How to Find Locations for Your Vending Machines

Do you have a vending business? Do you plan to start one? Do you have some vending machines but not know what to do with them? One things for sure; in all cases you need locations. This is the ultimate "must have" in vending! There are many creative methods of getting locations for vending machines as well as some "not so creative." If you have been in vending for less than a year, you probably have only seen the "not so's." Starting with the basics, you can either hire someone, a vending machine locator, to find locations for your machines, or you can do it yourself. Doing it yourself is optimal, but using a locator can offer some advantages.

If you are brand new and nervous about approaching businesses, riding with a locator can help you learn what questions will arise without fear of appearing as a novice in your own business. Also, if you are extremely limited on time, a good locator can help to keep your life in balance. Then, if you have a garage full of machines and just want them out & making "something," a locator can probably find locations much faster than you can. However, quality is usually sacrificed for speed. And locators are All About Speed. Most locators will go to a commercial area, pick a street & go from one door to the next all the way down hitting Every Single door they see. This means they hit the great potential locations as well as all the lousy ones in between. They will not take great care in cherry picking each location to approach as YOU would. Overall, 1/3 of locations found by a locator will be great, 1/3 will be absolutely pathetic, and the other 1/3 will be somewhere in the middle. So, if you use a locator, expect to have a considerable percentage of machines that will need to be re-located due to low income. But, at least they will be collecting money, not dust! :-)

Now, if you're not scared to talk to people, YOU CAN locate them yourself! In the beginning, it may take more time than you like, but practice makes perfect. You will learn a new skill that could be worth tens of thousands of $$ to your business. Not only will you save on the locator fees, but the improved quality of your locations will result in more and more profits accompanied by much more proficient use of your valuable time. Of the many angles vendors use to find locations, you will find / develop one that works best for you and refine it as you go.
I will cover some of these tactics in another post as well as the "Do's & Don't's" when using a vending machine locator, but remember this...

• A locator will find below average locations fast
• You will find above average locations slowly
• Either action is better than inaction

For more common sense in vending, visit http://www.usedvending.com/ ; http://www.4mega-vending.com/