chada75 Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 I never used a Locator expect for myself, But with Work the way it is now, I'm going to give Rob a shot. I have a Three Head Machine that needs placing in a great spot. I will post a thread when I start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavity Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Well, I used Rob for a few more locs. back in Nov, or Dec. I ordered a few types of locs. Anyhow... one was a total dud(never put a machine in) and had to wait for a replacement for quite some time. It took considerable time BUT, just about 2 weeks ago his folks came through for me. I now have 1(as long as I don't get the boot) of the BEST restaurants I could hope for. I went back to check if things were going alright after 6 days and I couldn't have been happier. This machine did better than the Walmart we are in. GRAAAA-VY. Going to ride this train for as looooong as possible. THANK-YOU ROB! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooldini Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Good deal Cavity rob and it crew are pretty good. Keep me on the back burner sometimes though. They did give me a good price on some accidental locations thanks ROB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candyman007 Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 My apologies about the less than ideal locating times. We're working on improving them. All efforts are going into speed and quality. Have a better than great week! Regards, Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooldini Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 I like what you have been doing with your site and the online access to order info. Its my wife thats complains about the locating times more than I do. She is on me all the time to push LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candyman007 Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Hey, I hear you and agree 200%. It's ridiculous that you have to wait or that anyone has to wait for that matter on vending locations! I could go over the logistical problems but they are numerous and boring. What I can say is that we've been working for the past year on this problem and we're close to coming up with a solution. It's amazing how so much work can go into one little problem. I can't wait for our hard work on this to come to fruition. So let me apologize to everyone who has had to wait extended periods for locations. It's not that I don't care, I do. It's not that I don't want more of your business, I absolutely do. It's not that I don't understand your frustration, I hear you! Thus I must ask for your patience. The future is bright my friends. For all of the flaws we have, and we have a lot, For all of the mistakes we made along the way, and we've made many, They haven't been for naught. Your Friend, Partner and Colleague, Rob P.S. #1 Myth - More Time Does Not = Greater Quality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paraflier Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 I have a location on deck with Rob right now. And let me say that I would trade,without a second thought, the speed of getting a location to $$ it makes. My Dollar Tree had a book promo going on for the last couple weeks, and moved my 1800 (and the rack that isn't mine) off to the side. Ha-rumph. But as soon as it is done I think we are all going front and center again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droyce Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I have just placed my 4th machine with kickstart.No problems at all. They got me a car dealership, a body/glass shop,an Italian rest/bar and a chinese rest. Too soon to tell how they are gonna do. So far the time to place has been quick. My only issue with kickstart is I have called and left messages to call me and sent email to contact me but have not received any response. All in all a good experience. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooldini Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 anyone wondering about apartments they can be pretty good. Maybe not gravy but good for 3 weeks. I just pulled from an apartment I received on accident from Kickstart. They gave me a good price on 2 of them and one did $15.25 and the other only $6.75 but again 3 weeks I am sure one would be 20+ in a month. Thanks Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 anyone wondering about apartments they can be pretty good. Maybe not gravy but good for 3 weeks. I just pulled from an apartment I received on accident from Kickstart. They gave me a good price on 2 of them and one did $15.25 and the other only $6.75 but again 3 weeks I am sure one would be 20+ in a month. Thanks Rob I ordered toy locations from KSL and got a couple of apartment buildings. The office staff didn't want toys - they wanted candy. With Rob's knowledge - I put candy instead. Neither location is doing very well....they're both pretty much duds. Through it all Rob's done right by me and continues doing what he can to help so I'm not complaining -- but personally, I think I'll stay away from apartments for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEREMYTINA Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 This has been my first experience with Rob and the staff at KSL. They got me 4 locations on the same road in five days. All restaurants, two chinese, one barbeque, one pizza place. Going to place 3 of my machines tomorrow, and the last one Monday. I am very satisfied with the process so far. Thumbs up Rob! