New to forum in New Jersey

[asgvending]

All- I just joined this website and forum today (11/27/09) under the handle asgvending (which is my bulk vending LLC created 5 months ago).  Bought a package from Vendstar (don't shoot me), have had moderate success but some failures as well.  Paid a locator $50/machine and we placed 25 machines.  5 months later only about 8-10 of the original sites are yielding more than $10/month with about 5 at $18/month or better. 

I've placed a couple machines myself but have pulled back about 13 of the original machines due to poor performance.  I need advice, motivation, and probably a kick in the tail when it comes to locating  my machines.  Hope this forum can help.  I am not a great hustler, but would like to get better.  Nice to be in this forum......

Matt G, aka asgvending

[lurtsman]

welcome to a thread in a different forum. I believe you were looking for a place to introduce yourself, so welcome. Please make yourself at home and avoid throwing too much money around before taking the time to do your homework on here. We have a few good locators, and they can be a useful piece to your business. You'll have to decide how much you can afford to invest in locators, and how much you would prefer to do yourself. Your biggest challenges will be massively overpaying for the machines you have, and then most likely having wasted money on a locator who was not concerned with your success. There are about 4 locators here potentially worth giving a shot.

[caserri]

Lurtsman was correct but no worries, I have moved your intro here to the welcome section.

Glad to have you aboard, make yourself at home!

[BluePlate]

Welcome. Welcome. 

Locating is really not too hard, it tends to be about numbers.  The biggest things is don't take it too personal when they say no.  As far as pulling the machines back for poor performance - that can be a little of a buzz kill.  Maybe leaving them out and challenge yourself to relocate them.  Some times when they are sitting in a garage it's easy to leave them there.  Then we get all of the good deals to when the other mambers of the house get sick of them.......

Also if they are making $5 a month (SOMETIMES <--- I might get crap for this) it's better than no dollars a month. 

The addiction comes when you crack open a machine and quarter are falling on the ground.

[The Mage]

Bought a package from Vendstar (don't shoot me)

BANG!

You made a mistake to start, but that is simply a learning experience.  (And you do have the added benefit that you can actually order parts from Vendstar.)

I do agree with BluePlate above, (actually I agree with all the above advice,) about leaving machines out making even small amounts, until you get a new location for that machine.  At the worst consider it free storage.  Try not to keep too much product in those machines.  Right now I have a machine that has made less then $6 in the past 6 weeks.  But I have 6 machines sitting around, and they are all going to be placed before I move that low performer.  (Actually I have an additional reason, that will keep it there for an additional 2 or 3 extra months.)

This place is a great resource, I know I have learned a lot here, and in fact being here has changed my business direction in a way I did not expect.

Often the first mistake people make is buying the Vendstar plan.  The next big mistake they make is to give up before they actually start to make any money.  And that is actually a much worse mistake then the first.