Profitable Auction Blueprint

Discover the Profitable Auction Blueprint That Will Ignite Your Charity Auction Attendance and Performance in 2010!

This innovative approach teaches you the science behind planning an auction to increase your total auction returns with less time, hassle and headaches. 219295_inquisitive

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then read on for the help you’re seeking…

Hello Auction Chair!
I work with Auction Chairs and their committees all the time.  I know the enormity of these events and the endless details needing to be managed.  And, I know how badly you want to do a great job for your organization.

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From: Sherry Truhlar, CMP, BAS

RE: The Profitable Auction Blueprint TeleClass

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My name is Sherry Truhlar, and for the last 6 years, I’ve helped auction volunteers just like you plan record-breaking auctions…. even during this recession.

As a fundraising auctioneer who is one of the few auctioneers who has achieved a Benefit Auctioneer Specialist (BAS) designation, I spend my days working with clients and immersed in studying how to make your charity auction more profitable.  Before I started my business, I was a professional event planner who earned the prestigious Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation.  Trust me, I’ve planned the menus, hired the entertainment, managed the catering, marketed the event, handled VIPs, and oversaw the seating chart.  You name it, I’ve done it!

So what?

My vast experience both in front of the crowd and behind the scenes has taught me a lot about what it takes to plan successful fundraising auctions.  And trust me, there IS a plan. Using specific tools, applying some tested processes, and incorporating a little auction psychology makes the difference. My work has led to features in The Washington Post Magazine, AUCTIONEER magazine and television shows on TLC and E! Style.

“Thank you for coaching us through our first-year event. I’ve heard nothing but positive comments from our 100 guests, and one guest who attends a lot of galas told me that our small auction rivaled some of the top events held here in Palm Beach! Going into this, I told you that we would have been happy with $30k-$40k, and we cleared over $55k! I’m sure you spent a lot more time consulting with us on the phone that you probably do with some of your other clients — thanks for taking the time to educate and advise us on the entire process and how best to maximize our opportunity. You were great, couldn’t have achieved such success without you!”
Kali Dambeck, Director of Development
The Wild Dolphin Project (Jupiter, FL)

“It was my second year at the school, and I volunteered to take over the Auction Chair role. It was an intimidating endeavor, but I knew we would be in great hands under the guidance of Sherry and Red Apple Auctions. Sherry grew the event to whole new level, a level of which we could not have achieved without her innovative ideas and advice. She helped us every step of the way, throughout the year, interpreting for us the science behind what makes an auction successful. Silent, live, online—Sherry’s knowledge of how the event works is multi-faceted. She should be so pleased with, and proud of, what she has created in Red Apple Auctions.”
Kristen Franklin, Chair 2009
Aidan Montessori School (Washington, DC)

And now, I want to share my knowledge with you!

HERE’S YOUR TICKET TO A RECORD BREAKING EVENT
 

INTRODUCING THE PROFITABLE AUCTION BLUEPRINT !

The Profitable Auction Blueprint will help you plan your best charity auction EVER … REGARDLESS of who you are using AS YOUR AUCTIONEER!

Many groups have a gregarious parent, a fun Board member, or a local celebrity serve as auctioneer. SUPER!

Others use a professional auctioneer, who LACKS THE TIME, TRAINING, OR CREATIVITY to provide in-depth support of your needs. (I see this all the time.)

Maybe you have a SILENT AUCTION ONLY and sense you are not maximizing earnings. With this course, you’ll be set up for success.

I’m going to share how to CREATE AN AUCTION THAT MAKES MORE MONEY, WHOEVER YOU CHOOSE TO USE AS YOUR AUCTIONEER (or no auctioneer, as in the case of a silent auction!).

This course will show you step-by-step how to:

  1. PROCURE THE GOOD STUFF! Auction acquisitions – what to get, how to ask for it and where to look. We’re talking high-end items to free items; baskets and class projects to parties. You’ll be given the words to make you comfortable “making the ask,” and learn my fool-proof formula for determining silent versus live items.
  2. FILL THE ROOM! Audience development strategies to ensure your bidders are buyers.
  3. GET VOLUNTEERS! Learn how to make it easy for others to say, “I’ll help.” This will save your sanity later.
  4. MAXIMIZE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS! I’ll show you how – and WHEN – to use activities like games, raffles, and other techniques to get all the money out of the room. Just because an activity is used by another group doesn’t mean it should be used by you. You’ll learn how to know what’s best for YOUR guests.
  5. OPERATE A FLAWLESS AUCTION! I’ll give you great examples for displays, activities, sponsorship packets and forms, donor letters, and more. (Photos are my favorite tool.)
  6. WORK WITH PROFESSIONALS! Some of the people you’ll likely rely on for your event will be event professionals, like caterers, entertainment agencies, or production companies. I’ll give you the guidance you need to select the right ones.
  7. BE CONFIDENT! If your committee is resistant to change, this course will tremendously boost your CONFIDENCE.  You’ll understand WHY a process or change should be implemented, and how to do it.
  8. USE PSYCHOLOGY! Subtle auction ppsychology techniques to encourage bidding. This is part of “the science” of auction strategy.
  9. EASILY HANDLE PROBLEMS! No more late attendees, slow registration, low volume silent auctions or uninvolved guests. You’ll be able to fix those issues unique to YOUR event.
  10. MARKET YOUR EVENT FOR SUCCESS! I’ll share a bundle of ways you should be marketing your event (and you need to use at least seven of them).

and more…

“Red Apple Auctions took our annual benefit celebration to the next level – elevating it from a friend-raiser that included a silent auction which raised about 30 cents on the dollar to a fund-raiser that featured a live/silent auction where we more than doubled the amount that we have ever raised in past years.”

Heidi Coons, Director of Development & Community Relations
Threshold Services (Silver Spring, MD)

“Sherry at Red Apple Auctions was a great partner for us prior to the event, providing advice and insight on solicitation, organization and pricing of auction items that was new to our committee, even after years of experience.”

Nicole Carr – Director of Grants and Special Events
The Ivymount School (Rockville, MD)

“While I don’t yet know our bottom line, our revenues were up significantly (over 10%) above the prior year. The reverse auction was almost double and the live was up substantially…”

Paul Hirschbiel – Chairperson
Horizons Hampton Roads (Hampton Roads, VA)

“It looks like we did amazingly well. We grossed a bit over $84,700, a figure we are thrilled with! In light of the economy and reduced numbers in attendance, I think the auction was a huge success.”

Dianne Straus – Executive Director
Children’s Chorus of Washington (Washington, D.C.)

I GUARANTEE THIS COURSE WILL HELP YOU:

  • SAVE TIME! I will show you step by step, what to do, how to do it, and when to do it to achieve maximum results. I’ll share the method to designing a successful auction
  • RAISE MORE MONEY! I’ll share where to spend the money to get the biggest bang for your buck. The best activities… the time-tested tricks… even what to say and how to say it. It’s virtually formulaic.
  • LOWER EXPENSES! Most Auction Chairs are tempted into spending money on the wrong things. And most non-profits have trouble allowing themselves to invest in their own success – which is why their events fail to perform to the level they hoped. With this information, YOUR event will be a success.
  • REDUCE STRESS! Its three weeks prior to the event and you can’t sleep because you’ve got a million details on your mind.  You’re worried about filling the room and just realized you never heard back from the linens company.  OK, so I can’t eliminate all of your worries, but with my approach, I CAN guarantee you’ll feel way more confident in what you’re doing!
  • SAVE YOUR REPUTATION! What if you spent $1000s and no one shows up to your event? What if the attendees don’t spend money? What if there are donations which receive no bids? We’ll ensure that your guests will be talking about your successful gala all year!

“Our event was awesome! We feel the night was incredible. We surpassed our goals, and set a new standard for this school auction. It was time to take our event to the next level, and we got more than we thought possible. It was a 30% net increase from the previous year. We knew there was more money to be made than what we’d been raising. We’d been using a professional auctioneer, but Red Apple Auctions showed us the difference between a benefit auctioneer and an auctioneer. I personally loved everything Red Apple gave to our event. We would have never had done as well as we did without you.”

Shayna Altman-Neal, Auction Co-Chair
Christ Church School

“We are still reveling in our gala success! New records were set in our auction and appeal; all but one item in the silent auction sold which was quite remarkable for us. With Sherry’s advice and expertise the auction was taken to a new level. We’ve received so many compliments from our donors, partners and supporters. Sherry is fantastic!”

Crista Peterson, Development & Communications Manager
Northern Virginia Family Service (Oakton, VA)

“When I agreed to co-chair our annual school auction, I knew I wanted to kick the event up a few notches. For my legacy, I wanted something that stood out and set a precedent for “how to run an auction.” After spending several hours speaking with multiple auction companies, I selected Red Apple Auctions. Sherry was very enthusiastic and would be there every step of the way helping us plan the event and implement several new ideas to maximize the money raised, which was especially critical in this economy. Because we really re-vamped our program (with Red Apple’s help), I appreciated having someone guide us in structuring our activities and giving us methods for getting the entire crowd involved in giving. I have received nothing but absolute praise and excitement regarding the many changes we made with Sherry’s help, and those that resisted initially could not have been more pleased with the changes we made. Although I’m not chairing the auction again, I know our 2009 auction chair already spoke with Red Apple to re-book them for the next year!”