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mage Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Here is an update. As I said, my first sticker location thought they were getting a candy machine, and was having second thoughts about it when I brought in the sticker machine, even though I told them I do have candy machines available. They finally gave me a no. It didn't help that somebody actually tried to slam a gumball machine in there during this time. They thought it was me. But I got the replacement location, and unfortunately once again they were expecting a candy machine. This time when I showed up, I made sure to mention that I brought the sticker machine with me, and he didn't seem to notice that I said sticker machine, until I was putting it together. So I wonder if this may have been his mistake, and not Kickstart's. I did put a candy machine in there. But lugging a sticker machine out to the car, then taking it back home, and lugging it back in gets a little annoying. I will say they are getting locations, and I am liking the locations I have received, so I am not giving up on them. If the next sticker locations I order end up with the same result, I may just stick with ordering candy machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bostonvendor27 Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 What are your thoughts on the prices you pay for the locations compared to getting them yourself?.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPVendCo. Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 the complaint I get most about rob's staff is that their first language isn't english, and it causes a bit of a communication barrier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Vending Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 I have a locator right now that I am paying 25.00 for a 3head and 50.00 for a soda and snack I think these price are very good.. I only got one location that is not doing so well. And I DO NOT PAY UPFRONT now.. To start with you send 25.00 she starts getting locations and as you place them you pay.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 the complaint I get most about rob's staff is that their first language isn't english, and it causes a bit of a communication barrier. Hmmm, I hadn't heard that one. I've gotten several locations from KSL. Some good, some not so good. The negative ones include some problems mentioned here already, like owners thinking i was delivering candy machines instead of sticker machines and such. I had several owners under the impression my charity was NCCS and it most certainly is not...apparently the locators on KSL's staff thought I was with NCCS because of some system issues. I've also had a couple of locations wherein the person that gave the ok was unknown to the owner/manager/staff of the location. I don't where the locators got the contact info but the staff at those places had never heard of the names I was given by KSL. And these names were supposed to be the managers or some other authority figure at the business. But, the language issue -- nope, hadn't come across that yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Stories like that just confirms why paying 100% upfront is a very bad deal for the vendor! Most locators prefer only charity candy machines with NCCS since that is the easiest for them to locate! If you go outside those boundaries, you are usually not going to be satisfied. I no longer ask locators to do "special" orders (like racks, commission, stickers, etc.) since it usually just frustrates you in the end. As far as not getting permission or getting a fictitious person, that sounds like a locator in Illinois named Wilma that pulls that stunt all the time - system issues, yea right! Jax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 As far as not getting permission or getting a fictitious person, that sounds like a locator in Illinois named Wilma that pulls that stunt all the time - system issues, yea right! Jax good to know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candyman007 Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 I hear you 100%. 90% of my work is perfecting the operations. While there are most certainly issues with locating companies in general, there are absolutely some great things to come from hiring a locator. 1. You can expand fast and efficiently. 2. You don't have to deal with constant rejection. 3. You can focus on managing the business instead of doing labor. I try never to trivialize any business. Vending is an extremely complex business and so is locating. Locators come and go. I've seen it happy so many times. They start fresh and have a few clients that love them. Word of mouth spreads and soon enough they are hiring workers and expanding their business. This is when things start to break down. Orders come in that they can't fulfill and they don't know why. They can't figure out why they can't fulfill the orders on time. Then cash flow problems persist and they are not only running a locating business but a collection agency as well. Things snowball and they have 100 emails from angry clients and their phone rings off the hook. They can't get the work done and they can't seem to satisfy anyone and they break down and quit or leave town. KS is far from perfect. We're not even close to where we want to be. We work hard and on creating perfection though and I can tell you statistically we have made some very impressive improvements. It's like Steve constantly perfecting this forum and growing it. He is creating something that has value and will continue to thrive. Finally, I would like to give a shout out to the old MidWest, the one Margery ran. I remember my first order of 200 locations I asked Margery if she could do it for me. I made almost nothing but I had one very happy client and I learned a lot from how she handled operations. I also learned she worked 60+ hours a week and was constantly stressed out. The thing is you can't work that hard forever and it's extremely difficult to find someone to replace you. Thus you have Central and the new MidWest now. Anyway, I just wanted to put a little perspective on things. I really respect all of you and I have a really great time working with you. I wish all of you continued success and happiness in business and life. Kick Start is going to see you at the finish line. Regards, Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mage Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 What are your thoughts on the prices you pay