Battle of the Locators

[adog]

I am starting this thread in order to share my experiences with locators. So far I have been working with

Day #1 April 9th, 2013

Locator's R Us: two doubles, three triples.

I told them to start my order this past monday, April 8th. So far I have received no locations yet. We will see how they do. Like wise I will also be bringing in either first choice or kickstart most likely next week to add some competition. I am trying to grow my business as fast as I can and since I am a full time college student and my schedule is all over I think this is the best way to start. This summer I will also be adding some self locating. Also when i get some free time I may try to train some in person locators. Which ever services do best will earn my business. I will keep you guys posted on my results.

-Austin

[deee_z]

Where are you located?

[sherlock]

Good luck adog.

I look forward to your progress.

These types of threads are always an interesting read.

[adog]

I am located in southern California and thanks Sherlock I appreciate it! I also find these threads very interesting so I decided to start my own. Plus I am located in different areas from other threads and I am just starting out so it will be interesting to see how it goes! I will be writing my day by day experience with locators!

[shepherdsflock]

Good luck with LRU. They told me that their VOIP is barred from my area and that's why they can't fill my order. I don't know if they're barred from my area because they've been identified as scammers or what. I've never heard of anything like being "barred" from an area's phone network.

[Locators R Us]

Good luck with LRU. They told me that their VOIP is barred from my area and that's why they can't fill my order. I don't know if they're barred from my area because they've been identified as scammers or what. I've never heard of anything like being "barred" from an area's phone network.

I'm wondering where the term scammers came from. The fact, that we don't accept orders more than 10, and we only asked 50% for upfront payment, we haven't billed anyone yet since January, we have a lots of collectibles and waiting for other vendors to report their placement. I don't think that we are just after your money. So, spare us the scammer term.

From the start, you all know that we are from the Philippines, and we are using VOIP. As you know, not all voip providers has the same route and perfect. There are some phone lines that WOULD NOT accept voip calls, you may google it if you want, so that you will have idea that being barred from area's phone network is NORMAL when you are using voip.

-Gale

[adog]

Day #2

Locators R Us: So far nothing. However sometimes they do email locations over later in the day! 0/6 locations filled!

I have contacted kickstart and looks like they are going to be stepping into the game next week as well. I will be placing three locations with kickstart. Wonder if LRU will live up to their glorious record?

[adog]

Like wise, please do not get off topic or high jack the thread!!

Thanks -Austin

[Erosenlieb]

Well so far LRU has been Good for me. They hand me about 2-3 locations every 10 days. That is about how fast i can grow so that make me happy.

At the start they said they couldnt help but came around.

[shepherdsflock]

I'm wondering where the term scammers came from. The fact, that we don't accept orders more than 10, and we only asked 50% for upfront payment, we haven't billed anyone yet since January, we have a lots of collectibles and waiting for other vendors to report their placement. I don't think that we are just after your money. So, spare us the scammer term.

From the start, you all know that we are from the Philippines, and we are using VOIP. As you know, not all voip providers has the same route and perfect. There are some phone lines that WOULD NOT accept voip calls, you may google it if you want, so that you will have idea that being barred from area's phone network is NORMAL when you are using voip.

-Gale

No, I did not know about the intricacies of VOIP systems when I placed the order. I left it up to you and your business to understand the infrastructure that you use to conduct your business and fill my order. I shouldn't have to know how VOIP phone systems work. I run a bulk vending business, I have no need to know how phone systems work. That's your business. Googling it will only serve to educate me right now. Google is not a magic time machine that can take me back in time so I can tell my past self not to place an order with your company.

But, I will give Amanda credit for finally getting my name right in her emails. It took a long time, but she finally quit calling me Jason.

[adog]

Day #3 of this thread and still no locations. LRU actually started looking for locations on monday so this is actually the fourth day they have been looking for me.

Locator R Us: 0/6

I'm not sure what is going on over there but hopefully they step it up. So far disappointed but we shall see if they can turn up some good locations! I also contacted Kickstart and talked to Rob and they will be starting to locate for me hopefully monday. I am looking forward to adding another locating business into this competition! Anyone know any other good locators in southern California?

[Lake Cities Vending]

They have always been good to me, in fact sometimes I have a hard time getting machines out as fast as they send me locations.

[dogcow]

Pam markovitz works socal she is expensive but very good from what I heard

[adog]

Day #2 To my surprise I received an email today from Locator R' Us in which they sent me two new locations. Both are auto shops in which I believe are relatively close so I am very happy about that. Also I believe they could have potential since people have to wait for an oil change or sometimes work to be done (tire change, etc.). I will see if they hit my minimum monthly income of about 15-20 depending on what type of machine it is. I will be dropping them off on Monday so we will see if the business will accept them. I'll keep you guys posted.

