What are some Good Potential Locations?

Where are some potential locations for bulk candy machines?

Grocery stores
Shopping Malls
Local Restaurants
Pizza parlors
Mexican restaurants
Ice Cream Parlors
Chinese restaurants
Buffets
Place with a waiting room
Automotive repair shops.
Tanning salons
Vehicle servicing shops
Hair and nail salons
Teen hang outs
Campus hangout
Video stores
Offices
Sport stores
Hotels and motels
Liquor stores
Factories and large places of employment
Mall stores
Sport stores
Dollar stores
Restaurants
Sports Bars
Dry cleaners
Video game stores
Antique and flee markets
Diners and cafes
Movie Theaters
Instant check cashing stores
Schools
Airport lounges
Gas Stations
Bingo Halls

How to Obtain Locations Part I (In Person)

There are 2 Types of Locating techniques. One is pounding the pavement and doing it in person. The other is using the telephone. Today we are going to touch on the first and then I will have a follow up on Telemarketing.

I do not prefer this method for a couple of reasons. For one I do not have the time to drive around and walk in to all of the places it will require to get a location. That is just me personally though. Many operators swear by this technique and many in person locating companies are very successful at it.

What I have done and what I would suggest is to put a list together of friends that manage or work at companies and their ability to tie you in with a decision maker. This is important. Many times you will walk in to an establishment and find out the decision maker isn't there or if they are they look at you funny and want to know what you are selling. Getting a list together of people you actually know that work at the places you want to locate in is half the battle. I also target companies and businesses that I frequent and get to know the owners.

Just recently I went into a Chinese Restaurant that I had been checking out. We always eat at the buffet there and it is always busy and thought it would make a good location. I introduced myself to the Manager after asking him if he owned/managed the place. Normally, you should say "Hi, may I speak to the manger, please?" After establishing this I just told him that I have a small bulk candy vending business and it supports the NCCS National Childrens Cancer Society and wanted to know if he could spare a square foot of space to support the Charity. He looked at me and said it would be fine. That quickly I had a location that now makes a good amount each month. I told him I would return in 2 days to place the machine. Even better when you go down have a machine with you. I did not expect this would happen so quickly when we went down for food so I was a bit un-prepared. I told him it wouldn't cost him anything and that I would stop by each month to check on the machine. I also gave him a fact sheet so he could review informtion about the Charity and gives you more credibiity.

That is about it in regard to in person locating. The hardest part about this is being able to handle the rejection.
Just remember it is a numbers game, nothing more, it is not personal and you should not take it that way.
Getting a contact list together with people you are already familar with and trust you is the best method to start.

See you next time when we will get into Telemarketing.

Steve
bulkvending.blogspot.com

Check Out A&A Global Industries!

A & A Global Industries was founded in 1939 and is currently the largest manufacturer and distributor of bulk vending machines
and supplies in the industry.

Today, we employ over 200 personnel nationwide and occupy over 375,000 square feet of space. Included in this is a complete graphic art and engineering department consisting of 8 people.
By providing the best quality products and service to our customers, A & A Global Industries has over 50% market
share in the toy and sticker arena.

With over 10,000 active customers, our products get placed in virtually every retail location in the country including Wal Mart, Toys R Us, Safeway, Best Buy and K-Mart. Our KoKo's candy division manufactures unique interactive candy products.
These are widely distributed to most major retail stores
and convenience centers throughout the U.S..

Helping Your Small Buiness with Business Credit Cards

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Do you have plans to start your own small business? If you do, then you should be aware that securing the right kind of financing is very important. Experienced businessmen know that obtaining good financing can be the difference between a business venture that ends in a failure and a business that succeeds. You can acquire the funding that can start your business by securing bank loans or funding from venture capitalists. However, you may need to rely on small business credit cards once your initial funding has dried up. These credit cards can help you and your business survive those lean times. You can also find business credit cards beneficial when it comes to making large capital purchases.

First of all, you can benefit from business credit cards because they can make it easier to track and itemize expenses that need to be accounted for. If you are a serious business owner, then you will not consider using the old method of keeping the stereotypical shoebox full of receipts. However, you have to check whether the business credit cards that you are considering provide an end of the year purchase summary before you sign up for a card. You can make the act of itemizing deductions a whole lot easier with the help of this single piece of paper.

You can also keep your business and personal purchases separate with the help of business credit cards. Sorting out what was purchased for your personal needs and what was purchased for the company when you use your own accounts for making business purchases can be a very challenging task. It will be more difficult to do this when tax time is approaching fast. If your business raises the attention of the IRS and will be forced to undergo an audit, then separating your personal purchases from your business purchases will be particularly crucial. Convincing the IRS that the items that were deducted were in fact bona fide business expense items will be simpler if you have your business and personal purchases made in entirely separate accounts.

