Tradia ® has updated our training system to accomodate every individual and franchise group not only for new operations but also for existing franchises.  We feel the necessity to add more training opportunities to insure that every Tradia ® representative can speak with authority and provide the highest level of customer service.

As a barter / trade exchange system with proprietary software, we have a customized system that all Tradia ® representatives must learn and know.  We are in the service industry and have to know our playbook in great detail in order to serve our growing membership.  The more we know the better prepared we are to assist our members with their needs and wants.

We now require all franchises to attend a training in Portland Oregon for the better part of 4 days.  The following 2 weeks after their trip to Portland we added a 2-week teleconference review with deeper training additions to further embed the Tradia ® System within the new Tradia ® Franchisee.

In addition for all franchisee's new and experienced, we now offer 3 different weekly teleconference trainings for the Tradia ® Website, Tradia ® New Member Sales and Trade Brokering Tips to build larger trade volume and increase revenues for each franchise.

And finally, we added a Tradia ® Franchise Support position so every franchisee has an immediate contact with the Tradia ® Corporate Offices and a go-to person to hold their hand and assist with all aspects of the Tradia ® Franchise Business.

Want to know how to make a customer loyal and how to get the most out of your relationship with your customers?  It's simple.  Ask questions your competitor doesn’t ask!  Whether it’s during an in-person sales presentation, over the phone or at a networking event, identify the types of questions every other salesperson just like you is asking their prospects.  Examples might include textbook, unoriginal questions like, “How much are you currently spending on…?” or “How happy are you with you present suppliers?”

Knowing what questions your prospects are used to and tired of being asked is a powerful sales weapon.  Because now all YOU have to do is NOT ask those questions!

So, create 2 lists:  “Top Ten Most Common Questions Asked by a Salesperson in My Field", and “Kick Butt Sales Questions My Competitors Aren’t Asking.”  Think of the best, most creative and most original sales questions you’ve ever used or heard.  Questions that made customers smile.  Questions that caused customers to stop in their tracks.  Questions that enabled customers to share their needs and wants.

13 Kick Butt Sales Questions Your Competitors Aren’t Asking
1. How are you making it difficult for your customers to…?
2. How are you making it easy for your customers to…?
3. How many customers are you losing by…?
4. What are the benefits you’d like to see as a result of…?
5. What are the bottlenecks in…?
6. What are the three biggest mistakes being made by…?
7. What do you think makes the difference between…?
8. What excuses are preventing you from…?
9. What one word do you want customers to use when describing…?
10. When someone comes to your website, what's the ONE thing…?
11. When someone walks into your store, how do you want them…?
12. When was the first occasion you noticed…?
13. When was the last time you actually…?

Questions ARE differentiators.  Make your own customized list based on your industry and needs, then start asking the hard questions.  These questions will set you apart from the competition and change the way your customers do business.  This will make them more successful and you will have a part of their success.

Copyright © 2001-2008 Dave Meholovitch.  All rights reserved

* If you need sales or business coaching/training, imagine using a barter/trade exchange for this service.  Trade your excess inventory for the training you and your staff need.  This way, you keep your hard-earned cash and get the product or service you need.  Business coaching is one of the many services you can get as a Tradia ® Member.  Why Pay Cash When You Can Tradia? ®

Tradia® is increasing the amount of hands-on training for all our Franchise and Regional Offices.  We are already good at training and feel the need to enhance the current training system to better service the existing Franchise Offices as well as their support staff.  The more time we spend with a franchisee, the better they become at building their Tradia® Franchise business.  This increase in the amount of training we offer is included in our Tradia® Franchise Agreement.

In the first week of April, 2008 Tradia® is shooting a full-length Video Training Series to dramatically change the amount of training available to all Tradia representatives.  The Tradia® DVD Training System will be useful to beginners as well as seasoned Barter Professionals.  It will feature 3 separate DVD's covering barter basics, history and business information, sales training & overcoming objections and building large trade volumes using many real examples.

With a home-based Franchise System, Tradia® keeps the expenses down while providing a huge opportunity to the personality that can handle working alone for the first few months while building a local membership.  This new Training System will literally teach every aspect of the barter business in a step-by-step format and at your own pace.  Along with this DVD Series, Tradia® also spends a large amount of time on a hand-held basis with each Tradia® Franchise, both at Tradia® Corporate in Portland Oregon and in the Franchise Territory.  The more you know, the more valuable your Tradia® Franchise becomes.

Following our training techniques and suggestions, your return on investment (ROI) is greatly increased.  Why would anyone buy a franchise and not take advantage of the training and systems available?  Bartering is a simple concept.  Building a business using barter as a business strategy and Trade Exchange is like any business opportunity.  It requires real effort and follow-through.  It's amazing to watch how much trade volume a person can do with the right coaching and support system.  Tradia® expects to lead the way with this new and improved Training System and we hope to see exponential growth in the number of Franchise inquiries we receive.

Are Barter Sites Right for You?

Online bartering sites want to change how consumers shop.

By Chris Penttila | Entrepreneur Magazine - October 2006

Don’t want it? Swap it. Or so says a growing number of entrepreneurs running sites that let people swap all kinds of stuff. Bartering is the oldest business practice around, and a handful of swap sites arose during the dotcom era. Most didn’t survive. Now the sector is re-energized, thanks to better technology and shrewder online shoppers who have accumulated stuff they no longer want or need. “The model was around a long time ago—it’s just re-emerged now because of the flood of DVDs, CDs and media,” says Bob Alvin, 48, founder of Los Gatos, California-based BarterBee, a six-employee site launched in 2005 that specializes in online trades of CDs, DVDs and video games.

Numbers revealing the size and potential of the swap sector are hard to find. Talk to “swapreneurs,” however, and they’ll tell you they’re on a mission to change the world of buying and selling. “In the way eBay changed the fabric of society, we have the same opportunity to do that,” says Jessica Hardwick, 39, co-founder and CEO of Sili-con Valley-based SwapThing, a year-old swap site whose sales—which are earned through transaction fees—will approach $1 million this year. SwapThing’s membership base is growing 40 percent a month, and the company boasts a growing list of professional services up for swap, from haircuts to innovation consulting.

Still, swap sites face challenges. Shipping and geography can prohibit some trades. Users must also spend time matching up trades that aren’t equal in value. But the hurdles aren’t stopping swapreneurs, who are in a fast and furious race to become the eBay of barter. It’s anyone’s guess who will take the lead, but swap sites are betting that people’s love of stuff will drive them toward the online swap marketplace. “I think everyone at heart is a bargain shopper,” Alvin says. “[Swapping] is a valid [business] model.”