Everywhere

Remember the call I got two months ago? I said yes to a fundraising auction that was to take place in a local Portland taproom. I got the call when the original auctioneer had backed out because she did not like the group's final selection of venue.

Well, it turned out really well! It actually turned out better than any one of us could have imagined. We ended up raising nearly double the net proceeds that they had in years past. They were so pleased with the results that they rebooked us right away for their next year's event.

I'm sure glad we said yes. It was a great group and a fun auction to work and we're looking forward to doing it all again next year. It just goes to show that success can be found anywhere and everywhere, as long as you open your mind and eyes to the possibilities.

Thirty Years

Thirty years ago, I started my career in the auction business. It was the evening of May 20, 1988 in my hometown of Spokane. It's easy for me to remember because it was my 27th birthday.

I was helping out my future employer, Mitch and his buddy Stuart at a fundraising event. Before that; I had never even attended an auction, let alone worked at an auction! My job that night was to simply help spot anyone's hand that shot up in the air, then let out a "Yep!" loud enough for the auctioneer to hear. It was a lot harder than it looked. Now turn the clock ahead thirty years and I have been the auctioneer of over 400 fundraising auctions. Who would have ever imagined what that one evening would lead to? This unexpected and rewarding career is what came of that night and I feel so lucky to be a part of it after all these years.

Back-to-Back-to-Back

All of my Saturday nights through the spring and fall are filled with fundraising auctions. This last week though, our team had back-to-back-to-back auctions Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings! I am glad to report that we managed to meet or exceed the goals at each and every event and surpassed the expectations of all those who were involved.

It really is satisfying for me when my clients feel that we knocked an event out of the ballpark. It is especially rewarding when they are loyal clients whom I have had the pleasure of working with the longest in my auctioneering career. In today’s fundraising world, if the same auctioneer is invited back for three or more years in a row; that is considered a long stretch. So, I consider myself supremely lucky to have working relationships of upwards of ten years with some of my schools and non-profits.

I still have a few full weeks ahead, so see you at the next auction!

A box of chocolates

You never really know where your life is going to take you.

This is one of the many conversations I've been having lately with my son Spencer as he prepares to leave High School in June and begins his own life's journey of discovering his own interests and making his own personal choices. I know he'll find his way and it's exciting for us both, to see what direction life's path will lead him on.

It's hard to believe that half his lifetime ago, he was 9 years old and 5'6". By the time he graduates, he'll be 18 and he's already standing at 6'5" today!

I know from my own life experience, I never would have imagined when I left high school 35 years ago that I'd end up pursuing the career that I ultimately have. Where I ended up and what I ended up doing was completely unplanned and nowhere on my personal radar. My life's path and profession really came about through a series of circumstances and some risk-taking on my part. For those of you who know me now, it would be hard for you to believe that the younger version of me was a terribly shy person. The first step out of my shell was trying out for a college play with the encouragement of a friend. In my audition, I ended up surprising myself and getting the part! Looking back, I actually did pretty well. From there, my confidence skyrocketed and I was forced outside my comfort zone. Many things that I'd previously thought impossible, now seemed within my grasp. So step 1 down my new path all started with a simple college play.

While a student at Eastern Washington University, I had a chance meeting with Mitch Silver. At the time, he owned a small collector car auction company and he was also a professor at the school I was attending. He offered me an internship. I accepted. Step 2. Check.

It was the late 80's and the collector car market was just exploding and Mitch was in the perfect position to ride its wave. Being in the auction business, you have to be a jack-of-trades of sorts. Luckily, I found I liked being on the auction block; so I was offered the job of description reader. Basically, you read a description of the car that's on the auction block before the auctioneer takes over to do his song and dance.

I found it both challenging and fun. I enjoyed working with the auctioneers and liked the dynamics of the auction, so started thinking to myself "I could do that." I guess Mitch thought so too.  He offered me the chance to attend auctioneer's school. I accepted. That was step 3. 

