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Monday, September 21, 2009
Semper Fi
A fellow Marine, my classmate gave Jeff gave our instructor Paul Behr a skull cap. Now Paul doesn't own a Harley but he has the look and walk of a highway warrior.
The Infamous Pink Flamingo
As I've mentioned before, we enjoyed having fun between our turns at the mic. I promised my classmates I would post the "Infamous Pink Flamingo" video. Fast forward 20 seconds into the video and you'll know what I mean. Enjoy!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Auction Schools
If you’re interested in going to auction school the National Auctioneers Association has a listing of auction schools across the country who provide aspiring auctioneers with the training needed to start their career. I was fortunate to be a student at World Wide College of Auctioneering (http://www.worldwidecollegeofauctioneering.com/), but there are many great schools out there.
Here are just a few auction schools you might consider attending.
Texas Auction Academy
http://www.texasauctionacademy.com/
Reppert School of Auctioneering
http://www.reppertschool.com/
Southeastern School of Auctioneering
http://www.ssauctioneering.info/
Western College of Auctioneering
http://auctionschools.com/
Nashville Auction School
http://www.learntoauction.com/
The Ohio Auction School
http://www.theohioauctionschool.com/home.html
Again, to find auction schools in the US and abroad, visit our website at www.auctioneers.org and visit the Education & Designations page.
Here are just a few auction schools you might consider attending.
Texas Auction Academy
http://www.texasauctionacademy.com/
Reppert School of Auctioneering
http://www.reppertschool.com/
Southeastern School of Auctioneering
http://www.ssauctioneering.info/
Western College of Auctioneering
http://auctionschools.com/
Nashville Auction School
http://www.learntoauction.com/
The Ohio Auction School
http://www.theohioauctionschool.com/home.html
Again, to find auction schools in the US and abroad, visit our website at www.auctioneers.org and visit the Education & Designations page.
Room with a view
While I rarely spent much time in my room, I do however have an amazing view of the Colorado mountains from my room.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Pool Party!
What better way to celebrate your last day of auction school and last night together as auction school students then to throw a pool party! The pool has become a congregation place after class this week and tonight we're going to spend our remaining time together there tonight.
I've had the fortune of becoming friends with some amazing people and I hope to stay in touch with them after we graduate tomorrow. Who knows? We may be working for each other down the road.
I'm exhausted and I will try to keep up with the young bucks in the crew but graduation is tomorrow morning and then I'm headed back home to Kansas City.
I've had the fortune of becoming friends with some amazing people and I hope to stay in touch with them after we graduate tomorrow. Who knows? We may be working for each other down the road.
I'm exhausted and I will try to keep up with the young bucks in the crew but graduation is tomorrow morning and then I'm headed back home to Kansas City.
Meet my classmate Mark
I sat next to Mark throughout auction school. Mark is hilarious! He is a stand-up comedian who came to college to learn how to become a benefit auctioneer. He invented one of the funniest bumper stickers I've seen in a long time: "Proud Father of My Neighbor's Honor Student". Thank you Mark, its been a pleasure getting to know!
Paul is gonna kill me!
Paul: I just had to add this video!
Thank you Terri for the demonstration. We had a lot of fun learning from you.
Last day of school!
We had a little fun before our final exams today. Stand-up comedian and classmate Mark Thomas cracked up the class with a stand-up bit built for an auction crowd! I'm working on getting him to our 2010 Conference & Show to show-off his bit because he'll have auctioneers rolling in the isles!
My good friend from the North, Steven Hesterman, displayed why he's a multiple karate championship winner. He taught the class some great self-defense skills and even showed us a great trick. Watch the video and see Steven, a whole 150 lbs, stand his ground when pushed by Sean Allen and Nick Peat (600+ lbs). Pretty neat to see!
My good friend from the North, Steven Hesterman, displayed why he's a multiple karate championship winner. He taught the class some great self-defense skills and even showed us a great trick. Watch the video and see Steven, a whole 150 lbs, stand his ground when pushed by Sean Allen and Nick Peat (600+ lbs). Pretty neat to see!
Vendido!
