BarterTrust Raises Another $55 Million To Build On "Clicks &
Bricks" Strategy
In
the current issue (#51) of BarterNews, on page 19, we reported on
BarterTrust.com, a nationwide barter network in the U.S. with nearly
8,000 members.
BarterTrust
contends that a strategy of "clicks & bricks" is the best one, and
they moved forward in the implementation of their beliefs by acquiring
three highly successful trade exchanges.
With
an additional $55 million coming collectively from General Motors
Investment Management (representing the GM pension plan), Deutsche
Banc, and investment banking firm Alex. Brown, BarterTrust CEO Mike
Edelhart can move forward confidently...knowing the fund to implement
their ambitious expansion plans are on hand!
BigVine.com,
another well-funded internet barter network, has announced the selection
of Quintus eContact to enhance their barter exchange.
The
Fremont (CA)-based company will provide a variety of ways for BigVine
members to obtain information about their barter efforts, which could
include the telephone, e-mail, and live internet online assistance
from an agent.
In addition, eContact records and stores details of each customer's
interaction in a data repository, enabling agents to provide personalized
service based on each customer's history.
MRI
Interactive Enables Weekends.com To Build Market Share With $10 Million
Bartered Ad Campaign
Weekends.com
is a NYC-based internet company that focuses on weekend travel and
entertainment. The company recently knocked on a corporate barter
company's door, and subsequently signed a $10 million media-for-equity
deal with MRI Interactive.
A
division of MRI International, MRI Interactive was established in
1978 and also headquartered in New York City, with additional operations
in Los Angeles, the Baltics, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands,
Poland, Portugal, Russia, Scandinavia, and Spain.
Ludovic
Hood, CEO of Weekends.com, is looking forward to the relationship
with MRI. "These media credits," he explained, "give us a unique opportunity
to establish our brand identity on a national scale following our
full launch this spring...all without having to outlay huge amounts
of cash to do so."
Peter
Benassi, CEO of MRI, and one of the leaders in the corporate barter
community revealed that MRI Interactive "has experienced significant
growth because of our ability to help dot.com companies find a way
to get the advertising media exposure they need, without paying for
it exclusively with cash." Benassi says he looks forward to participating
in Weekends' future success.
Part
1
Proven
Successful Ways To Use Your Company's Trade Dollars
Use
Your Trade Exchange's Many Products And Services To Develop And Reward
Your Valued Employees
Personnel
costs are usually at the top of a company's monthly expenses, every
single month. And rightly so, because the key to building a solid
organization, whether a small fleet-of-foot entrepreneurial operation
or that of an established giant, is having reliable, talented and
intelligent people.
In
today's highly-competitive world, where the unemployment rate hovers
at all-time lows, the question is: How can your company keep a hold
on personnel costs for good talented people, and at the same time
reward and recognize them for their extra efforts and accomplishments?
One
proven, powerful way is to incorporate the potency of barter, wherein
you use your trade dollars at every opportunity, to compensate and
acknowledge your valued personnel. Don't just read this information...print
it out, underline it and, more importantly, begin using it in your
company's operation today!
Wages
There
are two times during an employee's tenure that trade can be considered
as a salary supplement:
A) At the initial time of hiring
B) At the time of a raise
Obviously, one
would not ask a worker to replace a portion of his/her current salary
with trade dollars, but adding to it in trade is an intriguing possibility.
Consider including
trade as a regular part of your compensation for any new hire. One
exchange member has given an hourly worker a two dollar-per-hour raise:
one dollar cash and one dollar trade. In another example a client
paid workers' overtime in trade dollars. (The employer should remember
to include trade dollar wages on IRS form W-2.)
Bonuses
A
good portion of businesses pay some sort of bonus to employees during
the course of the year. Whether a year's end or special occasion bonus,
trade dollars have been successfully paid to employees by many clients.
One
restaurant reports being able to pay for greater Christmas bonuses
to employees because of barter, than would have been possible with
cash alone.
An
alternative to the trade dollar bonus is to buy merchandise with trade
dollars to give directly to an employee. Gift certificates for products
or services have been used in this way, too.
Commissions
Or Fee-For-Service Split
If
your company employs commissioned sales people, you may be overlooking
an important way to use trade. When a salesperson puts together a
sale where the buyer pays in trade dollars, the employer would be
wise to pay the salesperson's commission in trade dollars.
Some
companies split fees for service between the house and the employee
who performs the service. For example, a hair salon will typically
split the fee a customer pays for a haircut 50/50, with half going
to the house and half going to the one doing the haircut. Limousine
companies, delivery services and other industries engage in a similar
fee split.
To
maximize your barter profitability pay your employee his/her cut in
trade dollars every time the customer pays in trade dollars.
Next
issue we will look at six additional ways to use your company's trade
dollars to reward your valued employees. Note: This information was
taken from Bob Meyer's best-selling, 500-page FastStart Program. For
additional information on the program, go to the Home Page and click
on the FastStart Program.
Here
And There...