January 12th, 2011
If you’re committee is not out pounding the pavement for Sponsors and Donors,…. You’re already behind. Many of our clients are now taking advantage of our Member Services and asking us to bring them quality donors and consignors. After traveling the globe selling everything from diamonds to fine art, we have relationships with companies that will supply your event and your organization makes money from every item. Let us know if we can help. Benefits are our business!! www.USbenefitAuctions.com
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November 28th, 2010
After 21 years of traveling the globe selling everything from airplanes to premium internet domain names, I felt it was time to share some of my experiences and insights into the auction world.
Live auctions have been around for thousands of years and is jokingly referred to the “second oldest profession” known to man. It is true that as long as man has traded goods and attempted to establish a fair market value, there have been auctions. Another common saying is that “if it’s sold, it’s sold at auction”. The types of things that are auctioned may surprise you. Did you know that there is a fish auction daily in such places as Boston and Bangor to establish the daily prices? And, every day, antiques and rugs and real estate and livestock is sold at an auction somewhere, all over the world. And, every day, the values of used cars are determined by professional dealer auctions held all over the world, as many as 100 cars per hour sold in each lane by a single auctioneer. 100 cars per hour, per lane, with as many as 16 lanes selling simultaneously, and 100′s of these auctions per day. Now that’s fast and that’s alot of rolling stock.
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And, speaking of speed, this is one of the most common misconceptions regarding what an auctioneer does and what an auctioneer is supposed to be doing,…selling fast!?
Hollywood likes to portray the auctioneer as someone who rattles off numbers and words at a rapid-fire pace leaving the crowd and potential buyer scratching their heads in awe. Unfortunately, if an auctioneer is doing this, he is committing a grave injustice to both the buyers and the sellers. I’ll say this very clearly, and often, if the crowd doesnt understand the numbers they will not bid with confidence and if they aren’t comfortable with the bidding process, the merchandise will not bring the true potential value.
It is true that there are “professional” buyers at many of the dealer auctions and therefore the auctioneer may feel that he can zoom along without problems. My question has always been, what makes someone a “professional” buyer? The fact that they registered as a car dealer at a car auction and were handed a bidder card? How many “professionals” at the dealer-only auction have attended just once or twice and had to learn the hard way that the auctioneer at a car sale doesn’t always say the entire bid amount? That issue is an entire blog session coming in the near future because it is definately one of my pet peeves and something that I’ve tried hard to change over the years.
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There are as many different types of auctioneers as there are types of people. Each brings his own personality and professionalism, or lack thereof, into the auction arena. I’ve always felt that the best auctioneers were the ones that loved being around people, because when it comes right down to it, if the crowd doesnt feel you like them, they are not going to respond well to what you have to say to them or sell to them.
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Another huge requisite of being a good auctioneer, is PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE. If the auctioneer doesn’t know what he’s selling and the approximate value, how can he encourage the crowd, with confidence, to bid more? I have had occasions where I’ve contracted to sell businesses that I was not very familiar with and instead of trying to fake my way through the sale, I’ve contracted with auctioneers who specialized in that particular industry to help out. And, in the long run, I’ve made more money doing this because the prices were higher than I wouldve gotten without their help and by working with them, I actually learned something about the product that was being sold… like proto-plasma cutters!?
Ok, so this first blogging session was mostly me just getting on my soapbox and airing out some things that bug me in the business. Now, I want you, my dear bidders and perhaps fellow auctioneers, to share some of your auction stories and/or questions and lets have a conversation. I love auctions and am very blessed to have had the opportunities that I’ve had these many years, and it’s my wish that every auction experience is a good one for both sellers and buyers alike. Give me your stories……
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November 6th, 2010
Our mission is to provide our clients with the information, tools and talent to create the most successful fundraiser possible and to transform the workload into an enjoyable, meaningful experience. We want to put the FUN back in our FUNdraisers!!”
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