling Skills. It Goes Without Saying: You Canknow All There Is About The Mechanical Functioning Of Thebusiness, But Without Innovative Marketing And Selling Skills,your Business Will Surely Flounder.However, Given The Marketing Know-how, Plus Persistent Salesefforts, You Can Succeed In This Business With The Knowledge Youcan Acquire Of The Technical Side. The Success Of Any Business Isbuilt Upon The Marketing And Sales Expertise Of Its Founder,because After All, "mechanics" Can Always Be Hired, If You Decideto Go That Route Rather Than Learn The Trade And The Business.Your Marketing Efforts Should Stress The Theme That Your Serviceswill Allay The Fears Of Your Buyers. You Want To Get Across Toyour Prospective Customers The Sense Of Security Your Servicewill Provide: You Can Make Them Safe In Their Own Homes; Nolonger Will They Have To Worry About Being Rudely Awakened In Themiddle Of The Night By A Burglar Rustling Around In Their House;no Longer Will They Have To Worry About Coming Home To A Housethat's Been Cleaned Out Or Ransacked.Once You Understand That Fear Is A Basic Human Instinct, It'seasy To See That Virtually Everyone Can Be A Prospect For Yourservice As A Locksmith. Your Potential Market Includes Everyonein Your Area, Because Everyone Has Possessions. So Everyhomeowner, Every Apartment Dweller, Every Business Owner, All Theschools, Churches, Government Institutions, And A Wide Variety Ofother Commercial And Industrial Accounts Can Be Yours.In This Day And Age, New Homeowners And Apartment Dwellers Wantlocks Changed The Day The Move In, So That The Former Occupantsand Other Key Holders Will Not Have Access To Their Place. Inaddition, There Will Probably Be The Need For Additional Keys Foreach Member Of The New Family, Now That New, Safer Locks Havebeen Installed.Commercial And Industrial Accounts Present And Even Lucrativemarket. Larger Companies Tend To Want Their Keys"departmentalized," So That Office Workers Can Get Into Thebuilding On Weekends, But Not Into The Factory Or Shipping Areas,and Vice Versa. Banks And Savings Institutions Frequently Needthe Safe Deposit Locks Changed.Generally Speaking, Newcomers To This Field Should Focus Theirefforts On The Commercial Market Is Vast, And Often Up For Grabsin Many Areas. In Addition, The Profit Margins In These Areas Areexcellent! With One Of These Accounts You'll Have To Work Payingabout 500 Or More Per Visit, Compared With 25 To 50 Per Visitper Residential Job. With Commercialindustrial Accounts, There'salso The Possibility Of Ongoing Service And Maintenance.Definitely, The Commercialindustrial Business Is Well Worthgoing After, And Can Put Your Business In The Black Very Rapidly.However, It Does Take Aggressiveness, And The Determination Tosell These Accounts.Start Small, Consider Working Out Of Your Home In The Beginning.Most Of Today's Successful Locksmiths Began By Working Out Oftheir Homes, With The Family Car Or Van Outfitted With The Toolsand Equipment Needed. Such An Approach Will Enable You To Getstarted For A Little As 1,000. You Should Be Aware However, Thatthis Is Just A Beginning, And Not All It's Going To Take Toreally Establish Your Business. With This Level Of Investment,you're More Or Less Limited In The Business You Can Handle Andthe Money You Can Make. Locksmiths Who Want To Make The Reallybig Money Should Be Investing All Their Early Profits Into Moreequipment And Inventory Up To A Level Where They Can Offercomplete Full Service Locksmithing. Such A Business Would Requireat Least 5,000 In Equipment, Perhaps Even 10,000, Depending Onhow Many Different Services You Want To Offer. This Estimate Forstart-up Costs Does Not Include Your Van Or Inventory Of Spareparts And New Locks.Perhaps A Quick Word Of Caution Is In Order Here. You've No Doubtseen Or Heard Some Of The Advertisements Promising All Kinds Ofbig Money To Be Made With Your Own Locksmithing Service; "justsend For The Learn-at-home Correspondence Course, And You'll Behome Free." It's True That You Can Earn Big