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May 17, 2005
Written
by Bob Meyer, Editor of BarterNews
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National
Association Of Trade Exchanges Convention Sets Milestone
An incredible
3,500 acre 5-star winery/resort (The Chateau Elan) was the venue
for the 21st convention of NATE. Located about an hour’s drive
north of Atlanta, it was the most spectacular setting ever for NATE’s
annual effort.
Ric and Andrea
Zampatti and the service-oriented staff from The Barter Company
were responsible for lining-up the impressive resort where everything—room,
food & beverages, along with upscale spa services, were all
100% trade.
The May 5-7
event in Georgia saw Deborah Lombardi taking over as president from
Victor Castano, thus becoming the first woman president of NATE.
At the Awards
Banquet guest Krista Vardabash, IRTA’s executive director,
was introduced to the attendees. The following awards were presented
at the banquet:
- Broker of
the Year Award to Donna Burlingham of Eagle Barter Exchange.
- President’s
Award to Johnny Eagle of Eagle Barter Exchange.
- The Monkman/Crumpton
Award (NATE’s most prestigious award) to Fran Crumpton of
Gulf Coast Trade Exchange.
Aside from the
many activities of the convention, the resort provided an equally
impressive experience. The very warm and genuine services of the
Chateau’s entire staff, beginning with its hands-on president
and CEO Henk Evers, was a pleasure.
“What
we have here is a failure to communicate!”
Years ago, one
of the most visible people in the barter industry said the #1 reason
why the industry wasn’t farther along in its development was
due to a “failure to communicate” by those in the business.
This realization
was the genesis of The Competitive Edge newsletter, now
into its 18th year of publication. Trade exchange owners who use
this powerful marketing and promotional tool are never guilty of
“failing to communicate.”
As the owner
of a trade exchange you must stay in front of your clients.
Informing, educating, and inspiring them, because your clients’
bartering is a relatively small percentage of their overall business.
So if you don’t keep their interest and enthusiasm for trade
at a high level, you lose.
Your primary
aim, like all other businesses, is to get your clients coming back
for more. Every extraordinary business (and every trade exchange
owner who wants to be extraordinary) knows that the customer you
have, is a lot less expensive to sell than the customer you don’t
yet have!
Want to take
your exchange to a higher level? Use The Competitive Edge
newsletter in your operation—it “sells” the many
benefits of working through your trade exchange like nothing else!
To
learn more about The Competitive Edge newsletter and how
it can help build your trade exchange, click
here.
IMS
Going Upscale—Moving Office To Beverly Hills
The Southern
California office of International Monetary Systems and parent to
Continental Trade Exchange (OTCBB:INLM) has moved, with the intention
of expanding its marketing into key areas of greater Los Angeles.
CEO Don Mardak
explained, “We now have an office that is less than 150 yards
from Rodeo Drive, in the heart of Beverly Hills. This will enable
us to better serve our growing Los Angeles client base and to enroll
higher profile businesses that are located in this dynamic marketplace.”
IMS was the
sponsor of the recent National Association of Trade Exchanges annual
convention in Atlanta, Georgia. And within the last 30 days the
company has acquired a trade exchange in both Tennessee and Nevada.
For more info go to: www.internationalmonetary.com.
Get
New Money-Making Ideas And Valuable Contacts!
You can obtain
useful, informative ideas and contacts in every available back-issue
of BarterNews.
Outsourcing
Problems Revealed
A new survey
by Deloitte Consulting has found that outsourcing experiences have
not measured up to expectations. About one-third of companies that
tried outsourcing say they ran into hidden costs, and that vendors
have become complacent once contracts were in place. The study also
warns companies that they could lose their edge if they turn to
contractors to perform core elements of their business.
Now
available ...BarterNews issue #64, get your copy
now! Orders will be shipped within two business days of publication.
Click on Order Form.
(If you
are not sure if your subscription has lapsed, e-mail your name,
address, and zip code to bmeyer@barternews.com.
