Most people who want to start an ATM route are not afraid of the machine. They’re afraid of the conversation. Walking into a bar you’ve never been in, asking for the owner, and asking a stranger for a piece of their floor feels awful the first few times. I get it. But that fear is the moat. Plenty of people who watch a video about ATM income never make the first walk-in, which is exactly why the people who do can build something.
I have worked in commission sales, and I wrote about the money side of that life in my budgeting strategy for commission-only reps. The biggest thing sales taught me isn’t a script. It’s that a pitch is a numbers game you can practice, and that “no” is information, not a verdict on you.
Think about the bar owner’s Tuesday
Before any words, get the other person’s day in your head. A neighborhood bar owner is usually juggling deliveries, a staff schedule with holes in it, a cooler that’s acting up, and card-processing fees that feel like a tax on every sale. They get pitched constantly: point-of-sale systems, liquor reps, promoters, jukebox companies, and yes, other ATM operators.
So they’re listening for three things, even if they don’t say them out loud:
- Does this cost me anything? Money, space, staff time, or headaches.
- What do I get? Preferably a number, not an adjective.
- Is this person going to disappear? Because the last vendor did.
If your first thirty seconds answer those three, you’re ahead of most people who walk through that door. If you open with how great ATMs are in general, you’ve already lost them.
When you show up is half the pitch
Friday at 10 p.m. is the worst time to ask a bar owner for anything. Mid-afternoon on a weekday, when the owner is in for deliveries and the room is quiet, is the best. If the owner isn’t there, don’t pitch the bartender. Ask their name and when they’re usually around, thank them, and leave. You now have a name to ask for next time, which changes the whole feel of the second visit.
My version of the ask
I’d keep it short and make it about them. Something like this:
“Hey, I’m [name]. I’ve got a small ATM company here in town. Honest question first: how often does somebody ask your bartenders where the closest ATM is?”
Then stop talking. Let them answer. Most owners of cash-heavy bars will say something like “all the time” or roll their eyes. Now you’re not pitching; you’re solving a problem they just described. Follow with the offer:
“I’d put one right over there. It costs you nothing. I own it, I keep it full, I fix it. You get a check every month for a piece of every withdrawal, with a statement so you can see the numbers. And if it’s not busy enough after a few months, I’ll pull it out, no hard feelings.”
Then the close, which is not “what do you think?” It’s a smaller, easier question:
“Would that corner work, or is there a better spot?”
Questions about where are easier to answer than questions about whether. That’s not a trick. It’s respecting their time by assuming they can make a decision.
The objections are predictable. So prepare once.
You’ll hear the same handful again and again. I’d write my answers on an index card and practice them out loud in the car until they sound like me.
| What they say | What’s really behind it | How I’d answer |
|---|---|---|
| “Nobody uses cash anymore.” | Doubt it’ll be worth the space | “Most people don’t. The machine is for the ones who do: cover charges, tips, the pool table. And every cash sale is one you don’t pay card fees on.” |
| “We’ve got one.” | Maybe fine, maybe frustrated | “How’s it treating you? Ever empty on a Saturday?” Then ask when their deal ends. |
| “I don’t want the risk.” | Fear of theft or damage | “It’s my machine and my cash, insured by me, bolted down where your staff can see it.” |
| “How much would I make?” | Genuine interest | Give an honest range from your split and a realistic volume. Never a promise. |
| “Let me think about it.” | Usually “not today” | “Totally fair. I’ll leave this with you and swing back Thursday afternoon.” |
That last one matters most. “Let me think about it” is not a no. It’s the start of a follow-up sequence. In most kinds of sales, a big share of deals close on the second or third touch, not the first.
Run the rejection math on purpose
Here’s a mindset shift that commission salespeople learn early, applied to this. Stop treating each visit as a win or a loss. Treat a batch of visits as one experiment.
Say you visit 15 bars you’ve pre-screened as cash-heavy with no bank nearby. A realistic spread might look like this: a bunch of owners aren’t in the first time, several say no, a couple already have a machine, and a small handful say yes after a follow-up or two. If three of those 15 sign, every “no” was worth something, because you couldn’t get to the three without the twelve. That changes how a rejection feels. It’s not a door closing. It’s a step you had to take anyway.
If rejection still gets under your skin, you’re not alone. I wrote this for anyone dealing with imposter syndrome, and the walk-in is where it shows up for a lot of first-time business owners. The only fix I know is reps.
An illustrative first month
Here’s an illustrative example, not a real person. Carla works an office job and wants a small ATM route. She spends one weekend building a list of about 40 bars, smoke shops and corner stores across a few nearby ZIP codes, crossing out anything with a bank close by. Then she blocks two afternoons a week for walk-ins.
Week one is rough. The first owner cuts her off halfway through. The second isn’t in. She feels ridiculous. By week two she has the opener memorized and it sounds like her. One pool hall owner laughs at the “where’s the closest ATM” question because his bartenders get asked a dozen times a night, and he signs on her second visit. Another bar signs after an email follow-up. Two owners tell her they already have a machine; she writes down when their agreements end.
Two placements from one month of afternoons. Not life-changing on their own. But she now has a skill most people never build, two references for the next pitch, and a second income stream that didn’t exist a month ago.
Where to find the doors to knock on
The hard part isn’t the talking, it’s knowing who to talk to. You can build the list by driving and Googling, or you can let VendBuddy (full disclosure: VendBuddy is my company) (vendbuddy.io/app) pull the bars and cash-heavy shops in your ZIP along with the owner or manager’s contact. You can buy one credit pack and stop there; no subscription required.
There’s a more hands-on companion to this piece on VendBuddy: How to Pitch ATM Placement to Bar Owners: Scripts That Get a Yes. Start there if you’re already past the “should I” stage.
The real reason to learn this
Here’s the thing. Learning to walk into a business and ask for a deal is one of the most portable skills you can build. It works for ATMs, vending, pitching services, renting space, landing a first client. Every time you do it, you’re a little less dependent on a single employer deciding your worth. That’s the whole reason I keep saying this is your sign to start your own business, even a tiny one.
If you want a next step, don’t read more scripts. Write your opener on a card, pick five bars, and go this week. Count the no’s. They’re part of the price.
