jb5580 Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I never call before delivering when using a charity locator. Generally, I don't think it's a good idea. But, in your case, it was good that you did. I ran into these types of situations all the time. Instead of calling before delivering, I just quit using Kickstart. Wasted trips are bound to happen with any phone-locator for charity machines. But, I have experienced a lot less of these since I stopped ordering through Kickstart. Locators R Us has you call the location to verify and set up a delivery time.I think it's a good idea because you find out right then if the location really wants it there or if an assistant manager that has no say so told the locator to bring the machine up, just to find out when you get there that the REAL manager or owner doesn't want any part of it. We pay these locators for locations not leads. And quite frankly, if the business owner tells them over and over he has no room for another machine, and they send this to you as a location-thats not even a lead or a location. Thats just a waste of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Locators R Us has you call the location to verify and set up a delivery time. We pay these locators for locations not leads. How do you define the term "lead"? Generally, if you HAVE to call the location prior to delivery, you are getting LEADS not LOCATIONS. You are setting up the time and verifying the work done by your locator. If that's not a lead, I don't know what it is. It sure is not a location as defined by the common expectations of bulk vendors. As your 2nd quote above states, "we pay these locators for locations". I would not pay a locator if I'm going to do the most important parts of the locating job for them. Namely, ensuring the location knows what type of machine I'm delivering (bulk vs other types), making sure the location knows the type of vending (charity vs commission), AND making sure the correct decision maker gives the OK. On a side note..... Here's an interesting issue for those having to call "locations" from their locator prior to delivery: If you call your "location" given to you by your locator and find the locator got their "OK" from the WRONG decision maker. Do you still owe the locator their fee? If so, what are you paying for? It will have been you that explained your machines/service to the right person. And you that sold them on the idea of your charity vending machines. And you that got the appropriate "OK". Just wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb5580 Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 How do you define the term "lead"? Generally, if you HAVE to call the location prior to delivery, you are getting LEADS not LOCATIONS. You are setting up the time and verifying the work done by your locator. If that's not a lead, I don't know what it is. It sure is not a location as defined by the common expectations of bulk vendors. As your 2nd quote above states, "we pay these locators for locations". I would not pay a locator if I'm going to do the most important parts of the locating job for them. Namely, ensuring the location knows what type of machine I'm delivering (bulk vs other types), making sure the location knows the type of vending (charity vs commission), AND making sure the correct decision maker gives the OK. On a side note..... Here's an interesting issue for those having to call "locations" from their locator prior to delivery: If you call your "location" given to you by your locator and find the locator got their "OK" from the WRONG decision maker. Do you still owe the locator their fee? If so, what are you paying for? It will have been you that explained your machines/service to the right person. And you that sold them on the idea of your charity vending machines. And you that got the appropriate "OK". Just wondering. The 2 I got from LRU so far went very well. I called, asked for the person LRU gave me, verified I was coming up with the candy/GB machine at the time they wanted, and then delivered the machine. The good thing about doing it that way was there were no suprises. I don't feel I had to resell them with a whole pitch so I don't really think it was a lead, just verifying delivery time. If I call up and the locator got an okay for the wrong person, no I don't have to pay for that location, the machine didn't get placed, they just move on and find a new one. Calling to verify for me anyway is alot less of a hassle then wasting my time, energy, and gas going up to the location without calling, walking in, and the people looking at you like your crazy, and rejecting the machine. To each there own though, this is how I'm going to do it from now on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 If I call up and the locator got an okay for the wrong person, no I don't have to pay for that location, the machine didn't get placed, they just move on and find a new one. So you wouldn't try to get an "OK" from the right person while you have them on the phone? You'd just let it go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb5580 Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 So you wouldn't try to get an "OK" from the right person while you have them on the phone? You'd just let it go? Yes, I do try to get an okay from them, but in these recent cases the owner has not been happy in the first place, out right mad in some. I do see what your trying to say, If I convince one of these owners/managers into letting me place my machine then I did do most of the work. Still, I'm very busy with my other jobs so I need locators to locate for me so If I'm going to save time and money by making a 1 minute phone call to verify placement, thats what I have to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Coast Vend LLC Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 JB, I think you are doing the right thing. Always call first and confirm before driving there with the machine. