How to Join a Barter Group

Joining a barter group can be a great way to establish new business for your company. Joining a barter group is fairly easy and only requires that you have a working business set up.

Instructions

1. Contact your local Better Business Bureau or Chamber of Commerce to inquire about barter groups in your city or region. If you live outside a metropolitan area, you can join a barter group in the nearest city.

2. Telephone the barter group in your area and ask about the benefits of joining. Find out how many members it has and in what industries the members do business. Find out how many members the barter group has in your specific industry. The fewer members in your field, the more business you're likely to attract.

3. Pay the initial fee. Typically the start-up fee to join a barter group is a few hundred dollars or less. This fee may earn you some initial barter dollars and allow you to get started with the program.

4. Attend barter group functions. Barter groups have functions several times a year in which its members can showcase their services and products to other members. It's a great networking tool. When you first join your barter group, attend the next conference to learn about the other businesses in the group and to solicit new business.

5. Telephone other members of the barter group, offering your products or services to them. If you can strike a deal, you'll instantly acquire bartering dollars that will allow you to buy products and services from the other members.