Shhhhhhhhh.............. Its a secret

[coinvestor]

Just a quick rant.

I don't understand why vendors act like where their machines are located is some big secret. As if, just by knowing that your machines are there instead of another of my competitors I now have some big advantage to winning over your account. Are vendors really that dumb that before you told me your location I had no idea that the factory with 140 cars in the parking lot has vending machines in their breakroom and they're not mine! I don't care if its your location. I will go after it just as hard as anyone Else's account.

Like businesses in any other industry, be proud of who your customers are. Lean on them to market yourself. Toss their name around to their competitors that are not your customers, even use their logo on your website (with permission of course). I even send out a status update through my company on facebook to "welcome company XYZ as a new customer".

Get used to your competitors trying to steal your accounts, as this will only get worse as you get bigger. Take pide in your services. If your service can't survive the pitch from your competitor, then maybe the quality of your service is the big secret.

JD

On a side note: I love the feeling of the long smiley walk back to the truck when you realize all that money won't fit in one bag!!!

[whaletail116]

Good stuff, I completely agree.

[caserri]

A huge POTD goes out to JD!

[sherlock]

One of my all-time favorite VENDiscuss posts -- well said coinvestor.

[antoniocinisi]

I think there is a small advantage to be had.if you were close to me and gave me a list of all your locations I would ask you, since you dont believe in secrets, which do the best,go there offer 5-10% more commission then you and a $50 gift card in 6 months if they  keep only my machines and not yours.any Illinois vendors care to tell me which locations do good for you?how much it makes,how much commission and what toys have sold best there?also tell me the managers name and when he`s there plz.i promise to leave your low volume accounts alone.

[sherlock]

I think there is a small advantage to be had.if you were close to me and gave me a list of all your locations I would ask you, since you dont believe in secrets, which do the best,go there offer 5-10% more commission then you and a $50 gift card in 6 months if they  keep only my machines and not yours.any Illinois vendors care to tell me which locations do good for you?how much it makes,how much commission and what toys have sold best there?also tell me the managers name and when he`s there plz.i promise to leave your low volume accounts alone.

I'm guessing you're being sarcastic...all except maybe the 1st sentence (if even that).

If you ARE serious in your first sentence:

In coinvestors post, he typed "As if, just by knowing that your  machines are there instead of another of my competitors I now have some big advantage to winning over your account." (meaning the ONLY information released is the location) is there really any advantage derived from that?

[antoniocinisi]

half the time I post I am in a hurry or in this case still half asleep.no there is no big advantage knowing WHERE the locations are,but it does tell competitors they are open to vending machines and still give a tiny advantage(saves time imo instead of going in a place that doesnt want any machines while locateing).plus who is to say if he told you where his machines are what else he would tell you?obviously now this wont apply anymore but if someone is in the mood to talk who knows what else they may tell you or can get out of him,or maybe Ive been hanging out with my cop buddies too long.THIS BUSINESS IS VERY COMPETITIVE.giveing any competitor any kind of advantge is a disadvantage for me and I cant have that.

why doesnt everyone that agrees give a list of thier locations in order from worst to best and the towns they are in?or if that would be too much info just the name of the locations and the towns they are in.I bet the lists of locations will come flooding in.

[whaletail116]

I'm a "lay down!"

My best location:  Ace Hardware, Iowa City, Iowa.  Averages $42.50/month.  Gumballs, PMM & Skittles.

[antoniocinisi]

I'm a "lay down!"

My best location:  Ace Hardware, Iowa City, Iowa.  Averages $42.50/month.  Gumballs, PMM & Skittles.

for my friend lurst man could you plz list the rest of your locations in order of performance plz?i had asked for a list of all locations not one.

I guess I am also against this because I know that my best location would let anyone in thier huge location so i wont ever tell my locations.

[whaletail116]

They'll all most likely be his in a year or so. 

Don't sweat the small things.

[Hillbilly]

This is just my .02 worth.

I think if you have a good relationship with a location your chances of getting booted out are slimmer.  Also if it is a commission location the chances might be higher.  Right now I have no commission locations,  but I know my receipts are a little lower because I haven't done any of them.

A couple of things I do in my full time sales job is to absolutely pollute the location's area with literature,stickers, laminated charts,lists,magnets, note pads,etc.  The competition see's this and thinks "No way I can just grab this account". It kind of deters the competition from even trying.

Ask for birthdates of the people who let you have the location.  Tell them you like to keep a profile on your locations.  A small birthday gift goes a long long way.

I use a testimony book of typed letters with a companies logo or picture in it. I use it to show prospects who I am already doing business with.  A location sometimes feels really proud that you want to include them in the book.  They won't want to let competition in because you would remove them from the book.

Again, Just my .02

Hillbilly

Again

[antoniocinisi]

They'll all most likely be his in a year or so. 

