Barter has an unlikely advocate – Nancy Lublin, the founder of Dress for Success and the current CEO (and as she likes to say, Chief Old Person) of DoSomething.org.  In her recent book, Zilch: The Power of Zero in Business, Lublin urges business owners and corporate employees to think with the mindset of those in the non-profit sector – to start with zilch.  Whether your business is starting with zero or has revenues with multiple zeros, Lublin believes that companies should think lean and mean, and she suggests that all business should asses their barter potential by asking the following questions:

1. Do you have excess inventory? Instead of marketing it down or warehousing it, is there someone out there who might need it for some other purpose?

2. Do you have extra space you are not using?

3. Are your people ever idle? What skills do they have that might be leveraged?

4. Are there companies nearby – even if they make baked goods and you’re an accounting firm – that you ought to talk to? Just sharing corporate pain points in casual conversation could lead to something.

5. Have you ever reached beyond your neighbors? Have you asked questions of your social networks, like LinkedIn?

Solve Your Tax Issues
One of the best benefits of a barter network?  Your accumulation of barter dollars and your trades are documented.  Your business is invoiced every month, making quarterly tax filing simplified.

Always Get Your Barter Back
Without a barter exchange, you put yourself at risk when you barter with a company that is in trouble financially.  If that company goes under, you lose your barter investment.  When you barter within a network, no matter what you decide to trade, you have thousands of member businesses where you can use your accumulated barter dollars.

Keep the Value of Your Trade
Your barter dollars are linked to the goods and services you provide.  If you’re trading computer repair services for uniforms, how do you know if you’re getting a good deal?  With a barter exchange, you name the price of your trade so that you will always get a fair value on the goods and services that you provide.

Expand Your Network
When you join a barter network, your network is instantly expanded.  In addition to thousands of businesses that you can barter with, you have instantly expanded your network and have access to marketing opportunities within the network.

Does business barter make sense for your business?  Barter with confidence using Global Barter Network.

Ian Kleinfeld of Mishagos Design has always been known as “the creative guy.”  No matter what job he has held, he eventually started taking on the creative work around the office, from designing fliers to writing copy.  Kleinfeld eventually found himself working full-time in the advertising industry where he perfected his design and copywriting skills.  When Kleinfeld was unexpectedly laid off, he saw the situation as a chance to start his own business.  His first venture sold Kleinfeld’s original designs on bumper stickers and t-shirts.  Eventually, Mishagos Marketing and Design, Kleinfeld’s current business, evolved.  Today, Mishagos Marketing and Design offers clients both web and print design and marketing strategy.

As a business owner, Kleinfeld became interested in barter after making a move and he wanted to build up his business in a new location.  The timing was also right.  The economy was down, and Kleinfeld had more time to work on various projects.  He had casually bartered before, but had never used an exchange.  Kleinfeld was willing to give GBC membership a try.  “It made a lot of business sense to turn his down time into profits,” he says.  Kleinfeld started out creating collateral marketing materials for GBC and eventually redesigned the GBC website.

Now a GBC member for a year, Kleinfeld has bartered so many different items, it’s difficult for him to remember all of the trades he has done.  He updated his home with a wide screen TV and a home theater system.  When he travels, he barters free hotel rooms and meals out at restaurants.  And food is his favorite trade.  He loves to dine out and says he has spent much of his barter at local restaurants.  “It feels like you’re getting a free dinner,” he says.

Have you seen our newest video on YouTube?

How are they doing this? It’s all about your network, and quality of service you perform. For example, when you perform a good job for a client on barter, they are going to be more inclined to refer you to a cash client. It happens all the time.

Additionally, you can spend your bartering dollars on marketing initiatives to are designed to increase cash flow. Marketing efforts available on barter include print advertisements, billboards, search engine optimization, and even radio ad’s!

GBC has the power to:

• Bring you new customers
• Increase your sales
• Preserve your cash and improve your P&L
• Bigger market share with worldwide exposure
• Buy what you need for cents on the dollar

For more information on how to grow your business with Global Barter Corp, contact us today. We are rapidly growing across the United States, with major markets in New York, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, and many more!

What is a barter exchange?
GBC is a membership-based association. Our members buy and sell products and services with other exchange members using GBC Trade dollars, which are equivalent to U.S. dollars.

What is the benefit of using a third party for barter?
GBC acts as a third-party record keeper, providing monthly statements and current account balance.  All transactions are recorded pursuant to trading procedures, policies, rules and regulations of GBC, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Sarbanes Oxley and the Internal Revenue Service.