Brooke Austin – Auction Co-Chair
St. Andrews Episcopal School (Fort Pierce, FL)

“Sherry brings to the auction process such incomparable enthusiasm, energy, and know-how that you know right from the start your auction will be a huge success. Sherry helps you get every detail right; she is never too busy to answer a question by phone or email. During the auction, Sherry and her team are everywhere, tending to details, being sure people are bidding on items, and revving the crowd to buy more. At last year’s auction, we signed Sherry up for her second auction with us that very night!”

Carole Brand, Gala Chair
Children’s Chorus of Washington (Washington, DC)

“On behalf of the many men, women and children who are homeless in our community, we want to thank you and your team for helping to make the 10th Annual Hope for Ail Ball, “Guayaberas & Good Times,” on Saturday, December 12, 2009 such an enormous success. We were able to raise over $1.4 million dollars to support our mission. This is the most we have ever raised in the annual fundraiser – $337,715 in the live and silent. We thought we had a record-breaking year in 2009, but this surpasses everyone’s expectations.”

Marci Belfi, Director of Special Events
Camillus House (Miami, FL)

“Wow, what an event! We raised more money than ever, about $108,000. You made such an impact on our group. To quote Monica, my co-chair, ‘If Sherry organized a cult, I’d join.’ Like most groups, we had fallen into a rut, doing things the same way, year after year. We were doing things that made all the sense in the world to us but didn’t translate into dollars. When we decided to hire you as our auctioneer, we had some skeptics (you weren’t cheap)… You came with a boat full of ideas, enthusiasm and charm. You completely revamped our whole event. All those skeptics are now dedicated fans of yours.”

Jennifer Harris, Auction Co-Chair
YWCA Annapolis (Annapolis, MD)

OK Sherry, this sounds great!

But how much does it cost?

Here’s a better question:

How much have you been losing? — $2000 here … $30,000 there… simply because no one has ever bothered to invest in the auction.

It’s pretty sad, really. Groups think they are making money, and I’m shaking my head and counting all the money they LOST.

Seriously, what would it “cost” you NOT to have a record-breaking auction?

And on an individual level, what does it cost you in stress from “not knowing what to do?”

How much would you be willing to pay for a guaranteed blueprint for success?

$5000…

$3000…

$1000…

Certainly a $1000 investment would be worth your time and money for guaranteed success, right?

Well thankfully, you won’t have to pay even $1000.

The Profitable Auction Blueprint can be yours for the affordable price of $747!

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“We’ve received rave reviews about you! We also broke the six-figure mark in 2007, grossing just over $123k for a 39% increase.”

Sally Goins, Gala Chair

St. Joe’s School (Herndon, VA)

My No-Risk Money-Back Guarantee

I am absolutely certain that the Profitable Auction Blueprint will be EXACTLY what you need to have a successful fundraising auction.

So join me for 7 days to evaluate this course. If for any reason you feel that the content is NOT providing you with new ideas or the skills needed to break your auction through a plateau, I’ll issue a prompt refund. I’m so confident about my successful blueprint, I can make this guarantee!

“Red Apple Auction is more than professional; your ability to consult, inform and lead us above and beyond our goal was amazing. You taught us so much and were easy to contact, day or evening. Sherry, I cannot thank you enough for making our auction the best it has ever been.”

Karen Virdinlia, Development Assistant

Children’s Advocacy Center of Collier County (Naples, FL)

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But wait, there’s more!  (You knew that was coming, right?)

I have 3 special bonuses if you ACT NOW!

  1. First… and this is a biggie… enjoy a $200 discount price if you pay promptly! That means the entire course is just $547 for prompt payers. This is a generous early-bird pricing special, and the price will reset to $747 on Monday night, February 1. ($100 Value)
  2. For those of you who move fast first 7 people who sign-up for this course will be mailed a COLLECTION OF AUCTION CATALOGS MOST RELEVANT FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION for inspiration. I’m always asked if I have catalogs from auctions. Auction Chairs want ideas on items, catalog layout, themes, and sponsors. You’ll get a nice array of catalogs, if you’re one of the first seven.  ($600 Value).
  3. EVERYONE in this course will enjoy one Q&A bonus call on February 25 at 2:00 PM EST. Email your specific questions and we’ll cover as many as we can in the hour ($300 Value)

So what are you waiting for?

