Let us create a 3D eBook for you!
Let us create a 3d Digital eBook for you! DigyCat.com

Secrets of the Trade Revealed: Bartering for Business


In its simplest form, bartering involves an equal trade. One business swaps a good or service for another. A lawyer, for example, may swap a few hours of legal assistance for a stay at an out-of-town hotel.

Through professional barter exchanges, where members pay a commission for goods or services traded, more complicated trades are possible. Here's how it works: A business lists a good or service for trade through the exchange. In return, the business receives a trade credit based on the dollar value of the good or service offered. The business can then use its trade credits to "purchase" goods or services offered by other members. The result is that the business is hooked up with a network of actively bartering businesses.

Bartering enables businesses to trade excess time or inventory for the products and services they need. Trading excess inventory can be a great way for companies to supplement their advertising budgets. For example, if a company has merchandise in excess inventory, it can liquidate those products. Or, it can trade the products through an exchange where it often will receive trade credits for the full wholesale value of those products. The company can then use those trade credits to purchase advertising. So, by bartering, the company is gaining on two fronts: it's receiving top dollar for excess inventory and it's able to do more advertising that it would otherwise be able to do.

Take a radio station that wants an economical way to entertain its top advertising clients. The station may offer advertising time and trade its barter credits in for meals at a local restaurant. The restaurant might trade its credits in for computer equipment. And the computer company might trade its credits in for radio ads. Three separate businesses have taken part in a buy and sell transaction without ever exchanging a dime.

The network of goods and services available through barter is growing. Today's barter exchange may have as many as a few thousand members nationwide. As bartering becomes more popular, some barter exchanges are starting to trade with each other, further expanding the bartering opportunities available to their members.

By bartering, businesses can acquire the goods or services they need without tapping into their cash flow. Bartering also bolsters the bottom line by enabling businesses to trade away excess inventory or resources. A hotel, for example, can fill empty rooms during its off season, a print shop can run jobs during what would normally be a slow time or a newspaper can fill up its advertising space.

Bartering also provides another way of advertising your business. By bringing together buyers and sellers who may not have used each other's services before, bartering can introduce your company to new customers. These may be one-time customers or people who come back to purchase goods or services once they've become acquainted with the business.

Companies that actively barter may do as much as 5 to 10 percent of their business annually through trades. That adds up. The National Trade Association, based in Niles, Illinois, is one of the nation's largest barter exchanges. And the ability to barter is not limited by size. The corporate giant all the way down to the one-person, at-home business--and everyone in between--all can use barter as part of their business transactions.

Barter exchanges typically charge a one-time membership fee. Some exchanges also may extend a line of credit to new members. That way, they can start using credits before they've sold anything through a successful trade. Barter exchanges also offer the advantage that they don't require an even trade. You can use credits accumulated for one item to trade for several different items that together add up to your total credits. So you can use the credits you earn by trading carpeting to one company to secure, say, a rental car, a hotel room and a meal at a restaurant.

Business people who want to get involved in trading should remember that there is no tax advantage to bartering. Barter and cash transactions are the same in the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service--both are taxed equally. In fact, bartering exchanges must report goods and services sold through barter to the IRS.

Bartering also offers no guarantees. Some trades may happen quickly, others may take some time. An item a lot of people want, such as airline tickets, may be snapped up right away, while carpeting may take a few months to trade.

And you can't always count on getting what you want when you want it through barter. The amount of certain goods and services available for trade may fluctuate during the year. For example, a computer technician trading his services may not be available to fix your computer on a moment's notice. He's going to be offering his services during his downtime, which might not coincide with your computer breakdown. Likewise, a carpet store may offer enough carpeting in trade to cover your office floors, but the carpet selection may be limited. And you'll probably be hard-pressed to find a Florida hotel room over the Easter holiday.

But you have to weigh the disadvantages against the advantages. Bartering turns your downtime or excess inventory into valuable commodities. It increases your sales while enabling you to purchase goods or services you need without dipping into your cash.