for the locations compared to getting them yourself?.... Well we really shouldn't be afraid to locate ourselves. There are many in the business that do not believe in hiring locators. Plus the fact that there have been so many bad locators that many in the industry just do not trust them, but just because there are a few bad apples does not mean they are all bad. One of the replacements I got essentially kicked out a person who got in, and never once serviced his machine. How did he make us vendors look? I do follow a different business philosophy then a lot of the vendors here though. I am actually thinking of eventually bringing on another person to run my route for me. Something I might have been reluctant to do, except that I happen to know a person I have no doubt I can trust to do the job without keeping an "extra percentage" for himself. Anything I can outsource is a good thing. My purpose is not to work, it is to make money. If I can do something, and make a hundred bucks, great. But if I can pay somebody else $75 to do it for me, all the greater. Why? Because while I am now only making $25, I am free to go out and make that $100 again elsewhere. Then if I outsource again, and again, and a fourth time, now I have 4 people making me $100, while I sit at home, planning the next step. The argument I have heard recently is that nobody cares about the locations as much as you do. But nobody cares about my car as much as I do, but I still use a mechanic. Nobody cares about my teeth as much as I do, but I still use a dentist. Might seem like absurd examples, but the point is the same. These people actually should care, or they should not be in the business, and this goes for all jobs and businesses. I may not have got my sticker machines out, but I still have 3 locations. My few attempts at locating have not been the best, so far. I do expect that to change eventually, but I still have the 3 locations I wouldn't have had otherwise. And if I do start to really locate, then there will be 2 locators (or more) working to get me locations. Oh yeah, back to the price, I think it is reasonable. If a person charges too little, they may not be making enough to make it worth their while. And on the opposite end, if they charge too much, it would price them out of the market. The real point would be how much time would it have taken me to get the same location, and how much is my time worth? Can I get a location an hour? Every 2 hours? Every 3? Could that time be better spent? Now this is only my philosophy, and just because it fits me does not mean it will fit everyone else. Each person must find they own way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Vending Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Stories like that just confirms why paying 100% upfront is a very bad deal for the vendor! Most locators prefer only charity candy machines with NCCS since that is the easiest for them to locate! If you go outside those boundaries, you are usually not going to be satisfied. I no longer ask locators to do "special" orders (like racks, commission, stickers, etc.) since it usually just frustrates you in the end. As far as not getting permission or getting a fictitious person, that sounds like a locator in Illinois named Wilma that pulls that stunt all the time - system issues, yea right! Jax Oh no you know Wilma...She is a good locator after you get on her A$$ about giving fake locations she gave me some bad ones to start with but now she is doing very good.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEREMYTINA Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 I posted on another thread that my wife and I started using Kickstart a week ago. They have found me five locations so far out of the six I paid for. I placed one at a busy Chinese restaurant last night, and I am placing a couple more today. The rest will go in Monday. So far so good. The best thing about this set of locations is that 3 if them are within a mile of each other on the same road, and the other two are within two miles of each other on the same road. I will post about them again in 30 days for revenue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 all these people posting that they got locations from Rob all the time is frustrateing for me.I ordered a location in December and still nothing. I ordered a location for an oscars wild ride in December and so far all I have is a $30 credit on my next order since I drove 50 min one way to a jimmy johns that didnt want the machine nor was there electricity for it anyways. then I get sent another location in a mechanics shop,which fortunately I could tell by the name it wasn`t going to work and refused it,maybe the third times a charm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Oh no you know Wilma...She is a good locator after you get on her golpher about giving fake locations she gave me some bad ones to start with but now she is doing very good.. Yea, she floats around and subcontracts with different locating companies. I ended up getting her with three different locating companies. Same old story, she simply gets a lead and not a solid "yes". When I show up at a new location, I expect the machine to go in and I also expect the contact person to be real - is that asking for too much??!! She also tried to resell the same locations back to me (via another company) since she did not know my identity at the time! Enough said since I don't want to get off topic and don't want to point the finger specifically at KS. Jax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mage Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 And an update on 2 of the locations I received locally. The Papa Johns location I already serviced after 2 weeks, and that same week I placed a machine at a Chinese restaurant, and this is 3 weeks later. Chinese rest. - $16 Papa John's - $19.50 I am satisfied with these locations, even if one was supposed to be a sticker machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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