Breaking Into Cars for a Living...The Ten Vehicles Most Often Stolen by Car Thieves

Ten Vehicles Most Often Stolen by Car Thieves

Model: Honda Accord

Total thefts: 58,596
Most frequently stolen model years: 1990-1997

Model: Honda Civic

Total thefts: 47,037
Most frequently stolen model years: 1990-2000

Model: Ford full-size pickup

Total thefts: 26,770
Most frequently stolen model years: 1997, 1999, 2000-2008

Model: Chevrolet full-size pickup

Total thefts: 23,745
Most frequently stolen model years: 1992-1997, 1999-2001, 2003- 2004, 2007

Model: Toyota Camry

Total thefts: 16,251
Most frequently stolen model years: 1989-1991

Model: Dodge Caravan

Total thefts: 11,799
Most frequently stolen model years: 1997-2003

Model: Dodge full-size pickup

Total thefts: 11,755
Most frequently stolen model years: 2001-2005

Model: Acura Integra

Total thefts: 9,555
Most frequently stolen model years: 1994-1996

Model: Nissan Altima

Total thefts: 9,169
Most frequently stolen model years: 1997

Model: Nissan Maxima

Total thefts: 6,947
Most frequently stolen model years: 1996

Courtesy of: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/10-vehicles-most-often-stolen-car-thieves.aspx#ixzz2j7oD7T1d
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Need help setting up a Google Adwords account for your lockout or locksmith service?
Check out our new book “Breaking Into Cars for a Living”, now available for kindle @ www.amazon.com/dp/B00FG8S1XE or visit us @ www.MrQuickPick.com.
www.QuickPick.net. www.QuickPickLockout.com. 

Breaking Into Cars for a Living...The Most Difficult Cars to Break Into!

I guess I "broke into" my first car (literally, my first car) in the late 70's or early 80's. It was a 1977 Oldsmobile Delta 88 and it was my own car, so technically I guess I wasn't "breaking in", (in fact, if you're actually "breaking" anything, you're probably not doing it right). Back then, when you locked your keys in your car, you fished them out yourself. At least that's what we did. Usually with a coat hanger, straightened out into a rod with a little loop at the end. It was kinda fun actually. Who would ever have thought you could one day make a living at it.
 Now as a "lockout professional", I've unlocked thousands of cars, trucks, big rigs...you name it. Only a handful of small damages, all within my first six months or so (the learning curve). Most vehicles provide very little challenge anymore, and can normally be unlocked within seconds. But occasionally, just when you start to feel invincible, you run into one of "those" lockouts. The one's that can take more than "a few seconds".

The following are, what I consider, some of the more difficult vehicles to "break into":

1. Honda Civic: As easy (and opposite) as the Accord is to unlock, the Civic has been my challenge. I'm talking about the newer Civics, not the one with the pull-up knob (like the Accord). The unlock "switch" pushes in instead of pulling out and is normally quite rigid. I have fished keys out of a purse to push the unlock button on the fob to avoid dealing with the switch. Recently I have found using an air wedge at the top of door and sending rod straight down to button provides better leverage and works much better than coming at an angle.
2. Newer Ford Taurus: Ran into the same challenge as above with a 2012 Taurus recently that would not open with handle pull or push button. Plastic molding on door sounded like it wanted to snap. Keys were on seat so I ended up unlocking with the key fob (again). This is usually a last resort procedure for me.
3. Lexus/Avalon w/auto-lock: These are not a problem anymore but did take some getting used to. It's all about the timing, as the "unlock" will immediately "relock" and you have about half a second to pull the door handle (normally while the car alarm is going off!). Someone once told me that the rear door locks give you about twice as much time before they" relock". Not sure if that's actually the case. Someone let us know.
4. BMW w/deadlock: I used to turn down the BMW's unless the keys were in the ignition, fearing the dreaded deadlocking system. Have actually only run into it a few times and most beamers were fairly easy to unlock via push button or key fob. Included on my list only because of the deadlock possibility.
5. Older Mercedes with dead battery: The ONLY vehicle I was unable to open. Tried everything I knew. Even Googled it that evening and came back the next day. Wish I could remember the model but it had pull up knobs that wouldn't pull up because battery was dead. Couldn't get hood up to charge battery. Actually had the key but would not work with dead battery? Not sure whatever happened with that.
6. Jeep Wrangler hard-top: These used to slow me down every time. I'd use my z-tool to locate what I thought was the correct rod, once stubbornly searching for over an hour. Finally went back to the air wedge. How about 2? Two air wedges at the top of door will allow you to get a reach rod down to unlock button. Last Wrangler only took about 30 seconds.
These are the vehicles I have found to present the most challenge in my years of running a lockout service. Maybe yours are different? If you have vehicles to add or suggestions and helpful tips, please share.