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainor5251 Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 LRU sent me three more today all look promising, hopefully I will get last 2 before I go place Thursday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb5580 Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Kickstart is really working hard to fire locations to me, I placed one Mexican Rest. today. The other 2 they emailed me are a popular sports bar that I really hope goes through(suppose to place it Friday), and another well know Chicken Rest. I will post the results of these placements on Friday. After a not so good start, Kickstart Rob has his team working hard for me. I have just been making calls to the locations before going out to them to make sure the owner/manager wants the machine in their business, this has saved me 4 or 5 trips out that would have been rejected at the door. Nothing from LRU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Kickstart is really working hard to fire locations to me, I placed one Mexican Rest. today. The other 2 they emailed me are a popular sports bar that I really hope goes through(suppose to place it Friday), and another well know Chicken Rest. I will post the results of these placements on Friday. After a not so good start, Kickstart Rob has his team working hard for me. I have just been making calls to the locations before going out to them to make sure the owner/manager wants the machine in their business, this has saved me 4 or 5 trips out that would have been rejected at the door. Nothing from LRU. That's great. Those locations sound like they've got some good potential. Just to clarify: You have gotten 4-5 false referrals from Kickstart? How many real referrals have you gotten. Just wondering what the ratio is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb5580 Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 That's great. Those locations sound like they've got some good potential. Just to clarify: You have gotten 4-5 false referrals from Kickstart? How many real referrals have you gotten. Just wondering what the ratio is. My order was for 3 Platinum triples(Restaurant upgrade) placed on 12/05/11. I had been out to the first 2 locations that rejected the machines when I arrived. Then I vowed to myself to call all locations before going out to place them. I then got turned down over the phone by 2, and 1 the business was closed when I called the phone #. So the ratio is 5:1 false to good locations so far. This will go up to 5:3 if these machines go in on Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 My order was for 3 Platinum triples(Restaurant upgrade) placed on 12/05/11. I had been out to the first 2 locations that rejected the machines when I arrived. Then I vowed to myself to call all locations before going out to place them. I then got turned down over the phone by 2, and 1 the business was closed when I called the phone #. So the ratio is 5:1 false to good locations so far. This will go up to 5:3 if these machines go in on Friday. FIVE false locations for every ONE good location? Jeez...I guess things haven't changed for the better since I quit using Kickstart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Kickstart is really working hard to fire locations to me, I placed one Mexican Rest. today. The other 2 they emailed me are a popular sports bar that I really hope goes through(suppose to place it Friday), and another well know Chicken Rest. I will post the results of these placements on Friday. After a not so good start, Kickstart Rob has his team working hard for me. I have just been making calls to the locations before going out to them to make sure the owner/manager wants the machine in their business, this has saved me 4 or 5 trips out that would have been rejected at the door. Nothing from LRU. Is the sports bar a chain? If so, it may get booted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLM Vending Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 FIVE false locations for every ONE good location? Jeez...I guess things haven't changed for the better since I quit using Kickstart. Yes 3 to 5 for every ONE is about right. Most of the time when i show up, the manager is clueless. Most of them don't even speak English. VERY VERY questionable how they operate. Out of all the locations i got from kickstart, how come not even ONE, not even ONE of the places I placed or tried to place had a guy there that actually can speak english well? Very very questionable. And i just consider the investment lost. I paid so much money and time on gas driving around and around with kickstart. VERY VERy frustrating. They need to understand that when you drive 40 minutes, it better not just be some place that has a 25 percent chance of actually getting in. And on top of that, 70 dollars a spot. I just have to consider the investment lost to an extent and move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb5580 Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Yes 3 to 5 for every ONE is about right. Most of the time when i show up, the manager is clueless. Most of them don't even speak English. VERY VERY questionable how they operate. Out of all the locations i got from kickstart, how come not even ONE, not even ONE of the places I placed or tried to place had a guy there that actually can speak english well? Very very questionable. And i just consider the investment lost. I paid so much money and time on gas driving around and around with kickstart. VERY VERy frustrating. They need to understand that when you drive 40 minutes, it better not just be some place that has a 25 percent chance of actually getting in. And on top of that, 70 dollars a spot. I just have to consider the investment lost to an extent and move on. Im calling all of them before I drive out. I didn't get the Chicken Rest or the sports bar I spoke of in my above post. The Chicken place I called and the owner appologized that his manager said yes but he doesn't allow machines in his business and the sports bar had a 7 head rack right in the front vending the same things I vend so I refused that one. My new calls I make are going to ask if the owner is aware of the machine coming and okay with it and do they currently have any machines in there place. Kickstarts now 7:1 false locations to good locations for me!