Conceptos de la arquitectura del software para redes de sensores inalámbricos

What you’ll need in terms of support/service materials will obviously depend on the scope of your business plans. If you work for someone else, you may need nothing but your knowledge and skills, and perhaps your own set of tools. If you plan to offer your services part-time or on a limited scale as part of another business (carpentry, perhaps), you’ll need tools, a certain amount of replacement parts (assuming that you figure out where your service might be most in demand), and perhaps a small amount of supplies like locks.

On the other hand, if you decide to open your own busi-ness—on-site or mobile—you’ll need to invest in start-up materials and establish an adequate inventory.

Start-Up

You know that you’ll need all the basic start-up materials that every businessperson needs: phones, furniture, business sup-plies, insurance, licensing and permits where appropriate, an accounting system, and an advertising plan and budget. In short, you need a complete business plan.

You’ll have your tools from your ICS Professional Locksmith Course. You know that you can gather some parts from used, broken, or discarded locks and security systems. (Your

friends and relatives can help you assemble a good supply of replacement parts.) And by now you know that if you plan to cut keys, you’ll need a key cutting machine—stationary or portable—and a variety of blanks, perhaps on a display stand or rack. If you plan to sell locks and other security

de-vices—alarm systems, smoke detectors, lighting—you’ll have to do some research to discover what “sells.” This means con-tacting local suppliers and distributors and major manufac-turers and asking them to help you track security demands for the past 10 years or so (about the life span of some devices).

Contact salespersons for the items you wish to offer. They’re always willing to help a potential customer and they can pro-vide you with a lot of marketing information. You’ll have to determine how much inventory your business plan and budget will allow you to purchase.

Inventory

Every business needs some kind of material in order to oper-ate successfully. This is especially true of retail businesses, which need inventory to sell to customers. And while lock-smithing is in many respects primarily a service industry—that is, you’re selling your abilities and knowledge—you’ll also make money operating as a retail business, selling locks, keys, alarms, and all the other items you’ve learned about.

Managing and regulating your inventory is important be-cause inventory controls the cash flow in your business. How does this happen? Well, buying too much inventory ties up your cash; and if the inventory is slow-moving merchandise, the cash you bought it with is unavailable until that merchan-dise is sold. Additionally, the space these items are taking up in your shop is unavailable for other purposes. (Hence, the importance of up-front research.)

On the other hand, if you purchase too little inventory, you won’t have the merchandise your customers want—they’ll learn to turn to your competitors for those items and you’ll lose their business (Figure 9).

Tracking inventory in a small shop is just as important as tracking inventory in a large shop. As a matter of fact, it’s

FIGURE 9— It’s beneficial to have a well-stocked inventory of items frequently used. Tools and parts can be ordered from supply catalogs or distributors.

probably more difficult, since a small shop has less space for large amounts of inventory.

You should keep a constant eye on your inventory. If some-thing doesn’t turn over quickly enough, consider marking the price down to the extent necessary and get rid of it.

Investing your money in something that doesn’t sell is fool-ish. Get what you can from it and reinvest your dollars in something that’s readily saleable and profitable.

Obviously, if you have extremely limited financial resources, you won’t be able to offer a vast inventory on your shelves.

In such a case, spend your limited resources on the items that are most popular, but make sure you let the customer know that you can order something if he or she doesn’t see it in your shop. If you can, offer products in different price ranges to maximize customer coverage.

Even if a particular product is in demand and readily avail-able, before you take the plunge to go out and buy it, first de-termine whether or not you can sell it profitably and quickly.

Having your money tied up for long periods of time in slow moving merchandise, or letting your customers pay for their goods on drawn-out time arrangements, can have serious consequences on your cash flow. One procedure that can help you avoid rocky spots in the cash stream is to keep col-lected money, such as sales tax or withheld income tax, in a separate bank account to avoid spending it accidentally. Not being able to pay this money at the required time will get you into trouble with the law fast.

As far as purchasing goes, many distributors offer quantity discounts for high-volume purchases. Usually these quantity discounts “kick in” at anywhere from five to ten items for major purchases, with higher ceilings applicable for smaller items. For items which can turn a quick profit, volume pur-chases are desirable, provided that you have the necessary financial resources available.

Most often, distributors aren’t located in your geographic area. As a result, your order will be shipped to you, usually through UPS or, in the case of shipments which exceed UPS’s weight limits, by drop shipment from an appropriate freight line. Some distributors or individuals base freight charges on the dollar amount of your order, or they’ll even pay the entire

freight cost to your door. In other cases, you’ll be responsible for actual freight costs once the goods are delivered to you.

Also, when you order goods from a distributor who isn’t in your local area, the method of payment becomes a very im-portant consideration. Many distributors or individuals will accept your order Cash On Delivery (C.O.D.) for a slight ad-ditional charge. This is an extremely safe method of payment, as you pay for the goods only if they’re actually delivered to you. Thus, you aren’t at the mercy of the seller concerning whether the goods are actually in stock at the time you order them, or, in the case of con artists, whether the goods ever even existed.

The next best method of payment is a money order or certi-fied or cashier’s check. These are readily accepted by sellers, unlike personal checks, because they know the funds are guaranteed available. However, payment by such methods doesn’t provide the protection that C.O.D. payments do. For example, if you were to pay by a post office money order for goods, and the goods were never delivered, your only hope is that the post office or law enforcement officials can track down the person who cheated you. If they can’t, you’ll most likely never recover your money.

While most dealers buy from several distributors, they usu-ally concentrate on one or two for a good percentage of their purchases. Choosing a distributor is usually based on several factors, including geographic location, price, inventory availabil-ity, and service. All of these factors should be considered.

For example, if you choose a distributor solely on the basis of price, but that distributor rarely has the inventory on hand to satisfy your needs, you might be better off with a distributor who charges more, but who always has the goods on hand.

In addition, if all other things are equal, a distributor who pro-vides you with prompt, courteous service is obviously more de-sirable than one with a carefree attitude who’s slow to respond.

As is the case when choosing an accountant, an attorney, a banker, or an insurance salesperson, select a distributor with whom you can become familiar and comfortable.

There’s no substitute for a good personal relationship with someone with whom you do business. This can pay off in many ways as time goes by. For example, if your distributor gets in an item which is in short supply, having a personal

relationship with a sales representative may enable you to get these hard-toget goods when others can’t.

In dealing with a distributor, first verify whether the price listed for the item you want is indeed the most current one. Often, dis-tributors change prices and even offer short-term “super spe-cials” in order to increase sales. Some of these deals come from the manufacturer, some come from the distributor.

Nevertheless, it always pays to ask if there are any specials available on the products in which you’re interested or on a similar product which you may have overlooked due to its higher advertised price.

Any time you order a product from a distributor, make sure that the goods are indeed ready and available for shipment.

All too often a distributor advertises a product with a supply on hand insufficient to meet expected demand. As a result, you may be placing an order for what you believe to be a really great deal, but you don’t receive the product until sev-eral weeks or months later. That lost time is better spent stocking and selling goods on which you can make a quick profit.

Finally, any time you place an order with a distributor you should try to determine how quickly your order will be proc-essed and the goods shipped to you. Some distributors offer

“same day” service while others may take several weeks to process an order. Know what you’re getting into at the time you place the order. Doing so avoids needless uncertainty and worry.