SCARE TACTICS-MARKETING VIOLATION #2-I'M DOIN IT!

Hi, Vikki here again and it's been too long since I have blogged.

There is no longer any reason to beat around the bush, we have been in business long enough ( 63 years) to worry about educating through scare tactics. There is reason to feel scared and hopefully our reputation of integrity will counteract negative opinion, perhaps not, but I am too old not to say it like it is.
CRIME is real, latest headline of serial rapist on the loose and just read an article yesterday about a homeowner who saw someone suspicious and risked her life chasing down a damn stranger in her car. The prisons have picked up the pace of releasing high risk offenders and if you think they are low risk you head is in in cloud.
I have written about this for a lifetime and the average consumer would rather still believe crime happens to other people than to spend less than their deductible on high security locks that are pick and bump resistant. It is called "real" security , not 'feel good' security and NO, it is not available in the big box stores. It requires calling a calling a security professional (not just any ole locksmith) which first demands your awareness that they exist. And for LORD SAKE, FIRST ask who they are, not how much they cost.
We have had and continue to have a successful run in business and sure, we would like you to call us,but I care more that you care at all even if it means calling someone else.

As always, protecting what you most value (hopefully),
Vikki Flam

RAISE MINIMUM WAGE-TRAINESS WILL NOW 'PAY' FOR TRAINING

Garcetti and all who support raising minimum wage do not address the inpact of the cost of training new employees. Imagine adding overtime to $20.25 on top of that and then waiting at least a year to begin getting back investment. Not possible without government subsidy for small business. 
In our trade, locksmith and security, most of our competition alreay break the law by mis classfying employees as independent contractors and get away with it because there is no money for oversight.
Once again, the ethical business will be hurt along with you, the consumer, who will pay higher prices and negate the benefit of higher minimum wages.
One day there will be no trades, no expertise and only one person mobile trucks without the range of knowledge and product.
How about we start another trade school where the trainee 'pays us" tuition and gives up a paid
Trainee job?

Protecting what you most value,
Vikki

FLAM'S-WHERE EXPENSIVE IS CHEAP!

"There is No Such thing as Cheap or Expensive,But Thinking Makes It So"Shakespeare, if he were alive today.

I am writing this blog today because we have heard  from consumers, on occasion,  that they would choose Flam's Lock and Key if we were not so expensive. What is expensive?

The subject of pricing, no matter what you sell,always has been and always will be,relative.

WHY IS FLAM'S SO EXPENSIVE?

We only 'appear' expensive because our service call is more than 80% of most other locksmith's you may call,but when you compare the bottom line, not the service call line, we are cheaper. 

More important,we choose a higher price point for our trip charge so we can maintain our standards of excellence and stay in business.

Some of these standards that are for your benefit include:

1. Maintaining a shop location and paying rent so we can offer you more choices than a mobile     

    only service. We want you to touch and feel, not just listen over the phone. We also want to   

    offer  products like high security locks because you can only get your proprietary keys cut at a       shop.

    Flam's physical location also allows us to cater to commercial clients, property management

    companies, homeowners associations and quality residential clientel,

 

    We were also raised with old fashion values that taught us that having a physical location lends 

    greater credibility to our reputation and integrity. Sixty years in business proves this advice was

    correct.

2. We believe in hiring the best and most experienced and ethical employees and paying them 

    more. It adds to our cost but less to yours' because they can problem solve and you can trust

    they are a good fit to work in a culture that demands excellence, continuing education and       

    integrity.

    We don't pay them as independent contractors, like most, to avoid paying workers comp

    insurance avoiding matching social security taxes. 

3. We charge what it cost to pay for a truck, insurance, repairs and travel time ( we actually 

     don't charge enough to cover these costs) so we can stay in business and honor your

     warranties.

    WE DO THE RIGHT THING!

5. WE DON'T WANT EVERYONE'S BUSINESS and yes you read that correctly. We choose

    to eliminate price shoppers who have no appreciation for the difference between a locksmith and a

    'security professional' and who are not concerned with the reputation of who hands them there keys.

    These are the consumers who pay the most and learn that 'cheap is expensive'. 

WHY ARE FLAM'S PRICES SO CHEAP?

So now that you know why we may charge more you may wonder why we are less expensive.

1.  We charge enough so you are not ripped off with the lure of a cheap service call which is made

     up by charging you 4 times more for product and labor.

2.  We maintain a location so you can bring things in for repair without needing a trip charge.

3. Remember that standard about paying more for experienced and ethical employees?

    Well, they can repair and not just replace, they will not pretend your lock can't be picked so

    they can make more by replacing it, they will get the job done faster because they can, keeping

    your labor costs down. They can problem solve and tell you the truth because they know about

    more products.

4. We don't send out independent contractors who make commission and don't protect you

    against liability.

5. We maintain our State Contractors license's, require our employee's to have their Consumers

     Affairs License so you know we are not sending criminals or sex offenders. Yes, you read 

     correctly again, most locksmiths do not do background checks. We know of one sex offender

     currently in business and another that employed him for 12 years. 

"There is No Such Thing as Cheap or Expensive, But Thinkng Makes It so"

 There is such a thing as good and bad.

Protecting what you most value!

Vikki Flam