I had a memorable auction last week in upstate New York. I want to tell you about it and share a couple of observations. But first, let me share a story from my early days in USA's capital. Nearly 15 years ago my parents were visiting me in Washington, D.C. In preparation of their visit, I'd purchased tickets for us to watch a performance at the Kennedy Center. Just a week before they arrived, I also won a prize from a radio station. It included tickets to an afternoon performance at a ... Read On >
Video
[VIDEO] Where to start your opening bids in the live auction
Every year I'll be asked by a few auction chairs, "Sherry, let's review the opening bids on these live auction items. Where shall we start them?" In this video and the post that follows it, I've addressed why you shouldn't care about opening bids. https://youtu.be/e32PMbixJGE?si=9rM1-E4u74E6A4ST Here's a conversation I'll have with some clients each year: "Sherry, this item is worth $2500. Where are you going to start the bidding?" "Start?" I'll counter, "It doesn’t matter where ... Read On >
VIDEO: Your Fund a Need auction advocate
If you're interested in running a Fund a Need auction, today (June 23) at 3 PM Eastern time, I'm offering a live webinar called Fabulous Fund a Needs. (Buy the DVD here and you'll be registered for the webinar today). I've written before about them. A growing portion of my business is devoted to doing nothing but the delivery of these speeches. And that's the sub-section I'm writing about today ... the trend of skipping a live and silent auction and just offering a Fund a Need. Each year I ... Read On >
[VIDEO] Comparing wine auction catalogs
Welcome to wine week! Every post this week ties to alcohol. Here's the post explaining it. In this video, I pulled three wine auction catalogs from my collection. If you've never attended a wine auction, you'll be interested to hear how different they are from most typical benefit auctions. If you happen to be chairing a wine auction, you'll enjoy seeing how your own catalog compares to other groups around the country. Everyone has a special way of presenting their ... Read On >
[VIDEO] Anatomy of a live item sale: selling Taylor Swift tickets
School auctions are typically noisy, rambunctious affairs. The parents know each other. Many are close friends because of their children's ties. And because they socialize together outside of school, the auction itself is just another party. I love school auctions, but they can be demanding on an auctioneer. School auctions are like house parties, giving parents -- especially younger parents (K-8) -- the opportunity to leave the kids for a night. And. Those. Parents. Party! Whereas nonprofit ... Read On >