My team recently fielded a question by LinkedIn reader Ed in Oklahoma City. Ed was curious about how he should display a couple of flags he'd procured. He would be selling them in his benefit auction. Each would likely go into a separate package, but could be sold individually. He wanted ideas. "A folded flag doesn't seem too appealing to me," he wrote. Well, it might not be appealing. But that's how most are sold. Typically flags are folded and stored in a triangular wooden case ... Read On >
Live Auctions
Complaints about your auctioneers
PART I Over the years clients have shared some frank remarks about their past benefit auctioneers. "When he said, "'Give some money so they don't have to sleep in a railroad car,' it just felt like he wasn't honoring our youths' experiences." "I honestly don't think he took the time to understand what we do. He kept talking about kids, but we help more adults than children." "He's one of these good ole boys. I can't say he fits in with our crowd." "Our group is loud, and she ... Read On >
Too good to be true? Playing it smart with unsolicited auction items.
When I first started my business, I prospected for business by cold calling. (Cold calling means reaching out to someone who doesn’t know you and to whom you have no connection.) At the time I was living in Miami, FL, so I Googled lists of area private schools and nonprofits. I’d visit each group’s Website, researching it to see if they held an auction. If they did, I’d call them to tell them about my services. I share this because if you’ve posted anything about your benefit auction on your ... Read On >
How to get auction guests to notice your fabulous benefit auction items
The last time I visited my parents, I did a lot of work outside. But before I could mow, trim, dig, rake, and haul, I needed to remove about 30 orange and yellow flags from the yard. The city had cross-crossed my parents lawn with small flags identifying various cable and utility lines in preparation for some work that had been completed a couple of months earlier. When I asked Dad why he wanted me to store the flags versus just throwing them away, he said, “You never know when they might come ... Read On >
Is your benefit auctioneer angling for a one-night stand?
It’s a provocative title, n'est-ce pas? But as we are nearing Valentine's Day, it is oh-so-appropriate for us to be frank about this subject. Here's a dirty little secret: As you're calling different auctioneers, trying to find one for your benefit auction, you should know that most of them are secretly hoping for a one-night stand with you. In and out. Perform, collect the check, and leave. These types of benefit auctioneers are not seeking a long-term relationship. They hope that you'll ... Read On >