My first introduction to the barter industry was as a sales person for a local exchange, United Business Exchange. I was trained as a sales person while I was working in another branch of the company doing networking groups for business owners, but fell in love with the idea of trade exchanges and the power that they have in lives and in business, and was thus promoted to managing that exchange within a matter of months. Besides hiring and training some trade directors, my first task was to arrange the Christmas trade show.

You have to understand, the exchange had never done more than $30k in a month. Ever. With about 150 members. I set what I thought was a high goal, $100k for the show. We rented a local facility on trade, invited a couple dozen vendors to come sell their products, and called every member of the exchange twice and personally invited them to come to the show.

The outcome? Over three days we did $125k. That translated to about 12,000 in cash fees generated for the exchange.

If you are thinking about starting a barter exchange, you need to consider that Christmas is one of the most compelling times for your members to barter. Barter exchanges expand Christmas buying and really make magic happen. And plenty of the revenues of your barter exchange happen in the fourth quarter, year after year.

Today I ran across an article that nicely articulates what I have talked about for ten years: using barter as a source of employee bonuses and perks.

I used to put together packages of dentistry, massage, chiropractic, and certificates to family doctors and sell them to small businesses as a way to add to their health benefits. We spent a considerable amount of time getting items for clients that were specific to their employee’s desires and wants. You can do the same thing.

Robbie Riggs of CarSmart in Mesa offers his employees “barter bonuses.”

“It helps keep employees happy when you are able to do things through barter that you wouldn’t be able to do with cash,” said Riggs.

Riggs is a member of the Arizona Trade Exchange, along with 400 other businesses.

Members offer up their services or goods and get the value in trade credits that can then be spent at any of the other participating member stores.

Each year Riggs, takes his employees to ATE’s Annual Holiday Fair, where employees can use their trade credits to get toys, sporting goods, household décor, entertainment items, jewelry, musical instruments, furniture and small appliances.

President Rob Miller said it is becoming a popular money saving option for Christmas shopping.

“If you can pay for 80 percent of your Christmas just because you had some excess time, then that is a win win for everyone,” Miller said.

Eighty percent isn’t an exaggeration at all. Eighty percent of Christmas is easy. Barter, this holiday season more than all the others, will be a huge way for business to help their employees finance the happy smiles their children have on Christmas morning. If you own an exchange, it’s time to get to work and get your holiday show put together. If you own a business, it’s time to start putting together your barter resources so you can help your employees get what they want, and you’ll keep them and keep them happy.