Bartering For Business

Bartering with community businesses helped Standley, owner, Dan’s Landscaping and Lawn Care, Terrytown, La., spread the word for his landscape business, and it didn’t cost him a dime.

One of the company’s commercial maintenance accounts, Exxon, is located on high-traffic corners that serve as prime visual intersections and, as Standley pointed out, perfect marketing opportunities. He traded a cut-rate contract for the right to post some "Dan’s Landscaping and Lawn Care" signs on the property.

"We got some really good business out of it," Standley said. "Having our signs at key intersections is great exposure for our company and really inexpensive marketing."

The company also bartered with the creator of its web page, he added. The company agreed to landscape and maintain the webmaster’s property for one year in return for a Web site. "It reduced our costs and gave us free hosting, so it was a win-win for both of us," Standley said.