Actually being an auctioneer was much more difficult than I had imagined. I was a terrible auctioneer right out of auctioneering school. The other auctioneers made it look so easy. But it takes some skill and experience to string all the pieces together, necessary to be an effective auctioneer. I found it a real challenge to coordinate the volume, rhythm, speed, and clarity of my voice while searching for and tracking bids in the sea of people staring back at me.

But I didn't give up. I tried my best whenever I got the chance to be on stage to sell those collector cars. With a lot of practice, patience and the assistance of many mentors in the auction business, I started down the long road of my auctioneering apprenticeship; aka step 4.

Bump the clock ahead twenty years. I've been a part of some amazing events and had some great opportunities. A highlight of my auctioneer's career was jetting to New York to work alongside Donny Deutsch on the stage at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan raising awareness and funds for a cure for Parkinsons with the Michael J Fox Foundation.

I'm a perfect example of "you never know where your life might lead you". Now I get to watch as my son takes his turn walking down life's path.

Appeal? This is what it looks like

With spring break behind us now, it's time to start again where we left off. In my experience, spring time auctions are typically smaller scale events, with some as simple as just a special appeal. If you and your cause or not-for profit group are considering having a special appeal fundraiser; something you might want to consider is a weekday night like a Tuesday or a Thursday.

In my 25-plus years of experience; I have found that inviting your charity's biggest supporters, bringing in a powerful speaker, combined with a well-defined appeal run by a capable auctioneer; you can sometimes achieve the same revenue objective as you would with a traditional fundraising auction. That is, without the added expense and manpower hours that it takes to pull off a typical Saturday night gala. Plus, special appeal-only auctions are also an effective way for you to keep in touch with your patrons and for your patrons to keep involved with your cause and organization througout the year.

A well-defined appeal looks like this:

You state to your audience what you are raising funds for. It may be for continued research to cure a disease or educational funding for a child's tuition. Maybe you are raising money for a specific project or a special piece of medical equipment?

You have the support of a major corporation which plans to match tonight's actual funds raised to double the final event tally. A long-time, loyal patron has been approached or volunteered to start the night's special appeal with a special bid.

You plan to start the night with a $10,000 bid and move down the line till you hit $100. I notice that once my audience gets into a groove with me, the momentum carries itself. So that by the end of your special appeal; we'll find that the majority of the room has participated by making a donation. And in this case, size really doesn't matter. A hundred $100 donations is still a decent chunk of change at $10,000.

Re-ignite the fire

Have you been watching as the attendance to your annual benefit drops year after year? Are you resorting to comping tickets just to put bums in chairs? Does anyone laugh at your MC's jokes anymore? Is the crowd tired of listening to the live auction drag on and on?

Maybe your event is suffering from BAS, the boring auction syndrome. Typically, the first call to action is to get rid of the MC and the auctioneer you've been using forever and replace them with professionals who have proven results. You will notice the difference immediately on the stage, in your event revenues, and even on your invoice from your auctioneer. As they say, "You get what you pay for." Someone who can turn your event around or grow your fundraising revenues year after year is worth his weight in gold. I've been on both ends of the stick and typically; if you've done your homework, you'll notice improvements in your event right away, whether big or small. Though if the core components of your benefit remain unchanged, so will your results. Auction prizes are typically the same at most fundraising events: art, wine, trips, special dinner and hotel packages or maybe even a one-on-one meeting with a B-list celebrity. While auction prizes make up some of the building blocks of your benefit, they are never going to be the components that bring your special event to that next level.

