Are there some key blanks that simply are worth stocking and other key blanks that are better left in the hands of wholesale warehouses? A properly stocked shop and mobile vehicle are an absolute essential. There are always those rare blanks that are certainly available, but may only be required once in a great while. What are some best practices for stocking the more rare key blanks?
Keep a Key Blank Log
One great way to start looking into what key blanks to keep in stock is to log which blanks are sold. Logging blanks sold can be as simple as a pen and paper record or as advanced as cutting edge computer software and point of sale technology. Over the course of months and years of record keeping, business owners and managers can see which key blanks are being used most frequently. It is good to also keep a log of which key blanks are not sold due to them not being in stock. Locksmiths can always offer a customer to return when the key has come into stock, but lost sales are certain whenever time is of the essence to a customer. Other factors may come into play here, such as the amount of locksmith and key cutting competition is in the area. Customers may be much less likely to walk away at the offer of ordering in out of stock key blanks if there isn’t another competitor just down the road. Wal-Mart and ACE surely aren’t going to be the place when looking for unique blanks. Local locksmiths able to order-in unique blanks will be a much better source for customers.
A Few Other Tips
Aside from keeping a log of blanks, another tip may be to order in a few extra key blanks each time a customer needs an out of stock blank. The profit of one sale may be eaten away by the extra keys, but future blanks will be pure profit. Key blanks can be ordered from CLKSupplies.com at no minimum, so locksmiths can experiment with bringing aboard some new blanks. Buy yours today:
