Tag Archive for: atm placement

ATM Marketing: 5 Ways to Promote Your Business

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There are many ways to promote your business if you are a small business owner. But what if you are an ATM business owner? Well, many strategies will still work for you. And we highly encourage you to try some of these strategies if you want to scale your ATM business. 

The best part is that each of these 5 ways to promote your business costs little to nothing! That’s good news because it means that you can scale your ATM business without cutting into your profit which equals more passive income for you. Here’s how.

Why Promote Your ATM Business?

You will want to promote your ATM business to either get your first placement or to get additional placements after your initial installation. Promoting your business basically means advertising yourself. People need to know that you place ATM machines in order for them to seek you out for ATM service.

Of course, there are a number of steps and strategies you can use to actively get that first placement, and you can continue to use them. But advertising increases the chances of opportunities coming to you. That saves you a lot of time, energy, and other resources making cold calls and site visits that don’t convert to placement agreements.

The more passive opportunities that come your way, the more of your revenue you get to pocket. Next, we’ll show you 5 free and affordable ways to promote your business.

5 Ways to Promote Your Business

Social Media

First and foremost is social media. Why? Because that’s where everyone is! Social media is a great place to let friends and family know that you are in the ATM business. That way, they can refer you to business owners they know who might be interested in ATM service. Or, maybe they identify a gap in the market for you! 

If you have a hundred friends, that’s a hundred hooks you’ve got in the water! Basically, social media is a free and easy way to expand your reach with little to no effort on your part.

How to Optimize Social Media

Now, to improve your social media efforts and rewards, you will want to be active on your ATM business social media account. Here are some ideas of interesting and engaging content you can post to keep your page or channel active:

  • If you resolve an issue, share the experience! This will show your dedication to, knowledge of, and skill in maintaining your machine. 
  • Record short, informational videos. This will also demonstrate your knowledge as well as educate your audience on the ins and outs of how ATMs work. Promoting ATM and cash usage is good for your business, too, aside from getting placement opportunities.
  • Always post a relevant photo or graphic. This is an effective way to make your post stand out in a feed and makes scrollers more likely to stop and check it out! 
  • Memes are always fun. Adjust existing memes to relate to your ATM business experiences, or create your own. An expectation vs. reality meme or video could be a fun way to dispel myths and educate about ATMs, the ATM business, and how it all works.
  • Share interesting, relevant videos and articles related to your business. Sharing informational industry news can be an easy way to stay active on your page without having to create a lot of content.
  • Creating short, educational posts about ATMs and your business can help demonstrate your value. Make it obvious what you do and how you help local businesses.

Don’t Forget to Brand Yourself!

Your social media business account isn’t just for friends and family. Make it public and shareable. This will help you reach more people outside of your immediate circle. You can also be found this way by people actively searching for ATM servicers in their area. 

Then, if your page is kept current, you add branding (logo, theme, business name, etc.), and you display your unique style and personality, all of these factors can help you beat out any competition. Portraying a professional yet personable business identity, or brand, will make businesses want to work with you. Then, you can proudly share your social media with leads who can research you further and reach out when they are ready! 

ATM Business Card

ATM business cards demonstrate preparedness and professionalism. They are very handy when you encounter an unexpected potential opportunity. Keeping business cards on hand ensures that you are always ready to share your brand and contact info with whomever you might encounter day to day. 

However, you can also use business cards when you actively approach businesses with your ATM service offer. A business card is a good way to leave behind your information if the decision-maker isn’t on-site or available at the time of your visit or if the prospect initially declines or wants time to think about it. 

Traditional business cards are effective ways to promote your business because they are tangible. They will hang around, keeping you, your business, and your offer at the front of the location owner’s mind. Having something physical lying around after you leave keeps your prospect from forgetting about you. 

You can create your own business cards or use templates on websites like Shutterfly. You can order 50 cards for around $15. We even have some ATM business card tips you can use to get the right information out there!

While traditional business cards are effective marketing tools because of their tangibility, dot. business cards offer a new way to quickly and easily share your contact info. You only need one, and prospects can simply scan a QR code from their phones to get your digital business card! This way, it can’t get lost or trashed during spring cleaning, so it’s easy for a lead to access when he or she is ready to discuss your offer.

ATM Business Flier

An ATM business flier functions similarly to a business card. It’s something tangible you can leave behind if a prospect isn’t ready to talk at the time of your initial visit or if he or she wants time to think about your offer. The main difference is the type of information a flier includes.

A business flier will be larger than a business card. It will likely be printed on standard document paper. This allows you to be more specific about yourself and your business. You might add a personal bio, testimonials, and, most importantly, your value. 

