PerformaVending Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 As many of you know, my self-locating record is abysmal at best in recent months. However, I'm having too much fun to call it quits, so whenever I get the opportunity to pitch a place on either a commission or charity machine, I go for it. You kind of have to size places up and guess which approach they'll be more responsive too. However, today was an experience I'll never forget. There is a little Mexican grocery store on a backstreet in a town over. It's a little place, and I was driving by after running my collections, so I decided to give it a shot. It's your typical foreign grocery- everything is stacked in clusters on shelves with products I can't even read, with an distinct scent. They all smell different- not bad per se, but different. The only person there at this time of the morning was a big guy with a big mustache. Sleeveless shirt, scars, tattoos. Very "rough and tumble" looking guy but he's nothing I haven't tried to pitch a machine at before. So, I introduced myself and began my pitch, opting with my "Charity routine". I break into it, and he just stares at me with this really intense, unblinking stare. About the time I get to the end of what the charity does for the community, he (while still staring at me) reaches under the wooden counter, and pulls out a giant survival/hunting knife. So, I'm just breaking into the whole "Here's how YOU can help these kids" bit, and he takes the knife and sticks the tip of the blade in the wooden counter-top, with the end of the handle in his palm, so the knife would rotate very slowly in the counter-top. Now, he hasn't looked away from me for one second, and I'm still going on with my pitch since I've got the whole speech memorized by now. The whole time in the back of my mind I'm thinking "this is going to be on those crime shows someday isn't it?" So, I wrap up, and the guy doesn't say anything. Still twirling a little hole in the counter with his giant knife. He does a little head nod to the door, so I thanked him and left. As fast as I possibly could. I don't think I've ever been so happy to get out of a location in my entire life. Yikes! So, that's the results of my morning locating session- hopefully this afternoon will be less eventful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
English Vending Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 And THAT'S why I always have a gun holstered on my belt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdendy Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 You hit a cultural wall and I will tell you why. I used to live in San Diego for almost 10 years, loved it their and loved visiting Mexico but it's a very different place than the US. They are very poor economically and money is always top priority, and they are also very used to bartering and trading for everything. So next time you hit up a small Mexican grocery the odds are it's owned and run by fairly recent immigrants with that cultural outlook. They are worried about helping their kids more than a charity so roll up, tell them you can make them more money per sq foot than anything else they have in the store and it won't cost them a dime to start or any commitment if they don't like the profits they make with you. Then start the haggling... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 You hit a cultural wall and I will tell you why. I used to live in San Diego for almost 10 years, loved it their and loved visiting Mexico but it's a very different place than the US. They are very poor economically and money is always top priority, and they are also very used to bartering and trading for everything. So next time you hit up a small Mexican grocery the odds are it's owned and run by fairly recent immigrants with that cultural outlook. They are worried about helping their kids more than a charity so roll up, tell them you can make them more money per sq foot than anything else they have in the store and it won't cost them a dime to start or any commitment if they don't like the profits they make with you. Then start the haggling... Now that makes much more sense! Thanks Rdendy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
English Vending Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 You hit a cultural wall and I will tell you why. I used to live in San Diego for almost 10 years, loved it their and loved visiting Mexico but it's a very different place than the US. They are very poor economically and money is always top priority, and they are also very used to bartering and trading for everything. So next time you hit up a small Mexican grocery the odds are it's owned and run by fairly recent immigrants with that cultural outlook. They are worried about helping their kids more than a charity so roll up, tell them you can make them more money per sq foot than anything else they have in the store and it won't cost them a dime to start or any commitment if they don't like the profits they make with you. Then start the haggling... Good point, that'll probably work on non-knife pullers. That guy was a little out of line I'd say Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 Good point, that'll probably work on non-knife pullers. That guy was a little out of line I'd say That's a good point too. No pun intended... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdendy Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Good point, that'll probably work on non-knife pullers. That guy was a little out of line I'd say I'm guessing he his English may not have been the best and he thought he was trying to get rid of a salesman not taking his not so subtle hint. Again it goes back to the culture, make sure he knows right away you are there to help him and he will be more helpful and welcoming is my guess. In fact if you have a lot of these Performa it might be worth your while to write out a thoughtful proposition/offer, translate it into Spanish with Google and then print it out, one side English other side Spanish and if you run into any language barriers give them one them with your business card. Better to have any chance than to leave with no chance. Plus most of these places are owned by business people like most of us, every penny counts and often they are on the tail end of having everything they need. We would make great partners for them and I can see tons of advantages, we just have to get past the cultural and language barriers. Oh and it could have been worse, you could have had to deal with a Billy Ray or Bubba Joe at one of the tiny redneck groceries found all over the south, the also have knives but it's the shotgun that comes out first normally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 That is an awesome idea! Is Google translate very accurate? I don't know very much Spanish at all. Maybe I'll try pitching this place again sometime... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepherdsflock Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I don't know if the Spanish part is the best idea. If you give them a pitch in Spanish and they find out that you don't actually speak Spanish, they might feel a little patronized and have even more motivation to give you the boot (or knife!