When starting any new business, there are always things to consider, but what are the specific factors to think about when planning the launch of a locksmith business? In this post, we’ve offered up a few things to bear in mind or carry out, when starting out as a business owner in the locksmith industry.
1. Make sure you receive the correct training
Training is key for any locksmith, even for those who are not looking to start their own business in the trade. If you are new to the industry, it’s true that finding the best training courses and providers can prove particularly difficult, but taking the time to research and discover the best training for you will really benefit you and your business in the long run.
Look at what’s included
When looking for a course, take into consideration the content covered. Make sure it covers all methods of entry, identification, maintenance and repair, as well as providing information on the latest high security locks.
Accreditations
Some of the more high-quality courses will offer some form of accreditation at the end. Although the locksmith industry is not regulated, a recognised accreditation that will give you credibility is a must for any aspiring businessman. These accreditations will help when it comes to marketing your business and it also looks good to the customer.
Don’t go for the cheapest option
It’s true what they say – pay cheap, pay twice, and this certainly can be the case when looking for locksmith training. The best way to find quality training is by looking at the reviews of the training provider and proof that people have succeeded after the training they received.
Does the training provider offer a backup service? This is a must when you first go live, so again, look for this in the testimonials. A lot of companies advertise this but don’t actually deliver.
2. Get your marketing right
Any training course you attend should also include business and marketing advice. It’s one thing gaining the skills practically, but if you don’t know what works and doesn’t work when it comes to advertising and promoting your business, you may struggle to get things off the ground.
Think about your target market and where you might best get their attention. Think about the tone you would like to set, to put yourself across as a friendly, honest professional that they can trust. Engage with prospective customers on the likes of social media, and make sure you cover all possible opportunities when it comes to promoting to various markets.
When dealing with enquiries, always ask the customer how they found out about you, and keep a log of the advertising source. This will help you identify what advertising is working best for you and gives you something to work from when it comes to renewing advertising with companies or adding to your promotional strategy.
When it comes to sub contract work, you need to know what sort of organisations are worth approaching and how to promote your business to them. What’s more, getting the right balance of sub contract work and work form private customers is key – if you can get this right, you will earn a decent living.
3. Make sure you have the right tools for the job
It’s important to have the right specialist tools to hand that are required for different job type scenarios you will likely come across when in business. However, there is a balance – don’t buy tools you have not yet had to use, but don’t fail to invest in the tools you know you will need. So many people have to walk away from jobs because they haven’t got the relevant tools to do the work, whilst others end up spending copious amounts of money tools that will lie unused.
Get the absolute necessities to begin with, followed by investing in specialist tools as you begin to take on more specialist work.
4. Provide a good service and offer competitive prices
It’s vital to always give your customers the best service possible. This involves everything from being professional when booking the job in, turning up on time (or communicating with the customer if you are going to be late), explaining the process of the job in hand to the customers and pricing the job before starting the work.
Jobs must be completed to a high standard in order to build a successful business that will last you many years to come. At the end of the day, happy customers are essential to the success of a locksmith business, so do everything in your power to provide a good service without costing yourself out of the market.
5. Build a reputation with customer feedback
Customer feedback is key to growing a fruitful locksmith business, so make sure to ask your customers to leave a review on your social media profiles and Google Business pages. The latter will not only help you rank higher in searches, it will also give you credibility with potential new customers from the off.
If you do happen to receive any negative feedback, always try to rectify it to make the best out of a bad situation, and potential customers will appreciate your trying to make things right.
There’s plenty more to think about when building a locksmith business, but these 5 tips were certainly get you started. Be patient, take your time and provide the very best service you can – all of this will help you to succeed as a quality locksmith business owner.
