Continue reading »]]> Whoa, it’s been over a year since I last updated my site. I’d like to say that I’ve been off on wild adventures. But, truth be told, I’ve been consumed with life. Between working over 90 auctions in 2010, running (and losing by six votes) for director of the National Auctioneers Association, and serving as Past President of the Minnesota State Auctioneers Association, life has been crazy. Ohh yeah, and don’t forget to mix in serving on two high-profile national committees.

Maybe, just maybe, life is starting to slow down… or I’ve figured out how to better prioritize life. Yet, it again seems I’ve got a lot on plate for the year.

As for service to the auction industry, I’m again going to take a run at being elected to the National Auctioneers Association Board of Directors. With missing by only six votes, it’s hard to pass on running again. Given a larger margin of defeat, I probably would have taken my ball and gone home. This year, I’m working on a bit more of a structured campaign strategy thanks to some friends with experience. Vote early, vote often comes to mind… but just won’t work – although the elections are in Florida this year. Ha!

Career wise, our company is often recognized as leaders in our industry, and we’re going to take a bold step this year in continuing that leadership. We’re in the process of refocusing the asset classes our auction company serves, and increasing the online presence of our auctions. In fact, this year all our auctions have had an online part, and many online only. We’re also committed to taking our customer service levels to the next level by engaging our customers for honest anonymous feedback after every transaction with our company. We’re already seeing fantastic results from this engagement. Maybe I’ll talk more about that in the future.

Finally, personally, life is looking good. I’ve already been on one vacation this year. It was a two-part vacation. The first part was a cruise from Miami to Key West to Cozumel and back. It was a great time of doing nothing, and just what the doctor ordered. The second part was a trip out to Phoenix to see a friend run his first marathon. It was a huge motivator, and has led me to the gym and gearing up for a 5k in April, June and probably August.

In the meantime, I’m back. If you’re a past reader, you’ll know that I can be quite prolific in my writing, and quiet at other times. I hope to be more consistent, and to give you a mix of life, work, and fun. I’m sure I won’t always strike the correct balance. But, I’m hopeful that I’ll get back into the swing of writing – which I very much enjoy!

Continue reading »]]> As of late, the buzz words in the auction industry, and many industries, are “social networking.”  However, the implementation thus far within the auction industry has been spotty at best, and when implemented most get it all wrong.

I’ve written about social networking on two separate occasions in the past both in May of 2008: Jumping into the social conversation without drowning; and Connecting via social networks.  There is some good information that is still pertinent to conversations about social networking, especially in the jumping without drowning post.

In fact, in the jumping without drowning post, I review an article about 12 tips for success in social media.  The last 6 tips focus on “diving into social media” and are: 7. Engage Your Audience; 8. Engage Your Employees; 9. Engage Your Customers; 10. Be Honest and Authentic; 11. Define Metrics According to Business Objectives; and 12. Fail Quickly. Fail Cheaply.

As I look at that short list two things jump out.  First: engage, engage, engage; and second: honest and authentic.  This is where most auction companies get it wrong.  For the most part auction companies understand honest and authentic.  But it’s the engage, engage, engage part where the mark is completely missed.

Auction companies broadcast market events.  They mail hundreds and sometimes thousands of brochures, run multitudes of display ads, and run minutes or more of commercials on radio.  Often, this is just the beginning of the marketing campaign.  However, did you notice one thing these methods all have in common?  Broadcast, broadcast, broadcast.

A primary tenant of social networking is to engage honestly and authentically.  Yet, my experience has been auction companies are so trapped in broadcast mode that they fail to engage.  Rather, they fall back on the old reliable method of broadcast marketing.

What does this mean?  It means almost all the auction companies I follow broadcast links to auctions.  That’s not engaging.  Where is the insider information and tips?  What about links to resources you find, or articles you found interesting?  What about writing informational articles, and then passing that information along via Twitter or Facebook in the form of a link?

What if auction companies engaged their customers?  Companies could promote resources for buyers and for sellers, pass along industry information, provide behind-the-scenes information about upcoming auctions, and so much more.  What about actually interacting and having conversations with customers via Facebook and Twitter?  When it comes time for a customer to use an auctioneer, who are they going to look to first?  The company that merely blasts information, or the company that engages and interacts?  The company that provides useful resources and information to the consumer or the company that merely broadcasts notice about their next auction?