Buffett
Bails On Laguna Beach Real Estate
In our April
12 edition we noted the opinion of Warren Buffett, the world’s
second richest man, regarding investments (or lack thereof ) in
real estate. On May 10 in The Orange County Register a
major story appeared in which the “value” investor discussed
his position on the nation’s overheated real-estate markets.
Explaining the
recent $3.5 million sale of his home in Laguna Beach (CA), Buffett
remarked, “It was on about 2,000 square feet of land, maybe
a twentieth of an acre, and the house might cost about $500,000
if you wanted to replace it. So the land sold for something like
$60 million an acre.”
(Editor’s
Note: Buffett purchased his 2,409 square feet, 2 bedroom, 2.5
bath, ocean view property for $1.05 million in 1996.)
Every
barter company in the world is listed on our web site,
click through to our Global List
of Barter Companie.
Loyalty
Points’ Popularity & Importance Growing
For years upscale
hoteliers contended that they were beyond stooping to use loyalty
programs, as such programs were considered déclassé
or unimportant to the hotels’ money-is-no-object clientele.
All of that is changing...
The Leading Hotels of the World Ltd. is starting a loyalty program
next month. At the same time Relais & Chateaux, a collection
of high-end properties mostly outside the U.S., is expanding its
loyalty program.
While these
new programs stress exclusivity and personalized treatment, one
thing is clear...to compete today something beyond superb accommodations
is needed to entice the high-end clientele.
Points
Used For Airport Parking
If you’re
a frequent airport parker with Park ‘N Fly’s program
you soon will be able not only to redeem your parking points for
more parking, but to use them to buy merchandise or transfer them
with other loyalty programs.
PRG Parking
Management of Chicago, with lots in seven cities, participates in
a loyalty program that gives Spot Club members five points for every
dollar spent on parking. Thus, about seven days of paid parking
will equal a free day. Customers can manage point totals and redeem
parking awards online.
Give
A Gift To A Friend Or Associate. If you know someone
who might benefit from this newsletter, feel free to forward it
to them! (See the “box” at the end of the newsletter
for the forwarding service.
Here
& There...
- Having problems
with a contractor on your home renovations and repairs? Homeowners
are typically advised to hire licensed contractors, check references,
and get a contract. But that still may not be enough. Another
source of valuable information is to call the county courthouse
for a further check. Information on lawsuits filed against a contractor
for job lack of completion and other disputes can be obtained.
Home improvement
is growing in importance because housing is aging—the
average abode is 33, older than at any previous time in U.S.
history. This is evidenced by the spending on home improvements
over the last four quarters which totals $126 billion, up 15%
from 2001 according to Harvard University’s Joint Center
for Housing studies.
-
More barter inventory
ahead as cruise industry expands, with a torrent of giant
new ships to be delivered in 2006. Scheduled to hit the market
is a total of 17,000 new berths, requiring about 900,000 new
passengers a year.
-
Have you
signed up to receive a summary via e-mail of the Tuesday
Report every week? If not, go to the top of this issue
(right hand corner) and sign up!
-
Hedge funds, the
large private investment pools that have exploded in popularity
this decade, have hit their most challenging performance stretch,
with average investment returns dropping about 1.8% in April.
(Down 1.6% for the first four months of 2005.) The competition
and growth has become very crowded with an estimated 8,000 hedge
funds now in operation, up from 4,800 four years ago.
-
Research analyst
Gary Vassalotti of Investrend Research has rated barter company
International Monetary Systems (OTCBB:INLM) a “Buy/4”
with a $0.60 target.
-
In 1989 China had
lots of bicycles but only 168 miles of expressways. By
the end of 2004—a year during which China spent $42 billion
building roads—it had 18,500 miles of highways. And their
plan is to reach 51,000 by 2008 (passing America’s 46,500
miles of interstates), according to the Ministry of Communications.
Roads are being laid so quickly that China used 40% of the world’s
cement (part of the mix) last year.
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