Don't sweat the small things.

getting new good locations isn`t exactly small stuff if you are trying to make a liveing with vending.still dont see a list........

[Big Mike]

Your comparing apples to oranges when you try to compare this thread to a bulk spot. The two are totally different animals. We are building a route in Iowa City soon. Thanks for the tip on the hardware store! JK.

Mike

[whaletail116]

No problem, Mike!  We'll have to talk when I'm ready to disband my route Iowa City.

Sorry, Antonio, I don't spend my evenings worrying about whether or not Lurtsman is going to steal all of my locations.  In fact, I wish him nothing but continued growth and success.

[jamesjmcgough]

I bet the lists of locations will come flooding in.

Just a few:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&msa=0&msid=104344921120757526127.000470a345bdaef84fafe&z=9

I don't have much to worry about except the Chinese Vending Mafia which parks down the street just waiting to place their machines right next to mine as soon as I am gone. The other day, I found one of my locations where they chained theirs to mine because the store owner complained theirs was always falling over from the kids climbing on it, kicking and punching it cause it didn't work.

[whaletail116]

That's funny stuff.  Did you allow them to keep their machine chained to yours?

[antoniocinisi]

No problem, Mike!  We'll have to talk when I'm ready to disband my route Iowa City.

Sorry, Antonio, I don't spend my evenings worrying about whether or not Lurtsman is going to steal all of my locations.  In fact, I wish him nothing but continued growth and success.

I dont really care how you spend your evenings it changes nothing for me.my point is if you made your liveing with vending you would be worried that someone would try to  steal your locations.is there something in this phrase you cant comprehend? let me know if I need to simplify it further so you can finaly get it.I hope you put more effort in your few locations then what you care to have them or not.if you care so little why dont you just turn them over to lurstman??I still dont see your complete list of locations either.

[caserri]

I think what the OP is trying to say, (and I agree with) is that it really doesn't matter who knows where your machines are. EVERY location is fair game. The knowledge that your competitor has a machine in a specific location will not help you get that location.

However, the service that you provide the location and the repore you have with the location owner will determine if you can easily get pushed out, by anyone, not just those who had prior knowledge of your machine being there.

I happen to know where many of my competitors machines are located. That knowledge hasn't helped me obtain any of their locations nor is the list of their locations any huge secret. I can just pick up the yellow pages and find every location they have machines in.

It's OK if you have privacy issues. I can understand that. What I don't understand is the belief that a vending location is a big secret. If that location owner has done his job, you can bet that every vendor in the area already knows that he is there.

[mission vending]

I don't have a problem discussing my locations with my fellow vendors here (have done so via PM), I'm just not going to put it out for public viewing and consumption. This sentiment comes from years of having to deal with some really sleazy scumbag vendors that would go after any account that they knew I had by offering crazy stuff to retaliate for my taking one of theirs. Things like offering brand new equipment in a $100 a week account, 30-50% commissions, free OCS, crazy low pricing, whatever they could come up with. In the few cases where they were successful in getting me tossed they didn't even bother to show up and install their equipment, they just wanted to "even" the score and try to get me to not go after any of their locations in the future. Fortunately the two "gentlemen" I am referring to are no longer in the business, one of them had everything he and his wife owned taken away by the Comptroller and IRS for evading taxes (so yes, sometimes people get EXACTLY what they deserve). Don't know what happened to the other guy, just disappeared.

my .02

[Sparta_Automation]

WOW....someone is a little cranky today......

[whaletail116]

Antonio, I have no idea what you just said.

[coinvestor]

Wow. Sorry I was off eating with family. This post really took off. Thanks all for the nice comments and the opposing views.

I agree that this topics is a different animal for bulk where one hungry guy with a pocket full of quarters can make or break a location. I would never rank or publish income numbers on locations. There is lots of location info that should be kept secret, but the physical location is not. The old addage is "Location, Location, Location" and if you have a good location many people will know that you do, as they will either be high traffic public places or high employee counts that will be called on frequently by other vending companies.

JD

[jamesjmcgough]

Didn't have any bolt-cutters. Shoved half a loaf of bread up their chute. Those guys are notorious for putting in 3" eggs for the equivalent of 18-20 cents and not coming back to service the machine for 6-12 months. Why they would want to dilute a low to medium location is way beyond any reasoning I have been able to figure. And, I wonder what kind of croc-of-cacafuey sales spiel they give the store owner? Most owners seem a little embarrassed when I see they let another machine in.  I just take it in stride and change out my product mix to be more appealing. Fill machines at least every 6 weeks and keep all equipment clean and fresh.

[Big Mike]

Disband? How long have you been in the Biz?

[antoniocinisi]

I thought for sure by now everyone would have posted a list with all their locations but they havent.maybe it isnt only me and mission vending that dont like to discuss specifics about locations. even the person that did post something just posted a single location and not even all of them.