|
10 Ways Your Chamber of Commerce Can Help Your Business Grow
Joining your area's Chamber of Commerce can be a smart move for your home business. Because businesses that participate in this group promote each other and work together, your own business can grow and prosper quickly. Here are just a few ways...
About To Start An Online Business? Read This First.
I recently received an interesting question from a visitor to one of my web sites: "If there is any advice that you wish you would have gotten before you started a business online, what would it be?". Rather than write an extensive email on this...
Change or Die! To Change Your Organization, Hire a Business Coach
It is a common business axiom – change or die. As a small or mid-sized business owner or a manager, there will be times you will need to make changes in your organization but may not be sure how to go about it.
Change is hard to implement...
Increase Profits With a Small Investment of Time and No Money
The less a business pays for goods and services the more profit that business generates. How does a small business with limited purchasing power get access to lower cost goods and services? The answer is simple. Pool the purchasing power of many...
Multiple Sources of Income
It is a common say today that there is now job security whatsoever - that is true fact worldwide - US, Europe (see what is happening in Germany), Australia or any other developed country.
What basically happens is that globalization causes...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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 my network in Vermont (http://greenbartervermont.com). 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.)
-When you join the network, you receive a no-interest line of barter credit. Barter credit is similar to the credit line on your credit card. You can use the credit as you please and when you trade your company's goods or services, you receive barter dollars (par with US dollars) credited to your account.
Your business is listed in the network membership directory. The listing provides basic information about your business and buyers contact you directly.
-When someone in the network wants your product or service, you authorize the transaction according to the agreed price and the system keeps track of the details for you. It isn't necessary to purchase goods from the person who purchased from you. Your trade dollars can be used to purchase from any other network members.
-You receive a computer-generated monthly statement showing your barter activity. You pay a small commission based on the amount of barter dollars transacted. Think of it like an interest rate on a credit card only it costs much less and has more benefits.
Benefits include:
-Barter increases new business: Attract customers and referrals who wouldn't have known about your business otherwise. Members of the network are likely to choose you over the competition if there is no outlay of cash. This in turn, will increase your cash sales, simply because your product is gaining exposure and referrals.
-Barter expands your customer base: Expand your market while maintaining your
existing cash customer base. Please your barter customers and they are sure to tell other potential customers all about you.
-Barter enhances your lifestyle: Use your barter credit for whatever you want in the network without using credit cards or spending cash. If there is a service or product that does not exist in your network, recruit a business that provides that service. Many barter networks pay you a referral bonus in the form of barter credits if you recruit a business they accept into the network.
How does one choose a barter network?
-Do an Internet search on Google to find a reputable network. The beauty of the Internet is that you don't have to live in the state where the network is administrated.
Talk to the person administrating the network. Make sure he/she answers all your questions to your satisfaction and doesn't try to hard-sell you.
-Make sure all of the conditions are in writing and be sure you understand all network trading rules and limits before you sign or pay anything.
-Check to see what other businesses participate in the network. Are they businesses you respect, admire, and with whom you'll want to do business?
-Tell your friends and other business owners. Spread the word about barter. You'd be surprised at how little people know about this method of conducting business.
-Get involved. Go to meetings or mixers. You get as much out of the experience as you are willing to put into networking. Remember, networking and sales are all about creating relationships.
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.
About the Author: 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 Vermont where she writes technical documentation for commercial ventures. Ann is also the owner of Vermont Shortbread Company. She can be reached at http://www.wordbrains.com.
Source: www.isnare.com
|
|
|
|
|
| United States Small Business Administration |
| An electronic gateway of procurement information for and about small businesses. Search engine for contracting officers, marketing tool for small firms, ... |
| www.sba.gov |
|
| SBA |
| The Small Business Planner includes information and resources that will help you at any stage of the business lifecycle. ... |
| www.sba.gov |
|
| Main Page - SmallBusiness.com - Small Business Resources |
| Find Small Business plans, advice, tutorials about organization, corporations, entrepreneurship, and smallbusiness. |
| www.smallbusiness.com |
|
| Yahoo! Small Business: Domain Names, Web Hosting, E-commerce ... |
| Yahoo! Small Business provides products and services that enable you to establish and grow your business on the Internet. Services include domain name ... |
| smallbusiness.yahoo.com |
|
| Small business advice business start up small business finance ... |
| business start up small business finance start up advice. |
| www.smallbusiness.co.uk |
|
| Smallbusiness.gov.au redirect to business.gov.au |
| Business Entry Point - Helping small business in big ways. An Australian Government initiative. The content from this website has now been consolidated into ... |
| www.smallbusiness.gov.au |
|
| Business & Small Business |
| Online and print small business publication. Information to help start, grow or manage a small business. |
| www.entrepreneur.com |
|
| Microsoft Small Business Center |
| Your home for information about Microsoft's small-business products and services, tailored business advice, technology tools, and more. |
| www.microsoft.com |
|
| The Small Business Advisor - advice for starting and operating a ... |
| Advice and assistance for starting and operating a small or home based business. |
| www.isquare.com |
|
| SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" |
| A nonprofit association dedicated to encouraging the formation, growth, and success of small business nationwide through counseling and mentor programs. |
| www.score.org |
|
| Small Business and Self-Employed One-Stop Resource |
| IR-2006-2, January 3, 2006 - Temporary and proposed regulations will significantly reduce tax filing burden for nearly 950000 small business owners. ... |
| www.irs.gov |
|
| Welcome to Small Business BC your business resource in British ... |
| BC Business Services offers assistance and resources for those running or starting a business in British Columbia and Vancouver. |
| www.smallbusinessbc.ca |
|
| Small Business Service | Home |
| Provides information and advice to help small businesses realise their potential. |
| www.sbs.gov.uk |
|
| NSW Small Business |
| A site developed by the NSW Department of State and Regional Development for small businesses. Topics include management, resources, current issues and ... |
| www.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au |
|
| Business Management & Advice: Small Business Resources & Information |
| Looking for business management and advice? Our website includes small business resources and information that can help you. Visit the small business ... |
| www.businessweek.com |
|
| Small Business Lawyer, Attorney, Law, Legal Help - FindLaw for ... |
| Information and legal sites relevant to small business. |
| smallbusiness.findlaw.com |
|
| Small Business Funding Opportunities (SBIR and STTR) |
| Links to Small Business Funding Opportunities and SBIR / STTR Applications. |
| grants.nih.gov |
|
| Microsoft bCentral Small Business Directory |
| Directory categorized by industry with company business card feature. |
| sbd.bcentral.com |
|
| Our site has moved! Please update your bookmarks! |
| Facilitates the sharing and exchange of information among small business development centers, the small business administration and other business-oriented ... |
| sbdcnet.utsa.edu |
|
| Small Business Development Corporation |
| Our business information services provides guidance to improve business skills and knowledge on advice on starting, buying, selling and expanding a small ... |
| www.sbdc.com.au |
|