Need help setting up a Google Adwords account for your lockout or locksmith service?
Check out our new book “Breaking Into Cars for a Living”, now available for kindle @ www.amazon.com/dp/B00FG8S1XE or visit us @ www.MrQuickPick.com.
www.QuickPick.net. www.QuickPickLockout.com. 

Yellow Page Ads are a Complete Waste of Money for this Lockout Locksmith Service

Pay-per-click advertising, such as Google Adwords, is the most effective form of advertising for an emergency service such as lockout locksmith. As irrelevant as phone books have become, they are even more so in a situation where time is of the essence.

So you're at the local mall and, finished with your shopping, you get back to your car only to discover that your keys are locked inside. What will you do next? Walk back to the mall and hope to find the customer service desk (if they still have one of those) and a phone book (if they still have one of those)?

Of course not! If you're like almost everyone else on the planet, you have a smart phone. If not, you will see someone walking by with one of these devices and ask for help. You will then use the Google app to search for one of the following: "Locksmith" "locked out" "keys in car" "unlock car" ... you get the picture. And it doesn't have to be at the mall. Even at your home or business, you will more than likely step over the phone book to get on the computer or smart phone and search Google for help.

Sorry Yellow, that's just the way it is, at least for this lockout locksmith business, where our customers are in an emergency situation of sorts. They need help and they need it NOW. For other businesses, this may not necessarily be the case. I have a friend, for instance, who runs a computer repair service. He still does get a good bit of business from the phone books which makes sense, as when your computer doesn't work and you may have to RESORT to finding and using a phone book. But other than a few rare examples (and old-school holdouts), these books continue to be on the way out and a complete waste of money for advertisers.

Still, to their dying breath, Yellow will argue that these books still have a great ROI and offer other marketing programs that are most beneficial... like their app! Really? I have NEVER had a customer tell me that they Googled "yellow pages" first and then searched for and found us there. Sorry, that just doesn't happen. In the end, you have been caught sleeping at the techno-wheel and Google has taken all of your business and customers. Similar to other obsolete companies, like Kodak, you snoozed and you have completely lost your market dominance. Now go rest in peace.

Need help setting up a Google Adwords account for your lockout or locksmith service?
Check out our new book “Breaking Into Cars for a Living”, now available for kindle @ www.amazon.com/dp/B00FG8S1XE or visit us @ www.MrQuickPick.com.
www.QuickPick.net. www.QuickPickLockout.com. 

Using Google Adwords to Promote Your Lockout Locksmith Service

Negative Keywords and Negative Locations Positively Save You Money

If you have a successful lockout or locksmith business you are probably already using Google Adwords. If not, you should be. Adwords is Google's pay-per-click advertising (ads that show up at the top of their search screens). We started using Adwords (and stopped advertising in the yellow pages) about five years ago and never looked back. Phone books may still have some benefit for a full service locksmith company, but a mobile "lockout-only" service should consider it a waste of money. No one is looking for a phone book when they lock their keys in their car. They just aren't. They are grabbing the nearest computer, ipad or smart phone and Googling for assistance (or calling a friend to do one of the above).

We spend right around $1000 a month on our current campaigns. It used to be much higher but, through the years (and the many Google "enhancements"), you eventually learn a trick or two that can save you a bit of money over time. Sometimes quite a bit of money. And while you can learn a lot from the many (many) pages and wealth of online instructions for setting up a "successful advertising campaign", nothing gets you up to speed faster than the traditional "school of hard knocks".

Nothing gets your attention quicker than a $30 "click" for a call asking for help with something you don't even do (can you open my grandma's safe?). Get a few of those clicks in a day and you'll quickly realize why Google's stock price is currently over $1000 per share (GOOG $1036.24, yesterday's close). Very frustrating; been there and done that. But remember, it's all about your average cost per click (CPC) and, done properly, Adwords can provide a much higher return and pin-point control of your advertising dollars than any other form of advertising. Don't let the SEO/SEM salespeople fool you with their promises of "top billing". They may be able to help you get ahead organically, but nothing beats an ad at the top of the search page. And nothing gets you on top of the Google search page but Adwords. (Bing never made my phone ring).

