BACK TO BASICS child gets a balloon or a little toy along with the key. Ed usually has other giveaways for the adults, like plastic mugs and magnetic calendars with his name and number on them. The calendar in particular keeps his name in front of the customers, as they’ll see it every time they pass or open their refrigerators. The one caution about giveaways is to watch out for people who go to these events simply to get something for nothing. Once when I was helping Ed hand out plastic mugs I noticed that people were asking for one in each color. Others would ask for three or four. At first, I gave them what they wanted because I didn’t realize the mugs cost him $3 each. Aſter I knew that, I made a rule of one per person, which cut the volume down considerably. Any Questions? When you’re finished with your survey and are at the end of the event, ask if there are any questions. Even if you think you’ve cov- ered every possible situation or subject, you probably didn’t get through to everyone in the room. Just remember that what’s simple to you may not be simple to those less me- chanically inclined. For example, a lot of my lawyer clients have watched me work, utterly fascinated with what I’m doing. They’ll say, “I wish I could do stuff like that” and joke that they don’t know one end of a screwdriver from the other. I usually tell them that at $300 an hour, I wish I could do what they’re doing. One point to bear in mind is that a person doesn’t have to understand the workings of an internal combustion engine to drive a car. What most people are concerned about is that it starts when they turn the key, rolls when they step on the gas and stops when they step on the brake. This is an example of features versus benefits. While a car may have a double overhead cam engine as a feature, people are more interested in the benefits — what that car and engine can WWW.ALOA.ORG do for them. If you’re being overly technical and people are having a hard time understanding you, focus on the benefits they’ll get from buy- ing a particular lock. One example would be the peace of mind that comes from knowing that no one can duplicate the key. A Good Story One of the best ways to educate people is to use stories about personal experiences you’ve had in the trade. By using examples, you’re building trust. They view you as the expert because you’re telling them something that they didn’t know before. Just make sure you know what you’re talking about and not re- peating things you’ve heard but can’t verify, like urban fairy tales. If you’re new to the trade, you may not have a lot of experience to impart. Listen closely to your mentor and more experi- enced locksmiths and don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s a rare thing to meet a lock- smith who isn’t willing to help a guy who’s just getting started. Let their knowledge add to yours. Let me finish with two short stories that I share at condo board meetings when asked to speak. These are examples of educating with stories. They both have an unwritten moral lesson to the story that most people pick up right away. About 15 years ago, I received a call from a woman who lived in a large apartment build- ing in Jersey City, NJ. She was working from home when she thought she heard some- one trying to open her door. However, she couldn’t see anyone through the peephole. As I checked her door, I happened to look at one of the other five apartment doors on her floor and noticed something odd. Some- one had placed a tiny piece of masking tape over the peepholes on every door, including hers (see Figure 1). This was pretty slick on the part of the would-be thief. If the residents heard him in the hallway, they couldn’t get a good look at him and he’d have a better chance of escaping. I learned something else from another incident that occurred in a high-rise apart- ment building in the same city. I got a call at 8 a.m. from a woman whose key wouldn’t go into her deadbolt. She wanted a service call for the late aſternoon. She had to leave for work, but told me she could lock the bottom lock. I went there later that day and found glue in her deadbolt cylinder. I asked her if she had any neighbors who didn’t like her, but otherwise didn’t think anything of it. The next day I got a call from a different tenant on another floor in the same build- ing. When she told me she couldn’t get her key in her deadbolt and wanted to get it fixed later in the day, something clicked in my head. I asked her if the superintendent had a master key to her knob lock and not her deadbolt and she told me he did. This is common practice in my area. The tenant is allowed to have their own deadbolt in- stalled, but must leave it unlocked if the super, with written notice to the tenant, needs access for maintenance. The super then uses the master key on the cylindri- cal or mortise lock to get in. I told her not to leave for work and that I’d be there shortly. It turned out that someone had glued the deadbolt on this apartment as well. I suspected that the super or someone with access to a master key was gluing the deadbolts and waiting for people to leave for work. The thief could then use the master key to gain entry and steal whatever he or she wanted. This was the classic inside job, and the super was caught in the act a few Wiersielis, CPL, CFDI, ore than a quarter y of experience, hav- rked in most phases e trade throughout the ork metropolitan area. MARCH 2014 KEYNOTES 55
