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Read the rest of this guys posts and tell me how sincere you think he really is..... Some people are pretty gullible. Something smells but I don't think it's the locksmiths.
Does the course advise how to do 'cold calling'? This is the key to business building and needs a rhino type skin. The other problem as I see it is getting access to a restricted or patent key profile product. You need credibility with the suppliers to access the product, which requires having a well established business - a bit like chicken and egg situation.
When I decided to open my own locksmith business I visited hardware stores I' d done business with for years, talked to the owners and workers about what I was now doing and left my business cards. Once they saw that I treated their customers well, I'd get about 10 calls a month from the hardware stores. I also went to building sites and private schools and put flyers up on local bulletin boards. Other than that I haven't advertised in years and have more work than I can handle.
The things that help you establish a business and be able to have a successful business are: show up when you say you will; be polite, neat and as clean as possible; explain what you are going to do and what it will cost; point out problems as you see them so the customer won't think you just made them up; do quality work for a fair price; don't expect your customer to clean up after you. Word of mouth advertising from satisfied customers has been better than any other type of advertising or yellow pages ads.
If you think of your customers as suckers, you are no one I'd want to employ or hire. If you were serious about the "suckers" comment, maybe you'd like to think about changing your attitude toward the very people who will be the ones who will enable you to make a living.
I had 'someone' move into my little town, and was going to open up a store front, and take all the key business away from me, and the hardware stores here in my town.. his rent was $1400 a month, plus utilities.. ( YES, i KNOW some of you pay MORE, but, at the time we were a $5 an hour wage area too.. I had someone else call them up and ask how much to rekey a Kwikset if it was brought in... $15.... the lock sold NEW at that time for $9... how much to come out and rekey? driving a distance of under 2 miles...??? well, thy quoted a $25 trip charge, plus $25 per lock..
they closed up in 2 months, getting NO business from the house builders that they so desperately wanted..
I dont do houses.. people here do not have money, UNLESS you got a lot of locks on several doors.. my business is commercial, and safe deposit locks.. I am one of 3 shops in 4 counties that will copy safe deposit lock keys..and also go to the bank and open their boxes for them.. One other one charges a $90 service call, no matter what, plus whatever you need done.. and the other gets $100 per safe deposit lock, plus trip charge.
Commercial is where the business is, AND I totally agree.. WORD OF MOUTH will make or break you..
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