Bartering the Unemployed

Well, hello there and thanks for surfing my wave!

I was at a workshop yesterday and this fabulous idea came up – service bartering.  It really makes a whole lot of sense and is a productive way to grow your, uh – yeah…Network.

Think about this one folks.  Are you a financial advisor looking for a CPA?  Are you an IT professional and want to refinance your house or revisit your insurance policies?

Bartering.

Pick up the phone and/or email your friends and start building a barter network; many have already been started online.  We’re out of work, right?  I’m sure we can find an individual we know, or someone we know who might know another…that will be willing to trade services for future paid opportunities and referrals.  I’m not suggesting giving your store away, but pro bono work can be rewarding and lead to income potential.  It keeps your skills sharp and is a very useful way to meet possible business partners and augment what could be an anemic network.  You are, in essence, practicing what you preach by offering hands-on expertise that you, tax advisor pending, can write-off as marketing.  That’s truly what you’re doing – marketing your services.  You are showing someone what you have in trade.  It’s win-win as you get commodities you’ve been seeking in return and both parties are satisfied and can recommend each others wares.  Problems solved!

So as you meet people out and about, and as you converse with others, always end your pitch with, “…and if you have a friend [who is willing to barter in return] requiring my talents, please give them my card.”  And hand that person a half-dozen of them in case they have a few more friends.  If at this point you start getting a stream of calls requesting your time, who needs to look for a job?  You’ve just created your own consulting service!  Charge a nominal, but fair, fee considering you’re down on your luck but still worth your salt.  After a few months, they’ll be begging you to work for them.  Market price.

This process doesn’t take much; fairly straightforward and cheap to pull off.  All you need is to believe, invest and confide in yourself with the capacities and confidence you have to excel and grow.  If you open the door first to yourself, and then to others, you’d be surprised at how many people are out there willing to share their experiences with you and want to walk through your threshold of success.

Hey, I think I hear that doorbell ringing – are you ready to answer it?

Why Just Look For A Job? Create One!™
TheUnemployMENTOR – email@theunemploymentor.com

Tagged as: friends and job search, networking