So while bartering may impose some limits, it can still provide advantages to the business traveler. You may not be able to trade for a hotel room or car rental during peak travel seasons, but you'll probably be able to pay for at least some of your travel expenses during the year through trade. Bartering may also provide an added bonus: You may discover a great restaurant or comfortable hotel you might have otherwise overlooked if it weren't for bartering.

Remember, to make bartering work, you have to be patient, you have to persevere and you have to pick and choose what you want to purchase through barter.

And don't think that you have to limit bartering to business. Bartering may be a great way for a busy business owner to take a vacation. There's no rule that says that the trade credits you rack up for selling excess inventory has to go toward carpet for your office or dinner out with a client. You can trade those credits in for an out-of-town hotel stay--just for the fun of it!

Jack Schacht is president of the National Trade Association, one of the country's leading barter exchanges headquartered in Niles, Illinois, http://www.ntatrade.com. He can be reached by contacting JoannePR@aol.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Negotation Skills - Google News

Money 101: How To Negotiate Anything - The Frisky (blog)


The Frisky (blog)

Money 101: How To Negotiate Anything
The Frisky (blog)
Jim Camp, negotiation skills trainer and coach, and author of Start with No, offered this advice for the negotiating novice. ...

Senior Category Buyer - Supply Management


Senior Category Buyer
Supply Management
Excellent negotiation skills and a high degree of commercial accumen with the ability to understand complex commercial issues is essential. ...

Media Planner/Buyer – $50k – $60k – Melbourne – Sydney CBD - MuMbrella


Media Planner/Buyer – $50k – $60k – Melbourne – Sydney CBD
MuMbrella
If you enjoy identifying new, innovative and relevant communication ideas, have strong negotiation skills, have excellent time management and communication ...

and more »

Road to The Lodge - ABC Online


CBC.ca

Road to The Lodge
ABC Online
Long regarded as having strong negotiation skills, Julia Gillard has been able to win enough support to form a minority government. ...
Gillard deserves credit if Labor winsSydney Morning Herald
Brave new worldFinancial Times
Labor's Warring FactionsLondon Review of Books (subscription) (blog)
The Age -Asian Tribune
all 4,109 news articles »

Local educator attends international leadership seminar - The Free Lance-Star


The Free Lance-Star

Local educator attends international leadership seminar
The Free Lance-Star
... conflict resolution, effective decision-making, advocacy, negotiation skills, grant writing and fundraising, thinking on your feet, and wellness. ...

and more »

Four democrats vying for Menard's Senate seat - South Coast Today


Four democrats vying for Menard's Senate seat
South Coast Today
He said he would bring communication and negotiation skills to the job and strengthen the communication between the local, state and federal governments. ...

and more »

Supervisory management courses set at Warren County Community College - Warren Reporter


Supervisory management courses set at Warren County Community College
Warren Reporter
... and Managing Change, Cultivate Internal Customer Service, Negotiation Skills for Win-Win Solutions, and Conflict Management and Problem Solving. ...

Top 8 Ways To Get Your Resume Thrown Out - San Francisco Chronicle


Top 8 Ways To Get Your Resume Thrown Out
San Francisco Chronicle
... or unprofessional stories - that time you talked your way out of a ticket for being drunk in public is not a good example of your negotiation skills. ...

What CIOs Look for in an Enterprise Architect - Computerworld


What CIOs Look for in an Enterprise Architect
Computerworld
"It's a unique personality-negotiation skills as well as technical skills," says John Ericksen, chief operating officer and leader of ...

and more »

Consumer Site DiscountVouchers.co.uk Offers Top 10 Tips to Negotiating the ... - International Business Times (press release)


Consumer Site DiscountVouchers.co.uk Offers Top 10 Tips to Negotiating the ...
International Business Times (press release)
Getting hold of some new negotiation skills is a good way of improving their haggling over price skills”. “It's not a particularly British habit, ...
Money saving site offers launches top 10 tips to help UK shoppers get best priceJournalism.co.uk (press release)

all 11 news articles »

NewsScape Domain Is For Sale - $3,500 For Enquiries eMail Us

© www.NewsScape.biz 2010

home | site map | links

 

eXTReMe Tracker