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How Important Is the Fundraising Auctioneer to the Success of Your Event?

I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.

A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.

So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?

The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.

I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.

Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?

Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.

A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.

But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.

So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.

They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.

But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.

But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.

But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.

And it cost them.

Learning Points

The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.

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Home Based Business – Anyone Can Be Successful

You can be successful in your home-based business. It doesn’t matter who you are or how much money you have to invest. You can succeed. You do not need to be a computer genius or marketing expert either.I’ve been an outdoor type all my life and Bass fishing is my favorite sport. I didn’t know much about fishing when I started but was willing to listen, learn and try new ideas and tactics. I learned a little through trial and error and didn’t make much progress until I started to listen too and read what the professionals could teach me. I learned quite a bit in a short time. I learned that to catch the biggest and most fish you need a boat, if you can afford one. If not, you can go with someone else or fish from the bank. No matter where you fish from you need your fishing tackle: rods, reels, line, a variety of lures, knowledge of the water (where the fish hang out, etc.), patience, persistence and endurance. Ok, you ask, what does that have to do with an internet home-based business?I have tried many types of home-based businesses, MLMs, internet, etc. I have discovered that you must have tools and a system that works. Of course, to run a successful internet home-based business you need a computer. You obviously have on or you wouldn’t be reading this. So what else do you need? You need a system that works. You should have a good website with an attractive landing page and autoresponder. You need access to other social websites like Google, Twitter, Facebook, You Tube, etc. All of these things are good tools. Do you know how to design a website? If you do, that’s great, but if you don’t what do you do? As far as social websites are concerned, there are hundreds, if not thousands of them out there. How can we put these websites to their best use? Most of us know very little about any of these things and it takes a long time to become familiar with how they all work together. My question was: “What do I do now?”.At this point it was time to do just what I did to become more proficient at my Bass fishing. I turned to the professionals. I looked around on the internet and consulted some of my friends and finally discovered the professional internet marketing group that I now use. I am able to get the training and help I need. And I own my own business and have great products to market. I’m not yet where I want to be but I am making tremendous progress and enjoying every minute of my experience at the same time.I could go on and on but I won’t. The long and short of any home based business is the proper system and someone who has been around the block a few times to help you (the Professionals). You want someone advising and training you that has been very, very successful and knows what they are doing. You want someone who has made all of the mistakes and can keep you from doing the same thing. Take a look at my internet marketing tackle box. Catapult yourself to the top in your internet, home-based business.

Passion – A Key to Your MLM Home Based Business Success

As a veteran network marketer and business owner who has walked the trail of tears, I am weary of the lies and deceit that pervades the industry.

Too many people join a MLM home based business based on the promise of wealth and fortune alone. They enroll with the simple idea that all they have to do is “sign up three who will get three who get three”. The concept sounds so simple that they jump right in, and after a short period of time, quit because “the system” didn’t work for them.

While MLM home based businesses have various compensation plans, the traditional MLM model of “three who get three who get three” is an example I am using here. It is a simple business model that looks easy to do. Simply, it is a business template that a company implements to help the company’s representatives market the company’s products and grow their business. The process of building a MLM home based business requires much more effort and desire to succeed than is seen on the surface.

While it’s true that there is potential to make a lot of money in this industry, it is also true that it takes time and effort to envision the opportunity as an ongoing journey. When people join a MLM home based business solely because of the promise of wealth and fortune, it doesn’t take long before they are checking out and are never heard from again. The reason? Greed is not a long-term motivator. Most want to get rich quick and when that doesn’t happen, they quit.

A Key to Success

In my opinion, a key to succeeding in this industry is having a strong belief and passion for the company and its products or services.

It’s interesting that many sales training books don’t elaborate on the need for belief and passion to succeed in business. I believe all of the attributes of a great sales person are backed by a passion of some type. In our case, passion is an intense, extreme, or overpowering feeling for a cause represented by the company’s products or services.

The authors of sales books talk about having the right mental attitude – that is, desiring, to succeed, setting goals and achieving them, and becoming a great leader. How do you find the drive to enact these without a passion for the MLM home based business – and its products – you have chosen to build? For example, how can you have a positive mental attitude about your business without having a belief and passion for it?