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdendy Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I don't know if the Spanish part is the best idea. If you give them a pitch in Spanish and they find out that you don't actually speak Spanish, they might feel a little patronized and have even more motivation to give you the boot (or knife!). That is a possibility or they could appreciate that you tried to interact with them in a way that they are comfortable with. Most Hispanics understand when a white guy speaks little to no Spanish. Like any other sales or marketing pitch it could go either way but just turning around and walking away is the same thing as an immediate no because of failure to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I would at least try something translated in spanish. worse comes to worse theyll say no and chase you with a gun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I can't believe what I'm reading. Maybe it's because I work in an emergency services field and interact closely with law enforcement...but "cultural wall" my A$$! A crime was perpetrated against you. Brandishing a weapon and even gesturing non-verbally a threat to use it against someone who doesn't pose an imminent physical threat to you is felony menacing folks. It's a very serious crime. And our advice is translate it to Spanish!?! Rdendy, I don't mean to attack you but a person's safety is at risk here. At WORST, you count your lucky stars and never engage this individual ever again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdendy Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I can't believe what I'm reading. Maybe it's because I work in an emergency services field and interact closely with law enforcement...but "cultural wall" my A$$! A crime was perpetrated against you. Brandishing a weapon and even gesturing non-verbally a threat to use it against someone who doesn't pose an imminent physical threat to you is felony menacing folks. It's a very serious crime. And our advice is translate it to Spanish!?! Rdendy, I don't mean to attack you but a person's safety is at risk here. At WORST, you count your lucky stars and never engage this individual ever again. It's fine but what he was describing while yes dangerous and a crime was meant to run him off. Plus if you're going to be in a business where you do sales, collect money and make negotiations you're going to be put into harms way potentially at some point. I used to do home collections and repo, I have seen a few weapons and dogs over the years, they just arent that big a deal for me I guess, I would rather everyone be safe and stay in there own comfort zone though, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 It's fine but what he was describing while yes dangerous and a crime was meant to run him off. Plus if you're going to be in a business where you do sales, collect money and make negotiations you're going to be put into harms way potentially at some point. I used to do home collections and repo, I have seen a few weapons and dogs over the years, they just arent that big a deal for me I guess, I would rather everyone be safe and stay in there own comfort zone though, I hear ya that it's a personal comfort thing. But if it's a crime that was meant to "run him off", what's the next step after he doesn't run off? It just seems to me like going back and voluntarily re-engaging a person like this is begging for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdendy Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I hear ya that it's a personal comfort thing. But if it's a crime that was meant to "run him off", what's the next step after he doesn't run off? It just seems to me like going back and voluntarily re-engaging a person like this is begging for it I didn't necessarily mean this guy lol, I meant for in the future, although I would go back and look for someone running the joint other than this guy to approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullyfrog Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Yeah, the google translate may be a good idea to try for future use but this guy obviously didn't want you there. Even if he could have understand what you were trying to say, do you really think the language barrier was the only issue? I would move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 maybe you interrupted him robbing the joint, the owner was probably locked up in the walk-in cooler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 maybe you interrupted him robbing the joint, the owner was probably locked up in the walk-in cooler Very possible I suppose. I heard that that had happened to the clerk at a Gyro restaurant a few counties over, so it's not unprecedented. But, I'm with Rick, I don't plan on trying that place again. I don't need to wind up on those "Investigate Discovery" shows! All in all I think I'm almost getting used to this kind of thing though. The knife was a new one for me, but I've been chased out of lots of places by irate people. I'm not new to threats either, but they're pretty sparse. I'm not sure if it's the economy, the territory, or something else entirely, but for a blue collar Midwestern town(s), we sure do have a lot of angry businesses. Oh well, hopefully I don't have to write a sequel to this thread anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKK Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Performa pm me or write a post w ur full script your not doing something right to not be able to locate so much. Just today in 3 hours I hit 20 locations I got 5 bulk 3 coke one snack and 4 good sounds good can you come next week to discuss where I could pplace it and good maybes or let me kick my current guy out he never services. Also atleast 8 or more said no simply because they already had vending machines. I'd say at worst u should get 1 out of ten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 Performa pm me or write a post w ur full script your not doing something right to not be able to locate so much. Just today in 3 hours I hit 20 locations I got 5 bulk 3 coke one snack and 4 good sounds good can you come next week to discuss where I could pplace it and good maybes or let me kick my current guy out he never services. Also atleast 8 or more said no simply because they already had vending machines. I'd say at worst u should get 1 out of ten Sure thing. It's a modified script based off of the framework DogCow and rdendy had collaborated on in the locating section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDVENDING Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Performa pm me or write a post w ur full script your not doing something right to not be able to locate so much. Just today in 3 hours I hit 20 locations I got 5 bulk 3 coke one snack and 4 good sounds good can you come next week to discuss where I could pplace it and good maybes or let me kick my current guy out he never services. Also atleast 8 or more said no simply because they already had vending machines. I'd say at worst u should get 1 out of ten Hey Tkk, since you have such great luck locating maybe you could post to all of us your speech to potential customers. Sounds like you have the winning touch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Hey Tkk, since you have such great luck locating maybe you could post to all of us your speech to potential customers. Sounds like you have the winning touch. After reading a ton about this subject, I'm growing more and more convinced that locating has more to do with attitude, attire, body language, facial expression, etc. than the script itself. More than TKK's script, I'd be interested in a post by him about his general philosophy and the 2-3 most important points he focuses on as early in the diaglogue as possible with a potential client. There's an art and a science to the sales pitch. The script is the science, the nuts-n-bolts. I think where most of us are lacking (and I place myself at the top of that list) is the art of the location pitch. --- ...building on that thought, I sure do wish this forum had the capability of audio uploads. I think I'd actually PAY to hear a half dozen conversations between an adept locator and the business owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 --- ...building on that thought, I sure do wish this forum had the capability of audio uploads. I think I'd actually PAY to hear a half dozen conversations between an adept locator and the business owner. I'll gladly second that motion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDVENDING Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Well said Rick, instead of an audio clip. Somebody could film themselves doing a sales pitch and can post it here. I know I've seen video clips on here somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Great idea JD - video would be even 10 times better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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