Locks, keys, pinning kits and power tools are not the only supplies that locksmiths need. Personalized items like key tags, stickers, decals, magnets are more can help get the job done and leave your contact information with your customer for future jobs.
Name recognition is important for commercial locksmith companies, and Professional Business Products offers an extensive line of decals, stickers, invoices and other products that can help you present a professional image and advertise your company. Owner Kristy McFarland recently discussed her product line on an episode of Wayne Winton’s Locksmith Live podcast.
View the PBP online catalog at https://www.pbp2000.com/locksmith-products/#catalog.
Back in 1999, Professional Business Products started out with printed items. Those were the days before electronic invoicing.
”We started out with just a handful of printed items, mostly paper products: invoices, work orders, key envelopes, things like that. Over the years, we’ve added so many new products that customers have asked for or that we saw a need for,” McFarland said. These include advertising materials, key tags, magnets, labels and metal plates for safes.
Metal Plates
“I saw the need while installing electronic access on the doors and then with safe opening as well,” Winton says. “Both of those things leave a mark on the door. Both of those things leave a mark on the door. I thought ‘what if we had a metal sticker that could cover it up?’ There’s just something about having a piece of metal on something metal that makes people feel better.”
He requested pieces of aluminum or other metal with adhesive on the back of it. PBP responded and those metal plates became one of his favorite products. They serve two functions: cover up extra holes or mistakes and leave your number on the door.
Those metal plates can come in any size and are offered with standard two-way tape for smooth surfaces and foam which works best on a textured finish.
“I always say that you don’t ever leave a site without leaving something behind with your name and number on it,” McFarland adds.
Decals
Dome decals are very thick, luxe-looking decals, coated with multiple layers of polyurethane. They are sometimes called jelly decals because they are a little pliable. These come round or rectangular, four color, and on sheets rather than rolls like some other decals.
“These are just awesome. They have a much higher perceived value than a flat decal. They are weatherproof,’ McFarland explains.
Other popular options are push/pull directional indicators for doors with your name and contact info included and two-way push/pull decals for glass doors.
“Decals have always been our number one seller because we offer any size. We offer the brushed silver, which is popular, the matte silver, and the shiny silver, white with full color printing,” she adds.
Invoices
When the company was starting out, ALOA members got a member discount on invoices in return for referrals from ALOA. The company has been actively supporting ALOA and attending ALOA and SAVTA over the years.
“I have a line of invoices with the ALOA logo on them for ALOA members. You can put your AR number right underneath it, printed, and that’s a great seller because a two-color logo on a standard invoice costs so much more than a single color, and since we print these like 100,000 at a time, the cost is very low for these ALOA members,” McFarland notes.
Today, most customers are smaller locksmiths and those who want paper to hand to customers in the field. Although online invoicing has taken over with many companies, PBP offers standard or custom invoices, along with design help.
Stickers, Magnets and Tags
Cylinder stickers have been a great seller over the last 20 years, McFarland says. They come in a roll and go right about the key hole on your cylinder. All stickers have UV-protected inks with extra coating of lamination.
Key-shaped key tags and bottle opener key tags are good items to leave behind on a residential call. For f the commercial side, if you are rekeying an apartment building, for example, PBP sells paper tags in bulk. Loyalty tags (similar to those grocery and drug store frequent shopper tags) are available in four-color, and PBP can print your information on both sides.
Winton is a fan of business card magnets, which paid off when he used them to market his safe-moving and installation services. This was one of the largest successes we had with safe moving, he says. The magnets said “’Safes Installed, $XXX minimum, phone number.’ He talked with managers of some big box sporting goods stores and got permission to put them on the safes. Retail sales increased because customers realized delivery was available and the cost of that delivery. Winton’s business gained some quick and profitable safe-moving jobs with the possibility of add-on services like installation and combination
Emily Pike | Managing Editor
Emily Pike is managing editor of Locksmith Ledger International.