Also Kick Start will be joining the race next week! However so far I am relatively impressed with Locators R Us. I can deal with two locations for this week since the business are pretty close and now way off in the boonies

Ps. Thanks Dog Cow! I looked her up on Vendiscuss and it seems she is really good. However her prices seem pretty expensive as well! 100 bucks for a single gumball machine is a little to steep for me at this moment! Maybe when I get a rack or something i could look into her more as an option!

[Lake Cities Vending]

Does anybody know how to contact Pam markovitz?

[GagesVending]

Does anybody know how to contact Pam markovitz?

Check Craigslist. When she was in the Portland area, she had an ad for vending locations. She travels all over. The Portland, OR ad is now gone, so I can't find her number there, but check your local Craigslist.

[adog]

Day #5

No new leads on any locations from locator R Us however I must say they truly did impress me today. My GPS on my iPhone could not find the address so I asked them to verify and they actually called the business for me and verified it. I also swung by the other auto place however the owner was not there and the employee was afraid to take it. I asked them to call again as well to verify and make sure it was okay and they had the assistant manager this time ask the owner and he said it was okayed! We will see tomorrow how it goes actually dropping off the machines. I am hoping to go 2 for 2 but we will see. Might do an hour of self locating to.

I am hoping Kick Start will start looking tomorrow. We had a little bit of miscommunication when I did't receive one of their emails asking what zip codes I wanted them to search in, but we cleared it up. We shall see how kickstart does!

One thing I can say is that I am so far very impressed with LRU communication after all the bad reviews! I hope they keep it up. Can't wait to see what locations I get from them!

[adog]

Day #6

Today was an absolute amazing day! I went to the two locations Locator R Us sent me to. I was very pleased when both locations I got to asked me to place it any where and welcomed me. I asked LRU yesterday to call each location and verify it and they did. Kickstart also came in today and wow is all I can say so far. They started looking today and already found me two locations. One they set me up with a meeting at a pizza place to drop off on Friday so we will see how it goes. There are notes that the owner said yes at a however he wants to make sure it will fit due to the restaurant being smaller so he is asking for a smaller machine. The other one is a mexican restaurant they still have to call back and verify it is okay. We will see how it goes when I drop it off.

LRU: 2/5 (took one week to get 2 locations)

Kickstart: 1/5 (when I drop it off. One other that is a possibility)

Both Locator services have been very good so far. I am hoping for Locator R Us to pull some more locations tomorrow but we will see. So far I must say communication has been better with LRU in my experiences so far. Locator R Us is also a lot cheaper which I like the fact. But when it comes down to it, it's location location, location!!!

Also the two locations LRU got me are literally under a block from each other. And I may be able to get some leads off of these locations. If both locations come through however from Kickstart, Kickstart would definitely be in first place! 2 locations at good restaurants is impressive!

[adog]

Day #7

Wow these locators are really going at it!!! I received one new location from kickstart, a barber shop, and placed another location at a mexican restaurant that kickstart gave me today. They have been in business for 25 years so I doubt they will be going out any time soon

The Locator R Us fired back with two new locations. Both big restaurants in the area. One literally two minutes from my house which would be nice to get into. We shall see if we get into that once since the assistant manager gave the yes .

So far the results are

LRU:2/6 (with two more locations I need to try and place at, maybe thursday or friday)

Kickstart: 1/3 (with two more locations I have meeting with friday)

Self Locating: Went a few places today and found two business both that pretty much recently opened! Both seemed interested. One the owner was not there so she asked me to leave the card with the omission amount and come back. The other location was owned by two people (sister and brother) Sister said yes and just had to okay it with brother. Said swing by Saturday for a definite answer! Both restaurants offered 25% commission.

I must say folks that I really would consider this close to a tie between these locators. I do like the feature how Kickstart calls back twice and gets the okay the second time and sets up appointments for you. Very professional and organized! I would definitely use both these services again at the rate they are going and I hope they keep it up!!! Locator R Us is good and landed to big restaurants like I said. One is a diner. Very impressed with these accounts also. Will see how these companies keep up the competition!

[Erosenlieb]

This is just my thoughts

Going in at 25% comission is pretty high. After you add in your cost to serve and COG i dont think there will be much room left.

25%+30%+5%=60%

Thats saying your cog is 30%. You should team up with a charity and get your butt in there for FREE.

[adog]

I am working with charity's! I just wouldn't get these accounts without commission I am pretty sure! I am going to start offering 20% though after these if I get these account. I am going to do both commission and charity. Locators seem to like charity so pretty much they are my charity people. I find that when I do self locating they listen a lot more to when I say commission. Maybe that's just the area I live in?