Money In Thisbusiness, But As We've Noted Earlier, Without A Lot Of Sharpmarketing And Selling Expertise, Plus At Least The Essentialequipment To Handle The Kind Of Work These Courses Teach,enrolling In One Of These Courses Will Put You No Further Aheadthan You Are Right Now. This Business Requires EQUIPMENT AndKNOWLEDGE.You Can Make Excellent Money As A Locksmith, So Long As Youoperate Your Business Capably And In A Professional Manner. Butwithout A Full Line Of The Equipment Required To Handle A Widevariety Of Jobs, You Will Be Limiting Your Total Incomepotential. The More You Invest In Quality Equipment, The Moredifferent Kinds Of Jobs You Can Handle, And Thus The More Moneyyou'll Be Capable Of Making.This Is Definitely A Business In Which You Decide For Yourselfexactly How Far And How Fast You Want To Go. As We've Said, Someoperators Are Perfectly Content To Work Out Of Their Homes, Usinga Mobile Van. They Don't Want The Larger Problems Involved Inhiring Employees, Or The Expense Of Maintaining A Retaillocation.But To Make Really Big Money In This Business, Starting Small Andworking Out Of Your Home, You Should Plan To Put More Mobiletrucks On The Road, And As Soon As Possible, Open A Retaillocation. Each Mobile Van Will Give You Another Satellitebusiness, And A Retail Location Will Afford You A Baseheadquarters For Your Mobile Vans.It Is Of The Utmost Importance That You Build And Maintain Aprofessional Image As A Quality Locksmithing Operation From Thestart. Clinging To The Craftsman Type Of Image Will Be Ofadvantage Only If You Wish To Stay In The "Mom And Pop" Category.You Should Endeavor To Handle All Jobs As Quickly And Asefficiently As Possible. Outfitting Yourself And Your Help Insharp Looking Uniforms Will Help. Making Your Calls In A Clean,well-organized Van Will Also Play An Important Part In The Imageyour Customers Have Of Your Business. You Want Your Customers Tohave Confidence In Your Business, And In The Quality Of The Workyou Do For Them. When They Do, You'll Find They Are More Likelyto Pay Their Bills With Fewer Reminders.Think Of It Like This: A Large Invoice Presented By A Man In Aclean Uniform Who Drives Up In A Good Looking Truck And Doesquality Work Is Going To Be Paid More Readily Than One For 25presented By A Guy In Grubby Jeans Who Drove Up In A 10-year Olddecrepit Truck.With So Many Technological Changes Occurring Within This Field Onan Almost Monthly Basis, It's To Your Advantage To Stay On Top Ofwhat's Happening Within The Locksmithing Field. This Meanssubscribing To Some Of The Better Trade Publications. You Shouldbe Attending The Various Locksmithing Association Promotedseminars And Workshops That Offer Ongoing Help In Both Thetechnical And Financial Side Of This Business. In Other Words,you Should Plan To Keep Yourself Up To Date With A Program Ofcontinuous Learning.There Are Several Ways To Get Started In This Business. You Canbuy An Existing Operation From A Retiring Craftsman. Ask Him Tohelp You With The Technical Side Of The Operation While You Spendmost Of Your Time Actively Promoting And Managing The Business.Or, You Can Hire The Technical Help You Need, And The Sales Forceto Build The Business While You Do The Managing. You Can Enrollin One Of The Popular Correspondence Courses, Become Involved Inthe Business As You Learn From The Various Trade Publications,and Progress At Your Own Speed. Our Recommendation Is That Youlearn The Fiscal And Management Side Of The Business, And Hireothers To Handle The Mechanical Or Technical Side. Thus Thepurpose Of This Report Is To Indoctrinate You To The Businessside. To Explain The Technical Details Of This Business Wouldtake Volumes And Probably Much Of The Information Contained Wouldbe Out-dated By The Time It Came To Press.However, We Will Provide You With An Outline Of The Most Commontypes Of Jobs A Locksmith Should Be Able To Handle.RECOMBINATION LOCKS: A Customer May Want To Change An Existinglock To Work Off A New Key--the Most Common Type Of Lock Beingthe Key-in-the-knob