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What makes a locator better at locating?


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What can a locator do that you can't do? In other words, can they get you into locations that you wouldn't be able to get into yourself? What do they do to finagle that? 

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Honestly you should be able to do a better job than a locator. There are people that will never be able to sell anything, but most anyone can learn to sell properly.

 

Your benefit is that you are there, in person. It is harder to say no to a person's face than it is to a phone.

 

But locators generally work over the phone, their benefit is that they can call location after location after location. Their success rate is lower per location contacted, but again because they do it over the phone, they can contact many more locations in an hour than you can probably hit in a day. So they play the numbers game.

 

There are locators that will drive in, but I have yet to hear about one that was worth the cost.

 

To me, it makes the most sense to both locate on your own, and use hired locators. The hired locators can keep locating while you are servicing your route, or while you're at work, if you have a "normal" job. And while out, hit a location you would like here and there trying to expand your route on your own.

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For me personally, I've used rodney to supplement my route, and not that everyone will have my problem, but he really opened my eyes to bigger locations. Locations I wouldn't even try on my own. Now some people probably think bigger than me, but it helped a lot to broaden my route and diversify it. I'm still a fan of locating for yourself, but I also don't regret using a locator from time to time.

Also I love the feeling of getting a location, it's addicting and fuels my drive to keep pushing, that's something you can only get from hitting the streets.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

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Locators are solid ways to grow your business on top of your own efforts. You will get your best locations without fail, but a locator can get you more locs in the same time, thereby increasing the amount of gear you can get out making you money in the same time span. On those grounds, locators are invaluable for building up a route fast. The thing you don't want to do is rely on a locator as your sole expansion method. Locators can only do so much, and most can only handle so many machines, even if money is no object for you. That's when you get into stagnation, which is never good in this business.

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I've never had good luck with any locators or locating services. They may get more approvals per hour, but the locations they find usually suck. They may occasionally get lucky, but by then you've spent so much on the other duds that the $50 you spend on that one A+ spot actually cost you a lot more than that. Not to mention that the retention rate of these locations usually aren't good compared to the ones you find on your own. JMO

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  • 2 weeks later...

Blue Moose Vending Management (www.bluemoosevendmgt.com) is experienced in commercial vending and we are good at what we do. When we work with vendors the first thing we do is listen to what they want (of course everyone wants very large locations) and if that is what they want, are they willing to install all of the machines needed plus credit cards, energy saver, free coolers, ice machines and probably 15 microwaves.  Unless they have atleast 3 other accounts of the same or larger size we will not offer it to them.  Why? Because 90% of the time they will lose it in the first 6 months. We closed a 650 emp mfg account last week.  They of course wanted all of the above plus 3 ice machines and 4 coolers plus (not kidding here) 50 microwaves plus the vending machines. Forturnatley we work with some large vending companies and they can handle this type of account.  But I would never offer something like this to a independent vendor running their own route.

 

We work best with established vending companies looking for a company willing to work with them to expand their operation.  Yes we do get into some large fees but established companies know the value of a 3 or 5 year contract.  Plus we have worked with the same 14 vending companies since I retired and sold my company in 2005.  The relationships are good and we understand each other so we can do good work for them and they for us.  We also provide at no charge on going customer service for our vendors.  If one of our companies has a problem and they can't reach our vendor, we will contact them via cell phone and email.  So we don't close and walk away.  In the past 11 years we have kept a calendar on any account we talked with that is in a contract.  We know when it is up for renewal and we contact them at min. 4 months out.  So this keeps us busy and we don't spend a lot of time just cold calling.

 

Each day we read the business journals in our territories.  We find out who gets promoted to operations or HR we congratuate them by having a vendor drop off a nice sample basket with a card in it.  Then when they call to say thanks for the basket it is amazing how the conversation evolves into vending which often turns into a appointment or at min. a calandar date.  Just getting the appoinment is the start of a 4 to 5 month long process.  These accounts do not close overnight.  Lots of work goes into it until finally the day of the change over and it must go smooth.  Also it must be organized with the other company.  Larger companies are always willing to be professional on move out day because they know if the new company drops the ball they will get a call to come back.

 

So we also get smaller companies from 75 employes and up.  These are good for independents unless it is a office,You really do need 90 emp or so to make it work.  Always get a break down of the employee such as 40% hispanic  20% Asian etc.  That way you know the type of products each group favors.  Product mix is important to a successful vending machine.

 

Finding vending locations is a process that is much more than a phone call.  You really need to research the company, check how long they have been in business, has the employee count stayed the same or hopefully gone up.  Has the company been profitable for the past 3 years, what is the credit rating?  Then check to see who the Operation Manager is or HR Manager.  Start there.  

