🍫 How to Brand Your Vending Business (4 Key Marketing Materials You Need to Succeed)

Hey there, Vendpreneur!

Welcome to Becoming a Vendpreneur—where every week I help you navigate the challenges of running a vending machine business, whether you’re just starting out or looking to expand your operation.

This week, I want to dive into 4 key sales and marketing materials for your vending business:

1. One-Page Sales Flyer

2. Sales Deck

3. Business Cards & Name Tags

4. Company Apparel

Before you dive in, a quick note: There’s a mini-game at the bottom of the newsletter. Join in for a chance to win $! 💸

But before we jump into more details, I want to share a few quick updates on my two vending businesses, Pod Plug and Vending Machine LaunchPad:

Business Updates

• 🚀 Quarterly review was a massive success - team is energized and ready to tackle our biggest quarter yet with new goals and updated weekly metrics.

• 📹 Video content is progressing well, with lots of valuable feedback. I'm working on improving my on-camera presence, though I'm still amazed at how naturals actors are!

• 🤝 Extended a job offer to Merry, our soon-to-be first Business Development Manager. She'll be creating and running our HubSpot sales CRM and franchisee CRM.

• 👋 Welcomed Ryann aboard as our new Operations Manager!

• 💻 Demoed PlayBook Builder, a user-friendly SOP software. Strongly considering pulling the trigger.

• 📘 Completed the first draft of our 200-page franchise operations manual. Final version expected by month-end!

• 🏢 Officially formed our franchise LLC. Launch is just 5 weeks away!

• 🎭 Interviewed and send two rigorous assessments two social media manager candidates. This hire will free up 10 hours of my week!

• 💰 Secured 3 commitments for our fundraising round, with 5 more potential investors in talks. Capping the round at 6 investors, though. Closing the round officially by Nov 1.

• 🎉 Had our 2nd super successful Vending Machine LaunchPad live session, now officially branded as 🚀LaunchPad Live! My partner Jaime and I answered over 30 questions and members in the private community are fired up to launch their vending businesses!

• 🎨 Office painted for my YouTube setup. First long form content coming soon!

Now, let’s dive into this week’s newsletter!

🔗 Best Links

Curated picks for vending entrepreneurs

📱 Top Reads

• Here are the vending machines pulling in serious revenue in 2024. (Skynova)

• Commentary: Junk food vending machines in the office show companies prioritize convenience over employee well-being. (RAND)

🛠️ Must-Have Tool

• Just a shoutout to this tool for keeping my CRM organized. It’s basic, yet does everything I need! Great for building The List. (Google Sheets)

😱 Trending Now

• Japanese vending machines are more convenient than fast food restaurants. Agree or disagree? (YouTube)

• Imagine a vending machine that dispenses LEGOs. What’s the one set you’d want to get from it? (TikTok)

You don’t need …

• A logo

• A domain

• A website

to start a vending machine business.

But in a crowded market, what sets you apart? Professional branding.

This issue, I’m diving into how thoughtfully designed marketing materials can elevate your brand, boost your visibility, and accelerate your business growth.

Here are 4 materials that can transform your vending business's branding. 👇

Material #1: One-Page Sales Flyer

👀 Did you know?

A FedEx Office survey revealed that 85% of consumers are more likely to engage with a business that uses custom or professionally printed materials like flyers.

These tools are vital for a vending business. Here's why:

• Flyers provide a concise, complete look at your services, products, pricing, and operations.

• They’re tangible. People can take them home, look over them again, and they act as a lasting connection to your business.

• They’re cost-effective. Printing in bulk keeps the costs down, making this a budget-friendly marketing strategy.

• You can distribute them in numerous places—trade shows, local businesses, community events, or places like gyms and offices where people gather.

Last week, I shared a one-page sales flyer template in my newsletter that helped me close 5 deals a month.

Missed it? Here’s that template again:

Material #2: Sales Deck

👀 Did you know?

The first three slides of a sales deck are crucial. 80% of readers who engage with them will read the entire deck!

Think of your sales deck as an essential follow-up once potential locations show interest in your vending business.

Here are key reasons why a well-crafted sales deck is crucial:

Visual Engagement

People understand visuals much faster than text—60,000 times faster, in fact.

A sales deck presents your information in a clear, visually appealing way. This makes it easy for location managers to grasp and remember what you offer.

Professionalism and Preparedness

Many businesses feel that sales teams are underprepared. Exactly why a polished presentation can help you stand out as a competent vendor.

Using a sales deck signals to potential locations that you are well-prepared and serious about your vending business.

Facilitating Conversations

Many location managers prefer discussions over formal presentations. Still, they need essential details to make decisions.

Your sales deck helps steer these conversations, ensuring you cover all necessary information about your vending services.

Tailored Messaging

With a sales deck, you can adapt your message to the location, whether it's a corporate office, a gym, or a school. Each setting demands a unique approach.

Supporting Data and Testimonials

Adding data, case studies, and testimonials to your deck provides credibility of your success and reliability.

Material #3: Business Cards & Name Tags

👀 Did you know?

Business cards are crucial for making a good first impression—72% of people judge a company by the quality of its business cards.

A well-designed card boosts your business’s credibility and encourages deeper connections.

Identification is also super important in face-to-face business settings, like nametags.

We learned this the hard way: our content creator had trouble at events because he wasn’t wearing a nametag or company shirt, and he didn’t have a business card.

People didn’t know he was with us, which caused confusion and at times even kicked him out!

To avoid this, I now ensure all team members have business cards and wear nametags when repping Pod Plug.

This makes it clear who they are and who they work for, ensuring smoother and more professional interactions.

Material #4: Company Apparel

👀 Did you know?

Company apparel can boost employee morale and brand loyalty, with studies showing that 85% of people remember advertisers who gave them a shirt or hat.

It creates a unified look for your team, making your brand instantly recognizable at events or in the field.

Choose apparel that is stylish yet comfortable.

Ensure your logo is visible but not overwhelming, which can help foster brand recognition without appearing too promotional.

And that’s a wrap!

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter.

And welcome to the first interactive game within my newsletter!

It’s called Guess the Vending Item.

Here's how it works:

A blurred image of one of my vending machine products is linked below. Click below to look and reply to this email with your guess of what the product might be.

If you guess the product correctly, you'll win $!

If no one guesses the item correctly, we'll reveal the answer in next week’s newsletter and up the stakes with an additional reward.

CURRENT PRIZE: $10

Some tips before you guess:

• Each subscriber has only one chance to guess.

• You don’t need to have seen or used the product.

• Feel free to forward this email to your friends to see if they can guess.

With all this in mind, ensure your guesses are submitted before next Friday.

See you next week!

-Ethan