Gaining New Customers ~ Bartering
by Kara Kelso
http://www.momsmarketonline.com

What is bartering? Bartering is the trade of your product/service for another's product/service. What better way to gain a new customer than by getting something you need in return?

A few tips on bartering:

~ Make sure you are both trading a fair value including shipping. It may be neccessary to trade more than one product/service or issue a gift certificate for the remaining amount.

~ Only barter if they (or you) need the product or service

~ Keep a good record of your barters. Treat it just as you would an actual sale.

~ Keep in good contact with the person you are bartering with, both durring and after the trade.

~ Be specific on what you have to offer and what you want. You don't want to be wasting your time (or other's) answer requests to products/services you don't need.

There are several different ways you can seek out what you need. Visiting message boards/groups making announcements in appropriate catagories is one way. Many sites also have a special section just for bartering. A few of these sites are:

http://www.momsmarketonline.com
http://www.dotcomwomen.com
http://www.wahmnetwork.com
http://www.bizzymommyswah.com

Be sure to look at the barters listed to see you have a match. Most importantly, have fun!

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About the author: Kara Kelso is the owner of Mom's Market, which is an online mall where shoppers can support mothers by purchasing products and services from a mom-run business. Visit: http://www.momsmarketonline.com