To pitch a vending machine placement, contact the person who controls the floor space, give them the machine’s size and power needs, a certificate of insurance, and a service schedule, and offer a commission on sales. Published government contracts from 2026 pay the host 10% (Ingham County1, Jefferson County2). One of our locations takes 15%. Then put the terms in a signed agreement before the machine goes in.
This page covers the pitch and the agreement. For where to look for locations in the first place, see vending machine locations; to score a site before you pitch it, use the location scorer.
The pitch, in order
- 1Qualify the siteCount the people on site each day. Micromart recommends 150 or more for its lease program.
- 2Find the decision makerThe person who controls the floor space, which is often not the owner.
- 3Send a short emailMachine, payment, service, commission, and a request for ten minutes.
- 4Visit with the paperworkSpec sheet, insurance certificate, and a draft agreement.
- 5Agree terms in writingCommission basis, power, notice, exclusivity, term, refunds, access.
- 6Install and reportSend the sales report and commission on the date the agreement sets.
How to find vending machine locations worth pitching
Foot traffic sets what a location is worth. Micromart, for the smart coolers it leases, recommends a location with 150 or more people on site per day and requires a signed location contract of at least one year that renews automatically (Micromart FAQ5). That is one vendor’s lease requirement, and a useful floor for a smart cooler.
Count people. An office with a published headcount, a gym with posted class schedules, and an apartment building with a known unit count can all be sized before you call. Vending machine locations covers location types in more detail.
Who to ask at each kind of location
Offices. The office manager at a small company, and the facilities or workplace manager at a larger one. In a multi-tenant building, the tenant controls its own break room, and the building’s property manager controls the lobby and common areas. If you do not know who that is, ask the receptionist who handles the break room.
Gyms. The owner or general manager. At a franchise location, ask the general manager whether the brand has a national vending or beverage agreement before you spend time on the pitch, since that decides whether the location can say yes.
Apartment buildings. The property manager, or the management company that employs them. They report to an owner, so expect a longer decision. A vendor blog, VendBuddy, puts apartment commissions at 5% to 10% (VendBuddy4).
Public buildings. Counties and cities buy vending through a written bid. Bandera County, Texas, put its vending contract out as a request for proposals in 2026 and directed every question to the County Auditor’s Office (Bandera County RFP3). To get into a public building, watch the county or city procurement page and answer the bid.
What to bring to the pitch
The Bandera County RFP is a published list of what one buyer wanted to see from a vending operator (Bandera County RFP3):
- the percentage of sales paid to the county;
- how often machines will be stocked;
- the snack and beverage variety;
- service call response time for malfunctions;
- the number of machines and where they go;
- up to three references.
A private business will ask fewer questions, but the same list answers most of them. Bring these on one page or two:
Machine spec sheet. Height, width, depth, and the power it needs. Micromart’s cabinet, for example, is 79 inches high, 30 inches wide, and 37.75 inches deep (Micromart FAQ5). The location needs to know whether it fits through the door and next to an outlet.
Certificate of insurance. A location may ask for one before you install, and some will want to be named as additional insured. What vending insurance costs has the published premiums.
How it takes payment. Cantaloupe’s 2026 report found 78% of food and beverage vending sales on its network were cashless in 2025 (Cantaloupe6). Say which card reader the machine uses. We run Nayax and WeVend readers; card readers compared lists the options and their fees.
Service frequency and response time. How often you restock, and how fast you come out when the machine jams or a customer loses money.
Commission offer. A rate, the basis it is calculated on, and the day you pay it. See the next section.
A draft agreement. A location that likes the pitch will ask what it is signing.
Vending machine commission rates in published sources
Few commission figures are published. These are the ones we found, with what each one is.
| Source | What it is | Commission |
|---|---|---|
| Ingham County, Michigan1 | County resolution, June 23, 2026, four county buildings | 10% of net sales |
| Jefferson County, Texas2 | Bid tabulation, January 7, 2026, two bidders | 10% from both; one bidder 15% to 25% above $50,000 a year in sales |
| VendBuddy4 | Vendor blog | 5% to 20% of gross sales overall |
| VendBuddy | Vendor blog, by location type | Small offices 0% to 5%; gyms 10% to 18%; apartments 5% to 10%; hotels 10% to 20% |
| Our route | One location | 15% |
The Jefferson County bids also carried a guaranteed minimum: $4,000 from one bidder and $3,000 from the other, the second tied to annual sales over $50,001 (Jefferson County2). The tabulation is what was read aloud at bid opening, and the county says it had not checked the bids for errors. Ingham County’s resolution does not define net sales.
VendBuddy says commission is always calculated on gross sales before the cost of goods, and advises against a monthly minimum guarantee and against paying commission on sales before refunds (VendBuddy4). We could not find a survey behind VendBuddy’s ranges, and we found no current commission survey from NAMA or the trade press.
