Bartering For Business Growth

Bartering is a fun way to obtain services from other businesses without having to unload the debit card (don't get me started on credit cards!). Bartering also helps to build business by allowing your business to reach clients/customers who may not otherwise have an interest or need in your services, but once they experience them, they are converted into walking, talking advertisers of your company. Why then, is bartering such a rarely-used marketing startegy?

My goal is to bring back the barter. Sure, there's some bartering membership programs already in place, but if you are a small business owner and don't function on a nationwide capacity and can't muster the $500 initial membership fees, then why should you be left in the dark? I see no reason.

Plenty of small business owners or self employed service providers can certainly benefit by bartering. I think this should be a first step requirement in networking. Networking is great, but just because I've met you at a networking event and heard your quick self introduction, how am I to know you really deliver quality products or services? Why not include bartering as a piece of the networking puzzle? We meet, swap introductions, you try my service, I try yours, now I'm confident in telling my clients about the great work you do, and you are able to do the same.

Do you know by talking to me that I'm a qualified massage therapist? Yes, you know I'm licensed, but what if, when giving massages, I slathered on so much oil, my clients nearly slide off the massage table, or present them with some other less-than-satisfactory massage experience? Would you know that by my self-introduction? The answer is no. I don't use excess amounts of oil, but you won't know that until you've experienced a massage from me.

I think the common networking circuit needs to be updated to allow us to make confident referrals. I can't tell you now how many networking events I have attended, heard countless self introductions, and still know nothing about many of these people/businesses. Let's work together! That's the goal in networking, yes? Help grow business by spreading the word about what we do, and being able to refer our own clients/customers to you? So let's move to the grassroots level of this goal, and start by sharing our business with each other.

Hello World!

So here I am...joining the world of bloggers. I feel so lost in times...seems like I should've been doing this long ago. I am an old-soul, and admit it can be hard to keep up with technology, but am also afraid that if I don't try, it'll knock me over and just gain more momentum as it rushes by me.

In my professional life, I have welcomed the addition of online scheduling, though still refuse to let go of my paper copy. In my personal life, I am testing out cozi.com to see if I can reap some benefit there, and maybe keep my dear husband involved with the happenings in our family, with the hopes of avoiding double-scheduling of activities.

I will keep persuing ways to stay abreast of life, and refuse to allow myself to be blindsided.

Checklist:

Email--obtained years and years ago. Check.

Website--discovered I had to TELL Google about my site about 9 months ago. Check.

Myspace--reluctantly joined 3 1/2 years ago. Check.

Numerous networking forums--still struggling to keep up with them, but I'm there. Check.

Blog--here I am! Check.

What else am I missing...?

I am a difficult to balance combination of ambition soaring to the skies....and stubborn, old-fashioned senses. Today: ambitious. Tomorrow: ............?