Mardak Suggests Consumer Electronics Pro�s Consider Trade Leverage
Don Mardak,
founder and CEO of New Berlin, Wisconsin-based International
Monetary Systems (NYSE:INLM.OB), describes his company�s focus in
terms of marketing. �We think of ourselves as an affinity marketing
system,� he confirmed, �targeting specific populations that would be
likely to do business.�
International
Monetary Systems (IMS) is a barter exchange network that makes its
money three ways: 1) by assessing a membership fee, 2) by assessing
a small monthly fee, and 3) by earning up to 6% of the value of a
trade for facilitating it.
�When you think
of bartering, you probably think of an even exchange,� Mardak
reasoned. Someone says, �I have apples and you have oranges...let�s
swap.� Our exchange allows you to trade your excess capital to the
exchange for trade dollars.�
This, he says,
spares business owners from having to hunt down the guy that has the
oranges. �Often, two parties don�t have a common need to trade at
the same time,� he added.
Swapping In Your A/V
Leftovers
In a brief
essay, entitled �Using Barter to Boost Audio/Video Sales,� Mardak
makes the point that excess inventory can slow A/V retailers. For
example, in an industry that thrives on new technology, having last
year�s model taking up space on the shelf can make retailers
hesitant to upgrade all of their showroom options.
Mardak
explained that by trading the unsold merchandise into IMS, �all the
excess capital can be converted into liquid capital that will
produce buying power.� Can�t that be done on eBay or
Overstock.com?
�If you have something you have to sell, you can go to eBay and try
to sell it,� he admitted. �But what about selling services?�
With IMS,
integrators could provide systems installation to a chain of
restaurants in exchange for, say, advertising dollars or display
units purchased with trade dollars.
�We believe
we�re working very hard to brand IMS in much the same way eBay or
Overstock.com
has branded themselves,� Mardak stated.
�Right now,
we�ve grown to a base of 16,000 exchange members in 44 markets
coast-to-coast.�
The IMS
exchange is, indeed, growing. Last year they did $72 million in
trade volume and revenue was $8.7 million. This year they expect to
reach $108 million to $110 million in trade volume (which is
computed on one side of each transaction).
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