Monday 27 September 2010

Helping British Business

Bartercard provides services to Members through our normal Trading Program, Internet platforms, Travel Desk and customer service staff (at a branch, national and international level). These services include sales, promotion of business network consists of a diverse range of industries including wholesale, retail, community services, mining, construction services, manufacturing, recreation, and tourism.

The following Testimonials highlight how by using these services Bartercard has helped their business.

Bartercard gets Green Fingers

High quality Award Winning plants direct from the grower Take the size of your back garden and multiply this by a hundred.  That is approximately the size of land Penny Hodshon, owner of Lea Park Nursery, prunes, sows and plants in a single day. An average day consists of tending to 4 acres, 22 tunnels (one of which was used as a wedding marquee!), 60,000 bedding packs, 20,000 tomato plants and 1,000 packs of runner beans.

Lea Park Nurseries, based in Devon, offers Bartercard members everything they grow themselves from pack bedding and vegetables plants to alpine and herb plants, shrubs, perennials or hanging baskets. ‘We’ve been growing plants for 15 years, it’s a little mad to undertake such enormous tasks, but I enjoy it.We cater for hotels, restaurants, pubs and also private home owners. We grow and plant all the baskets for Newton Abbot, Exmouth and Torquay Local Authorities.’ says Penny. Lea Park provides a variety of vegetable plants for you to continue growing: peppers, cucumbers, courgettes, tomatoes, lettuces and cabbages …. All available to Bartercard members wanting to freshen up their cooking this spring.

"We make small profits being a wholesale producer, so Bartercard has enabled us to
enjoy luxuries such as holidays, that we would otherwise not be able to afford.’

Spending on Bartercard has enabled Penny and her husband Geoff to save hard earned cash.  ‘We put a lot of effort into Bartercard; you only get out what you put in.

We organised my daughter’s wedding using 80% Barter which was very successful.
We employ a  landscape company to cut the grass and trim the land.’  But Penny’s list of purchases is endless…

The Hodshon’s also benefit from the worldwide Bartercard network.  ‘With my son living in Perth, Australia, wewere able to help pay for some of his house buying transactions on Barter. And when they had a three month premature baby earlier this year, they discovered a Barter restaurant next to the hospital which they dined at regularly.

 We also sent flowers to them, which arrived faster than if we had bought them ourselves!’ says Penny."

To read the full article: http://uk.bartercard.com/?page=bartercard-magazine

Bartercard Tip:  A gardener can purchase Window Cleaning on Bartercard and can then offer it for free to any customer who takes up his quote on the day of issue.

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Broadband on Barter

‘We are a main telecoms supplier similar to BT, but on a more friendly level.’ says Doug Hayes, Owner of Tally Cost. ‘However unlike BT, someone will actually pick up the phone if you call us!’ he jokes.
Tally Cost aim to provide a jargon free – user friendly service with real people at the end of the phone, offering on-going account management.

Doug proudly claims to have signed up as the 220th Bartercard member back in the day! With a current membership exceeding 4,000 members within the UK network, making use of Bartercard has gradually become second nature to him. ‘It’s become a habit!’ says Doug.


"Since joining, Doug has purchased a multitude of business related products and services, some of the larger items being vans and cars…and smaller items – but not necessarily cheaper when you purchase them every month - being office paper, power tools and supplies!

‘We have customers as far afield as Aberdeen and Cornwall. Each day for us is different. We offer a nationwide solution on Mobiles, Broadband, telephone lines and calls.’ ‘We’re an active trader and we’re looking for more. Learn the culture – it’s slightly different to the cash world but Barter pounds are money in the bank - so use them!’"

To read the full article: http://uk.bartercard.com/?page=bartercard-magazine

Bartercard Tip:  Did you know that 70% of business callers are placed on hold or transferred.  Impact Messages on Hold have been a Bartercard member for 10 years and can customize on-hold phone messages into an effective marketing tool.

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Sunflower Framing

A beautifully framed picture can light up a room. For your home or office requirements, Sunflower Framing in Marlow and Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, offer a great service. Sunflower framing has worked on everything that can possibly be framed, from limited edition prints by Dali and Picasso, to original artwork.  ‘We frame posters, artwork, even memorabilia and offer our clients over 300 mouldings on barter.’ says Duncan McDonald, Proprietor.

Sunflower Framing prides itself in accomplishing an immaculate high end job and offering excellent artistic advice.   Some of their more unusual jobs include framing a 10 foot long snake skin, framing one of Frank Sinatra’s bow ties and casing boxing gloves and boots!    Duncan himself set up the framing business twelve years ago, after hanging up his boxing gloves and waving goodbye to 15 years in the police force. ‘In the next couple of years, we intend to do some serious business in the market.

We have hired an interior design service on Bartercard; Jonathan Fosters Inc. are currently working a new designed look on our shops that will certainly attract a new cash paying clientele.’ says Duncan.

‘We buy everything you can think of on Barter, from dentistry to guttering, solicitors to surveying.’ says Duncan. Sunflower’s sister company UK School of Framing also offers Bartercard members framing courses throughout the UK.

‘We’re more design led than other framers, and we can take on the extra capacity on barter so we welcome more members.’

Bartercard Tip: Make the most of your Bartercard membership: combine a little lateral
thinking with some savvy trading tips to boost business growth.


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Winning cash contracts
In the normal cash economy, your business is competing with numerous competitors to win cash contracts. To make a sale more attractive to a prospective cash-paying customer, you can opt to accept part payment in goods or services.

Here’s an example:
A printer was competing for a printing contract from a non-Bartercard hotel for three years without success. On the fourth tender he quoted only 80 percent of his competitor’s cash quote and agreed to take the remaining 20 percent value in accommodation. He won the contract, offered the accommodation to the Bartercard system and earned Bartercard Trade pounds which he could offset against cash expenses. By doing the job well that year, he subsequently picked up the contract for cash the following year.

Benefits:
1. The Bartercard member ensures or wins a sale and picks up a substantial portion of the sale in cash.

2. The sale of the part payment in goods or services generates the Trade pounds to satisfy the Bartercard member’s purchase needs.

3. The cash paying customer gets a more effective price and Bartercard offers further opportunitiesfor all clients to trade.