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The skill of the auctioneer and auction profession lies in the
auctioneer's crowd focus. The successful auction process resides
in advertising, presale preparation, knowledge and a rapport with
your buyers. How to get the highest and best price is the auctioneer's
responsibility. Most professional auctioneer's realize it takes
a combination of more than just bid calling. The professional auctioneer
will recognize the advantage of working with a "ringperson"
in the most successful completion of each item sold as well as the
overall auction marketing results.
A "ringperson" is anyone who works with the auctioneer
in the selling process and creates the buying atmosphere and may
or may not be a qualified bid caller. The responsibility of the
"ringperson" is to elicit bids from buyers who need encouragement
and to produce an atmosphere in which the buyers feel relaxed and
comfortable - basically to get every dime out of the bidder and
finally to study the crowd.
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It is required to have a good sense of humor, integrity and a working
relationship with the person calling the auction. The "ringperson"
must not ever speak disparagingly of the auctioneer, the auction
company, the buyers, the items to be sold or the owner, and never
lose his sense of humor or sense of fair play. If the auctioneer
and "ringperson" do not see eye to eye personally and
professionally, it will not work. There must be immediate, secure
trust between the two in which both understand their roles without
desire for one-upmanship. They have to like and respect each other. They have to be very
comfortable with each other. They have to appreciate how one another
works. They have to harmonize in the movements of the sale anticipating
the other. Knowledge in the movements of the auctioneers bid scale
is essential; awareness of cadence, pace and approach to bringing
the gavel is critical. Mutual understanding of non-verbal signals
and key words in the chant is vital. Much more transpires between
the two than the auctioneer waiting for the "ringperson"
to call out "yup"!
To be successful at "ringing", the auctoneer must come to understand
that the "ringperson" can not also be asked to hold items,
hand items to buyers, clerk, or any other distraction which would
prevent him from knowing his buyers and getting those last few bids
in the cash drawer. A "ringperson" who applies his constantly
growing knowledge of people will be worth his weight in gold and
will, in cooperation with the professional auctioneer, set record
prices at each of their auctions. |
