Vending Machine Locators
vending machine locators
This website is devoted to help people understand the vending machine locating process. Whether you choose to do it on your own, or hire vending machine locators, you need to be aware of the steps entailed in securing a location from start to finish.
What to Expect From Vending Machine Locators
Everyone hears how vending machine locators can be very good or very useless.
I want to share with everyone what to expect when hiring vending machine locators. This guide will help assure you that you are being treated properly throughout the locating process, because the fact is, that most people don’t really know what to expect from a vending machine locator in the first place. This will help to eliminate surprises.
First thing is first:
1) You need to decide if your locator is doing your job in person or over the phone.
This should be agreed upon up front. If the company agrees to do it in person and later tells you that they are doing it over the phone, then they probably deliberately lied to you. This isn’t normal. We recommend always trying to have a locator do your job in person. You should either try to hire someone locally, or hire a large reputable locating company who can quickly and easily find you placement in your area.
2). Payment
When vending machine locators do your job in person it is normal to pay 50% of the fees up front, and the second half once job is done. We recommend doing the deposit through Paypal. Be weary of locating companies who do not accept Paypal, as Paypal does an intensive background check when approving business accounts. They are fairly strict of whom they approve.
It is normal for vending machine locators to accept cash only for second half of the payment. This is for the protection of the locating company once they have released the location to the vending machine investor. Make sure that if you are paying cash, that your in person vending machine locator has introduced you to most, if not all, of your location owners. This will ensure you that your locations have agreed to accept your vending machine.
A benefit of hiring a phone vending machine locator is that, often the company doesn’t require an up front deposit. However, some companies still do require money up front, so be prepared either way.
Make sure that when arranging payments with locator companies, you obtain a contract. If the company doesn’t have a locating contract, you should probably look elsewhere.
Be very careful about choosing a locating company based solely on price! You know the old saying: “You get what you pay for”? This very much applies to vending machine locators. Spending a little extra on a more reputable company could mean a big difference in the type of locations you get – which ultimately determines your vending income!
3) Quality of Locations
This is a very gray area. This is why, in my opinion, there are often so many discrepancies between vending machine locators and investors.
It is important to be up front with your vending machine locators, in terms of what you feel is a “good location”. It is not a bad idea to put some of these details in the contract.
Often locating companies will charge more if you want premium locations. This is expected. If your vending machine locators tell you up front that these premium locations will cost a lot more than standard ones, it usually means that they are planning to fulfill their part of the deal. Be extremely weary of a vending machine locator who promises you the world, and basically just agrees with everything you say.
You need to understand that if you use vending machine locators to secure placement, you will receive some great locations, some ok ones, and some that are slightly below average. This is how the vending business works. It is unfair for you to only accept the premium locations from a vending machine locator, unless that was part of the agreement. At the same time, you absolutely shouldn’t be forced to accept locations that are all poor. In your contract be certain that you have the right to refusal on locations. Make sure you are fair with your vending machine locators as well. In turn they will be fair to you.
4) Signing Off
Again, it is very important to meet the majority of your location owners before paying in full. This is how professional locating companies do business. It it their way of proving to you that they did a stand up job. If they aren’t willing to introduce you to locations, they may be hiding something…
Once you have accepted your locations and have been introduced to your location owners you will then “sign off”. A sign off is basically a written acknowledgment that you accept the locations you have been given. You should keep a copy for yourself. At this point you will pay the vending machine locators for your locations. All locating companies want to be paid for their work BEFORE your machines are installed. This is standard in the industry. At this point you should have met your location owners and let them know that you will be coming by at a later date to install the machine. You should still be able to call your vending machine locators after the job has been finished if you have any problems with you installation – for example: the location owner suddenly changes their mind. Most reputable vending machine locators will give you a replacement location if this happens.
5) If There is a Problem With Your Location
Vending machine locators are basically hired salespeople for your company. If there is ever a problem with one of your locations while installing your machine, the locating company should absolutely replace the location for you. Most reputable companies will include this in their contract.
If your vending machine locators do not replace a location due to a move or change of heart by the location owner, you should be entitled to a partial refund from the locating company. If your vending machine locators leave town once the job in your area is finished, don’t panic. Often reliable vending machine locators will get the replacement locations over the phone.
Vending Machine Locators – In Conclusion:
Keep these things in mind when choosing a locating company for your business. It is important to be cooperative and even patient with your vending machine locators, as every locating circumstance is different, and some will naturally take longer than you would like. Remember that a job done properly is more valuable in the long run.
If you have questions or comments about vending machine locators, please share them with us so we can help others in the future.
