Know-How Exchange : Strategy

You have to follow-up and re-follow up in business-to-business.

If you must have the product that is made by a particular manufacturer, you will need to get them, or someone who is already an authorized sales agent for them, to allow you to put it in the vending machines. As Levon said, keep following up. These things can take some time in larger companies.

Also think through whether this works well for hem. They want to sell products, so putting it in another channel (vending machine) should be good. But this could also cause problems with their other channels, which they will have to deal with.

First, find out who owns the vending machine. The best way to do this is to either ask at a main desk area or find a "call for maintenance" sticker on the machine.

Then you can negotiate with the vending machine owner. It's his call what goes in the machine, and he only wants things that will turnover fast. Since your product is presumably new, my best advice to you would be to offer to stock one slot of one machine with your product for free for two weeks and see how the sales go. At the end of two weeks, you'll know whether or not vending sales are the way to go and, if they are, you'll probably have your first customer. He'll also know others in the business, so start networking your way into other machines.

Best,
kellyann