On an ATM business flier, you will want to list the benefits of ATM service and the pain points you are able to solve. This can sometimes be a more effective reminder of your service than a business card which only shares your contact information.

Topper

A topper is a lighted sign you can purchase for an existing ATM machine. You can use it to display your name, your brand, your phone number, etc. This is a good way to reach strangers, anyone passing by or using your machine who is happy with your service and interested in ATM service him- or herself.

It also doubles as a marketing tool for the location itself. You can advertise specials, promotions, or new products and services for the store or business where your machine is placed. Generating more sales for your location is a good way to get a renewed contract and referral. Then, you can add to your ATM business flier your track record of increasing sales to the list of benefits you offer! 

Referral Program

Finally, you can create a referral program. This program is completely customizable. You can make it look however you want. The point is that you encourage friends, family, and location owners to scout out prospects on your behalf. In exchange for gifting you with a promising location, you can offer a reward. 

The incentive is up to you. You can offer a flat rate or a portion or percentage of the surcharge fee up to a certain amount or for a set period of time. If a friend or family member puts you in contact with a business interested in ATM service, you can gift a set amount to the person who made the referral. If the location owner of your current placement makes a referral, you can adjust the surcharge split in his or her favor.

A referral program is a good way to encourage people to actively try to put you in contact with more prospects. This motivation can help overcome any shyness or reservations someone might have about making a pitch on your behalf.

Conclusion

Not only are these 5 ways to promote your business simple and affordable, but you can use them all in conjunction! The more strategies you employ, the better your chances of reaching more people, getting more opportunities, and signing more placement agreements.

Whether you need to get your first ATM machine up and running or if you are ready to add more machines to your route, you’re going to have to get your name out there. 

Remember that the best part of these strategies is that they help create opportunities for leads to come to you. This saves you time and energy because you are meeting leads that are already interested in what you have to offer. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have contacted you! 

So what are you waiting for? Start experimenting with ways to promote your business today!

How to Get Your First ATM Placement (Without Any References)

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Your first ATM placement is always going to be the most challenging.
Even with the best ATM business resources, the best guidance, and an incredibly supportive ATM processor, you’re still working from limited experience.
But, you’re also working without any references. You don’t have any other placements, yet. So, you have no track record to showcase. That often makes people nervous about signing contracts.
However, there’s a solution to this problem. And, you can absolutely get your first ATM placement without any references.
Here’s how to do it (and exactly what to say).

How to get credibility without references

People ask for references because they want to check your credibility. It’s normal human behavior to assume that if other people trust you, you must be trustworthy.
But, here’s the thing: you can borrow credibility.
In the ATM business, the easiest way to do this is to borrow credibility from your business partners. The easiest partner to borrow credibility from is your ATM processor.
If you think about it, as an ATM operator, you’re essentially selling the ATM processor’s service. The ATM machine is just the computer. But, it’s the connection to the bank that makes the money transfer possible. And, that’s what your ATM processor provides.
So, you can position yourself as a local representative for your ATM processor. That way you can borrow your ATM processor’s reputation to build credibility for yourself.
Obviously, this only works if your ATM processor has a reputation. For example: ATMDepot operates thousands of ATM machines nationwide. We’ve been in business since 2003. And, our CEO, Noah Wieder, wrote a book about the ATM business. He’s been helping ATM businesses since 1996.
That’s a solid track record. If you work with ATMDepot, you can position yourself as a local representative for ATMDepot to borrow some of the ATMDepot street cred.

Showcase the advantages of being your first ATM placement

Which employees always work the hardest? That’s right. The brand new ones. The new employees are always eager to prove themselves and show that it was a good idea to hire them.
Your first ATM placement is like a new job. And, you’re like that new employee. You’ve got the most to lose. So, you’re going to work the hardest.
Also, since you only have one ATM, that one ATM machine literally gets 100% of your attention. That’s a benefit. So, point that out to the client.

Restate the benefits of working with an ATM operator

Even if you’ve already told them why working with an ATM operator is good for their business, reiterating these benefits will help you close the deal.
Remind the client that your ATM machine will:

  • Reduce their credit card transaction fees.
  • Encourage customers to spend money in your client’s business.
  • Generate ATM transaction fee income (if you give a portion of your transaction fee to the business owner, which is a good idea).
  • Take the ATM maintenance responsibilities off the business owner’s plate.
  • Add potential ad space to the client’s business.

This is a classic sales formula: tell them, tell them what you told them, then tell them again. When you restate these benefits, you’re doing the “tell them again” step.
It strengthens your position when you remind the business owner that working with you is an investment, not an expense.
And, depending on how your ATM deployment service is structured, they may not even have to invest much money. The investment might be just the floor space for your ATM and the (very slight) increase in their power bill.

