Once you have established your shop, and your skillset, you may decide to market yourself as a commercial locksmith. Nailing down these clients may be more difficult, but there is a major benefit that you should consider: You can charge more.

I’m not saying go out and gouge your customers. That won’t win you any friends, and worse, they probably will just hire someone else. What I am saying, though, is that commercial customers are going to be willing to pay you more than a residential customer would.

Why is that?

It’s simple, really. They have more money. They have more to lose.

When it comes to commercial customers, a break-in will mean more than just a violation of their private space. It could mean they have to shut down for a day. A week. A month. Or even a year. (I’m not the only one humming the Friends theme song right now, am I?)

With residential customers, they might lose things, but so will commercial customers. And their things tend to be more expensive. Plus, depending on the commercial customer, the things they lose may not even be their own. A computer repair shop gets robbed and all the computers get taken? Guess who is on the hook for loss of personal property for all of the clients.

So that said, it is definitely in their interest to pay for the best equipment, and to have a professional who is skilled in the trade install that equipment.

The equipment, eh?

Commercial is where you’re really going to get to play around with the fun stuff. Now, you don’t ever have to dive into the world of security alarms, motion detectors, or anything like that. But you really should. By not installing that equipment you are limiting your potential client base. Plus, the ones that need it are less likely to hire two installers when they can easily find a single person to install all their equipment.

As the locksmith, you are the expert. You are the one that is going to be able to explain the differences between Assa Abloy and Master Lock to your potential customers. (Hint: One is a top of the line lock manufacturer, and the other creates locks that can be picked with a cat food can lid) Your job isn’t easy, but it sure is fun. So what is the best way to keep up to date on what is out there? Catalogs? Buying all the newest gear?

Well, personally, I like YouTube. There is a large market for lockpicking and locksmithing videos on YouTube, and I highly suggest diving in.

Oh, and did I mention this website…what was the name again? Locksmith Training HQ, right! We keep you as up to date as we can, providing access to the training and service manuals and catalogs that you will need in your business. If you need it, and we don’t have it, let us know and we will see what we can do to fix that!