Too many people are brought into a MLM home based business because of the promise of an easy business to do and a ton of money to be made in a short period of time. Oh, the products and services are presented, but the major push is on the big money that can be made.

The challenges we all face

When beginning a MLM home based business, so many challenges lie ahead. Here are just a few that a new owner may confront:
· Complacency – many new business owners never get started. They are afraid they don’t know enough or don’t know where or how to start
· Anxiety and fear about sharing the business or the products and services to people, including friends and family – becoming a secret agent of the business. What will they think about me?
· Fear of rejection – a “no” for some people is a nail to the heart. They would rather sleep on nails than be told “no”.
· Fear of failing – nobody likes to lose. A few “no’s”, and the very thing that’s feared actually becomes reality.
· Negative self-talk – that inner voice saying, “I told you this wouldn’t work. What were you thinking, joining this business anyway?”
· Lack of strong leadership – another reason many people fail in a home-based business. No leadership and guidance means trying to do something that has never done before and doing it right the first time. That isn’t likely to happen.
· Giving up – it doesn’t take long for the new business partner to say, “Maybe this business isn’t for me. It just didn’t work out.”

When a person starts a MLM home based business for the wrong reasons — primarily greed, wealth and fortune, and the desire to get rich quickly — then all of the aforementioned factors will have an adverse affect.

When enrolling because of belief in the company, the MLM home business owner often has very positive experiences with the products and services offered and becomes a passionate evangelist for those products and the company. Add to that a strong leadership team that keeps the business owner plugged into the latest news and product information; teaches solid skills training; and consistently gives positive feedback and encouragement, a strong belief and passion slowly will begin to develop. This will go a long way in enabling endurance for the many challenges that lie ahead.

Passion will make a difference

Look at what can happen when belief and passion for the products and services are the key reasons for signing up for the MLM home based business opportunity:

· Because belief and passion are so high with the products and services, the business owner is compelled to share them with friends and family; thus, no longer operating like a secret agent.
· When belief and passion are the driving forces within the business owner, complacency no longer exists. Likewise, issues that once were barriers to getting started are now banished.
· Knowing that the fundamental purpose in any business is to “show and tell” the company’s products and services, the business owner understands that everyone does not have the same feelings about what is offered; everyone is not the niche prospect. He markets accordingly, letting the prospect be the one to decide if the products and services are right for him, and knowing that a “no” to the offer is not a personal rejection.
· Understanding that the mission of sharing the business and the difference it can make in the life of another person, the business owner discovers that the fear of failure and negative self-talk disappear when leading with passion.
· No matter how slow the start, the business owner understands that quitting is not an option, that owning a business is a long-term mission and there’s no challenge too big to conquer.

In all of the years I have been involved in MLM home based businesses, I have yet to see anyone climb to the top of the mountain and stay there for the long-term without a belief and passion. Oh, yes, I have seen people — through the passion of getting rich quickly — climb to the top, but it is built upon greed and not upon sound principles. Their business is built like a house of cards and in a short period of time, many fall apart.

It is imperative that anyone desiring to build a MLM home based business for the long run must have a passion for the company and its products and services. That passion will attract others who also want to be a part of the marketing campaign. They, too, will embrace the owner’s passion, and this will drive them to success, too.

Check out the top leaders who have been with a company for many years. Their passion for what they do will be evident. It is rare to find anyone at the top for any length of time just because they saw the money.

So, it is necessary that a potential home business owner — before signing up with any MLM home based business — must research the company to make sure it is all that is written about it. It is essential to use the products and services for a period of time to make sure that there is a positive experience with them. Check out the leadership and make sure they have the experience and a system that will insure success. And, finally, a potential MLM home business owner must ask himself if this is a business that he can believe in and could eventually have a passion to build.

It’s only when the answer is “yes” to these questions that signing up and becoming involved with any MLM home based business opportunity should even be considered.

Too many people get into this industry for the wrong reasons and that is why they fail. Joining for the right reasons will make a huge difference in succeeding or failing. Passion is a key reason for successful growth in any business – either a present one or a future one.

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