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLM Vending Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Im calling all of them before I drive out. I didn't get the Chicken Rest or the sports bar I spoke of in my above post. The Chicken place I called and the owner appologized that his manager said yes but he doesn't allow machines in his business and the sports bar had a 7 head rack right in the front vending the same things I vend so I refused that one. My new calls I make are going to ask if the owner is aware of the machine coming and okay with it and do they currently have any machines in there place. Kickstarts now 7:1 false locations to good locations for me!!! It looks like it's not working for you then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Im calling all of them before I drive out. I didn't get the Chicken Rest or the sports bar I spoke of in my above post. The Chicken place I called and the owner appologized that his manager said yes but he doesn't allow machines in his business and the sports bar had a 7 head rack right in the front vending the same things I vend so I refused that one. My new calls I make are going to ask if the owner is aware of the machine coming and okay with it and do they currently have any machines in there place. Kickstarts now 7:1 false locations to good locations for me!!! I'm sorry to hear that. That ratio is far worse than I would have ever guessed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will.vend Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 the sports bar had a 7 head rack right in the front vending the same things I vend so I refused that one. obviously I wasnt there to size up the location but if I got the ok from the owners I would have put my machine in. the rack owner might give lousy service and you could get into commission rack vending sooner than later. I guess paying a locator is to pricey to gamble on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainor5251 Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 Im calling all of them before I drive out. I didn't get the Chicken Rest or the sports bar I spoke of in my above post. The Chicken place I called and the owner appologized that his manager said yes but he doesn't allow machines in his business and the sports bar had a 7 head rack right in the front vending the same things I vend so I refused that one. My new calls I make are going to ask if the owner is aware of the machine coming and okay with it and do they currently have any machines in there place. Kickstarts now 7:1 false locations to good locations for me!!! I have a chain sports bar location that also already has a big rack (I think a 9 way) along with a plush crane and a candy crane and the location still makes me $40-50 a month year round, so don't be too quick to dismiss a location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 obviously I wasnt there to size up the location but if I got the ok from the owners I would have put my machine in. the rack owner might give lousy service and you could get into commission rack vending sooner than later. I guess paying a locator is to pricey to gamble on it. Ditto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 I have a chain sports bar location that also already has a big rack (I think a 9 way) along with a plush crane and a candy crane and the location still makes me $40-50 a month year round, so don't be too quick to dismiss a location. Double Ditto! I don't care how many other machines are in a location. If I get permission and I like the spot, something is going in. Maybe start with 2-for-1 gumballs and runts. Personally, I would start with a shootin hoops. I have a sports bar that started out with a shootin hoops - a very nice fit for a sports bar. The video and rack vendor left. I now have a 6 head rack and a baseball machine in addition to the shootin hoops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 and the sports bar had a 7 head rack right in the front vending the same things I vend so I refused that one. Sports bars can be great spots. You may want to reconsider that decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick505 Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Im calling all of them before I drive out. I didn't get the Chicken Rest or the sports bar I spoke of in my above post. The Chicken place I called and the owner appologized that his manager said yes but he doesn't allow machines in his business and the sports bar had a 7 head rack right in the front vending the same things I vend so I refused that one. My new calls I make are going to ask if the owner is aware of the machine coming and okay with it and do they currently have any machines in there place. Kickstarts now 7:1 false locations to good locations for me!!! Honestly, I think by calling you are giving the location every chance to change their mind and not allow you to place the machine. If these locations are not too far you would be better just showing up with the machine once they are approved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLM Vending Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 jj5580, don't call the businesses. If you do that, why are you using a locator? Just show up. If rob is not working for you, then don't do it if it takes you 7 times to locate a spot. PM me if you need something more consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick505 Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 LRU sent me a replacement for a location I refused, the location is called "Coffee Break", I bet that place is full of kids jacked up on caffeine! Whats your thoughts? Just curious why there would be a lot of kids at this coffee shop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvending Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 LRU sent me a replacement for a location I refused, the location is called "Coffee Break", I bet that place is full of kids jacked up on caffeine! Whats your thoughts? As strange as It may sound, I do have a coffee shop with gumballs and refresh. I had it a couple of years and it always does 20.00 a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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