Now, our company is just as guilty of broadcasting, or I should say was just as guilty.  In fact, initially, we set up our website to automatically broadcast every new auction, real estate listing, and update to our Facebook page.  However, we recently turned that feature off.  At the same time, we added our company to Twitter (@SAuctioneers).  We did turn on a feature that will automatically tweet anytime we add a new listing, auction, or update to our website.  However, we’re determined to share links and information to our followers on Facebook and Twitter.  In fact, we’ve incorporated a section called “We’re all a Twitter” to the front page of our website which displays our two most recent tweets.  Consumers will be able to follow us on Twitter, Facebook or the front page of our website for engaging, honest, and authentic information.  They’ll be able to interact with us, learn from us, and teach us.  We’ll be able to share with them, and them with us.  It will be social and relational.

In the end, what are you doing to be social?  Are you broadcasting at the top of your lungs, or are you setting out to engage honestly and authentically those that come in contact with your company?  Given the choice, I know with which person I’d want to hang out!

Continue reading »]]> The Minnesota State Auctioneers Association is often regarded as one of the standout state associations in the industry. In addition to such high regard, it is also one of the oldest state auctioneer’s associations in the nation. The year 2009 marks the 60th anniversary of the association. With that, I thought it might be interesting to look back at a small but important part of its history.

In the Beginning
The first president of the association was Russell Davis in 1949. Although Mr. Davis was the first president of the association, the association was not recognized by the State of Minnesota as an association until June 7, 1960 when it officially incorporated as the Minnesota State Auctioneers’ Association. Recently, the board of directors came across the original Articles of Incorporation. This document presents an interesting look into the heritage of the association.

The Incorporators and First Board of Directors
In 1960, the association was incorporated by three people all from Minneapolis, Minnesota: Jerry Rosenzweig, Bertin A Bisbee, and Gus N Benakis. Initially, the association had 16 directors: EK Elmes, Long Prairie; Vernard Paulson, Winthrop; Alvin Payne, DeGraff; Hubert Pinske, Arlington; WJ Radde, Watertown; WA Thomsen, Austin; Daniel Turek, Montgomery; Paul Hull, Austin; Floyd Munsell, Franklin; Frank Sloan, Minneapolis; Russell Davis, St Peter; Tom Gould, Minneapolis; MJ Henry, Foley; Claus V Beck, East Grand Forks; Alvin Kohner, Winona; and MC Maranell, Woodstock. Many of these first directors were past presidents of the association, at the time of incorporation, or would go on to become presidents of the association, after the first incorporation.

Initial Purpose of the Association
The original articles provided 13 purposes for the association. I’ll briefly touch on the first nine of the purposes, as they offer an interesting look back at the heritage of the association – a look back that is important to remember as the association celebrates 60 years.

• To promote a spirit of cooperation among auctioneers who constitute the association and for the encouragement and protection of auction sales and to hold meetings at stated periods where members of the association may meet one another in a body and whereby the interchange of views they may be mutually benefited, their profession promoted and the most advantageous methods of bookkeeping, management, advertising and other problems applicable to their particular profession may be discussed.
• To reform abuses in the profession, to secure, for the profession, freedom from unjust and unlawful transactions, to produce uniformity and certainty in the customs and usages of the profession, to settle differences among the members of the association, to prevent unjust and unreasonable discrimination against any person or persons by any combination, person or conspiracy in any matter relating to the profession or the members.
• Protect the interest of all Auctioneers (members of the association) in all matters of legislation when such legislation is in the interest of our association.
• At all times to help, aid and assist in elevating the Auctioneering profession technical training, instruction, apprenticeship, exchange of ideas, practices, advertising and publicity.
• Exclude all questions which verge on immorality, sectarianism or on politics, except as essential to the discussion of a political topic.
• Go to the assistance of a brother member, when due to conditions over which he has no control, in helping to the best of one’s ability in the conduct of an auction sale or in any other way or manner your judgment may dictate.
• Strive at all times to make the public more auction minded by fostering advantages of selling at auction, conducting charity auction sales, publicity and by being auction salesmen.
• To exercise the privilege, when consistent to do so, of using the organization’s influence as and when the occasion presents, in protest against existing or proposed legislation designed to place unfair or burdensome limitations upon the member, all state Auctioneer organizations and or Associations and upon the auction method of selling or barter.
• To create and maintain a Health and Welfare program, designed to care for the health and welfare of members whose disability by reason of advanced age, or injury, may force them from active performance of their profession as Auctioneers.

It is often easy to look at an association, and forget that so many have come before the current leadership, and with such foresight. In fact, nearly all nine of the purposes of the original association remain topics at the forefront the association today. As the association moves forward, and celebrates 60 years as an association in 2009, now is an excellent time to review the first purposes of the association, and consider if the association is remaining faithful to its fellow members and the first purposes!