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“For the 3rd consecutive year we had Red Apple Auctions help guide our church’s silent and live auctions, and for the 3rd consecutive year they have helped us improve on the year before…. both in dollar amount AND in quality of the event. Our event caters to a young, single adult church crowd who are working their first jobs, or are finishing up a graduate degree. With the economic downturn we went through this year, you could imagine how apprehensive our crowd would be. Well, Red Apple was GREAT. They were able to stress the value of charitable giving and donations in such a fun and positive way that our participants were happy to raise money for such a good cause.”

Bryan Gauch, Service Committee Chair
Colonial 1st Ward – Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Alexandria, VA)

“Thank you so much for your many contributions to the seventh annual Arlington Community Foundation Gala. Our enormous success this year… our best gala EVER… was due in no small part to your involvement. Your initial presentation and consultations throughout the planning process were invaluable to my committee… Bottom line, Red Apple Auctions was a fabulous addition to our Gala. I give you my very highest personal commendation and would welcome the opportunity to speak with any potential clients should they ask for a reference.”

Sherry Crittenden, Chair
Arlington Community Foundation (Arlington, VA)

OH, by the way, this training will be available at your convenience!

That’s right, you get this training WHEN YOU WANT IT. This 6-class course + bonus call is designed to be convenient around YOUR schedule because it’s all delivered via phone.

Here’s how it works:

  • You’ll be given access to the DIGITAL LOUNGE.  This password-protected site is your online classroom, where all your class materials will be located.
  • All calls will be RECORDED.   If you miss the live training call (or just prefer to listen via your computer at 1 AM when the kids and hubby are asleep!), I’ll be ready to help you.
  • PHOTOS … ADDITIONAL TIPS … RESOURCES … will be stored in the digital lounge.  Review it all, or only what you need.
  • YOUR COMMITTEE CAN ALL SHARE.  If your acquisitions chair needs to listen to the call on procurement, she can.  If your décor committee chair wants to hear about décor, she can.  It’s CONVENIENT FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR TEAM.

Our Live training schedule is as follows:

  • Class 1: Tuesday, February 9 at 2 PM EST
  • Class 2: Tuesday, February 16 at 2 PM EST
  • Class 3: Thursday, February 18 at noon EST
  • Class 4: Tuesday, February 23 at 2 PM EST
  • BONUS CALL: Thursday, February 25 at 2 PM EST
  • Class 5: Tuesday, March 2 at 2 PM EST
  • Class 6: Tuesday, March 9 at 2 PM EST

The weekly handouts will be stored in the digital lounge.  You’ll have everything you need to maximize your time and learning!

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Maybe your auction has hit a plateau and needs a “push” to move it up.

Maybe you’re facing dire straits from the past two years of economic challenges.

Maybe you’re using a volunteer auctioneer, but have a sneaky suspicion that you could be raising more money in other areas of your event.

I sincerely know that you and your organization cannot afford to waste any opportunities to maximize your donations. Join me as I share with you what has propelled the majority of my clients to have record-breaking fundraisers in the last two years.  You’re going to be a success … I GUARANTEE IT!

“We were committed to using a volunteer auctioneer for our school auction, but we recognized the need to have some professional guidance. In four hours, Red Apple Auctions provided us with many ideas which improved our logistics, boosted our yields, and really impacted our bottom line. And, our guests loved the changes!”

Blair Critch, Auction Chair
Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

“Sherry’s support, skills and ideas were an impressive component of her services; she also adds a personal touch that can only be described by the people that have worked with her. I cannot wait to plan our next event with her!”

Megan Deutsch, Asst. Director of Development & Community Relations
Threshold Services (Silver Spring, MD)

“Sherry’s expert guidance to our staff and volunteer committee was an important element of our work together. And the financial results speak for themselves: we exceeded our goal, and in this economy, that’s a tremendous feat…”

Daniel Studnicky, Executive Director
Holy Cross Hospital Foundation (Silver Spring, MD)

NOTICE TO ALL ATTENDEES: All the materials presented in this teleconference course are confidential and proprietary to RAA and are intended for the sole use of the participant and/or participants’ sponsoring organization, who have paid a licensing fee for the use of such materials, and shall NOT be disseminated to any other individuals, businesses, or non-profit organizations without the express written permission of RAA. ANY reproduction or republication of course lectures or materials are strictly prohibited. Participants understand that all class and bonus sessions will be recorded and – by registering for this course – you agree to the recording and its use for training and demonstration purposes.

By checking this box I agree to the terms above – Now show me how to buy!