Wed Nov 25, 2015 5:04 pm by MBI
Padlocks that take the same keys as common household keyways. In the US ABUS offers padlocks with the same keyways as just about every commonly available household keys.
There are three main keyways used on home locks in my area, so I keep two ABUS padlocks in each of those keyways with my mobile inventory. If I do a lockout or I'm rekeying a home I'll mention how handy it is to have a padlock for a shed, storage unit, trailer or whatever, that is keyed to the same key as their house. That way they don't have to carry a bunch of extra keys on their key ring. It's rare that I will rekey a home and NOT have them buy at least one padlock that's keyed alike to their house after I suggest it.
When you're doing a lockout, or rekeying or replacing a single lock on a home, ask if they've ever had the locks replaced or rekeyed since they moved in. If not, which is usually the case, you can bring up that it might be a good idea to rekey everything since they would likely have no idea how many copies of their house keys might be running around. The old owner's family members might all still have a key to the house and might still be local. Or several neighbors might have keys if they ever watched the home or fed the pets while the former owners were away on vacation. Since you are already there, tell them that it'll save them the $50 trip fee on top of whatever services are purchased, if they go ahead and have you rekey things while you're already there. Or even offer an additional discount on the services since you're already there and have to rekey one of the locks.
I also ask if they ever have a room in the home where they might sometimes want extra privacy, such as the master bedroom or an office. A lot of the time they'll think it over and decide they don't like having their sexy time interrupted (or whatever) and I'll be able to sell them a keyed knob to install on the bedroom door. Explain that while you're rekeying the home, you can also easily masterkey it for them, so that the husband and wife's key will be able to open all the outer doors AND the new bedroom door lock but the kids key will only open the outer door, or back door, or whatever door they want the kids to use for entry. They can also decide if they want everyone's keys to work on the new padlock that you just sold them, or just certain keys. Once again, no extra keys to carry, but they'll have more privacy with the new lock. This will allow you to add a small masterkeying charge of a couple bucks per lock, or whatever.
You can also check to see if there is a sliding glass door or windows that don't latch well. Sales of supplementary locks can mean a few extra bucks in your pocket also. Don't hesitate to point out other ways they can improve their security, even if it doesn't mean extra money for you. It'll help them feel you're really looking out for their security and that they're getting a better value for your service call.
There's more you can do along these lines, but adding up just these few items, it's pretty easy to add a minimum of another $50, $100, or more in add-on sales almost every time you have a residential service call.