Muchas gracias to NAA Auctioneer Angelo Lopez for teaching myself and my classmates about bid calling in Spanish. It was challenging but with practice I think I will be able to implement it into my bid call in the future.
Sold!
Upload issues so I loaded the video to YouTube. Last night was a LONG night but it was also the best night I've had here at auction school. Last day of school!
Visit link below to watch video on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjMHqBSP_-M
Thank you Rich, Shannon, Wade and Brett for being liberal bidders last night! I'm sorry you won't be taking that delicious Kansas City BBQ home with you back to Canada, David! ;-)
Visit link below to watch video on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjMHqBSP_-M
Thank you Rich, Shannon, Wade and Brett for being liberal bidders last night! I'm sorry you won't be taking that delicious Kansas City BBQ home with you back to Canada, David! ;-)
Friday, September 18, 2009
Soy su subastador
Just when I thought I had my numbers down, our instructor Angelo Lopez throws us a curveball. Angelo will be teaching students who are interested in bidding in spanish the next two days. The morning session started with learning our numbers in SPANISH!
We're all a little nervous here at auction school today because tonight is the big night! At 5:00 p.m. we'll have a public auction and will each sell three items. Each student was asked to bring an item to sell. Being from Kansas City, there is only one thing you can bring that represents KC and that's BBQ sauce. I'm hoping to spur a little competition amongst the Kings of the Grill. I'm also selling a copy of this year's 2009 International Auctioneers Championship. I know a couple classmates who'll be bidding on this awesome DVD set!
Wish me luck!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Welcome to the NAA!
On behalf of the members of the National Auctioneers Association, I would like to welcome the over 20 new members who have joined the association from my class!
We're not posing for a picture!
I'm not posing for a picture with legendary NAA Auctioneer Keith Saathoff! An amazing Nebraska livestock auctioneer, he made ALL of us learn quarters and DIMES! Too make it more difficult, Keith loves to get up close and personal when you're bid calling.
I learned a new filler word today and I loved using it on Keith when he came up to me to distract us, it goes like this "I'm bid 52.10, now 220, personal space now, personal space now..." :-) We had a few good laughs! While I will probably never call a livestock auction in my life, the lessons he taught us all today were priceless! Thank you Keith!
I'm never selling wine again!
God love'em, Jack Hines put me through the ringer today. I sold a bottle of wine. He donated it back. I sold it again. He donated it back, AGAIN. I sold that stinkin bottle of wine THREE times in a row!
Disclaimer: I already know what some of my good friends and classmates are going to say "Quit pointing your finger!". I've decided I'm just going to have it surgically removed because I can't help but point! :-)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Canada, eh?
I've had the fortune of meeting some outstanding people this week at auction school, but there is one group of students that I've really enjoyed getting to know, the Canadians!
While we give these fellas a hard time with their occassional "ehs" and their interesting goat auctions, they have definitely made this experience all the more memorable. We have five Canucks in our class. We also have the privilege of having our NAA "Neighbor to the North" Theresa Taylor, CAI, AARE as an instructor.
Today was Day 4 of class and the midway point in our auction school experience. To prove I've been paying attention I would like to compare today's significance to that of an auction schedule. As with any auction, you build up the format of the auction similar to that of a bell curve and today's experiences were some of the best. (Do I get extra credit for remembering this?!?)
The day started with a field trip to the Manhiem Auto Auction, where the students experienced watching a whole-sale auto auction. This place was massive! 150+ acres, thousands of cars, and 9 lanes running simultaneously. Non-stop action! If you ever get the chance to see Jeff Richards sell a car, watch him! The man is a rock star on the mic!
From there we spent time training with instructors. Oh yeah...I was going to post a video of me practicing my bid call today, but unfortunately my battery was dead. Shucks! ;-)
The rest of the evening was jam packed with exceptional lectures. It began with Kansas City NAA Auctioneer Robert Mayo, CAI, ATS, AARE giving a presentation on technology in the auction profession. Technology is essential in the ever changing auction industry and we were offered an inside look into tomorrow's technology and how to implement it in our businesses. Colorado NAA Auctioneer David Whitley, CAI, CES with a presentation on auction law. David offers an rare look into the auction profession from the eyes of a law school educated, professional auctioneer. He opened our eyes (and scared some of us to death) by teaching us about some legal pitfalls auctioneers can find themselves in and he also provided insight into protecting one's business. Finally, Canadian NAA Auctioneer Theresa Taylor, CAI, AARE grabbed our attention with tips on how to market and grow one's auction business. The woman is brilliant!