 

Have a sales book made up.  Get one of those white binders/notebook that has the plastic wrap.  You can make a a nice cover with your company name and phone.  Slip it in.  Always have some business cards (Vista Print) Then it should have a product tab, beverage machine tab, snack machine tab and servie tab.  Then print out a good selection of photos of machines.  Be sure they understand the machine you deliver may not be the exact match to the one in the photo because you don't know what will be in the warehouse but it will have the same number of selections, valaditor, energystar compliant, etc.  Have some blank installation agreements too.  

 

Hope this helps.  Also Rodney is good, he is professional and he really does do a good job if he has time for new customers..  If he is swamped try back in a month or so. Rodney knows what he is doing.  Also it takes time to get appoinments that are worth something so be patient unless you gave someone up front money then stay on them every day.  My cell is 513-923-1414 if you have a question.  

 

Happy Vending

B

Blue Moose Vending Management

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Blue Moose Vending Management (www.bluemoosevendmgt.com) is experienced in commercial vending and we are good at what we do. When we work with vendors the first thing we do is listen to what they want (of course everyone wants very large locations) and if that is what they want, are they willing to install all of the machines needed plus credit cards, energy saver, free coolers, ice machines and probably 15 microwaves.  Unless they have atleast 3 other accounts of the same or larger size we will not offer it to them.  Why? Because 90% of the time they will lose it in the first 6 months. We closed a 650 emp mfg account last week.  They of course wanted all of the above plus 3 ice machines and 4 coolers plus (not kidding here) 50 microwaves plus the vending machines. Forturnatley we work with some large vending companies and they can handle this type of account.  But I would never offer something like this to a independent vendor running their own route.

 

We work best with established vending companies looking for a company willing to work with them to expand their operation.  Yes we do get into some large fees but established companies know the value of a 3 or 5 year contract.  Plus we have worked with the same 14 vending companies since I retired and sold my company in 2005.  The relationships are good and we understand each other so we can do good work for them and they for us.  We also provide at no charge on going customer service for our vendors.  If one of our companies has a problem and they can't reach our vendor, we will contact them via cell phone and email.  So we don't close and walk away.  In the past 11 years we have kept a calendar on any account we talked with that is in a contract.  We know when it is up for renewal and we contact them at min. 4 months out.  So this keeps us busy and we don't spend a lot of time just cold calling.

 

Each day we read the business journals in our territories.  We find out who gets promoted to operations or HR we congratuate them by having a vendor drop off a nice sample basket with a card in it.  Then when they call to say thanks for the basket it is amazing how the conversation evolves into vending which often turns into a appointment or at min. a calandar date.  Just getting the appoinment is the start of a 4 to 5 month long process.  These accounts do not close overnight.  Lots of work goes into it until finally the day of the change over and it must go smooth.  Also it must be organized with the other company.  Larger companies are always willing to be professional on move out day because they know if the new company drops the ball they will get a call to come back.

 

So we also get smaller companies from 75 employes and up.  These are good for independents unless it is a office,You really do need 90 emp or so to make it work.  Always get a break down of the employee such as 40% hispanic  20% Asian etc.  That way you know the type of products each group favors.  Product mix is important to a successful vending machine.

 

Finding vending locations is a process that is much more than a phone call.  You really need to research the company, check how long they have been in business, has the employee count stayed the same or hopefully gone up.  Has the company been profitable for the past 3 years, what is the credit rating?  Then check to see who the Operation Manager is or HR Manager.  Start there.  

 

Have a sales book made up.  Get one of those white binders/notebook that has the plastic wrap.  You can make a a nice cover with your company name and phone.  Slip it in.  Always have some business cards (Vista Print) Then it should have a product tab, beverage machine tab, snack machine tab and servie tab.  Then print out a good selection of photos of machines.  Be sure they understand the machine you deliver may not be the exact match to the one in the photo because you don't know what will be in the warehouse but it will have the same number of selections, valaditor, energystar compliant, etc.  Have some blank installation agreements too.  

 

Hope this helps.  Also Rodney is good, he is professional and he really does do a good job if he has time for new customers..  If he is swamped try back in a month or so. Rodney knows what he is doing.  Also it takes time to get appoinments that are worth something so be patient unless you gave someone up front money then stay on them every day.  My cell is 513-923-1414 if you have a question.  

 

Happy Vending

B

Blue Moose Vending Management

Bev, for that big location of 650 plus employees did you close on phone or you guys had to meet them in person to close the deal.

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