Whether you’ve hosted a dozen fundraising events or are embarking on your very first, choosing the right auctioneer will either make or break your day of revenue stream. If you’ve never worked with an auctioneer, you might not know what characteristics to look for.
The best auctioneers are:
1. Committed To Raising as Much Money as Possible
Your objective is to hit your fundraising goals for the night. His objective should be the same. A great auctioneer works closely to develop a smart day of revenue strategy including the live auction and pledge moment.
A professional auctioneer cares about more than just showing up for a few hours to facilitate. He wants to be involved in the planning process, to understand your organization and your fundraising goals, and to help you achieve them. He has strategies for extracting out more money from each guest and getting them to smile while handing it over.
2. Passionate About Engaging the Audience with Your Cause
This event is all about your organization and the great works you’re doing or plan to do. If you don’t like to toot your own horn, you want the auctioneer to help people better connect with your brand on your behalf.
The auctioneer is your brand ambassador at your event. Feed him interesting facts and tidbits he can share throughout the night to help your audience feel a bond with your brand.
The auctioneer you choose should act as an extension of your brand. He should work diligently to entertain and delight your audience, while getting them to willingly open up their checkbooks (or hand over their credit cards!).
3. Dedicated to Working the Room Before the Auction Begins
An auctioneer’s job doesn’t start when the auction begins. It starts before. A talented auctioneer has charisma and knows how to warm up a room full of potential donors prior to the auction, as well as during and after. He knows he’s not there as himself (though if he’s a personality in and of himself, he can be the star attraction), but as an ambassador for your organization or nonprofit.
4. Informed on Auction Technology
You may not know anything about auction technology, but auctions aren’t your field of expertise. Hiring an experienced auctioneer can connect you to tools that help you get registrations before the event, accept mobile bids to get the auction rolling, and assist with the checkout process at the end. Good auction technology can send push notifications before and during the event, as well as create visual excitement as guests see the numbers growing on the screen.
Even if your auctioneer doesn’t offer these services himself, he should be able to refer you to a reputable brand that he can vouch for.
5. Knowledgeable About Your Auction Items
A solid auctioneer will ask to see the list of items up for auction ahead of time, order them, and spend some time coming up with clever stories that will make people create a bidding war on them. He will know the auction list inside and out, increasing the end results.
6. Free
Did you know that some auctioneers will find a way for you to not have to pay for their services out of pocket? I myself donate a wine tasting event to be auctioned off to offset my auctioneer fee. I never want my clients to have to stress about paying me on top of worrying that they need to meet their fundraising goals.
Be cautious of anyone who charges a fee that makes your eyes cross. Ask what you’re getting for that price. Unless he’s a mega celebrity, it’s likely not worth the expense and won’t help you generate additional revenue.
Spend time getting to know the auctioneer you want to hire. He should impress you from the moment you meet him, and give you confidence that he’s the man (or she’s the woman) for the job.