As a successful Fundraising & Wine Auctioneer, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to my sales and marketing person. On many occasions I have personally witnessed my salesperson, tirelessly working on the telephone and internet, in his relentless pursuit of new business. From sun up to sun down, he often works nonstop. He is my agent and staunch supporter in promoting my fundraising auction business. If it were not for him, then my business would not exist! Who is this person? Me!
Why do so very few auctioneers out of auction school actually make it in the Auction Profession? No, it’s not because they are not already working for an auction company. It’s because they have not learned how to promote themselves, and unfortunately the auction schools do not teach this skill. Whether you are new to the Auction Profession or a veteran auctioneer, as we all know, sitting by the phone and waiting for it to ring is a complete waste of your time. Sure, you can place advertisements in the yellow pages, and if you are lucky you will get a couple of phone calls that land one decent job a year as a result of your ads. Yeah, you can join your state and national associations, and utilize there web sites. There again, if you are lucky, you will get one or two referrals a year at best. Oh sure, you can create your own company web site too! Now how do you drive the internet traffic there? Can you make a decent living off of just a handful of jobs from the efforts I have mentioned above? I think not!
My fellow auctioneers, do you see where I am going with this line of questioning? I am trying to get you to think about this most important question: �Who is responsible for getting us the business and creating our success?� YOU! It is you! Your passion and your drive is what guarantee’s your success! Now you know the secret ingredient to your success. What do you do next?
Develop a marketing plan. Target the business you are pursuing and focus on your objective. �Bidder Development� is also a good idea as well, as you want to get the right bidders to attend your auctions. Now start calling those businesses working in your target demographic. Collect your bidder’s email addresses from every auction you conduct, and then email them about your upcoming auctions. Snail mail still offers only a 1% positive response rate. Now you are successfully driving traffic to your web site. When business is slow, send out email or paper newsletters to your bidders letting them know what you are doing. Offer finder’s fees to your bidders who refer you qualified leads. Always thank your bidders for attending your auctions. I always send my bidders thank you emails!
Do you want all of my secrets? Ok, a few more. Network! Network! Network (huge hint)! Forbes magazine states that networking is the single most successful marketing tool utilized by millionaires today. �It’s not what you know, but who you know.� You can network at clubs, organizations, businesses, churches, restaurants, or the gym, etc. Appraisal clinics or Fundraising Auctions (big hint) are also good.
Get yourself involved and seen by the public in the community you serve. The more they see you, then the more they will get to know you and remember you. Whether you are auctioning or teaching (hint) the public about your profession, it’s still an opportunity to put your best foot forward. Take advantage of every lucrative opportunity that comes your way. A �going out of business� sign, pawn shops, and other obvious attention grabbers are all great opportunities for the perceptive and entrepreneurial auctioneer. Perhaps the best advertising and promotion we receive is, �word of mouth advertising�. Do everything you can in your community to foster a good name and great business reputation for yourself!
Tom DiNardo is co-owner of DiNardo & Lord Auctioneers of Anacortes, WA. Tom is an Auctioneer, Appraiser, and Writer.
To contact Tom, visit www.DiNardoandLordAuctioneers.com
(c) 2004 Tom DiNardo – All rights reserved.
