SAFES
Selling Safes – Tips for
Locksmiths from Burton Safes
» WITH THOUSANDS OF MODELS
available in a huge range of sizes, styles
and security ratings – selling safes to the
domestic and commercial market can be
complex, and poses challenges for the
most experienced of locksmiths.
In this guide, Tony Lever, Sales and
Marketing Director at Burton Safes,
provides his top tips for locksmiths when
it comes to selling safes.
From customer trends, sales questions
and stocking tips, to upselling and
installation, the guide is designed to help
you maximise sales, educate customers
on the most appropriate solutions and
improve profitability in your business.
Educating Customers
One of the biggest challenges facing
locksmiths is guiding/educating customers.
Typically, customers have minimal
understanding about what they actually
need when it comes to a safe, and are likely
to have limited knowledge about cash
ratings, certifications and security levels.
The reality is that most domestic
customers choose a safe based on
size, features and price. What they
don’t understand as well is what they
actually need in a safe – and it’s up to the
locksmiths to guide them.
Perhaps the biggest gap in customer
knowledge is certification, and any simply
don’t understand the different insurance
ratings or security levels. Explaining
these in clear terms will ensure that your
With this information in hand, you can
then provide tailored advice in terms of
size, insurance rating, and any additional
requirements (e.g. specialist storage/
features, or fire/flood protection).
3. How much are you
looking to spend?
customers get the right safe to meet their
needs – and won’t come blaming you if
their product selection invalidates their
insurance if they need to make a claim.
5 Questions to Guide
Safe Selection
When helping domestic or commercial
customers to choose a safe, here are our
suggestions of the best questions to ask
your customers, so you can help guide
them on the right purchase.
1. What does your insurance
say you need?
The first thing we need to know from
customers when choosing a safe is what
their insurance requirements are. You
can then start to narrow down the kind
of products they need – whether that’s a
simple £1,000 cash rated safe, or an ultra-
secure Grade 7 commercial model with a
£2.5m jewellery rating.
It’s sensible to ask customers about their
current and future needs – and to provide
a safe with a cash/valuables rating that
provides a bit of leeway. For the majority of
domestic customers, a certified S2, £4,000
cash rated safe will likely suffice, but a
Grade 0 or 1 may future proof their needs.
2. What are you storing inside?
We then need to know what the
customer is planning on storing inside – is
it cash, valuables, electronics or papers?
You’ll also need to know the quantity of
items they will be storing.
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Safes range hugely in price, from simple
£50 solutions, to high security commercial
units and bespoke luxury models costing
£100,000 or more.
Ascertaining the customer’s budget at this
stage will help you to assess requirements,
guide customers and manage expectations in
terms of model, features and security rating.
4. Do you need it installed? (The
answer is almost certainly yes)
Many customers aren’t aware that they
need to have their safes professionally
fitted to a solid floor or wall – and failure
to do this could invalidate their insurance
in the case of a theft.
At this stage, you can then cross sell
your own installation service, or secure
supplier support for heavy/tricky installs.
5. What kind of lock do you want?
There are a number of safe locking
mechanisms available – from keys
and mechanical combinations, to
electronic keypads and biometric locking
mechanisms.
Explaining the different options in
terms of cost, security and practicality will
help your customer to choose the right
option to suit them.
Stocking Tips – What to Stock
What you choose to stock in your own
showroom or stores comes down to your
target market and available space. For
most locksmiths, having a good selection
of products in different sizes, locking
mechanisms and cash ratings is the best
approach.
For locksmiths without a dedicated
showroom, having access to online
and print product brochures is the best
alternative.
MAR/APR 2020
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