4 Seasons Home Crafters of Norton Shores, Michigan, is generating a significant amount of buzz about their yearly promotion, the “Swap-A-Rama”. In conjunction with big sales on siding and other products, 4 Seasons accepts direct trades as part or all of a bid.
Each September for the past 10 years, 4 Seasons runs ads for its annual “Swap-A-Rama” in conjunction with big sales on siding, windows and other home-related work.
Included around the edge of the ad is a list of items the company will accept in exchange for home-improvement work. The suggestions run from boats and RVs to pool tables to real estate — even cattle and pigs.
“We love to trade. We’ll take pretty much anything,” he says.
And yes, he was serious about the livestock.
It isn’t so much that the company really wants to take possession of someone’s little-used pop-up camper as it is eager to stay ahead of the game.
“We want the work,” he says. “If taking in a couple of 10-year-old snowmobiles is what it takes, we’ll do it. It’s all part of helping our customers and staying one step ahead of the competition.”
One elderly woman managed to pay for an entire remodeling job with a large travel trailer, whose value at resale was ultimately declared as income for tax purposes.
Another customer had significantly less to offer — five live chickens — which 4 Seasons nonetheless accepted as part of the overall cost of a project.
The offered items are then sold or passed on to any of 4 Seasons’ 14 employees who might have use for them.
Apparently every year they do this promotion, more and more people take advantage of the offer. That means more business for 4 Seasons, a larger market share, and happy customers that got fat discounts and a good trade on their job.
See the original story at http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2010/09/norton_shores_home-improvement.html
Proof positive that there are business owners out there who “get it”. I wonder…no….I am almost positive this idea was there own….not a brokers.
This is the type of story that not only benefits the business…it lends itself to POSITIVE PR about an industry that the power brokers have left in the hen house for too long….literally.
Congrats to 4 Season Home Crafters …and thank u for doing more for this industry then it does for itself.
And in this case….I’ll forgive the chickens….cuz in this case they were actually traded.
Vegas Vince
Barter Arbitrage
p.s. Vinnie might have mid stage MS….and the fingers don’t work as well as they use to…..but I can still bring it, baby!@