One of the biggest "tips" we have implemented is the use of negative keywords and negative locations.
Don't want those calls asking you to unlock grandma's safe? Add "safe" and "unlock safe" to your list of negative keywords. This ensures that when someone searches Google for "unlock my safe", your ad does not appear. We currently have a (growing) list of negative keywords (over 100), including words like "how" (no more "how to unlock a car" calls) and "learn" (no more "learn to be a locksmith" calls). You get the picture.

Same goes with negative locations. Why show your ad in areas that you do not even cover, only to have a telemarketer click your ad to call and try to sell you something you don't need (like SEO/SEM plans)? Or a click-happy competitor? I have checked Google "search" while far away on vacation and was surprised to see pay-per-click ads for companies hundreds of miles away. Granted, some larger, full-service companies may see value in multiple location settings. But for a smaller, lockout-only service in a particular city, no good can come from it. Even though you may not have included these other locations in your settings, it is wise to "block" areas you do not want your ads to show. Yes, you may miss the very occasional "out-of-town search to help a friend" in your area, but those calls are few and far between and well worth missing to avoid the possibility of bad calls.
We list every state (other than our's, obviously :) as a negative location. Then include nearby cities within our state that we do not cover. This cut's down on errant calls from areas you do not service and, therefore, your advertising costs. Remember, it's not only about generating good clicks but also avoiding bad clicks that will help to maximize your bottom line.

Need help setting up a Google Adwords account for your lockout or locksmith service?
Check out our new book “Breaking Into Cars for a Living”, now available for kindle @ www.amazon.com/dp/B00FG8S1XE or visit us @ www.MrQuickPick.com.
www.QuickPick.net. www.QuickPickLockout.com. 

Locksmith Scam Artists and Google Adwords

Locked Out? Beware The "$19 Service Call" Bait and Switch

Here's the bait...

"We will come to you for only $19. No locksmith can give you a price over the phone. Seeing what is happening with your individual situation is a must. Some cars have more sophisticated security systems that may take longer to unlock and cost more as well."

Really? You really want to put that out there for real locksmiths to see? Let's break it down, line by line (or lie by lie)...

"We will come to you for only $19"  Yeah, I'm sure you will. I like to call this the EXTRA $19 charge, as it is in addition to what "they" determine the actual work will cost you. It's the old "bait and switch". 

$19 sounds cheap but it's basically what they are charging you just to come out and give a quote. It will be added to the total once the work is completed. Don't like the quote? They still expect you to pay that $19!!

"No locksmith can give you a price over the phone"   Really? A reputable one will, all day and every day. It's called a FREE quote and it's how most real businesses operate. We always give a flat rate "total" over the phone for any lockout service, never a "service call charge, plus labor"!

"Seeing what is happening with your individual situation is a must" There is not a make or model that we haven't "seen". Unlocking a car is like delivering a pizza. Most of the job is driving to the location. The actual work normally takes seconds, if you know what you're doing.

"Some cars have more sophisticated security systems that may take longer to unlock and cost more as well"  Really? Please tell me which one's take longer? And what exactly is a more sophisticated security system? ... "oh wait a minute now, you have one of them there sophisticated security systems that takes longer to unlock" ...whatever!

Reputable locksmiths and lockout professionals know how to do their jobs, how to run their businesses and, most importantly, how to provide honest customer service.

Need help setting up a Google Adwords account for your lockout or locksmith service?
Check out our new book “Breaking Into Cars for a Living”, now available for kindle @ www.amazon.com/dp/B00FG8S1XE or visit us @ www.MrQuickPick.com.
www.QuickPick.net. www.QuickPickLockout.com. 

Honest Locksmiths Competing With The Scam Artists

If You Can't Beat 'em, At Least Don't Join Them!

I've often expressed my gratitude for the internet in leveling the advertising playing field and allowing the smaller budgeted businesses to compete with the deeper pocketed conglomerates. Unfortunately, this situation has also proven quite lucrative for the scam artists in many professions, especially the cash heavy lockout locksmith service. No longer is there the need to commit to a phone book advertisement for 12 months at a time. The scammers can now come and go as they please, posing as local businesses with flashy websites and showing up at the top of most search engines. Masters of the “bait and switch”, they advertise a low “service fee” to attract your attention. But beware! Upon their arrival you will receive the “labor charge”, often 3 or 4 times higher than what would be considered normal. Don’t like the quote? You’re still on the hook for their “service fee”. Sounds like a racket to me!

