As part of our annual Know Your Distributor coverage, Locksmith Ledger sends a brief questionnaire to a number of locksmith distributors each year. The questionnaire is designed to determine possible changes in the type of products locksmiths are purchasing and to introduce our readership to distributors who have participated. Thanks to Accredited Lock Supply (www.acclock.com) and Security Lock Distributors (www.seclock.com).
Have you noticed any significant changes during the last few years in the type of products which locksmiths purchase?
Accredited: The obvious answer would be electronic products. They are definitely making up a larger percentage of our sales. Within the electronic family, access control has become very important, as institutional security takes a very public and center stage. Other products rising in popularity are lower priced alternatives offered by our traditional manufacturers, such as Arrow RK & RL lines, as the legacy product lines increase in price.
SLD: We have seen an increase of sales to our locksmith customers in integrated electromechanical wireless locks as well as home automation systems with Z-Wave technologies. If customers are unfamiliar with these product types, our factory trained technical sales reps are always ready to help.
What support/training do you offer?
Accredited: We have a modern, fully equipped classroom. We try to have at least one class per week, sometimes more. In Mew Jersey, locksmiths have to complete a certain number of CEUs per year to maintain their license, so our classroom is very important, for that reason alone. Also, with the increasing complexity of new products coming out, education is a necessity. We also conduct frequent counter days to familiarize our customers with a particular manufacturers’ offerings.
SLD: Everything Secuirty Lock Distributors does is in support of our locksmith customers. We understand the needs of locksmiths and the ways in which we can make their jobs easier. Through our industry-acclaimed website we can host a variety of tools that can help customers self-service themselves, including tracking shipments, viewing past orders, and D-I-Y quotes and orders. Our site also includes the industry's largest library of technical documents in the space.
Security Lock Distributors also offers a blind-label shipping program that uses our customer's logo on all order labels and shipping documents. This value-added service helps extend our customers’ brand to their customers and allows them to use SLD warehouse and inventory as their own.
SecuritySearch is a tool found on SecLock.com in which you can seamlessly search for part numbers, keywords and manufacturers across over 200 industry price books and catalogs. Once the customer finds the information, they can crop portions of the pages, print, save and download.
What qualities does your company have which helps to set you company apart from the competition?
Accredited: We have one of the largest inventories of all major distributors. We have over 100,000 SKUs and we stock most lines in depth. Anyone who sees our stock of Corbin, and Yale cylinders and key blanks comes away impressed. We have just about every keyway they make. We have about 3000 KA numbers in Master padlocks alone. We also are very willing to place special orders. In the event we don't have what you want in stock, we will get it for you. We have a showroom with approximately 100 glass display cabinets, showing many of the products we carry. The locksmith can see what they are getting before they purchase it. This really helps when buying a key machine or tools. Our catalog is one of the finest in the industry. The new edition, which came out in January, is 682 pages of color photos, descriptions, pricing and specs. It is available to browse or download from our website, and this year for the first time we have it available on a USB drive, a convenient method for browsing or downloading.
SLD: There are many things which set Security Lock Distributors apart from the bunch. First, we house the most technically knowledgeable sales team in the industry. They are NOT just order takers; they understand product and how systems work properly together. Many have experience working in the field and can understand a locksmith's point of view. Secondly, they are wholesale or no sale! Security Lock Distributors values their customers and never want to compete directly with them. Lastly, Security Lock Distributors unique stocking principle includes stocking manufacturers wide and deep. Our in-depth inventory includes all finishes, functions, designs, lengths, voltages and options. We have everything locksmiths need from the most common to the most obscure parts.
