Need help with scaling dad's locksmith business (Currently $10-15k/m)

[itxmi]

Hi everyone, I'll start by giving some context. In 2016, my dad started a locksmith business, when he started out, competition was on the low and demand was on the high, he is bad with computers but despite that, he was raking in a decent amount of cash, probably around €10-15k/m. Now, 7 years later and nothing has changed, except, competition is at it's highest. I want to help him scale his business but everything seems to work against him. Google ads doesn't allow any more locksmith ads in Belgium due to concerns. SEO competition is GIGANTIC so his only source of clients is the local Google map pack (first 3 businesses that appear on SERP). If his business gets removed by Google, he's done for and will have to file for bankruptcy. Almost every time he finishes a job, he gets a 5-star review without him having to ask and his clients are very happy with his service, he knows what he's doing and doesn't rip off his clients like 30% of the locksmiths in the area. Word of mouth works but won't help with scaling. I'm lost, I don't know what other options there are. Any suggestions?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[StrikingViper69]

- Door to door flyers?
- Find people that would give repeat business, eg landlords with tenants, commercial premises?
- YouTube videos with location targeting?
- Expand into installing security and surveillance?

 

[ICreateLuck]

Hi everyone, I'll start by giving some context. In 2016, my dad started a locksmith business, when he started out, competition was on the low and demand was on the high, he is bad with computers but despite that, he was raking in a decent amount of cash, probably around €10-15k/m. Now, 7 years later and nothing has changed, except, competition is at it's highest. I want to help him scale his business but everything seems to work against him. Google ads doesn't allow any more locksmith ads in Belgium due to concerns. SEO competition is GIGANTIC so his only source of clients is the local Google map pack (first 3 businesses that appear on SERP). If his business gets removed by Google, he's done for and will have to file for bankruptcy. Almost every time he finishes a job, he gets a 5-star review without him having to ask and his clients are very happy with his service, he knows what he's doing and doesn't rip off his clients like 30% of the locksmiths in the area. Word of mouth works but won't help with scaling. I'm lost, I don't know what other options there are. Any suggestions?

-Can you advertise elsewhere, such as Facebook?
-Have you thought about creating a website that sells items that his customers might need?
-Could he (or you) teach and share his expertise through online course platforms such as udemy?

 

[Kevin88660]

Hi everyone, I'll start by giving some context. In 2016, my dad started a locksmith business, when he started out, competition was on the low and demand was on the high, he is bad with computers but despite that, he was raking in a decent amount of cash, probably around €10-15k/m. Now, 7 years later and nothing has changed, except, competition is at it's highest. I want to help him scale his business but everything seems to work against him. Google ads doesn't allow any more locksmith ads in Belgium due to concerns. SEO competition is GIGANTIC so his only source of clients is the local Google map pack (first 3 businesses that appear on SERP). If his business gets removed by Google, he's done for and will have to file for bankruptcy. Almost every time he finishes a job, he gets a 5-star review without him having to ask and his clients are very happy with his service, he knows what he's doing and doesn't rip off his clients like 30% of the locksmiths in the area. Word of mouth works but won't help with scaling. I'm lost, I don't know what other options there are. Any suggestions?

Is there related product or service that you can pivot into to obtain recurring revenue?

It does seem to me that the existing demand does not come with repeated purchases, which means you have to keep hunting new customers for revenue.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MattR82]

What do you mean Google ads doesn't allow any more ads due to concerns? First I've ever heard of this. Maybe @Andy Black can shed some light

 

[BizyDad]

Don't ignore the directories that are also ranking high in Google. In Brussels, for example it is Yelp, trustup, etc.

Does no one pay attention to Yelp reviews in Brussels?

TOP 10 BEST Locksmith near Etterbeek, Brussels, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale, Belgium - Updated 2024 - Yelp

Top 10 Best Locksmith in Etterbeek, Brussels, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale, Belgium - April 2024 - Yelp - Multi Services Express, Cordonnerie Serrurerie Linthout, Serrurerie LocKey, SOS Express, Serruritos, Les-Depanneurs, DomoSOS, Serrurier One Pro, Serrrurerie Se-Lo, Secutek

m.yelp.com

People talk about expanding service offerings, one that I would suggest is offering to jump start people's cars.

I had a client who used to put a sticker inside the car door whenever he would help someone out. With their permission of course. And he would tell them it was in case they ever needed their locks changed on their home or if they ever needed a jump start. So pretty much everybody said okay to the sticker.

And because the sticker was on the car door, whenever one of his old clients saw someone else who was locked out of there car, or needed a jump, they were able to call him pretty quickly because they knew exactly where to find his phone number.

Hope that helps.

 

[itxmi]

What do you mean Google ads doesn't allow any more ads due to concerns? First I've ever heard of this. Maybe @Andy Black can shed some light

Hello mate. sorry for the late reply. Here you go Google bans ads for locksmiths in Belgian search results

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[itxmi]

Is there related product or service that you can pivot into to obtain recurring revenue?

It does seem to me that the existing demand does not come with repeated purchases, which means you have to keep hunting new customers for revenue.

Unfortunately it's really hard to find a source for recurring revenue in trade jobs, but nothing is impossible so I'll look into it