4 Ways to Grow and Future-Proof Your Locksmith Business

There are a number of ways locksmiths can adopt new and effective strategies for building their businesses across a number of markets.

A few months ago I attended the Associated Locksmiths of America show, which offered me the chance to understand a little better how this sector of the market works. The label “locksmith” is so much more than simply rekeying and installing locks; instead, these professionals are tasked with consulting new businesses on the types of locks they should implement in their facility.

One common theme among the conversations at the show was the need for business leaders to have a plan in place to continue growing in what can often appear to be a crowded marketplace. Additional training, certifications and customer service courses are just a handful of ways to nurture a locksmith’s skills, but the benefit of adding innovative technology can help a business scale for a changing marketplace. Here are four easy ways to incorporate this tech into your business:

Diversify Offerings. It isn’t enough to simply service lock-and-key systems. Instead, today’s forward-thinking locksmiths should be well-versed in overall security solutions and precautions that offer customers the additional knowledge they need to make decisions. A qualified locksmith that has taken the time to gain additional training and knowledge has the ability to make recommendations on what physical and electronic systems need to be chosen by a homeowner or business owner — a skillset that will carry them long into the future of their business.

Go Wireless. Complexity doesn’t have to be the name of the game when adding additional services to a locksmith’s business, but they should be willing and able to assess new ways of accessing a building. This includes the addition of wireless locks that can be added to a facility’s access points quickly and easily — and without the added need for a certified electrician. Locksmiths can add these kinds of locks to their portfolio to help diversify their offerings.

Encourage Remote Management. There are a number of small-scale solutions on the market that encompass a web-based platform for access management that can help bolster a locksmith’s recommendations for SMB customers. The added advantage that these solutions present is the ability to be remotely managed, which provides flexibility, as well as scalability for growing businesses.

Dabble in Cloud. Cloud-based services are on the rise and they’re proving to be more viable for small to medium-sized businesses looking to secure their facilities without significant investment in infrastructure. The advantages of adding this kind of platform for locksmiths is the added benefit of recurring revenue, which allows these businesses to understand the income being generated from this service and how they can apply that to their day-to-day operations plans.

Embrace Intelligence. The addition of wireless locks and Cloud-based platforms can add significant value to an end user customer by bringing something invaluable to the table: intelligence. Access control data can be a critical tool for adding overall value in the form of business intelligence and insights into a facility’s operations.

There are a number of ways locksmiths can adopt new and effective strategies for building their businesses across a number of markets. Emerging technology, such as remotely managed access control, wireless locks and the Cloud, provide these professionals with the tools they need to incorporate future-proofing techniques for the next evolution of their businesses.


Eric Widlitz is Director of North American Sales for Vanderbilt.

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