Value-First Vending Sales
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A software salesperson turned vending machine operator shares his unique approach to placing machines in properties without paying commission by focusing on tenant value rather than revenue sharing.
Business Overview
- Owner: Quinn Miller, 27, former software sales professional
- Revenue: $15,000 monthly across 27 machines
- Profit margin: 65% ($9,700-$9,800 monthly profit)
- Time investment: 20 hours per week
- Total investment: $50,000
Location Strategy
- Targets specific venues:
- Lower income hotels/motels
- Assisted living facilities
- Low-income apartments
- Uses cold calling to secure locations
- Has machines across 10 different locations
Value Sell Approach
- Traditional industry standard:
- Most operators pay 10-20% revenue share to property owners
- Quinn's innovative approach:
- Pays nothing to property owners
- Focuses on tenant experience improvement
- Pitches increased tenant satisfaction leading to better retention
- Uses software sales background to execute "value sell"
Operations
- Sources products from Costco
- Simple pricing model:
- Buys Coke for 33¢
- Sells for $1
- Added credit card readers to machines
- $250 investment per machine
- Modernizes payment options
- Handles all restocking personally
This approach demonstrates how sales expertise from another industry can be applied to transform traditional business models through value-based selling rather than revenue sharing.
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.