Lockout and locksmith service is regulated in only a handful of states (Alabama, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington D.C.). But even with regulations, it can be a difficult industry to enforce. Most of these “companies” are not local; in fact, some are even in other countries. They have websites heavy laden with SEO design and utilize pay-per-click advertising, such as Google Adwords and Microsoft’s Bing.

By running an over-priced scam, they have larger budgets and can afford to stay at the top of the search listings with high keyword bids. They recruit “contractors” within their targeted cities (often other locksmiths) to actually perform the work. It can be difficult for a legitimate, “fair priced” business to compete and I personally know locksmiths who have resorted to working for these type of “shell” companies. They claim they are providing a legitimate service with legitimate leads but in reality they are nothing more than a middleman; a shadowy puppet-master driving up the service cost to the consumer and making the once-legit contractor do their dirty work for a percentage. The more they can get away with charging, the higher their cut.

What’s a legitimate company to do? The best way to compete with the locksmith scammers is to stay the course. Let your honest reputation speak for itself. Mention “free quotes” and “flat rate pricing” in your ads. Urge customers to call around and compare total prices! If you can’t afford to stay in the top pay-per-click positions, at least put yourself in the mix at third or fourth place to keep the bidding competitive. And if you can’t beat ‘em, at least don’t join them! Remember, they’re not locksmiths. They are website designers at best, taking business away from you and, upon scamming your customers, selling your business back to you in the form of leads. Yup, sounds like a racket to me!

Need help setting up a Google Adwords account for your lockout or locksmith service?
Check out our new book “Breaking Into Cars for a Living”, now available for kindle @ www.amazon.com/dp/B00FG8S1XE or visit us @ www.MrQuickPick.com.
www.QuickPick.net. www.QuickPickLockout.com. 

Invalid Clicks – The Dark Side of Google Adwords

Battling the Competition With Invalid Clicks!

As great of a marketing tool as Google Adwords is, putting your business out in front of the masses, it can also put your business at risk for fraudulent activity in the form of “invalid” clicks. These clicks can come from a number of sources, including telemarketers, robots, or your competition…okay, especially your competition. Unlike valid clicks, made by legitimate/potential customers, invalid clicks are blatant abuse, resulting in the actual theft of advertising dollars from an unsuspecting business.

Anyone who advertises using pay-per-click, such as Adwords, will undoubtedly check their ad placement on occasion. Some will monitor it daily, some hourly, some constantly. The whole objective is to get as high a position as possible on the first page of the search. There are two sure ways to get to the top of the page: You spend more (by bidding keywords higher) or “they” (your competition) spend less (or at least have less to spend). One way to accomplish the latter is to diminish a competitor’s budget by clicking their ads. I know my competitor’s click my ads (there are ways of knowing exactly who/where they are).  

No one has more to gain by clicking on your pay-per-click ad than your competitors. In fact, the whole process lends itself to perpetual fraud and abuse, as the recipient of an invalid click (or clickee) will soon become the “clicker”, looking to exact revenge on the guilty party. Not sure who it is? Click on everyone just to be sure (the others have probably clicked you at one time or another anyway). Only problem now is that you just started the whole process all over again, ten-fold. And this is not just an innocent prank or online version of “ring and run” (or doorbell ditch, depending on where you grew up). This is serious business with often serious financial consequences for those caught up in the fray.

More times than I care to remember I have checked my Adwords stats on any given day and watched my phone-specific clicks go from zero to 10, 20 or even more without the phone ringing a single time. Then the numbers may just as quickly retreat, as the Google fraud detection system kicks in and removes the bogus charges.  Did they catch them all? Maybe. Hopefully. Who really knows? You can call Google and ask them, but don’t expect a sympathetic response. They’ll explain the processes they have in place and may run an audit of sorts (just to make you feel good?) but don’t expect to get any kind of refund. The system supposedly gives you the benefit of the doubt if a click seems “questionable”. Sounds good, but even Google can’t really guarantee the validity of anything. And like it or not, through the years, I’m quite sure we’ve paid for many, many an invalid click. Chock it up to the cost of doing business.

In the end, the big winner will always be Google. I only wish I had bought stock in GOOG when it was around $100 per share (Monday’s close: GOOG $1031.55). Being a Google shareholder would at least make the invalid clicks seem less like a bad loss and more like a good investment!

Need help setting up a Google Adwords account for your lockout or locksmith service?
Check out our new book “Breaking Into Cars for a Living”, now available for kindle @ www.amazon.com/dp/B00FG8S1XE or visit us @ www.MrQuickPick.com.
www.QuickPick.net. www.QuickPickLockout.com.