blovewell Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I have a potentiometer customer who asked me to supply them with a list of products and prices I would supply them with to see if it is worth exploring changing from their current provider. Has anyone had any successful scenarios like that they would be willing to share. Also looking for suggestions on what items and how I should price. I would be installing a 45 selection bottle drop machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 If you getting this account depends on your product selection then you better get the list from them first or you will be trying to use your ESP to figure out what they want. Don't leave a blank sheet for them to put their request on, that's for after your machine is there, but ask them point blank what different products they wish to have. After you find out what they desire in the machine, besides beer, then you can offer up the pricing. Don't forget to ask them what can be improved in their current vending service. What you need to impress upon them is how good your service will be. Service is usually the only way to differentiate yourself from other vendors so you need to present a competent confidence to them and assure them your service will be top notch, the rest should follow that. Remember that every vendor can offer the same machines, so you need to make your service the better selling point. This scenario is typical competitive selling in vending, no different than if you are trying to get a customer to buy widgets from your factory instead of from the XYZ factory. You have to convince them that your service, prices and products will be superior in some way to what they have now. This is what a successful vendor learns to do when cold calling an account that has a current vendor, so if you can master the flexibility needed in head-to-head sales you should be successful. This is a win so far as you've got your foot in the door and they are asking for a proposal, so see if you can close the deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I have a potentiometer customer who asked me to supply them with a list of products and prices I would supply them with to see if it is worth exploring changing from their current provider. Has anyone had any successful scenarios like that they would be willing to share. Also looking for suggestions on what items and how I should price. I would be installing a 45 selection bottle drop machine. For some reason I'm smelling healthy vending with this one. It sounds like the classic HR department thinking that their employees will be better off with stuff we all know they won't buy. Don't mean to sound negative but you really need to feel your contact out a little more to find out what's wrong with their current selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blovewell Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 I actually hit this customer up because I have a working relationship with them in my full time career. I noticed they have two machines with soda only. I asked if they would be interested in expanding the variety of offerings. Sports drinks, energy drinks, and soda options. I was the one more interested in variety. I selected this account because this machine has a noisy compressor and this would be in a manufacturing area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I actually hit this customer up because I have a working relationship with them in my full time career. I noticed they have two machines with soda only. I asked if they would be interested in expanding the variety of offerings. Sports drinks, energy drinks, and soda options. I was the one more interested in variety. I selected this account because this machine has a noisy compressor and this would be in a manufacturing area. Sounds good as long as they don't want you to swap out the Cokes in favor of carrot juice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blovewell Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 Hahaha no I don't believe so. I would be open to advice on shelf life of juices. Also wondering if bottle drops can do Mexican sodas in glass bottles or if there are canned versions. About. 60/40 Hispanic ratio at this facility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 This machine was originally designed to successfully vend glass bottles, that's why the recovery unit has the swooping shape in it. The key is to have a working drop sensor in the machine so that you don't vend a glass bottle on top of another glass bottle and shatter them. The drop sensor detects the product in the recovery unit and prevents more vends until the first item is removed. In spite of all that, it's still not advisable to vend glass unless you really need to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Also wondering if bottle drops can do Mexican sodas in glass bottles or if there are canned versions. If you are wanting to vend glass bottles you would be better off using a machine with a cup arm or elevator.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blovewell Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 I just thought about putting in some jarrito's sodas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I just thought about putting in some jarrito's sodas. That should be fine then.. I vend a couple of glass bottle selection in all of my bottle droppers.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawksfan9325 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I have a potentiometer customer who asked me to supply them with a list of products and prices I would supply them with to see if it is worth exploring changing from their current provider. Has anyone had any successful scenarios like that they would be willing to share. Also looking for suggestions on what items and how I should price. I would be installing a 45 selection bottle drop machine. Hi. I had a similar scenario occur recently. I straight up asked the DM if I could look at their machines and take notes. Are you able to invite yourself to the office there, and have a look? I don't think that's asking too much. Then you can look at their equipment, inventory, prices, etc. This will allow you the chance to come up with a much better "list". Stick with what AZ said too. Focus on high quality service, and try and meet that need. Find out about the other vendor. See if they are missing something. Good luck and keep us posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QualitySelectionsJ Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 You should be able to get plastic bottle Jarrito at Vistar. A vendor I know used to sell them a few years back out of stacker unit 501 e machines. You have a contact at the location, sounds like you're in. I've never sold glass; I only sell 16 oz water, Gatorade, and cans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blovewell Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 I am not with vistar at the time. Can I just create an account online or do I have to contact a sales rep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QualitySelectionsJ Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I am not with vistar at the time. Can I just create an account online or do I have to contact a sales rep. Here you can just walk in, cash and carry to public, and/or you can open an account in 5 mins or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blovewell Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 I don't believe there is a vistar anywhere near where I live in the center of Kansas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawksfan9325 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 There is one in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. Near KC. How far are you from KC? I have to drive 110 miles round trip to my vistar. It is worth it. They have a good selection. The prices are scary bad, but in this world we must pay a premium for access to the best items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blovewell Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 I am 4 hours from there. But I am going there in two weeks I am going to have to look it up. While compiling my product list I am pretty nervous. Do I need to offer something different in all 45 available selections to make the customer happy? And I need to be able to fill it with mainly Wal-Mart items as the nearest Sam's is 180 miles round trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I am 4 hours from there. But I am going there in two weeks I am going to have to look it up. While compiling my product list I am pretty nervous. Do I need to offer something different in all 45 available selections to make the customer happy? And I need to be able to fill it with mainly Wal-Mart items as the nearest Sam's is 180 miles round trip. Just remeber that most glass fronts only hold about eight items per column so you'll probably need to double up some columns with the most popular items since you're four hours away and can't be there too often. The fact is, for as big of a footprint as they have, glassfronts really don't hold a lot of product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawksfan9325 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I am 4 hours from there. But I am going there in two weeks I am going to have to look it up. While compiling my product list I am pretty nervous. Do I need to offer something different in all 45 available selections to make the customer happy? And I need to be able to fill it with mainly Wal-Mart items as the nearest Sam's is 180 miles round trip. Woah. That is very far. Are there other vendors in your area? Wonder where they get their goods from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blovewell Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 I am not four hours from the customer, but fours hours from Vistar. I am just curious about how many items I should put in. I would like to do mainly cans for soda since they are readily available. Then bottled water, gatorade, Monster, and Red Bull. Would love some other ideas to add or omit. There are 2 or 3 main guys that run this entire area. I think they stock pile at Sam's Club and Wal-Mart and maybe order pallet quantities freight from Vistar. Just a guess there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Just remeber that most glass fronts only hold about eight items per column so you'll probably need to double up some columns with the most popular items since you're four hours away and can't be there too often. The fact is, for as big of a footprint as they have, glassfronts really don't hold a lot of product. I think he was meaning that he is 4hrs from Vistar not 4hrs from his BevMax.. have you been drinking again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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