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You are here: Home / Live Auctions / [VIDEO] Anatomy of a live item sale: selling Taylor Swift tickets
Apr 28

[VIDEO] Anatomy of a live item sale: selling Taylor Swift tickets

Sherry Truhlar 5 Comments

School auctions are typically noisy, rambunctious affairs. The parents know each other. Many are close friends because of their children’s ties. And because they socialize together outside of school, the auction itself is just another party.

I love school auctions, but they can be demanding on an auctioneer. School auctions are like house parties, giving parents — especially younger parents (K-8) — the opportunity to leave the kids for a night. 

And. Those. Parents. Party!

Whereas nonprofit events are often more civilized affairs, school auctions are raves. 

As an auctioneer, my job is to command the attention of the crowd, reeling guests back in when their attention wanders. 

I don’t seek 100% participation, but I need to have enough people listening that I’ve got involvement and am getting item value. Your auctioneer needs to have enough charisma … or “game,” to use today’s vernacular … to keep guests engaged. If I don’t bring my A Game, I’d be eaten alive at some events.

(One school told me about a female auctioneer they had used a few years prior. The auctioneer refused to return to the school, which had a particularly loud 400-guest auction. “She never felt as though she had control of the room,” the client told me. Knowing your limits as an auctioneer is part of being a good one!)

  • At my events, I’m on the stage and off the stage. 
  • I’m teasing and poking fun, and then turning the tables to laugh at myself. It’s a back-and-forth game to keep people focused. 
  • I use humor to egg on bidders. When that doesn’t work, I try logic. 
  • I ask for the crowd’s help, and then moments later ignore them to focus on a bidder. 
  • And simultaneously, I’m keeping track of increments and bidder placement.

In this video clip, you’ll watch me selling Taylor Swift tickets to her upcoming concert in D.C. This event was held in a school gymnasium, beautifully decorated in a “Havana Nights” theme. Attendance was 430 guests. I had two floor crew assisting me, and I was positioned “in the round,” meaning I had a small stage in the middle of the room with tables around me.

This clip is raw and real. 

The video was captured on a standard digital camera, so the sound quality is what you’d likely hear if you were sitting in the crowd that night. I’ve added captions to help you understand what is happening.

A few years ago, I heard an auctioneer say (to paraphrase), that the auctioneer’s work doesn’t start until people STOP bidding. “Anyone can stand at the front of the room and simply take orders,” he said, “Our work begins when the bidding stops. That’s the skill of the auctioneer.”

In about 3 minutes, these tickets sold for $4750.

When selecting your benefit auctioneer, watch several clips of him or her selling. 

  • Listen to the auctioneer introduce an item. Observe if he “reads” the descriptions (yawn!) or presents it as if he knows it intimately. 
  • Note if she stays onstage hiding behind a podium, or if she ventures into the crowd to interact.
  • Listen to the engagement. Does it sound like he’s selling cattle? Or does it have the right tone for a benefit auction?

There are many ways to run a benefit auction, and I don’t want to suggest that one approach is simply “wrong.” If you enjoy it, it might be the right way for you! But it’s important to realize there are *many* styles, and you should find someone whose style is right for you and your crowd.

With the ease of video technology nowadays, any good working auctioneer should have many video clips to show you. Even watching a video recorded on a phone is better than seeing nothing.

Watching a non-fussy video like this allows you to get a sense of an auctioneer’s stage style. Sure, it’s great when you can watch someone in person! But when it’s not feasible, at least watch some videos.

Comments?  Write them below.

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Copyright © 2015 Red Apple Auctions Co. All Rights Reserved

About Sherry Truhlar

Fundraising auctioneer and educator, helping schools and nonprofits plan more profitable benefit auctions. A prolific writer for her own blog and other fundraising sites, she’s been covered in The Beacon-News, Town & Country Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine, Wiley's Special Events Galore!, AUCTIONEER, and other publications.

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Comments

  1. Sherry Truhlar says

    June 10, 2015 at 12:01 PM

    After watching this video, one of my clients sent the following to me via email. His event is a food station affair. The reception includes food stations and bars. At that comes to an end, guests are invited to sit at tables for the program, which includes the live auction. I think he articulates what some of you might feel as you watch this video and the crazy commotion around it, so I thought I’d add his comments to the mix:

    “Loved the video but it reinforces to me why I don’t do a served meal. Way to much commotion going on. I would be a basket case by the second auction item.”

    Reply
  2. Lauri says

    April 28, 2015 at 3:45 PM

    Sherry,
    Love your emails, web site and videos. Always getting good ideas and thoughts of how we can help the charities we work with. Loved seeing this video of you in action. Don’t know how you do it.
    Thank you for all the great information you make available.

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      April 28, 2015 at 3:53 PM

      Thanks for taking the time to share, Lauri! Perhaps we’ll meet someday!

      Reply
  3. leanne lacewell says

    April 28, 2015 at 2:48 PM

    That was awesome! My heart rate increased just watching it:)

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      April 28, 2015 at 2:54 PM

      Sadly, the guy who didn’t get the tickets was likely undergoing stress-related heart palpitations. 😉

      Reply

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Sherry, oh, Sherry! You were an invaluable asset to this year’s gala. With your assistance we were able to add so many new elements that truly made a difference in taking our event to another level. This year was the most successful yet! Everyone loved you and the amazing energy that you brought to the event. We look forward to having you again in 2018!

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I was very fortunate to have Red Apple on board for my first auction. Working with Sherry was invaluable. She provided guidance at every phase of planning, from procurement on forward – and she challenged us to make our event more ambitious and more successful at every stage. Thank you, Sherry!

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Oak Hill School (Eugene, OR)
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The auction was entertaining .. proactive … the crowd was involved and felt a part of it,” he said, emphasizing, “The entertainment value was huge.

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Sherry, personally, I can’t even begin to tell you the immense amount of positive feedback that I received having YOU (and Darby) there with is this year! Some of the tidbits: You added EXCITEMENT and ENTERTAINMENT… You added EXPERTISE and FUN… You helped the evening FLOW, in a wonderful and positive direction… You were FUN,… Read The Rest “Anne Livaudais Knudsen, 5th year gala co-chair”

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You have NO idea of how many people came up to me (I know Julie as well) and said, ‘That auctioneer was incredible … she engaged the crowd, … she got the bidders to bid without being rude/pushing, … I loved observing her, I just watched her, … she did a great job.’ It was… Read The Rest “Staci Meruvia”

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As a former Fox News Anchorwoman, I am often called on to perform at auctions. So, I know first-hand that auctioneering can be a difficult job. Sherry Truhlar is one of the best in the business. She is skillful at managing an audience and keeping them focused on the task at hand – which is… Read The Rest “Cynthia Steele Vance”

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