Signs Abound For Barter Industry Boom
February 27th, 2008 · by Bob Meyer · 1 CommentHistorically, when the consumer’s confidence drops and their discretionary spending slows, a recession is around the corner. And those in the barter business see added interest in barter to offset the slowdown in the “cash” business world. Here’s the latest on what’s happening and why the barter industry eyes a boom ahead.
Consumer confidence took a nosedive in February, falling to its lowest level in 15 years, reports the Conference Board. And, as if to underscore just how concerned consumers are, a number of leading retailers posted results dotted with the kinds of adjectives that CEOs dread: Difficult. Disappointing. Challenging.
The Consumer Confidence Index, which had also fallen a bit in January, dropped to 75, from 87.3 last month, its lowest level since November 1993, when it hit 71.9. (One exception, the Conference Board says, is the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003.)
To a degree, boatloads of media headlines predicting recession are a factor in how consumers feel, says Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. “Certainly,” she says, “negative news tends to impact consumers’ expectations.” But the steady downtrend in the index, she says, “is more than just the impact of news.”
When confidence falls, “the first thing that goes is discretionary spending–and that can mean dining out, going to the movies, and it can also mean shopping. Plus, retailers also have more competition for that spending, in the form of higher prices at the pump and for food.”
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March 1st, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Most people in the barter industry don’t know me even though I’ve been in the barter business for 28 years. I started in 1981 in Eugene Oregon with a company called Exchange Enterprises and have been in love with barter ever since.
I entered the business in a deep recession and I can tell you that we have an opportunity we haven’t seen since Ronald Reagan was President. As in all things, there is a catch, however.
The opportunity only exists for those who are willing to go face to face and door to door and most people are not willing to do that. I learned how to walk and talk the business by going door to door because that’s where the business was. If you want it you have to go after it. It rarely comes to you.
America is a different place than it was 30 years ago. People today do not work as hard as our parents did. In fact, we’re lazy. Sound too harsh? Not only are we lazy, we’re fat. Our children barely have physical education in school and they spend too much time indoors doing unproductive activities. Too harsh you say? Look into the future and witness what harsh looks like.
My point? If you want to grow your barter company, go to the people and ask for their business or sit back and hope they call you. You have 3 choices; make things happen, watch things happen or wonder what happened. The opportunity is staring you in the face. What are you willing to do about it?