These are just some of the reasons why you can benefit from getting business credit cards for your small business. You can find these cards valuable because they can help you with your capital expenditures. You will also benefit from the handy paper trail that they provide when tax time is just around the corner.

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A vending machine business for you - and them

With the prospect of making money for not doing anything, most business owners are delighted when you approach them for permission to operate your vending machine business in their store. Once you fill up the machine, you just have to return on a regular basis to take out the money and restock the products that you are selling through the vending machines. On occasion, you may have to return when the machine is not working properly. With the small vending machines, this doesn't happen very often. You can easily take advantage of a vending business opportunity and operate it after work or on weekends.

A vending business opportunity only requires minimal investment. You don't have to dish out thousands of dollars to get started. A small gumball machine only costs about $100 and the bag of bubblegum is about $25. If you want the larger vending machines, then naturally you will have to invest more money to get started in the vending machine business and the products are more expensive as well. Most of the people who are well established in this type of business started out small and built the business with the profits.

With a vending machine business, the only costs to you are the cost of the machines and the products you sell. You will also need a vehicle to bring the machines back and forth to the business locations, but you can easily operate a vending business opportunity out of your home. You won't have the expensive overhead of renting a building or paying staff when you manage the machines on your own. You will soon realize that the vending machines pay for themselves with the profits that you take out of them. A vending machine business is one of the easiest businesses to get started in and to operate.

It's location location location for candy vending machines.

Candy vending machines come in all shapes and sizes. The most common of these candy vending machines are the countertop variety. You can also get models of candy machines that stand alone and hold loose and packaged candy. Choose a machine that dispenses one gumball for 25 cents or a package of candy for $1. You do have to decide which one will help you make the most profit and then place your candy vending machines in an area where there are a lot of people.
Candy vending machines operate on a mechanical device. When you put the coins in then you have to turn the knob to push the money into the slot so that the candy comes out. Along with the single candy vending machines that dispense a handful of candy, one gumball or a package of candy, you can get combo machines. This will add to the profits that you can make from a vending machine business because you are providing the customers with a choice. With these you can have a choice of different kinds of candy or even have pop, snacks and candy in the same vending machine.

Who is Roger Folz?

When I first started placing my Bulk Candy Vending Machines I went into a couple of the grocery stores and kept seeing the racks of vending machines already setup. Just out of being curious I looked at the label on the bulk vending racks and all of them said Folz Vending. The labels were all out of State, I believe New York. I then went into Wal-mart to find more of Folz Vending Racks, Spiral Gumball Machines and Crane Machines. It was amazing to me and thought how can this guy trust the people that must be servicing his machines from out of State? He sells everything from Toys to Candy.

I thought I would share this with you just in case you ever see Folz Vending you will know who the company is and what they do. They are to me an example of this business and what you can grow it into with hard work and persistance.

Below is an brief History from their Website:

History of Folz Vending

In 1949, Roger C. Folz purchased his first vending machine . . .

. . . Now more than 50 years later, Roger turned that single machine into a multi-million dollar corporation known as Folz Vending, Inc.

Folz Vending owns and operates 150,000 machines throughout United States and has sales in excess of $55 million dollars. Our outstanding reputation as the largest bulk vendor and only national, full-service, bulk operator has made us one of the most respected companies in the vending industry. Folz Vending was the first company to begin servicing national chains because of our extensive Route Merchandiser Network. As an innovator in the vending industry, Folz offers state-of-the-art equipment and exclusive merchandise.

If you are interested in buying Vending Racks you can goto www.candymachines.com under vending machines. They also have a really nice Meridian Beaver Machine. The most innovative, futuristic gumball machine to ever hit the market. The Meridian is reminiscent of the classic globe on a futuristic stand. It would not look out of place on a Star Wars movie set. The machine has a 16" diameter polycarbonate globe with a capacity of 2000 1" gumballs or Jawbreakers.

If you need a business creditcard or a zero interest no fee card goto www.CreditCardRadio.com. They are a one stop shop for the Best Credit Card Offers available. Apply Online Now for free!

Be Safe and Keep on Vending!
Stephen
www.bulkvending.blogspot.com

Servicing Your Bulk Candy Machines

This is great, we are moving along! You have your machines setup and located now. Well, 3 to 4 weeks has passed and it is time to check on the machines.

I bought a small black travel bag from Walmart for about $12 and it works great. It has a lot of pockets for various items I bring along with me. I can set 3 to 4 bags of candy inside of it zipped up. On the outside pockets I carry such things as a phillips screwdriver, cleaner, keys, vaseline (I'll tell you why in a minute) and a pliers. I will also have keys to the machines in this bag.

