Vending & OCS Nation Podcast

Expert advice - How storytelling can supercharge your communication with clients and prospects

Storytelling is a powerful way to communicate with people - personally and in business. Knowing the fundamentals and understanding certain key strategies can make the difference when using storytelling to help clients and prospects make the right choices. 

In our last episode, featuring Linda Saldana of Seventh Wave Refreshments, she made reference to storytelling, a sales technique that Vending & OCS Nation host Bob Tullio has written and spoken about on numerous occasions over the years. In fact, he just wrote about business storytelling on March 13, 2024, in the monthly OCS operator newsletter from Vending Market Watch.

It’s not surprising that Linda brought storytelling up in the podcast – since every great salesperson is a storyteller and she has certainly been a standout for quite some time. Tullio has his own theories about business storytelling and shares some of them in this episode. He also interviewed a couple of genuine story telling experts -  Todd Dewitt and Erik Eklund – who both speak globally on the subject and offer unique perspectives on storytelling.

 

To deliver “joy,” Linda Saldana brings faith, passion and energy to her work

Chances are, if you are in the convenience services business, you have heard the name, Linda Saldana. In 2023, Automatic Merchandiser named her as one of the "Most Influential Women in Convenience Services."

In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, host Bob Tullio sat down with Linda Saldana to talk about her professional and her closely connected spiritual journey. Largely because of her visibility on social media and her presence at NAMA events - including the NAMA Show, the Fly-In and the CTW, Linda has in fact become a highly recognized name in the convenience services industry in a relatively short period of time. She joined the industry almost 12 years ago, rising to sales director at Southern Refreshment Service and fell in love with the business.

She co-founded Seventh Wave Refreshments in Atlanta in 2020, with a mission to “Bring Joy to the Workplace” during a most unsettling time – in the middle of a pandemic. Her faith, her passion, her perseverance, and her energy – it all makes for a good story…

Later this month - Part II of the Linda Saldana journey, including business strategies and industry insights.

View from the big apple – a conversation with industry veteran Jim Evans

A family business can change dramatically from one generation to the next. That’s exactly what happened after Jim Evans joined Evans Quality Coffee. He followed societal shifts to move the company from industrial/mobile catering to vending and coffee.

On this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, host Bob Tullio gives you a view from the big apple – a conversation with industry veteran Jim Evans of Evans Quality Coffee, Vending and Micro Markets.

His company was founded in 1960 – 64 years ago - by Jim’s folks, Ed and Mildred.  

Tullio covers plenty of ground with Jim as he reflects on the journey, his strong relationship with operators in his area, all of whom have been through a lot doing business in New York. His love-hate relationship with Keurig, his attraction to online sales (which became a distraction) and some scary memories from 9-11.

Jim also identifies his key suppliers and points to one new product that he is particularly excited about. It’s a candid and inspiring operator story.

An "outhouse to penthouse" story from a supplier who says operators are paying too much

Bob Tullio, the host of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, is the first to admit that he loves telling his listeners a good success story, whether it is the story of an operator or supplier who has something special to offer. 

In this episode, we explore the journey of an entrepreneur who is a bit of a disrupter. Now in his early 30’s, Jonathan Noori has taken his operation – Royalty Distribution, from being a modest janitorial supply company to being a major manufacturer and distributer of paper products. Now – he is determined to serve the OCS industry, where he is convinced that operators are paying too much. How he got to this point is incredible. It’s literally a story of going from the outhouse to the penthouse…

Jennifer Fox - Part II - A story of personal healing and some clear opinions on what operators must do to succeed

In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser's Vending & OCS Nation podcast, host Bob Tullio explores two sides of Jennifer Fox, owner of Fox Vending in the Chicago area. It's about overcoming personal challenges and doing what it takes to succeed in business.

You will hear the dramatic story of Dragonolia and Herren project, all driven by the loss of her brother and how these philanthropic efforts have helped her thrive on a personal basis. 

Fox also sounds the alarm for operators, making her feelings known about what operators need to do to compete with national competitors and she talks about what everyone in the industry can do to dramatically improve profitability. 

Jennifer Fox’s courageous approach to navigating the changing Chicago business climate

In 2023, Automatic Merchandiser recognized Jennifer Fox, president of Fox Vending in the Chicago area, as one of the industry’s most influential women. In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser's Vending & OCS Nation podcast, host Bob Tullio talks to Fox about her journey and her courageous approach to doing business. 

Jennifer Fox’s story will be told in two parts, Bob Tullio is sure you will find the content quite compelling. Welcome to part one, where Jennifer really opens up about her journey and the state of the convenience services industry.

In part two, you will hear the dramatic story of Dragonolia and Herren project, all driven by the loss of her brother and some personal struggles that Jennifer has overcome in her life. Plus - more insights on what makes her company successful and her belief that this is a special time in our industry – a time where operators can re-write the script for convenience services.

 

Serious ROI - Here is a low cost strategy to increase micro market sales by 10% to 20%

How often do you think about lighting? In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser's Vending & OCS Nation podcast, host Bob Tullio talks to some leading micro market consultants and to Cam Cloeter, the founder of Lighting for Impact, a company that is literally dominating the retail lighting market from coast to coast.

Based on the data presented by retailers that are served by Lighting for Impact, their entry into the micro market industry is great news for operators. Adding lighting or enhancing the lighting in a retail setting can result in a measurable, long-term jump in sales. 

After listening to this podcast, listeners are certain to have a "lightbulb" go off with the realization that it makes good sense to start thinking about lighting.

 

 

Designed for 2024: Three proven business development strategies that are guaranteed to succeed

Bob Tullio, the host of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, admits that the title of this podcast makes a bold claim, but he stands by it for good reason. “I know these three business development strategies work, because I have seen them work. This will guarantee success for operators in 2024,” he said.

Tullio is a firm believer that there is a certain time, place and market condition that is right for various business development strategies. 2024 is a year that is set up to be a great one for operators and account executives who are selling convenience services. The three strategies that Tullio is advocating are tailor made for 2024.

If you are sales professional, an operator or anyone in our industry who wants to see their revenue jump significantly in 2024, sit back and relax – here is some fresh content from Tullio on Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation. After you listen – put these ideas to work – get out there and sell!

Featuring insights from Kimberly Lenz of Associated Services, Brynne Tillman (the LinkedIn Whisperer) from Social Sales Link and Patricia Cowen of Rainmaker Sales Support.

Also mentioned in this episode:

Panoptyc, Graphics that Pop, AVS Companies, Cafection, 365 Retail Markets, Fresh Baked, Mars Ice Cream Fixturelite, Bevi, SmartSoda, Friia from Marco Beverage, ColdSnap, Borg & Overstrom, Easy Ice, Mars Ice Cream, Emerald Brands and Lighting for Impact.