Cylinder Or Pin Tumbler Lock. When The Properkey Is Inserted In The Keyway, Spring-loaded Pins Are Pushed Upand Out Of The Cylinder, Allowing The Plug To Turn, And Openingthe Lock. When Recombinating, You're Changing The Depth Of Thesepins So That A New Key Is The Only One That Will Work. Mosthouse, Auto And Padlocks Are The Pin Tumbler Variety. Differentbrands Of Locks Use Different Depths, Space And Keyways. But Witha Given Brand Of Lock, Up To 50,000 Variations Exist. Thus, It'snot Always Necessary To Change The New Lock.COMBINATING ALIKE: Some Customers Will Have A House Or Businesswith Several Different Locks And Keys, None Of Them Alike Orusing The Same Key. Sometimes People Will Want To Change To Asystem That Will Require The Least Number Of Keys To Carryaround. Here, You'll Be Required To Change The Key Coding So Thatone Key Works All The Locks. Sometimes This Requires Theinstallation Of Common Door Hardware; However, In Most Cases,you'll Find The Same Brand Locks Are Used Throughout Thebuilding.MASTERKEYING: Apartment Owners And Other Commercial Accounts Maywant Dual Key Access. This Is Done By Using Locks With Dual Pintumbler Sets. One Works With The Apartment Key, The Other Withthe Master Key. Keys Are Spoken Of In Terms Of Code Numbers.These Are Sets Of Digits Reflecting The Depth Of Serration. Agiven Lock Is A Master Key Setup Might Respond, For Example, Tokeys With Code Numbers 1-2-3-4-5 And 6-7-8-9. Mathematicalprogressions Are Used In Master Keying.LOCKOUTS: Frequently A Person Finds Himself Locked Out Of Hishome, Office, Warehouse, Car, Etc. Invariably This Happens At Oddhours Of The Day Or Night. So Opening Locks At Odd Hours Of Theday Or Night Will Be A Role You'll Definitely Play Live Of Yourcustomers. A Typical Pin Tumbler Lock Can Generally Be Pickedopen In About 30 Seconds, Using Either Picks Or A Single Piece Ofspring Steel And Good Wrist Work. All Locks Have Tolerances Andvariations In Manufacture Which Will Allow You To Push Thecylinder Pins Up And Out Of The Way While Exerting A Turningpressure On The Cylinder Itself.AUTOMOBILE LOCKOUTS: This Problem Occurs Frequently And Willrequire A Different Procedure. A Tool Called A "Slim Shim" Isoften Used Here, And Works On Most Domestic And Many Foreigncars. This Is Pushed Down Between The Glass And The Weatherstripping On The Door Far Enough To Reach The Back Of The Lockcylinder On The Door. You Simply Push Down Or Pull Up. A "buttonpopper" Is Also Used, Worked Through The Weather Stripping Onvent Windows In Older Cars, And Angled Back To The Latch Button.LOCK INSTALLATION: Much Of Your Time Will Be Spent Installing Newlock And Door Hardware. In Many Cases, Homeowners And Businesspeople Will Want To Upgrade Their Security With The Latest Modelhardware For Older Homes, Offices And Other Buildings. Manylocksmiths Get Involved In New Construction Of Apartment Houses,condominiums, Shopping Centers And The Like. Often You'll Beadding More Security To An Existing Door, Such As Installing Adeadbolt Lock.PANIC BARS AND DOOR CLOSERS: Many Locksmiths Working Thecommercial Or Industrial Market Get Involved In The Repair Andinstallation Of Panic Bars In Public Access Areas. Panic Bars Arethose Large Bars You Can Push On To Open The Outside Doors Ofmany Public Buildings. Door Closers Are Those Hydraulic Devicesmounted At The Top Of These Doors Which Return The Door To Theclosed Position After It Has Been Opened.ALARMS, SAFES, AND VAULTS: The Sale And Installation Of Alarm Area Natural Adjunct To The Locksmithing Business. Many Largerlocksmithing Operations Move Into This Area, Which Is Somewhatspecialized. Alarms Can Be The "perimeter" Type Which Sound Whena Door Is Opened After Hours, Or "area" Alarms. "Space" Or "area"protection Is Generally Preferred, And Involves Infrared,ultrasonic Or Microwave Sensors Triggering Alarms By Detectingmovement.Safe And Vault Work Is Another Specialty. Some Locksmiths Havemajor Banks And Savings And Loan Associations As Clients. Theyspend A Good Deal Of