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You are here: Home / Auctioneers / Auctioneers are Rare; Female Auctioneers are Rarer
Sep 18

Auctioneers are Rare; Female Auctioneers are Rarer

Sherry Truhlar 6 Comments

Female auctioneer Sherry Truhlar

Based on an article in AUCTIONEER magazine, auctioneers aren’t common, and female auctioneers even less so.  I was the first female auctioneer to ever work this performing arts auction of ~600 guests.

I’m behind in my reading, so it was only recently I read the June 2009 AUCTIONEERS magazine and an article called “A Rare Occupation.” It talks about how auctioneers are few and far between.

Author Robert Doyle did some research on the InfoUSA Website to compare the numbers of full-time auctioneers in the United States to other professions. The statistics were interesting:

  • Auctioneers: 10,034
  • Funeral Directors: 23,648
  • Painters: 43,178
  • Plumbers: 60,767
  • Real Estate Agents: 212,110
  • Attorneys: 302,603

Why so few auctioneers?

Female auctioneer Sherry Truhlar competing at VAA

I’m often the only female to compete at VAA auctioneering competitions. In one unusual year, there were three women!  Usually it’s one or none.  The VAA has men and women compete in the same category (which I prefer).

Combining Rob’s thoughts with some of my own ideas, let’s look at some reasons.

    • For some, it’s too expensive to get started. I’ve had several women call me over the last three years to ask how I got started in the business. Usually they see me perform and talk with me after the auction, or they see some Red Apple Auctions publicity. When I encourage them to attend auction school and tell them about the process, they often feel that the total cost and time away from work and home is prohibitive.*
Female Auctioneers Denise Shearin & Sherry Truhlar

The International Auctioneers Championship competition (sponsored by NAA) offers a female-only division. Here I am with champion Denise Shearin.

    • There is a high failure rate. I’ve heard it said at auction conventions and trainings that the percentage of those working in the auction business within five years of graduating from auction school is less than 5 percent. Wow! I suspect that most people look at the bid calling portion of the work and find it exciting. But they don’t realize the amount of work that is involved to get established, book jobs, and work consistently. Once they do, they reconsider their career choice.
Female auctioneer Sherry Truhlar

Auctioneering is still predominantly a male profession. For the right woman, it can be a rewarding career.

  • The auctioneer is constantly being judged by personal conduct and auction results. If an accountant prepares a bad tax return, the only people who know are the accountant, the client, and a representative from the IRS. But if an auctioneer fails to maintain his or her professionalism on the stage, a crowd of 200, 500, or 1000+ have just witnessed it. Like an actor, an auctioneer is only as good as his or her last performance.
  • New auctioneers have a difficult time getting established because few people want to entrust the sale of their property to someone who has little experience. Regardless of the item — a $2 million home or a $5000 vacation package — I’ve found that most clients are nervous before an auction. They aren’t sure what’s going to happen, and they want it to go well! My first few auctions were 100-200 people, which didn’t really bother me. Then I started working at events of around 400 people. That was more nerve wracking, but then I became accustomed to it. Then, a group called me about conducting their event of 600 people … then 800 … and now I’ve worked events with crowds of over 1,000 people. But early on when I was talking with a organization about my benefit auction services, they wanted to know how many other events I’d worked in their size range. I couldn’t give them a satisfactory answer.
  • The erratic pay structure leaves some people uneasy. The markets I currently work are seasonal: spring and fall. If I’m not working, I’m not getting paid. In the summer and deep winter, I have few paydays. Some can’t live like this.

Regardless of the reasons, full-time auctioneers aren’t as plentiful as many other professions.

* A few years ago I saw a statistic from the National Auctioneers Association that estimated ~7% of all auctioneers are female. I believe that most of these women auctioneers are real estate agents who have added auction services to their brokerage to round out their service offerings. Benefit auctions are a close second choice for female auctioneers, although perhaps only a dozen make a living career of it. For most it’s a hobby, at best.

And I can count on one hand the number of women I know actively selling in the auto and livestock auction rings. (I’d never want those jobs, but to each her own.) Those specialties are still male-dominated, but I’m sure there are some women auctioneers working to advance in those fields.  Maybe those women are even blogging about it, and I just don’t know it.

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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. Dianne Graves says

    June 30, 2014 at 2:15 PM

    Thanks for your tips, Sherry!!! I attended Worldwide College of Auctioneering in Clear Lake, IA, and had the time of my life! I enjoyed every bit of the class, meeting instructors, and making new friends among my classmates. I am looking forward to the next step of my journey!!!
    –Dianne

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      June 30, 2014 at 2:32 PM

      Congratulations, Dianne! I went to auction school as a vacation, thinking it would be fun. While there I thought, “Hm. Maybe I should do this part-time.” Lo and behold, it grew and grew. I’ve found it to be a lot of work – but also rewarding – to own my own business. I’m sure you will, too. I’ll be attending NAA’s Conference & Show in Louisville soon. If I don’t see you there, I’m sure we’ll cross paths somewhere.

      Reply
  2. Dianne Graves says

    November 13, 2013 at 1:52 PM

    Hi Sherry, I am preparing to attend auctioneering school in January. I have worked for years in the business/higher ed world, and I am now ready to embrace my passion….antiques and auctioneering! Can you tell me where you learned your auctioneering technique? And, perhaps give me one piece of advice! Also….I must add, I think we hail from the same part of the country…I am an ESU Hornet (former student, alum, and employee)! Stingers up!

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      November 13, 2013 at 7:21 PM

      Hi Dianne,

      Good for you, embracing your passion! I attended Missouri Auction School, but I think their quality has diminished (a cousin of mine went a couple of years ago, and from what I heard about it, I didn’t think he got a great start). Worldwide College of Auctioneering … Repperts … Texas Auction Academy … you might try them. Or better, visit the National Auctioneers Association website and do a search. I’m sure they’ve got some listed for you to review. You can visit websites and see if there is one that sounds compelling to you or has better dates, for instance.

      Oh — and yes, I graduated from ESU (and worked there, while on campus). Woot woot!

      Sherry

      Reply
  3. Michelle Connelly says

    April 14, 2013 at 10:26 AM

    I happen to know a very well known woman auctioneer. My Sister, Wendy Hendrix Rierson.
    My Family has always been in Auction business. My father’s Uncle started the Auction Biz
    and my father continued as a well known auctioneer. Since then, My sister as well as my brother have become auctioneers. If you are ever in Cana, Virginia stop by Hendrix Auction Barn. You will simply be amazed at the unique experience of a great bid caller !!

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      April 14, 2013 at 11:09 AM

      Will do! Thanks for the invite.

      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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