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You are here: Home / Blog Post / New for 2017: Auction procurement training class “How to get 2016’s top-selling items” plus a newly-released Auction Item Guide
Jan 15

New for 2017: Auction procurement training class “How to get 2016’s top-selling items” plus a newly-released Auction Item Guide

Sherry Truhlar 2 Comments

Like an aging beauty queen lacking any other skills, my 2015 Auction Item Guide™ (“What sold for lots of green in 2015”) was desperate to hang on to her glory.  But over the holidays, I ripped off her crown and showed her the door.

Meanwhile the new 2016 Auction Item Guide™ (“These stole the scene in 2016”) took over the reigning duties and made herself at home on my website.

You can now get the new Guide AND participate in a “pop-up” auction procurement training class, “How to get 2016’s top selling auction items into your 2017 auction.

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What’s the Auction Item Guide™?

Each December I pour over my client’s auction results from the year, jotting down the items that sold for over their stated values.  Then I reduce the list further, noting items I deemed to be more creative, unusual, or of some greater help to my auction community.

I continue to pare down the list until I have about 100 items.  Those are then published in my annual Auction Item Guide™ and gifted to you, to help you with procurement ideas.

My team and I worked 60 auctions in 20 states this past year, so the list reflects an excellent cross section of the USA.

The Auction Item Guide™ is free, but this year I’m hosting a pop-up class to go in-depth on auction procurement.  It’s the perfect accompaniment to the guide.

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What’s the class, “How to get 2016’s top selling auction items into your 2017 auction“?
  • Date:  Wednesday, January 18, 2017
  • Time:  3 PM Eastern time
  • How to join:  Teleconference.  (Get the recording here.)

We’ll use the Guide as a textbook.  I suspect you’ll be scribbling lots of notes in the margins.

You’ll learn:

  1. The top three sellers of 2016 across all auctions
  2. A new approach to selling group items to raise more money. (Four of my clients adopted this approach in 2016.)
  3. Insider details on the 5 best school auction items. (One of these ideas would make sense to be adopted by nonprofit auctions, too.)
  4. How one client attracted over a dozen companies by creatively packaging one new item.  The item generated enormous community support from unlikely bedfellows.  It’s a brilliant concept I’d never before sold and I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of those businesses uplevel to become sponsors in 2017.
  5. Get the scoop on some of my favorite items and ideas on how you can procure comparable items for your auction.
  6. My predictions for the top sellers of 2017.

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What’s a pop-up class?
  • A yoga studio might offer a pop-up class when an instructor visits to teach a specialized technique not typically offered. The class is offered once.
  • In Miami and Washington, D.C., I’ve seen pop-up restaurants.  A chef will rent a facility for a short period of time (1-3 months) and run a small restaurant to test a new cuisine or concept
  • The department store Nordstrom has pop-ups.  From its website: “Pop-In@Nordstrom is an ongoing series of pop-up shops curated by Olivia Kim. Each month we present new and exclusive products, designers and ideas built on a different theme.”

Pop-ups are one-time deals. It’s a “get it while you can” offer.

As mentioned, this auction procurement training class will be offered January 18, 2017.

Join us to get a head start on your 2017 auction.

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Copyright © 2017 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. Mary Bryant says

    January 31, 2017 at 7:46 PM

    When is the next Pop-Up Class?

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      January 31, 2017 at 7:53 PM

      Hi Mary,
      Pop-up classes happen once ‘live,’ and only occur when I’ve got time to lead them. There’s no schedule, but I announce them in the newsletter. Here’s where you can buy the recording from this course.
      Sherry

      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!

Krystal Fenwick
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Thank you so much for the outstanding job you did for us on April 1! I have received so much positive feedback from so many who attended. You even earned Sister Suzan’s (our Vice-Principal) seal of approval! Safe travels to all your many events and thank you for making our biggest fundraiser of the year our best ever!

Diane Albano, Director of Development
St. Joseph Academy Catholic High School (St. Augustine, FL)
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Sherry is flexible and easy to work with. She gives honest feedback and advice throughout the planning and implementation process. Without a doubt, Sherry and Red Apple Auctions has helped take our annual fundraising event to the next level.

Beckie Middendorf, Development Director and Janet Gulla, Development Coordinator
St. Henry District High School (Erlanger, KY)
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Sherry is “on board” from day one of auction planning, works closely with our steering committee and is only just a phone call away. The night of the auction, we toss her the keys and let her drive the event! We are never disappointed!

Charly Ryan, Director of Institutional Advancement
The Academy of the Holy Cross (Kensington, MD)
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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!

Pete Goldlust, Director of Development
Oak Hill School (Eugene, OR)
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If your auction needs to upgrade, call any auctioneer you find on Google. But if you want your auction to be impressive, meaningful, and profitable, you need to call Sherry.

Erin Banda
2016 NYUMBANI Board member
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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.

Darrell, a long-time attendee
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We plan on booking Red Apple Auctions much earlier for our next event so we can take advantage of more of the pre-event offerings.

Nicole Carr, Director of Grants and Special Events
The Ivymount School (Rockville, MD)
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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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Aren’t KK and Michael a cute couple? They liked that I “moved the crowd along … kept the crowd engaged but wasn’t obtrusive or invasive. We were able to talk but still keep track of what was going on.”

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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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Geri said: “Great job of getting potential donors in the room to step up to the plate and not feel guilty or bad about it. They actually wanted to give more … and that’s not something I’ve seen in many other auctioneers.” The following year, she herself ‘stepped up’ and became one of the gala… Read The Rest “Geri”

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Irene attended one of my New Hampshire auctions and assumed I must be a radio personality — until I started to chant that fast talk. “I’ve been to this event before with a couple of other auctioneers,” she said, “Your ability to get personal with people in a way that isn’t intimidating — men, women,… Read The Rest “Irene”

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Most product & consulting remarks are found on their respective webpages, but I’ve listed two below so you’re assured my products are as spot-on as my auctioneering.   Not only was our 2013 auction a blast, but our Washington, D.C. public school raised $67,000 — that’s $25,000 more than last year! The evening went off… Read The Rest “Carolyn Kahn-Hall and Andrea Del Vecchio”

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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”

Cynthia Steele Vance
Guest at The Potomac School 2014 auction (McLean, VA)
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