The Locksmith Who Tripled Revenue by Ditching Residential Lockouts
Commercial access control, realtor rekey programs, and auto dealership contracts. Growing a locksmith business beyond lockouts.
Mike ran a locksmith business in Columbus for seven years. Most of his work was residential lockouts: $85 a pop, unpredictable hours, lots of 2 AM calls. He was making about $80,000 a year and burning out fast.
Then he got his access control certification. Started cold-calling property management companies. Within a year, he had eight commercial accounts. His revenue hit $240,000. Two years later: $310,000. Same truck. Same tools. Completely different business.
The residential lockout is the job most people associate with locksmiths. It is also the worst job in the trade. Low ticket, high competition, brutal hours, and a customer who resents paying you because they feel stupid for locking themselves out. The real money in locksmithing is in everything else.
Google LSA Is 70% of Emergency Calls
For residential lockouts (which you will still get, and should still take), Google Local Services Ads is the dominant channel. An estimated 70% of residential locksmith calls in major metros come through LSA or the Google Map Pack.
The reason is pure urgency. Nobody bookmarks a locksmith. When they are locked out, they search, they call the first result with a Google Guaranteed badge, and they wait.
Getting into the top three on LSA requires the same formula as every other emergency trade: review volume (aim for 75+), response speed (answer every call or call back within two minutes), and verified credentials. ALOA certification helps with the Google verification process and gives you a trust edge over unverified competitors.
But here is the key insight: LSA is necessary for emergencies, but it is not where the real growth comes from. The real growth comes from non-emergency work where you are not competing with 15 other locksmiths for the same panicked customer.
Realtor Rekey Programs
Every home sale needs a rekey. Every single one. Yet most locksmiths wait for the call instead of building the pipeline.
Create a "Move-In Rekey Package." Whole-house rekey (every exterior lock, deadbolt check, and new keys) for $99 flat. Pitch it to every real estate agent in your area as a closing gift they can offer buyers, or a service they recommend as standard practice.
The economics are simple: a whole-house rekey takes 30-45 minutes. Your material cost is $15-$20 in pins and keys. At $99, you are making $80+ per job with zero acquisition cost once the agent relationship is established. And every rekey puts you in a home where you can say, "While I am here, these locks are builder-grade. Would you like me to quote you on upgrading to smart locks?"
One locksmith in Denver built relationships with 12 real estate agents. He does 8-10 rekeys per month from those relationships alone. That is $800-$1,000 in monthly revenue from a channel that costs him nothing to maintain.
Auto Dealership Contracts
Car dealerships need transponder keys and key fob programming constantly. Trade-ins come in without spare keys. Lost keys need replacement. New key fobs need programming. This is steady, high-margin work that most locksmiths never pursue.
A single dealership contract can be worth $2,000-$5,000 per month. The key is offering on-site service; the dealer does not want to tow cars to your shop. Show up with your programming equipment, handle the job in 15-20 minutes, and invoice monthly.
Start with independent used car dealers. They are easier to reach than franchise dealers and more price-sensitive (which works in your favor over dealer-direct key services). Once you have three to four dealer accounts on your resume, approach the franchise dealers.
The pitch: "Your service department charges customers $350 for a replacement key fob. I can do it on-site for $180, same day. You keep your customers happy and free up a service bay."
Property Management Cold Outreach
Property managers need locksmiths constantly. Tenant lockouts, unit turnovers, master key systems, lock replacements. A single property management company with 100+ units can generate $10,000-$20,000 per year in locksmith work.
Most locksmiths wait for these calls to come in. The ones who grow fast go get them.
Build a target list of every property management company within a 30-minute drive. Send a one-page letter: your company, your credentials, your response time guarantee, and your preferred vendor pricing (10-15% below retail). Follow up with a phone call one week later. Offer a free security audit of one property as a trial.
The conversion rate on this outreach is surprisingly high (15-20%) because property managers are always looking for reliable vendors and most locksmiths never bother to reach out proactively. Be the one who does.