More than 60 years ago, Theodore Levitt famously asserted that the railroad industry weakened, not because the necessity to move passengers or freight had declined, but because those who ran the railroads saw themselves in the railroad business rather than the transportation business.
Only a few years ago, the locksmith might have been described simply as a tradesperson who duplicated keys, installed and replaced door locks or got into an old safe that had a forgotten combination. All that’s history now, or is it?
Indeed, the bread and butter for a great many locksmiths is getting someone “in” as soon as possible. Lost car keys? Locked out of a home or business? The locksmith is there to help — night or day.
However, the often-used word “evolution” has arrived in the locksmithing space, with technology and digital transformation at the forefront of the growth movement for the locksmith industry.
Physical security systems, touchless access and video surveillance are all part of the new world of the locksmith. So, the question remains: What business are you in? Is it the security business? The access control business? Is it an all-encompassing locking-solutions business that provides for the new worlds and the old all in one?
It’s true that a locksmith can and does thrive purely doing the aspects of the business mentioned earlier – lock replacement, keying and emergency services for auto and safes, among others. What we’ll explore here are some areas of growth for the locksmith industry on strategies to build a locksmith business in these key ways:
- Shifting from door locks to access control
- Learning and training on security systems
- Scaling up and owning the entire building
Shifting to Access Control
For locksmiths who consider themselves to be in the business of providing access to buildings, the easiest and most logical step in the evolution of locksmithing is to embrace access control, because, in the simplest terms, access control starts with a door closing and latching properly.
Some locksmiths are akin to a security integrator already, while others never have implemented access control. One of the best ways to begin the journey into access control is through starter products that are easy to understand and simple to install. After you have a handle on those products, it will open more possibilities for advanced projects.
Many who are new to access control believe it might be difficult to cross over from mechanical to electronic security. In practice, however, it’s the other way around. Pure access control technicians might have a more difficult time understanding and learning mechanical security than the locksmith, who already understands mechanical security, has in adapting to access control solutions.
The effect of the pandemic created another potential area of growth for the locksmith industry around health and safety concerns. The drive to add that extra layer of health security for employees and visitors has manifested in the installation of touchless and antimicrobial hardware in commercial buildings across the country.
This is a trend the industry already experienced in a similar fashion. Twenty years ago, accessibility for people who had disabilities wasn’t a foremost concern, but the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) changed that in the same way the pandemic has affected the current choice of products. In the future, many of the health-related solutions that recently have been adopted will be the norm, and it’s likely that most openings will continue to have features of health protection as well as security.
Key Takeaways
- Get trained on access control solutions and learn the capabilities of products, so you can lead informed conversations with customers and offer the best options for their unique demands.
- Starting small will help you prepare for more-advanced projects.
- Focus on health-safety solutions and the ADA analogy as a conversation starter with customers to find touchless and antimicrobial hardware opportunities. For example, you might tell your customer, “Just like the ADA changed how we provided accessibility for people who have disabilities, access control will include health-related solutions for customers now and in the future. Is your company working to incorporate safety solutions through products, such as antimicrobial hardware, low-touch hardware and touchless access?”
Learning and Training
A day in the life of a locksmith can range from something as simple as cutting a key all the way up to installing access control and cameras. Clearly, elements of locksmithing and security go hand in hand, and both have overlapped and evolved in many ways over the years. But large integrators aren’t the only ones that can install systems that include access control or video surveillance. There are growth opportunities for locksmiths in the installation of connected devices.
Locksmiths who educate themselves on connected devices are getting the business. Obviously, mechanical devices never will go away, but the electromechanical side is growing, and locksmiths have to seek out educational opportunities from training sessions — on-site and virtually. And with the immense numbers of offerings available, this creates a demand for product introductions from suppliers, so locksmiths can deliver the right solutions to their customers.
One example of a new opportunity would be when a customer reaches out for guidance on what’s required for touchless access control. Walk the job with your customer and identify solutions at different prices for touchless actuators. Then, talk to your distributor to find products that are simple and reasonably priced.
After you place an order, request training at your shop, and when the installation date is scheduled, have some hands-on assistance for the first install and programming to prepare yourself for subsequent ones. After that, you’ll be comfortable and confident to bid these jobs.
For those who are new to electronic solutions, the first step is to embrace low-voltage products, such as low-energy operators. After you learn them and become licensed, if required in certain states, you’ll open your business to more opportunities. A good supplier partner not only will offer multiple trainings during the year, but they also will introduce vendors and products to help you to become comfortable with the offerings and products that might be new to you.
Key Takeaways
- Educate yourself and get training on new products and offerings. If you believe you might miss out on business during training sessions, notify your customers via voicemail or email that you’re engaged in training so you can better serve them in the future.
- After you learn a new product installation, you’ll be comfortable bidding on jobs that will increase your sales and grow your business.
- Embrace low-voltage products.
Owning the Entire Building
“The reason [the railroads] defined their industry incorrectly was that they were railroad oriented instead of transportation oriented; they were product oriented instead of customer oriented.”
— Theodore Levitt
There are two simple, tried-and-true growth methods: sell more of the same or expand what you offer. That means having the ability to scale up for larger projects or embracing new products and technologies. The concept of owning the building from the front door to the office door not only is good business practice, but it also encapsulates the full idea of how the world of the locksmith is changing. There’s a laundry list of technologies to learn, or you can expand your offering of hardware products.
Having the right partner will help with both avenues of growth. A distribution partner who acts as a customer-first consultant isn’t just about selling products. Oftentimes, a distributor will provide advice on your showroom or website and help you to display all your capabilities properly.
Knowing where business comes from and how a potential customer searches for you will help every locksmith grow. A simple and effective method to drive more business opportunities is to be listed on dealer locator sites, so when end users search, they’ll see your business and give you a chance to bid new jobs. Several locksmith product manufacturers have a place on their website dedicated to helping end users find a security pro’s location, particularly if they’re trained and certified on the company’s products. Dealer locators are on most door hardware, safe, camera and even access control manufacturer websites.
It’s also a best practice to check those dealer locator’s sites and make sure your company is listed correctly. This service is free to use and promotes you to a potential customer already considering the products you sell.
It’s those day-to-day transactions that often develop into bigger opportunities, and locksmiths play an important role in the security industry. With broad-based capabilities, locksmiths deliver an array of services that security integrators might not be able to offer.
One issue that has affected everyone from the mobile locksmith to large multilocation companies has been supply-chain disruptions. Today, it’s essential to work with a distribution partner that has capabilities across the supply chain to ensure you get what you want when you want it and to provide services that will enable scalability. For the smaller locksmith, that means having a partner whose capabilities extend your company, which gives you the opportunity to go after projects you couldn’t before.
Examples of capabilities to look for in a partner might be job accounts that provide a separate account for large projects. This won’t affect your day-to-day, open-to-buy or labor-saving services to help you to scale up for larger jobs.
Working with a partner that has expertise across the worlds of integrated security is a way to enable both growth methods mentioned above — selling more of the same AND expanding what you offer.
Key Takeaways
- Embrace the idea of owning the building from front door to office door (and everything between).
- Make sure your showroom tells the full story of your capabilities.
- Get on dealer locator sites, so you have an opportunity to bid on new jobs.
- Work with a partner that can be an extension of your company and expand your capabilities.
Beau Edelen is vice president of locking solutions at Wesco International.