Their Time Changing Safe Deposit Box Locksand Maintaining Vaults And The Like. Gaining In Popularity Is Thesafe And Service Of Safes For Homes And Business Use. You Will Beexposed To All These Specialties And To New Technology Atseminars, Conventions And Workshops.HIGH SECURITY WORK: A Typical Locksmith Is A "generalpractitioner," While The High-security Locksmith Is A"specialist." High Security Work Is Often Done For Majorcorporations, Government Institutions, Large Banks, Race Tracks,museums And Wealthy Private Individuals Who Desire Maximumsecurity. Often This Work Involves Access Control Systems Usingcard Readers Or Voice Print Equipment, Possibly Combines Withelectronic Push Button Locks That Work Off A Combination Ofnumbers Known Only To A Few Individuals.In Addition To These Major Areas Of Activity, Locksmiths Theworld Over Do Key Duplicating And Impressioning, Which Isreplacing Of Lost Keys With Custom Made Copies, And A Widevariety Of Other Types Of Sales, Repair And Service Work.In Order To Achieve Maximum Profitability As A Locksmith, Youmust Be Able To Offer All These Services To Your Customers. Locksand Security Are The Prime Concern To Your Customer, And Itfollows That When A Customer Wants Help In This Area, He Wants Ittaken Care Of Immediately. Thus, You Must Position Yourself Tohandle This Job Immediately, Or Lose Him To A Locksmith Who Cantake Care Of His Needs On The Spot.Do Some Market Research. Analyze Your Local Market Area Beforeyou Embark Upon This Business. This Can Be Done Via Letters Tothe Local Locksmithing Association, Chamber Of Commerce, Or Evenby Checking Through The Yellow Pages. As Important As Anythingelse, You'll Want To Know How Many Locksmiths Are Alreadyoperating In Your Area, And How Much Of The Market You Can Expectto Attract With Your Business. Most Industry Experts Agree Thatany More Than One Locksmith For Every 30,000 People Tends Tosaturate The Market. However, You Should Study The Operations Ofthe Existing Locksmiths To Determine If You Can Capture A Goodportion Of The Existing Market By Offering More And Betterservice, Especially With Well-planned Efforts Towards Thecommercial And Industrial Accounts. In Many Areas, Theestablished Locksmiths Have Been In Business For 20 Years Ormore, And Are Not Interested In Expanding Their Businesses Toinclude The Newer And More Intricate Types Of Protectionavailable.Look Your Market Over. Determine If There's Been Any Real Effortto "sell" The Market On Upgraded Protection. Door-to-door Salesefforts; Direct Mail Advertising Campaigns; Local "hard Sell"newspaper Advertising; Home Protection And Business Securityseminars, Are Angles That Can Be Used To Launch Your Business.These Approaches Should Prove To Be Especially Profitable If Theexisting Locksmiths Have Been Sitting Back And Letting The Peoplecome To Them When They Have A Problem. Get To Know The Buildingcontractors And Start Bidding On The Installation Of Locks Ontheir Building Projects. You Will Get Your Share Of Business,even Though At First You May Get Contracts Only From The Newbuilders Who Have Not Had Experience With The Other Locksmiths.For A Fast Start In This Business, We Suggest That You Setyourself Up With A Van And Take Your Business To Your Customers.It Isn't Absolutely Necessary To Buy A Van Off The Showroom Floorand Outfit It With All The Equipment You'll Ultimately Need For Afull Service Locksmithing Business. That Would Be Nice, But Itwould Probably Run You Close To 50,000 Or More. By Shoppingaround, You Should Be Able To Pick Up A Good, Late Model Van Forabout 3,000. You Might Be Able To Work An Even Better Deal Byleasing A New Van, And Writing Off The Payments As A Business Taxdeduction. One Thing You'll Definitely Want To Consider Is A Vanthat Has A Raised Roof In Order For You To Stand Upright In It.After All, You'll Be Doing Most Of Your Work In It, And To Haveto Stoop All The Time Would Soon Become Quite Tiring. Generally,you Can Run A Workbench Down Either Or Both Sides Of Your Van. -30-
