I was out on routes Tuesday and Thursday this week. I now have 166 accounts and I'm adding 5 new accounts each day out. Tuesday I took off with 5 boxes for growth and along the way lost 4 accounts. Had to pick up 9 new accounts to be where I wanted to be at the end of the day.

The first snack box route I built years ago grew at a pace of 2 new accounts per week in the beginning then 2 per day later on. Growing at the pace I'm growing this time makes it seem like more are dropping off but I think it is just more noticeable because of the quicker growth.

Sales are running just shy of $20.00 per box at this time. The one area I have let down in is carding those that have to high of shortage. I'm starting to rectify that problem now before it gets out of control.

With Vistar's 50 case minimum order there has been no profits in the books at this point but in the next 1 to 2 weeks I'm anticipating my first profit. The profit is about a week late at this point in time from what I had anticipted in the beginning.

I'm a much happier person today than when I was in the corporate world and have no regrets about leaving my previous employer, they are a great company I'm just not a good employee. 

I will be ordering more boxes soon as I just opened the last case. Thanks to all of you that have sent words of encouragement it means a lot to me.

Dennis

My business is definately taking a turn for the better as time goes on. The new route is up to 28 accounts now, another route has 37 and the other 3 routes have 30 so I now have 155 accounts. I thought I had 156? I may have to count the routes when I'm getting ready to fill boxes.

This past week I was out on a route 3 times. I picked up 25 new accounts. Two of the routes I picked up 10 new accounts and the 3rd route I picked up 5 new accounts. Going forward with the routes filling out I'm going to drop down to 5 new accounts until each route hits 60.

I don't know if any of you can associate with what I'm about to say but here goes. I have worked with some great salesmen in my life but I'm not in that catagory. One morning this past week my wife and I where drinking our morning cup of coffee when I told her that at that time in the morning I'm always worried that I won't be able to make the sales goals I have set for myself.

She looked at me kinda funny and said that surprised her. I told her it was true and that doubting my sales ability has always been there for me. I deal with my doubts by making myself get out of the vehicle with a box in hand and head into that first door each day.

Once inside the presentation starts to flow from my mouth, the fear seems to end and I begin to enjoy the people I'm meeting for the first time. I have a policy to thank the ones that don't buy for listening to my presentation. If someone will listen to me I feel they have done everything that I could expect from them.

I hate the thought of being a failure and putting this on VENDiscuss has put me in the hot seat. There may come a day when I won't make my sales goal. I just want all of you to know the day after that, I will get up and do it all over again.

Dennis

Route Still Growing

It is Friday afternoon and the money has been counted from the boxes I run yesterday. The sales have been picking up on the last 2 routes I ran. Product sold was 18.50 per box and money in the box was 14.50 giving me 21% shortage.

The shortage will come down as from this point on I'm going to be carding the worst offenders. I think some of the resistance to the $1.25 price is breaking down, I was sure that it would with time.

I added 20 new acounts the last 2 days I was on routes. My total number of accounts is 131. Next week when I start running the routes that have 30 accounts on them I may start placing 5 new accounts per day instead of the 10 or more I have been placing up till now.

As the routes fill out and the accounts have been on the route for a month or two I think that sales per box are going to increase to around $23.00 to $25.00 and the money in the box will climb to $17.00 to $19.00 per cycle.

I've had a few accounts dump there snack box operator and take my box even though it is $1.25 versus theirs at $1.00. I had even more take my card as their present operator is not able to offer much chocalate because of being at $1.00.

My thought is give people what they want and charge them accordingly. You may miss some accounts when your selling but in the long run it is going to pay.