How much experience do GBC staff and principles have?
Over 50 years of barter experience.  No one knows the business of barter better.

How many members does GBC have?
Global Barter Corp not only has tens of thousands of members, but members come from diverse industries.  Need custom cabinetry, a new Website, a wedding cake, or specialized sales training (or maybe some personal training)?  GBC members are all specialists in their respective fields.

Where are GBC members located?
GBC has a presence worldwide, and is experiencing rapid international growth.  The Website was recently translated into Spanish and Arabic because of the global demand for GBC membership.

United States
Atlanta
Baltimore/Washington DC
Boca Raton
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
Myrtle Beach
New York City
Philadelphia
Raleigh
San Francisco
Seattle

International
Beijing
Budapest
Buenos Aries
Costa Rica
Dubai
Frankfurt
Jakarta
Johannesburg
London
Mexico City
Paris
Qatar

How much money can I save through barter?
Check out our interactive worksheet to get a personalized recommendation.  The numbers don’t lie.

How does GBC publicize my business to other members?
GBC is your marketer and sales force, promoting your business:

• Your personal GBC broker seeks out and brings you new customers
• Weekly email broadcasts and monthly newsletters market your business to over 24,000 active GBC members.
• Online customer service puts the answers at your fingertips.
• Print and broadcast promotional marketing heighten visibility and expand the GBC network with new members every day.

How do I work with a broker?
When you become a GBC member, you’ll be assigned a broker with trading experience in your specific field or industry.   They understand your business opportunities (whether you seek to take advantage of downtime, move excess inventory or leverage the network’s international network to break into new and emerging markets).

Our brokers stay busy seeking out new opportunities, locating potential customers and keeping a pulse on the supply and demand of goods in your industry—as well as products and services of interest to you. Our goal is to bring you new customers, and help you buy the things you need at great savings!

How do I use my barter dollars?
The transaction process is simple: You agree to “sell” X amount of products and services at your full market price. You conduct the sale through your broker and your GBC trade dollar account is debited for that amount. You may now use those trade dollars to acquire anything you desire among our thousands of barter members.

What are the membership fees?

• One-time initiation fee of $500, renewable each year for $295
• 6% transaction fee on every purchase and sale
• Account setup and maintenance
• Listing in the online GBC membership directory
• Member-only online directory access
• Record-keeping services, including monthly account statements
  and yearly 1099-B reporting

Why choose GBC?
We’ve built our impeccable reputation on solid financials, ethical and vigilant trading practices and creating barter system that’s designed to help our members thrive.

He and his girlfriend decided to barter a quick getaway this past month. “We’ve both been working hard and it was the perfect way to relax. While there we went and saw a show, called, One, at The Alabama Theater, which was terrific! We purchased these tickets on Barter as well. Overall we spent about $700 Barter dollars, but well worth it,” says Restivo.

Most everything during the trip was covered by barter.  Restivo and his girlfriend decided to eat a few meals outside of the resort, and they splurged for a helicopter ride along the beach – which only cost $20 per-person!

After his experience in Myrtle Beach, Restivo is looking forward to going on an international trip when he acquires more barter dollars.  “I’d like to go to one of the resorts on the shores of Mexico” he says.  He also plans on buying computer and media equipment when he’s not saving his barter dollars for travel.

To current and perspective GBC members thinking about booking a vacation, he quips, “What do you have to lose?”

Interested in working with Joe?  As an expert in Internet marketing services, from pay-per-click management to e-mail marketing, Joe has experience in a vast variety of topics, but he specializes in local search and social media marketing.  To get in touch with Joe, contact your broker today!

Have You Received Approval Authorization?
Before you begin working or selling goods on barter, you must get approval authorization from your broker. Failing to receive authorization could result in a trade that is null and void.  Talk to your broker to receive approval authorization.

Pay Your Fees On Time
If you are more than 30 days late paying your fees, your right to spend your trade dollars is suspended. Don’t lose out on trade because of delinquent payments.

Questions?
Contact your broker at 1.800.678.5944.

• The IRS Helps Decode Business Barter Transactions and Taxes.
• The Better Business Bureau Recommends B2B Bartering.
• Mint.com Covers Bartering Basics.
• The Terrors of Craigslist Confirm a Need for Barter Exchange Membership Networks.
• Non-profits Can Benefit from B2B Barter.
• WSJ Profiles Bartering Benefits for Cash Strapped Firms.
• A British couple barters for their dream wedding.