I walk in and say "Hi, I am here to check on the Candy Machine." I pull the top off and refill if necessary after collecting my Quarters. I stick the Quarters inside a pocket on the side of my bag for counting when I get back to the car. I add candy when needed, relock the machine, wipe it down and I am onto the next stop.

Yes, I did say earlier Vaseline. I don't know if anyone has experienced ants in your machines, but I live in Florida which makes them even worse. I have not personally had any in mine, but I always lube the top of the metal stand where it meets the base of the machine. I would rather do this as a precaution than find out one day there are ants crawling through the machines. One Hair Salon that I was trying to get a machine into told me the prior machine they had always had ants. Vaseline works so apply it generously aournd the top of the post going into the machine as good prevention.

When I get to the next stop, I count the Quarters from the last stop and record the amount on a sheet of paper with my machines numbered. Also, keep track of your mileage as this is tax deductable as a sole proprietor and can add up.
When I get back to my office I then log all of this in the computer to have electronic records.

Some recommend coolers and I do use a cooler to keep the candy in for the car, but found the travel bag to be more handy than a cooler when going in and out of the locations. Use whatever is more comfortable for you.

Always make sure you carry some information with you on your Charity as you may run into someone that is a potential location. Also, always carry extra parts in your trunk just in case something has gone wrong. You do not want your machine to have to be removed or idle waiting to be repaired. You could lose a good location over this so be prepared.

Have a great weekend.
Stephen
www.bulkvending.blogspot.com

Dropping the Machines Off!

Ok, your locator emails or calls you with the locations or you got your own location. Now it is time to drop the machine off.
What do you say when you walk in?

If the locator placed the machine and has given you the contact info - Do not call ahead, just drive the machine down, park your car and walk in. This does not give them a chance to change their mind about letting you put the machine in over the phone.

Look for who the contact person is first and know their name. This should be the Owner, Manager or someone of authority that approved this. Once you have identified them you can say "Hi my name is (your name) and you spoke with one of the ladies working with our Charity Vending Program and approved a small candy vending machine to be placed here and I am here to drop off the machine. Where would you like me to put it. If they are unsure look for a good spot and make a suggestion to put it there. Put the machine there, tell them that the Charity Sticker is on the machine and call the number at the bottom of it if they need anything. Tell them you will check on the machine monthy, Thank them and leave. You want to get the machine in and get out so that they do not change their mind. Once they get used to the machine, most like having it for their customers and employees. It will be 3 to 4 weeks before I would go back in to check on it. Only fill the machine up about 2/3 of the way with Candy, do not fill all the way. This will usually last at least a month.

Using SuperPages.com for your List

Bulk Candy Vending Machine Location List using the Superpages.com Website

Hi all, hopefully you all had a safe New Years.
Well, back to our continued discussion on getting your vending route setup.

It is helpful if you supply an initial list of names and locations you would like contacted or specify a zip code.
You can provide this to me and I will work with my locator contacts on getting you setup with locations.

The best way to get this list together is to goto www.SuperPages.com. At the top of the page you will see a box that says Keyword and one that says Location. Type in a word like Salon into the keyword box and your city and State or a Zip Code into the location box. This will drop down a list with a number representing how many of that type of business were found. I then click on the category and it shows your the detail businesses or in this case Hair Salons. I then usually click on the underlined word PHONE on each Salon so I have it available to call on.

Once I have done this I will then go to the top and highlight all the text all the way down. Copy this into a Word Document or other Word Processor and save as a .txt or Text file only. You can then send this text file to the locator or use it for your own call down list.

Till next time be safe!
Stephen
http://bulkvending.blogspot.com

Finding Locations for Your Machines!

OK, you have the machines and set them up, you have gotten a Charity and you are saying to yourself "how am I going to get these machines located?" This is the tough part. You can call yourself or walk around and find locations on your own, but at first this is difficult. You can pitch your Charity and ask the owners if they will donate a small space for a Candy Vending Machine for a good cause. Eventually this is the way to go because it saves you money on locating costs. If you work a full time job though this may prove difficult and it my be worth it to just let the locator get the locations for you.

You can locate in person or by phone. There are advantages to both and many locating companies will debate which one is better. By phone you can cover more calls quicker and in person you put the person in a position to commit to you. I would suggest at first to use a professional locator.

If you need locations setup you can click on our link for Telemarketing Locator located at the bottom left side of our page. I have used this locator and recommend them especially for someone just starting out. They specialize in Bulk Candy Vending for Charity Organizations.

You can provide a list to them by going to the Superpages.com and selecting by type of company (i.e Hair Salons) or zip code for them to start finding you locations.
Till next time have a Happy New Year!

Stephen
www.bulkvending.blogspot.com