So how do you make the leap? While not a new concept, it's the people who make the event. Whether it's the tireless dynamos who sit on your fundraising board, or the generous patrons in the audience, or even the best audio-visual techs in town; it all comes down to the people. Brainstorming, event-planning, ticket-selling - every component it takes to put together a successful event, requires the person who best fits the job! Have you ever been successful at putting a square peg into a round hole? Shaking things up on your planning committee and on your stage may be just the changes your event needs. Heck, move the stage and change the venue while you're at it! This may be just what it takes to get your auction rocking again. Ask the members of your board, the loyal guests people who have been coming to your event year in and year out, maybe even some of your event volunteers. A cross-group brainstorming session may reveal the answer or answers you need to reconnect with your audience or to re-energize your planning committee. There is no end to the resources or ideas that can re-ignite your auction's fire. Give one or all of these ideas a try as you begin planning for your next benefit auction.

Beware of the man in the tuxedo

I'm always curious to know more when I hear or read about someone who says he 'specializes as a fundraising auctioneer'.

Why have I not heard his or her name before? Who is this person? Is he or she professionally trained? What kind of auction experience did he or she have before becoming a benefit specialist or expert?

Fundraisers are a collaborative event. A professional auctioneer will make sure that all the behind the scenes work is properly and completely done. This is the first of many important steps that it takes to produce an evening of giving that is both seamless and successful.   

I have been an auctioneer working in the Pacific Northwest for over twenty-five years. I have auctioned off date nights with Hollywood stars. children's art, school teachers' homemade baking, tens of thousands of wholesale and collector cars, as well as California real estate. I have worked with hundreds of other auctioneers. Among the lot of us, we have a few thousand years of experience combined and have easily seen hundreds of billions of dollars change hands. Boy, that makes me sound old!

Like any other profession, it takes years of learning and doing to master one's craft. A proficient auctioneer is not as easy to find as it seems. What you can expect of him or her when you find one is this:

A great auctioneer connects with your audience.
He or she establishes the tone and momentum of the auction.
An auctioneer never misses a guest with his bid card in the air.
He communicates and carries on with everyone with ease and finesse.
After he sells the crowd every single live auction lot, he is still able to draw more money out of your guests during the special appeal!

It's true that we all have to start somewhere. The question is, do you want an auctioneer who's wet behind the ears to use your event as his guinea pig? Before you hire someone; ask for his or her credentials, have a look at his portfolio, watch her in action. Best to see it before you believe it. You know what they say, “If it sounds too good to be true..."

Happy new year!

Happy new year!

The holidays are behind us. The kids are back to school. The auction business is back in full swing.

In the month of January, there are no less than five auction houses, which will sell over $200million worth of classic cars in the matter of a week. If you happen to be in the vicinity of Scottsdale Arizona between January 10th through till the 18th, that's where the first big auction events of 2015 will take place.

If you are a fan of vintage motorcycles, Las Vegas Nevada is the place to be. With Bonhams and Mid-American offering up close to a thousand bikes starting January 8th and ending on the 11th. I'll be at Bonhams checking out some of the rare bikes that will be crossing the auction block into the garage of some lucky collectors.

Then by February, fundraising season starts up again. Most not-for-profits have their spring events booked. Now is the time when autumn fundraising committees are securing their dates for venues, entertainers and caterers.

Size doesn't matter. Really

We live in a world where if it's bigger, it must be better.

In the fundraising world, that axiom is not always true. Sure, it's exciting to be in a room filled with hundreds of other well-dressed and like-minded people thrown together to raise money for a shared cause, while also being entertained by the theatrics of the auctioneer. But the reality of large fundraising events is that only a small portion of those in attendance are actually active participants in the live auction. In my experience, I would venture to guess that only about 20% of the room is doing 80% of the bidding and buying. Yes, it does seem that more people tend to join in on the bidding for a special appeal. Though often, that may be the single occasion of the evening when that specific bid card saw any action.

So my question to event planners out there is, "How much thought and effort do you put into the process of guest selection?" Like most not-for-profit organizations, do you simply send out invites to the masses hoping to fill the huge ballroom that you have rented for the night? Or do you pick and choose those patrons who have potential in their pocketbooks and the ones with proven buying power to contribute to your night's cause? What if you could cut the cost of producing your event in half and at the same time, double your audience participation? Wouldn't you be interested in knowing how? Stay tuned for some hints in my next blog. 

