Marketing

Recently, I have been reading a lot of books on marketing. I am hoping to expand my soda vending business next spring, so I have been trying to come up with a plan while I am waiting for Dustin to be born. I have been very impressed with the Start-up Guide to Guerilla Marketing. It has a lot of really good ideas that do not cost much to implement. I am looking forward to trying some of them out next spring. I will keep you informed about how they work. I am including a link to the site of the author of the book. I did not see the exact book that I read, but he has many other books that look just as interesting listed on the site. Beware, the home page has an automatic video that is a little irritating if you aren't ready for it. Guerilla Marketing Online has many resources that are listed. I have not had time to explore them though. Maybe you can find something of interest.

Soda Vending as Usual

The soda vending business is slowing down now that cooler, wetter weather is here. This is exactly what I expected from last years numbers. Now until about March should be relatively slow in the soda vending world. It is a little sad to look at the numbers now compared to the middle of summer, but I realize that this business is cyclical. It will improve again next spring. Everyone is hunkering down for the winter. People do not get as thirsty for fizzy sodas now as in the middle of summer. Now people are more interested in hot drinks like coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. Maybe one day I will venture into that arena, but right now I want to stay focused on the soda business.

I am a little concerned about some of the rumors of legislation against soda. I have heard that some people want to impose a penny per ounce sin tax on soda. I do not know how they expect to collect it from all of the small vendors. Lucky for us small people, Coca Cola is already preparing a counter attack. I hope they have enough clout to stall such legislation. It would just be another tax on the poor and middle-class.

Now is a great time to think about fixing any machines that have minor issues with them. Since there are not as many sells right now, it is a good time to replace parts that require turning the machine off for a while. Also, it is still a reasonable temperature to do repairs. It is frustrating to try to fix an outdoor machine when it is near freezing outside.