Your Vending Machine Business Needs To Turn A Profit
A vending machine business can be very profitable for someone that has quality machines in the best locations. Don’t panic though if you find your sales are slumping. Instead of sitting back and stressing out over it though you need to fully analyze the situation. Find out all you can about why they have dropped in sales or they aren’t making sales at all.
One thing you are going to discover with this type of business is that you can’t control all the variables. You may have your vending machines at a sports field and then it is closed down due to a new one being built. You may have it outside of a department store but it is shutting down or relocating.
There are several things you can do to get things back on track. First, it is a good idea to have a clause in your vending machine contact about this. You don’t want to find yourself obligated to remaining in that location or having to pay money to the owner of the location due to what you have in writing.
There are some very nice ways in which you can inform this person that you are going to move the vending machine. Do your best to make sure you end the contract on very good terms. It is a good idea to have an amendment written up and then both parties can sign it. You don’t want to burn the relationship though as you never know if this is a person you will need to approach later on about a different vending machine location.
Even though you have your vending machines in good locations, never stop looking for new ones. You just might need a place to relocate to down the road. Keep a notebook handy and write down some details about these potential sites. If you need to access them later you can do the research on traffic in the area. If all goes well you may end up buying a new vending machine and placing it there anyway.
Of course it may not be the location at all but rather something you need to change. Are you charging too much for the items in your vending machines? Can consumers get the same products for a lower price in the same vicinity? Maybe you aren’t offering enough selection and customers aren’t willing to buy what you have in there.
Pay attention to how much money you should have collected as well. If you find you don’t have the right amount of money for products sold your machine may be malfunctioning. Instead of giving someone one product it could be giving them too. It may be giving them back their money AND dispensing the purchase. Make sure it isn’t ripping them off either.
Don’t give up on your vending machine business. You have worked too hard to secure the equipment and the locations. Pay attention to what is going on with them so that you will be alerted to any vending machines that aren’t making money. Fully assess the situation as well as your options. This way you can be sure they are going to be as profitable for you as possible.
Robert Farnham – writes articles and gives advice to new operators to help them avoid vending locating company nightmares, and the best way to find great vending machine locations.