Being an auctioneer

I’m one of the lucky people out here in the working world who really enjoys what he's doing for a living.

Being an auctioneer is a unique profession. I have been lucky enough to make it my career for the past twenty plus years. I’ve been involved in auctioning everything from real estate, both wholesale and collector cars, as well as art and wine at fundraisers.

In each of these different scenarios of the auction, the same theme repeats itself. That similarity is competition. Finding value or just establishing something's worth is best done via the auction method.

Then why haven’t auctions become a more mainstream method for selling? There are a couple of reasons. First, I think there still lacks information and understanding about how this selling process works. For instance, if you scratch your nose or accidently raise your hand during the bidding process, you don't necessarily have to buy the item that's being auctioned. We’re looking at everyone in the room and to some degree, watching your non-verbal clues as to whether you’re truly a potential bidder. An auctioneer with experience will always ask whether you’re bidding or simply waving to your friend across the room. Secondly, an auction can be a intimidating for some. It puts most people, especially bidders, outside their comfort zone. You either have the resources to purchase what’s for sale or you don’t. When you bid, you may take a bit of ownership for the item up for sale. So being outbid can lead to some very intense stares between bidders around the room. All in good spirits, of course!

Factors are constantly changing. Nowadays, change happens frequently and quickly. Setting a defined date for an item to be sold, allowing only those qualified to participate in the buying process, and informing both buyers and sellers the terms and conditions of the sale - all of these factors combined level the playing field for all involved. So as more buyers and sellers look for more transparency in their business dealings; we will see auctions, becoming more often, the preferred method of conducting these types of transactions.

School fundraisers

School fundraising auctions are some of my favorites amongst the variety of events that I do. They give parents and teachers an opportunity to socialize outside of the school environment. You have a highly motivated captive audience. Everyone in attendance has a student who benefits from the proceeds of the evening. It's a winning combination.

With smaller budgets and fewer subsidies, more and more schools are required to do their own fundraising - from kindergarten to high school, private and public school. Academic institutions are raising money for sports fields and equipment, international exchange trips, scholarships. The list goes on.

I'm a part of the fundraising team at a local private school's annual gala. For the past few years, a table of desserts made with love by the school's teachers goes to auction after the dinner portion of the night. The parents get pretty competitive. Little Lisa wants to hear how her dad made the highest bid for everyone's favorite teacher's triple-layered chocolate cake. I've seen bids go as high as $1,000 for a homemade cake. This year, the dessert auction raised $7,500 for the school's foundation!

Something to think about as yet another school year comes to a close. Have a fun and safe summer out there.

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Auctioneers: There is a difference

Auctioneering is one of those jobs where it's not unusual for someone in the crowd to think, "How hard could it be to do that? It looks pretty easy. If that guy on stage can do it, why couldn't I?" If you have been part of an audience during a fundraising event, you can tell the difference between a professionally trained auctioneer with experience and someone who is just trying to wing it. There is nothing worse than to watch someone struggling on stage. It's like the feeling you get when you're at an amateur comedy show where nobody is laughing. It is painful to watch and can be incredibly embarrassing for the person on stage.

Once the audience's interest or the bidding momentum is lost, it's game over. What do you do then? Not much you can do, except to wait till next year to do it better.

Big or small, we can help

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Last weekend, one of our fundraising auction patrons told me how pleased he was with the results of the evening. Then he asked whether or not I did small auctions. "Of course!" I said. Actually, I love the small grassroots auctions when they are just getting started. All fundraisers or benefit auctions have to start somewhere, and it's exciting be there from the start to watch them grow and develop into major events. Most of the charity work I've done through the past twenty years has been working with groups who are just starting out. So if you've been thinking about putting together your first auction, or maybe hiring a professional auctioneer for an established event; give me a call or drop a line.