Following the Great Resignation, more people look into freelance as a viable source of their livelihood. Although auctioneers may be a smart way to get some commissions to pay the bills, it is not as easy as it looks. As they look dapper with their professional attire, some donning fashionable rodeo belt buckles that can show how well they mean business, it is still a wonder how they use rhythm to grab your attention, regardless of whether you are bidding or not.
You can auction practically anything today. From storage lockers to plates from a restaurant that is about to close, the art of the bid is a new way to connect buyers and sellers, allowing the buyers to determine the value of an item or service. Since the value can go as high as the customers make it out to be, it could also be sold at a lower value than what was intended by the seller. There is often a floor value on bid items such as a property lot to assure that the seller will not be bought for less than its actual value.
Bidding can become a pretty intense yet equivocal conversation between the auctioneer and the bidder. It is often a fast, rhythmic monologue with the occasional response from the bidder if any at all.
Here are three important traits that you must have if you want to become an auctioneer:
You Have To Talk Fast
Aside from making use of an alluring singsong rhythm, the auctioneer’s chant is performed at an incredibly fast pace. Although you do not have to start your training at the same speed as the professional auctioneers, you will eventually become one of them and use the standard rhythm of the chant. You can begin practicing the words used in an auctioneer’s chant instead, inserting some words to differentiate yourself from the others.
Often, when the auctioneer says, “Sold!” or when there is a transference of a bid from one person to another, there are phrases used by the auctioneer such as “you’re out” or “sold to” followed by the nickname of the bidder if they are a frequent client of the auctioneer.
You also have to think fast. There are different ways of calling out the bids and you can develop a system that can cause bidders to feel excited about the item. This will entice them to bid, increasing the value of the product or service that you will earn a commission out of. The higher the bids, the higher your commission.
A Good Pair of Eyes For Your Bids
Although the auctioneer chant may occasionally be interrupted by a “Yup!”, “Here!” or some other taunts by bidders, there are other buyers that communicate with minor gestures such as a wink, a tip of the sunglasses, a nod, a wave, and so on. Among a sea of bidders, you have to be able to identify those who are bidding on the item so that you do not miss out on the competitiveness of bidders toward an item. This is going to greatly affect your commission.
Carefully watch each and every individual and make sure that they are in your periphery so that you can catch the subtle bids that they make. Not everyone likes to make an announcement when they bid because it might invite competition, which could raise the price. There are bidding wars and games out there so be sure to keep your eyes peeled to catch the action for your commission.
Courage To Face The Heat From The Bidders
As mentioned earlier, there are going to be games played by the bidders against one another. They all want to go home with the best item for the cheapest amount. Sometimes, that means that they will have to raise the price on certain bids so that their competitors will have less money for the big-ticket items later on. You have to be impartial when they start working their mind games on each other so that no one can accuse you of playing for their competitor.
At the end of the day, you are there to sell items. It will not be in your best interest to get involved in the business of your buyers because they might use you to get a deal in their favor at future auctions.
Becoming an auctioneer is a tricky but rewarding career. Your income will depend on your employer, whether you are freelancing or working as an employee of a large auctioneering company.
