I have posted about this before but after yesterday I feel inclined to resurrect the topic in this blog. When a business tells you they are about to close to you remove your machine or let it ride in hopes of securing location with new tenants. Yesterday I was driving down the road and seen a car sitting in the parking lot and front door of the biz proped open. It was a vietnamese restaurant that was placed about 2 years ago. After six months the place called and said they were shutting down and to come pick up the machine. Well I thought about it and said piss on it "let it ride". Well after about 6 or 7 months there was a sign on the building that said papa joes coming soon. Papa Joes is a popular restaurant in another town not to far away. So I was stoked about the possibilty of possibly gaining two new accounts, both the new restaurant and the original one about an hour away. Well months went by and they wasn't ever any activity and then the letters were removed from the sign. So at this point if my machine was even still in there I figured the only chance of ever getting it back would be through the real estate leasing agent. Well after a few more months went by I had pretty much forgot about it until yesterday when I drove by. Well end up securing new location with a double head (mints and gum).
My second stop yesterday was gonna be a rack and a 4 col. sticker machine pick up. Hate to chance that much equipment on "letting it ride". I was suppose to meet old owners friend there to let me in so I could retrieve machines. When I got there no one was there yet so I played on my new Galaxy Note 2 until a van pulled up. It turned out to be the new tenants of the building who is opening up another restaurant. After talking to him and his father about the way it works with me providing machines and servicing them free of charge and paying them a commission they wanted the machines to stay. After a little more chit chat they requested an email with other machines I might have available also inquired about a crane. Got to get on the ball and get some of these cranes, already have at least 6 locations they I could put them in, takes money (I don't have right now) to make money I guess.
All in all I have had great success securing new accounts by leaving machines in closing businesses, not saying these ,ocations couldn't have been secured without old equipment already being in place but I think it did make it alot easier. So in the future I will continue to "let it ride"!