MORE WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Editor:
The word locksmith does not fit our profession very well these days. When you brand yourself as a "lock and key shop," the image is not broad enough to attract business in our many other areas of expertise. Our problem here at Dedge's Lock and Key Shop is we are a 45+ year old company that has an established name and reputation. We resist changing the name even though it does not fit as well today as it did in the past.
The first challenge is changing it to a similar name that still sounds familiar but conveys a different image, one that does not stray too far from its roots. We are looking at Dedge's Lock and Security Group or Dedge's Security Center.
The second thing is cost to change the name. When you consider all areas it would affect signage on seven vehicles and the building new letterhead and invoices, yellow pages ads, web site updates, uniforms, and then there are the legal fees.
First thing I looked at is the fact that 51 percent of our business is still locks and keys. And the people that we deal with in that area for the most part are of the generation that identifies with the word locksmith. So that is all good.
Second thing we considered is the future and where we are going and where we want to be. Staying in the game has meant getting a low voltage license. We started with access control systems, which led to CCTV and burglar alarms. Electronics techs (with locksmith backgrounds) make up half of my staff. These are the fastest growing areas of the business. Electronics brings an entirely different client to the table, one that the locksmith label does not fit at all. That is where we began to see a growing need for change, and the dilemma.
I can see a change coming when the time is right as for now I am on the fence.
John Boatright
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