Work out what a rate costs you before you offer it. On $500 a month in gross sales, each 5 points of commission is $25 a month. With a private host, I’d offer a percentage and leave out a guaranteed minimum, which is owed in a slow month too.
Vending machine proposal letter: an email template
A template to adapt. We are not claiming any response rate for it. Fill in every bracket, and keep the last three lines: the FTC says CAN-SPAM makes no exception for business-to-business email and requires a clear statement that the message is an advertisement, a valid physical postal address, and a way to opt out (FTC7).
Subject: Vending machine for [business name], [machine type]
Hi [name],
I run vending machines at businesses near [area]. I'd like to place a
[machine type, e.g. glass-front smart cooler] in your [break room / lobby]
at no cost to you.
- Size: [H x W x D], needs one standard outlet
- Payment: cards and phone wallets through a [reader] card reader
- Restocking: [frequency]; service calls answered within [time]
- Products: [short list]; your staff can request items
- Commission: [rate]% of [gross / net] sales, paid monthly with a sales report
- Insurance: general liability, certificate on request
Could I have ten minutes this week or next to show you the spec sheet?
[Your name]
[Business name], [phone]
This is an advertisement for vending services.
[Physical postal address]
Reply "stop" and I won't email you again.The FTC also requires accurate “From” and “Reply-To” information, a subject line that matches the message, and opt-outs honored within 10 business days, with the opt-out working for at least 30 days after you send. You cannot charge a fee or ask for anything beyond an email address to opt out. Each email that breaks the law can cost up to $53,088 (FTC7).
A short call or walk-in script
Also a template to adapt, with no results claimed. Ask for the decision maker first, then keep the pitch to the facts in the email.
Front desk: "Hi, I run vending machines for local businesses. Who looks
after the break room here?"
Decision maker: "I'd like to put a [machine type] in your [space] at no
cost to you. It's [size] and plugs into a standard outlet. It takes cards.
I restock it [frequency], and I pay [rate]% of sales every month with a
sales report. I carry liability insurance and can send the certificate.
Can I leave this sheet and come back to measure the space?"
If no: "Thanks. Is it all right if I check back in [months]?"Calling businesses is lighter on rules than calling homes. The FTC says “most phone calls to a business” made to solicit sales from that business are exempt from the Do Not Call provisions (FTC Q&A8). The exemption does not cover a call to a business line that solicits an employee’s personal purchase (FTC9), so pitch the business.
Vending machine placement agreement terms to put in writing
Get these in a signed agreement before you install. Each line is a question the location will raise later if you leave it out.
Commission and its basis. The rate, whether it is on gross or net sales, and how net is defined. Say whether sales tax and refunds come out before the percentage is applied. Ingham County’s contract says net and does not define it (Ingham County1); yours should.
Payment date and report. Bandera County requires a monthly sales report showing gross sales by machine location and commission paid by the 10th of the following month (Bandera County RFP3).
Electricity. Who pays for power, and that the location keeps the outlet live.
Term and renewal. Bandera County’s term is one year with an option to renew (Bandera County RFP3). Ingham County’s runs October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2029, with an option for a two-year renewal (Ingham County1). Micromart requires at least one year, renewing automatically, for a leased machine (Micromart FAQ5). If the machine is financed, match the term to the lender’s requirement.
Removal notice. Bandera County lets either party end the contract with 30 days’ written notice, delivered in person or by certified mail (Bandera County RFP3). Set the notice period and how it must be given.
Exclusivity. That you are the only vending operator on the premises, or in the spaces named, for the term.
Insurance and indemnity. The limits you carry and whether the location is named as additional insured. Bandera County’s indemnity clause has the operator defend the county against claims from injuries or damage caused by the operator’s negligence (Bandera County RFP3).
Customer refunds. Who a customer contacts when the machine takes their money, and that the location staff do not refund out of their own till. Put a phone number or a QR code on the machine.
Access hours. When you can get in to restock and repair, who lets you in, and whether you need a badge or key.
Assignment. Whether you can transfer the agreement if you sell the route. Bandera County bars assignment without the Commissioners Court’s written consent (Bandera County RFP3). A buyer of your route will read this clause; see selling a vending route.
When to pay a locator instead
A locator does the outreach and charges you for the placement. We pay a locator $250 per placement. The Vending Locator advertises guaranteed placements from $500 for a site with 50 or more employees to $2,000 for 200 or more, and does not refund them; locator prices and terms compared.
In my view, paying makes sense when the fee is small next to the time the outreach would take you, or when you are buying a placement in a building you could not get a meeting in. Before you pay, ask whether the locator has already promised the host a commission, and at what rate, so the agreement you sign matches it.