What to say to your first ATM business client

So, we’ve covered the principles that you need to apply. But, we’re going to make it easy to apply them with a script.
Our script covers all these fundamental principles, and applies them in the best order to close the deal.
You can modify this script based on your business and your ATM deployment service. But, if you follow it, you’ll have your first ATM placement in no time.
Here it is:
Where else do I have machines?
That’s a great question. And, I understand why you’d be interested in knowing that.
Well, I work with ATMDepot. And, they run thousands of ATMs nationwide.
They’ve been in business for over 15 years. And, the CEO wrote a book about the ATM business. He’s been helping companies like mine since 1996.
I’d be your local operator. So, I’ll be servicing you personally.
This would be my first ATM in the area. So, you know I’ll be diligent.
Rest assured, it’s an investment for me. And, since you’ll be my first location in the area, you’ll get my undivided attention.
I hope to be able to use you as a referral for my next location. And, the only way I know to make sure you give me a good reference is to provide top notch service.
If you give me a shot to run your ATM, I’m positive you won’t regret it one bit.
Within a few months you’ll be telling your friends how you made one of the best vendor decisions of your business life!
I’d like to help you start saving on credit card fees and give your customers more cash to spend in your store as soon as possible.
Now, how about we sit down for 10 minutes. I’ll go over the program, and we can do some paperwork.
That’s it. Very straightforward. Feel free to tailor it to your needs. But, print it out and practice it. That way you never stumble when it comes time to overcome this classic objection.

What to do now

Want to read Noah Wieder’s book about the ATM business? Get your copy.
Need an ATM processor with a reputation that you can use to get your first ATM placement? Get ATM processing through ATMDepot.

Where Should I Place My ATM?

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Where Should I Place My ATM?

Where Should I Place My ATM

To really maximize the profits you earn from your business’s automatic teller machine, you need to place that machine in the right location. ATM placement is an art, not a science, however, even experts on the topic can sometimes disagree about ATM placement strategies. So consider the following an introduction to the factors that go into this important decision.

First and foremost, your customers won’t want to use your ATM unless they feel safe doing so. Therefore, install your ATM someplace in your business that’s lit brightly, somewhere under the watchful eye of a security camera, perhaps with a visible alarm system within arm’s reach.

You also have to decide whether to install your ATM indoors or outdoors. Outdoor ATM’s can be accessed twenty-four hours a day, of course, but they’re more vulnerable to vandals and thieves. You’ll have to invest in a first-rate (in other words, expensive) security system. There might even be specific safety/security laws in your state and municipality dictating the kinds of security measures you’re required to have in place for an outdoor ATM. In addition, during the day many customers prefer using indoor rather than outdoor ATM’s, as they feel safer doing so. In that regard, you might actually lose some ATM business if you place your automatic teller machine outside.

If you manage a large complex, such as a shopping mall or a resort hotel, then choosing the spot in which to install your ATM becomes significantly more challenging. Many such facilities set up an ATM in the lobby, believing that customers expect to find ATM’s there, and also believing that a lobby is a safe place because it receives so much traffic all day long. And many hotels, malls and even hospitals decide to maintain more than one on-site ATM. For instance, a hotel might find it worth the investment to put an ATM on every floor. If you decide to go this route, it probably makes sense to put the ATM at the same location on each floor – just to the left of the elevator, for instance.

You don’t have to run a business with multiple floors in order to derive benefit from multiple ATM’s, though. Even if you own, for example, a fairly large, one-story convenience store, you might find that if you purchase more than one ATM, and place those ATM’s in opposite sections of your store, those ATM’s will increase your profit margins each month.

One of the longest-running debates when it comes to the placement of ATM’s is this: Should you put an ATM right next to the front door of your establishment? There are passionate advocates on both sides of this argument. Those who say that an ATM should go beside the front door can site statistics indicating that putting an ATM here greatly increases the usage that ATM will get over time. Some studies have even said that an ATM beside the front door gets twice as many transactions as an ATM placed in, say, one of the far corners of a business’s interior.

On the other hand, the case against putting an ATM by the front door is also convincing. First, if you attract lots of customers each day, an ATM next to the door could cause congestion around that door. People lining up here might even block the entrance. And if potential customers walking by on the street see this commotion, they might be discouraged from entering your establishment, thus costing you business. Even worse, a line of customers near your front door might constitute a minor fire hazard, should that line be thick enough. And if your front door is glass, it might be tempting for drug addicts and other amateur robbers to break the glass at night, step inside and try to loot your ATM.

If you have no idea how many ATM’s to buy, or where to place them, you can always contact experts at an ATM consulting service. They’ll be able to analyze your floor plan and your flow of traffic and tell you the best place to put your machine(s).