Servicing Customers In Halloween Costums?

This is my first year in business. I'm thinking of wearing a Halloween costume as I drive to customers locations to service them. Imagine a grim reaper coming to your front door to repair your locks or install a new lock. I think it would be fun, but what would the customer think? People can be so uptight these days and I would still like to manage a good image for my business. Is it inappropriate to service customers in a costume? Would the consumer be offended by the professionalism of a Locksmith wearing such a thing? I'm a pretty big guy so I'm sure some customers would appreciate the Leonidas outfit, but then again I still could lose the professionalism points. What do you think?

60% Invalid CTR Adwords - Locksmith Chapter

It cracks me up how devious the Locksmith Industry is. I can just see, some lonely man sitting at his computer (and I'm not talking about the reflection I see in my screen) wondering why he didn't get any calls today. He see's my advertising and decides to try and shut me down at 20 bucks a click. What's funny is that I'm a two man locksmith team and these big corporations and businesses are getting threatened by the little guy. Thanks for the compliment! SO, out of 24 hours of running continues Adwords Ads, 60% of my clicks were Fraudulent from competition trying to cost me money and shut me down! If you have read my past blogs you wouldn't be surprised by this. There needs to be some sort of action to this type of behavior. Google needs to set up a connection with the big name internet providers, including mobile, and get this fixed. It's tough enough starting a new business in Michigan. Feel free to leave some feedback!

Better Business Bureau - Scam Alert! Please Read!

Article Below - As a business owner, I try every day to work on making my business better and also respected. Trying to get accepted by the BBB is harder than you'd think. While trying to do some research I found this article. Not only does it tell people about the scams that locksmiths do, but it also mentions some others. It sucks to see this content on the internet for the fact that it's a tough industry to work in, specially in Michigan and that it's true. - I tell customers all the time to be aware of the scams that locksmiths do. Even if they don't choose me, I will always make sure they know who is out there or at least recommend a company that is respected and not fake. Hopefully these business get busted. I've cleaned up too many of these "scam locksmith" companies. Here's an example of my latest encounter. - Customer called a Locksmith company to get a new key for her car because she had lost it. This company she called was Israeli owned. (Israelis are great locksmiths, In Israel. The ones I've encounter here in Detroit are usually connected to the Israeli Locksmith Mafia!)The locksmith came out and cut her a new key for $90.00 with a $30.00 service fee. The customer had a 2006 Pontiac Bonnevile that needed a Transponder Key and the programming of the new key. The Locksmith came out cut the new key and just took the money and left. I actually called the owner and asked him what happened. He said "She only asked for a new key, So I Cut New key and leave" *Israeli accent* She called me in a panic because this new key didn't open her doors or start her vehicle. So not only did she have to have me come out and unlock her vehicle, I had to cut a new key that had a transponder chip in it and then program that key to her vehicle. She had to pay twice for this service not to mention I did all of my services for the same price as the Scam Company. - Hopefully people see this blog, You never know when you'll need a locksmith. When you do, I hope you choose the right one. - http://easternmichigan.bbb.org/article/Locksmith-Scam-a-New-Twist-36539 - Thanks for reading, - Mark Zgagowski - Z's Lockout Service - Owner/Locksmith - www.zlockoutservice.com

Z's Lockout Service - Growing The Business

Have you ever wished or wondered what it would be like to start a business? I'm sure a lot of people think about it. Long days at the office, being away from your family and friends, having to take orders from multiple boss, I could go on forever with this and I'm sure you guys could too. The possibility of me being a business owner never crossed my mind. I always knew that I had it in me, but I never went to collage or made enough money to just go and start a business. Well, one day it hit me. I woke up, rolled out of bed and quite my job. Although I'm still in the same profession, I manage to already have some of the tools of the trade to get the job done. I ended up starting this business out with just $400.00 in my bank account with plenty of bills to pay and a new born son that needed my financial stability. This was a huge risk! That day, I spent hours and hours of research on one of the most important tools that we use every day. That's right, Google! Google can be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you advertise with Google, you probably already know. I ended up starting my locksmith business on Google Places. I never received many calls for the fact that another locksmith had his location on the exact same spot as mine. He overshadowed me tremendously and most likely took 95% of my business. I ended up learning about Adwords Express and the benefits of that, which in the long run was not very good for my business, but It did convert me to Adwords, which so far has been good to me. As I'm establishing my business and building a clientele I ended up making a partnership with that same guy who had his same Google Places location as mine. I also managed to hire my first employee and a technician/helper for my locksmith business. He's young, ambitious, and willing to learn the trade, which is exactly what a new business needs. I honestly hope in the future this business can flourish into something great. Starting a business in Michigan and in these times is near impossible. This business will be the new face of Detroit and we all know Detroit needs to look good.