Sales Information |
Can Barter Help Increase Cash Sales and Visability for Your Small Business?
Barter is becoming an increasingly popular method of commerce. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that 20 to 25% of world trade is now barter. Corporate barter is now a 20 billion dollar industry. It seems as though everyone from the big corporations on the New York Stock Exchange to small home-based businesses are jumping on the barter bandwagon. I never thought about barter as a tool for building my businesses. That changed in April when I joined a local barter network in Vermont. For a small membership fee and a small commission on each trade, I now have access to almost 200 (and growing) local merchants' products and services including everything from popular restaurants, to spa services, electricians, hotels, rental cars, landscapers, and yes, even flying or sailing lessons! How does it work?(Most of the big networks function in this way.)
Benefits include:
Barter has created new power for my businesses. I feel good that I am supporting small companies like my own who I may have never met otherwise. Could barter work as part of your marketing plan? Copyright 2005, Ann Zuccardy, All rights reserved. Ann Zuccardy is a freelance technical and copy writer with 17 years of industry experience in marketing and technical communication. She currently consults with IBM in Essex Junction, Vermont where she writes software user manuals, training guides, and release notes. Ann is also the owner of Vermont Shortbread Company. She can be reached at Wordbrains.com.
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
The Best Day In The Week The best day of the week is TODAY, of course. Yesterday's are lost forever, and we know only too well that tomorrow isn't promised to anyone. How to Leverage Your Influence Why do we get into sales? Typically it is two reasons for most people. One is to make money, and the other is often that we like working with other people. Dont Let Rattlesnakes Scare You Recently I was out trail running along the South Fork of the Yuba River. The Yuba River is in a beautiful canyon running east-west through the middle of Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Going the Extra Mile and Getting Referrals Successful salespeople have the ability to turn the customers they serve into advocates. They don't directly ask for assistance, they do it by going the extra mile when providing service. Asking The Right Questions On an introductory call, how do you gather all of the information that you need from a prospect? An introductory call is usually fairly short, just a few minutes. You generally do not have the time to thoroughly question your prospect and then also move on to your next step, setting that introductory meeting. An Introduction to Store Fixtures Everybody is familiar with the old retail chant, "Location, location, location!" It speaks volumes about making the right decisions from the start to make your retail establishment a success. Once you've decided what it is your store is offering to the general public, the next step you'll take is finding the right location. Everyones Favorite Topic - 3 Tips for How To I believe that everyone understands that no matter what business you are in- Real Estate, Financial Services, Teaching, Auto Sales any other profession, we are all in the PEOPLE BUSINESS. It's been said that fully 85% of your success in life is directly related to your ability to effectively work with people. Your Clients Buying What Youre Selling Linda felt like she had reached a plateau in her cleaning business. For the past 3 years, she'd run the same ads in the same publications with the same results. Stop Telemarketers, Do Not Call List or Not American consumers have spoken and have done so loudly registering 50 million telephone numbers with the FTC's National Do-Not-Call list since the registry debuted in July.This new telemarketing sales rule, which was scheduled to take effect October 1st, recently encountered two legal battles which could diminish the rule's intent - to allow consumers to fight back against annoying telemarketing calls. Aikido and The Art of Cold Calling Imagine being in a crowded concert or bar. All of a sudden, afight breaks out between two men who've had too much to drink. When Selling, Keep It Simple Stupid! After our first half-hour telephone coaching session, when asked what he thought about our training, my client felt the learning process we had undertaken together earlier in the week, "was a bit too elementary." As a Branch Manager with over 18 years of sale experience, a supervisor who must also produce sales over and above the five representatives reporting to him, when he purchased our training, he thought that he would receive and then drill-for-skill some new and yet undiscovered selling process that would magically change his ability to produce sales. 101 Ways to Improve Your Direct Mail Response 1. Mail to your customers more often. How To Profit From Initial Consultations "I'd love to work with you, but?"How many times have you heard these words? As a professional service provider looking to grow your business, isn't it sometimes frustrating to hold an initial session with someone who you'd love to work with but the potential client has a whole list of reasons why s/he would love to work with you, but??As in, "I'd love to, but.. A Little Something Special Goes a Long Way Keeping the 80/20 rule in mind; that is that 80% of your business comes from 20% of your client base, there are a lot of missed opportunities to keep your clients coming back again and again and yet again. Having worked six years in the hospitality industry, particularly the hotel business, I have found the key to success and I would like to share it with you. The Power of Thank-You When was the last time you thanked your customers?This often neglected gesture is a very powerful sales tool. As a small business owner, I want to know that the companies I chose to work with appreciate my business. 2 ½ Steps to Sales Success You have just walked out of the office of a potential new majorcustomer that you have anxiously been waiting to meet with forweeks and again, you realize you have no idea what is going tohappen next as a result of your meeting. Worse yet, you again"spilled all your beans" by telling the potential client howthey should solve their problems, hoping that they will LET YOUhelp them by throwing some business your way. Mindset Over Materials: The Secret Weapon of Sustainable Sales Success Long-term sales success has less to do with skills or knowledgethan you might think. Nor are stunning brochures or excellentproducts guaranteed to make one iota of impact over time. What Successful Sellers Know - Others Dont ... The Subtle Art of Closing Ask any salesperson, "At what point in the selling process does the 'Close' take place?" Eight out of ten will answer, "at the End". To be fair, they are not totally incorrect but they are, nevertheless, more wrong than right proving in principle and in practice, Perado's Law: Twenty percent of the sales force make eighty percent of the sales and profitability. What Do Mobile Auto Detailers Clean When it Rains? A mobile auto detailer and their profits are tied to the weather perhaps more than any other business. There are ways to make money even on a rainy day if you are smart. Forgive All Ebay Sins! Over the years, I have been amazed at the "blinding" greed and reckless approach to commerce that some business owners have employed. Lying to customers, selling inferior merchandise, and not offering refunds, left a firestorm of irate customers in their wake. |
home | site map | contact us |