what gives?

[gundog]

Well I didn't get into vending to have machines sitting in my garage.  Since purchasing a route 2 months ago I have had to take out 2 (out of 5) combo machines and they are now in my garage. 

I have tried hitting the pavement to see if I can get some locations on my own.  I have come across a few that I think will be ok -meaning # of employees, no other machines, etc.  I think I give a decent and honest, no bs sales pitch.  Two of  these places I have kept in contact every 10 or so days (for 6 weeks now) to see if we are getting anywhere and I still can't get a yes. 

I talked with a locator and after a month without any leads I decided to hire a different locator.  I really hope this second locator can come thru for me. 

Am I just running into bad luck or is it that difficult to find a place to put a machine??  I am not after the high dollar accounts either- I would be tickled to put these machines in a place that does $30 per week.

Sorry for the rant, but Geez I am starting to get frustrated. 

[Poplady1]

What part of the country do you live in Gundog?

Blue Moose

[gundog]

I am in the Midwest -St. Louis to be specific.  Maybe that is part of the problem - people are sooooo slow to get anything done.  Like I said I have been talking with this one gal for 6 weeks trying to get her to discuss it with her boss and she says she hasn't had a chance to yet.  I don't want to be pushy but it is kind of ridiculous how much work people put into getting out of work. 

Guess the thing that is bothering me is that I don't mind putting in some hard work to get a location and I don't mind starting at the bottom; but I don't particularly like spinning my wheels and I really don't like going backwards- which is what has happened so far.

[Poplady1]

What type of combos did you get...

B

[gundog]

Well as of today I have officially lost the second account.  So two out of my 5 original accounts gone in under 70 days because they want to do it themselves.  I knew going into this that losing accounts happens in this business but I wasn't prepared to lose 40% of my revenue in 60 or so days.    I gave excellent service, did what they asked, and was always cordial.  This last account thinks they are going to make an extra 5-6K per year by doing their own soda.  I told them they would have to do $100+ per week to do that and right now a combo doing soda and snacks is only doing 30-35 per week. They acted like I hadn't a clue of what I was talking about( or maybe they think I am a liar)

I'm not upset, just really disappointed - I really, really wanted to succeed at this venture and things just arent working as I had planned.  I thought I had done my research and made some good sound decisions but hasn't helped in these instances- there is no loyalty, just disposability and that is sad. 

I hope things turn quickly or I will be one of the people sellin machines out of their garage before christmas.

Sorry if it seems like I'm whining.......don't mean to be.......just really want to succeed at this and am frustrated-- I know a lot of you have been thru similar trials with your business- thanks for listening.

[mission vending]

These kind of things happen to all of us. If you can't get a yes from someone then move on and try the place next door.  You won't get the machines out of your garage until you start knocking on doors. The sales part, for me at least, was the hardest part about getting my business going.

[soco]

My two cents here is that I sometimes feel that I am a hair's breadth away from what you're experiencing gundog.  I picked up my route this past Spring and one of the best accounts seems constantly dis-satisfied, no matter what I am doing (and yes, I've made some stupid mistakes as a newbie).  I was just thinking today that I should be prepared in case they dump me.  Of course I believe I've given them everything they want and more, but sometimes the grass seems greener...  As Mission says, there is no reason to think that we can hold the accounts for ever, even with awesome customer service.  On the other side of it I recently picked up a new account by screwing up my courage and doing some cold calling as I passed by a hardware/lumber yard.  Carpe diem gundog!

[coinvestor]

Sorry to hear of the troubles your having. How long was the route established before you purchased? Unhappy customers will use a change in ownership to switch services since they feel that they agreed to let the last guy in, not you. Are these locations that had no vending machines until these machines?

For the first two years I would have nightmares that all my locations called me and told me to pick up all my machines at the same time:)

Keep your head up. Your decision to either step up and fix your business problems, or to sell off the equipment is what makes the difference between someone that bought a bizop and gave up, and a true entrepreneur. Do an honest evaluation of weather you made some mistakes, or was it just the locations, timing, and circumstances. Remember not everyone is your customer, so don't try to make them (if there not).

JD