What happens when someone famous -- either famous in your community or to the wider world -- makes an auction item donation that involves a tour of their home? Do you want that known to the wider world? Could it be dangerous for the donor? Here's how I answered the question. ... Read On >
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VIDEO: Chairing a school auction? Your marriage may suffer.
Last year I ran a course called Easy First Auctions. It was designed to help nonprofits launch an auction correctly so they avoid volunteer burnout. I could have just as honestly promoted it by writing, "Here are the elements your auction should include in the early years, so you don't get a divorce." (Intrigued? The DVD of that class is available here.) Auctions put enormous stress on school volunteer chairs. Though I've talked about this extensively in my Profitable Auction Blueprint™ ... Read On >
How Daymond John’s sales team talked me out of buying his program
Heads up: This isn't a benefit auction post. You can jump to another section of the blog for that. I was just so disappointed in a presentation I attended today that I typed up this post to clear my head and to remind myself of what not to do when I'm next giving a speak-to-sell presentation. A couple of months ago, I had lunch with my friend Suzanne. She had recently launched her own business and was commenting that she'd invested in a program from Daymond John Academy. She thought I'd get ... Read On >
Thanks, Dad
A couple of days ago -- at 8:17 PM on 01-04-14, to be exact -- my Dad died. He was surrounded by people he loved and who loved him. My brother, Mom, and I tried to make his transition to spirit peaceful. As he took his final breath, we shared with him our personal sentiments against the backdrop of Johnny Cash singing "Danny Boy" (one of Dad's favorite songs) from my iPhone1. Though I personally believe we are eternal, it's still a heavy loss. "And grieving will take longer than you think," ... Read On >
THE SMURFS Movie versus THE SMERF Market
As a child of the 1980′s, I know the Smurfs. I didn’t watch the cartoon, but the merchandising was so strong that you were bound to run into a Smurf-something. And this Friday, Papa, Brainy, Smurfette, and the rest of the gang return when The Smurfs movie is released. As an educational post on the meetings industry and its tie-in to your auction fundraiser, today’s post teaches about SMERF: the SMERF market. In the meetings industry, SMERF stands for Social, Military, Educational, ... Read On >