boost it needed,” Powell says. “My early goals were to find three jobs a week, then five jobs, then 20 jobs per week. Now it seems like I’m on the phone more than anything else, but I still get excited every time the phone rings with another service call.” Key Locksmith Services has experienced explosive growth over the past year. “A year ago, I was debating whether I should hire an employee,” he says. “Today, I have three employees and I’m contemplating whether to hire another one. A year ago I was operating out of a small workshop in my garage, but today we have a retail space and a workshop on a major road in Naples.” Powell keeps three service vehicles on the road. One is devoted to lock repairs, one to electronic access and security cam- eras, and one to support and small repairs. “Our primary focus areas are residential and commercial re-keys, condominium master key systems, and electronic access and security cameras.” The Power of Networking Powell attributes his business’ rapid growth to a couple of factors, including strong local networking and smart marketing. He and his wife, Ruth Ann, attend numerous net- working events each month in and around Naples. “Ruth Ann is a true networking guru,” Powell says. Ruth Ann is on the Board of Directors for the Condominium Owners and Managers Association (COMA) and attends a number of other networking events, including the Woman’s Council of Realtors (WCR), the Naples Area Board of Realtors (NABOR), the N.A.P.L.E.S. group and Building Managers International (BMI). “We focus on realtor and property man- ager networking groups because they’re big referrals for the kind of work I want: re-keys, lock upgrades, security cameras and electronic access,” Powell says. “I’ve pretty much moved away from automo- tive work and lockouts — these customers WWW.ALOA.ORG are just looking for the cheapest locksmith they can find, and there’s no loyalty or re- peat business.” Powell says he became convinced that this wasn’t the right business segment for him when he received a lockout call at 6 a.m. one Sunday morning. “I quoted $100 or so to the guy and he said somebody else would do it for $30. I got a little angry and said ‘Then why are you calling me? Call him back and get him to come out!’ Eliminating this kind of business has reduced a lot of stress and done away with a lot of the customers who are only looking for a low price.” By refocusing his efforts from low-margin, price-sensitive automotive and lockout work to higher-margin re-keys, security cameras and electronic access jobs, Powell also avoids confronting phony locksmiths. “Security cameras and electronic access will account for nearly 50 percent of our business this year,” he says. “And, for the most part, I work a 9 to 5 job.” This is especially helpful when you consider that Key and Ruth Ann have three small children: seven-year-old Jonathan, five-year-old Cynthia, and Da- vid, who is one. Powell doesn’t hesitate to note that Key Locksmith Services typically charges 20 to 30 percent more than the competition on most jobs. “There’s always somebody else who will do a job cheaper, so I don’t try to compete on price. The customers I’m going aſter want reliable service and they want to know the job is going to be done right and that they’re represented well. “Hey, I’m a Wal-Mart guy, so I know all about saving money,” he adds. “But I don’t think locksmithing is the place to cut cor- ners and try to save a few bucks.” On the marketing side, Powell prima uses two inexpensive but very effective to One is his website, which won Best Web in the World at the 2011 ALOA conventi and the other is an electronic newslet Powell says he redesigned his website year mainly to accommodate posting of the articles he was writing. “I wanted to provide useful security-related articles on the website. Since last summer, I’ve written more than 40 articles and product reviews to help my current and future clients bet- ter navigate the complex security industry.” Powell stresses that his articles don’t in- clude sales pitches for the business, other than perhaps mentioning products that might be useful. “For example, clients could read my article about what type of oil should be used in a lock and then purchase the oil I recommend on the site.” In addition to posting the articles on his website, he also sends them to his database of 2,500 customers and prospects via an e- newsletter. “I do this myself using Constant Contact and all it costs me is $30 a month and a little time,” he says. “Every time I send it out, I get 10-15 calls, so I try to time it for when we have lulls in business or gaps in the schedule. I landed my best client last year as a direct result of the e-newsletter.” Dealing With Growing Pains Key says that the biggest challenges facing his business right now involve dealing with the growing pains of such rapid expansion. “My initial plan was to hire one employee a year for five years and hopefully have a storefront by this time. But aſter just two years, I’ve already hired three employees and opened a retail shop. So we’re definitely dealing with the logistical challenges that go along with managing a fast-growing small business,” he says. “But don’t get me wrong — I’m not complaining! These are good problems to have.” s an Atlanta- nce writer n business and ch him at don@ ter.com. JANUARY 2014 KEYNOTES 31