Whats the extra 5% by the way?

And I try to keep my cog under 25% or close to it. Gumballs really help me do this as do M&I and Skittles! PM&M's kill me though. They are around 40% or 8-10 cents to vend!

[adog]

Day#8

Wow is all I can say for LRU!!! I am actually very impressed with them. They sent me a location today to drop off a machine at a Car Wash!!! From what I hear they do absolutely amazing so I am very excited and am going to try and place an 1800 there. PM&M's, Guumballs, and one 50c lock stock and barrel toy capsules. Hopefully I get in easily with no trouble. Also I attempted to drop off one at the diner today but owner, manager, or front desk girl LRU talked to weren't in so that's a bummer. Said the owner will be in tomorrow at 1 so I will try then.

Kickstart has completed there order already as long as I can place the last two machines tomorrow which would put me 3/3. LRU is at 5/6 if I locate all three locations they sent to me! I have a full day of drop offs tomorrow. I have 5 meeting tomorrow with places to drop off the machines. Hoping or 5/5.

Barber Shop

Pizza Place

Car Wash

Méditerranéen Restaurant

Diner

I'm running out of machines ha! (Which I am very excited about since I am pretty new to this business and I am just starting out!!! )

I have had great experiences with both companies. Will be working with more. Will see how they do when the second order comes in There are rumors some of these locating companies stop performing and just focus on new customers instead of faithful ones. We shall see.

[adog]

Well Day Number 9 was kind of a bust! Car wash place got turned down. They already had two different guys both commission racks so I am going to try and get in in a few months. Pizza place got turned down given by Kickstart although they promptly replied back to me. On a bright note I got into a popular barber shop. Guys seemed cool who owned it, 26, but I know he will be wanting commission. He already hinted so I told him if the account is good enough will upgrade his equipment to a bigger setup. Thinking a six way which sounds over kill but literally there were 14 people waiting when I just got in. So I was thinking three oak vistas o top. One with gum balls other two with 50c capsule and three candies on bottom for candy. Think this account can be bank! I put a vendstar 3000 there so that will do for now. Maybe in a month or two I will see how the account does and upgrade it. Pretty much the Last three locations LRU gave me turned out to be NO's which I am unhappy about! DISAPPOINTED!

So far the results are

LRU:2/6

Kickstart:2/3

I am pretty impressed with Kickstart actually so far. Have given me two locations which I think are money makers! LRU really needs to step it up next week!

[Rick]

Your experience looks like the one I've had using locators. I typically run about a 60% "yes" rate for locations I'm sent. I will say this though, I've been running better with getting yes's from callbacks over the last month because I've switched up my style. When I was first starting out, I'd call the locations that LRU "got" for me with just a standard greeting, that my locating company told me "___(name)___" gave permission to place a candy machine and when would be a good time for me to drop it off?"

I was assuming LRU had done all the heavy lifting before I even called the loc and I've found through experience that this really rubs location owners the wrong way. They don't know me. So I began following up with locations with the mindset that no agreement has been made yet. Asking them if they recall the conversation they had with the LRU rep (if I'm talking to the contact person) and if they are still interested, asking what vendors they currently have and if they would mind if I bring a machine on Tuesday around 3pm to take a look at it. Reminding them there is no cost or contracts to sign, etc. A softer approach.

There is, of course, no way to know for sure if this has gotten me more locations that I would have otherwise been told to go pound sand. But I think approaching my callbacks with the mindset that LRU didn't "get" me a location, they only got me an opportunity to sell a location on why having a machine would be good for their business - that I'm having more success.

For example, you said..." I got into a popular barber shop. Guys seemed cool who owned it, 26, but I know..." Here's some food for thought - maybe you got in there because you related differently to him? You made a more "human" connection with him?

Good luck out there!

[adog]

Thanks for the tips Rick. I think you actually made some really good points that I would totally agree with! That's how I see it most of the time. Some of the locations are a 100% a yes usually if the owner gave the permission however other times it is almost more of an opportunity they set you up with. I think i did relate to him better since he was only four years older to me and I had to talk my way in a little.

Like I said I am guessing I will eventually have to give him some commission. He hinted at it and actually brought it up. I just said usually my company see's how a location is doing and they if it is just flying through candy will talk about upgrading him to a commission account and put in more and better equipment. What would you recommend putting in there if he agreed to more equipment? A 5 way with one 1 inch toy capsule, and one 2 inch capsule on top, and the bottom with two candies and one gum ball? I'd appreciate your input Rick since you have the experience and this would be my first rack. Or would a simple 4 rack with a step up be better?