Tomorrow is Day 5 and that means we have one more day til our big debute! On Friday evening all of the students will take the mic and sell in a PUBLIC AUCTION!
Til then...
Field Trip!!!
No school experience is complete without a field trip. Today we're headed out to tour and watch the action at the Manheim Denver Auto Auction. The class has several aspiring auto auctioneers and we were treated yesterday to a lecture from several prominent auto auctioneers. Some of my classmates are about as giddy as a 1st grader headed on their very first field trip.
I was beat so I didn't blog last night. We were fortunate to have two fantastic auctioneers as instructors yesterday: Theresa Taylor and Jack Hines. If you don't know Jack Hines, you need to meet him. Quite honestly one of the funniest men I've ever known. When you drink as much water and hydrate as much as we do because "water is the oil for our voice" you feel like your about to float away. Add a couple hilarious jokes from Mr. Hines and you'll almost dehydrate yourself! (My fellow classmates will get this joke!)
"I Got" Update: The "I Got" jar has $.10 more for the children of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital! Once you get movin' on your bid call its hard to stop words like that when they feel so comfortable saying!
I was beat so I didn't blog last night. We were fortunate to have two fantastic auctioneers as instructors yesterday: Theresa Taylor and Jack Hines. If you don't know Jack Hines, you need to meet him. Quite honestly one of the funniest men I've ever known. When you drink as much water and hydrate as much as we do because "water is the oil for our voice" you feel like your about to float away. Add a couple hilarious jokes from Mr. Hines and you'll almost dehydrate yourself! (My fellow classmates will get this joke!)
"I Got" Update: The "I Got" jar has $.10 more for the children of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital! Once you get movin' on your bid call its hard to stop words like that when they feel so comfortable saying!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
"I got" my nickles!
As I posted earlier, saying "I got" at auction school is a SIN! Thankfully today I was able to eliminate it from my bid call. From now on, everytime we say "I got" in our bid call, we owe the school 5 cents. I'm just hoping they take American Express because before this week's out I'm going to rack up some frequent flyer miles!
Another great day at school. We were warned that when our instructor Paul Behr ran the "Daily Dozen Drills" we needed to be prepared to pick-up the pace. Daily Dozen Drills are done first thing in the morning and right after lunch. We practice tongue twisters and number drills to prepare for the practice ahead. Their warnings weren't strong enough! I don't care what people say, I think I have a valid excuse that the elevation here in Colorado is the reason why I'm gasping for air and turning blue when I do Daily Dozen Drills!
Great bid calling instructors today: John Korrey and Ronnie Woodward. Legends in the profession and outstanding instructors!
Tonight's instructors were equally impressive with Steven Hunt lecturing on real estate auctions and Carolyn and Allison Baker presenting on antiques, art and collectibles.
Lesson Learned: If in need of cash, sell your girlfriends Waterford glass collection! ;-)
What do aspiring auctioneers do when released from a classroom after 8 hours of work?
Answer: Head to the nearest Mexican restaurant. Sing a few karaoke ballads. Watch fellow classmates like our buddy Steve from Canada (17 time National Karate Champion!), teach/demonstrate/practice his submission tactics on fellow classmates. And...auctioning off a young women celebrating at her bachelorette party! Next question: What's the buyer's premium on a blushing bride-to-be?
Another great day at school. We were warned that when our instructor Paul Behr ran the "Daily Dozen Drills" we needed to be prepared to pick-up the pace. Daily Dozen Drills are done first thing in the morning and right after lunch. We practice tongue twisters and number drills to prepare for the practice ahead. Their warnings weren't strong enough! I don't care what people say, I think I have a valid excuse that the elevation here in Colorado is the reason why I'm gasping for air and turning blue when I do Daily Dozen Drills!
Great bid calling instructors today: John Korrey and Ronnie Woodward. Legends in the profession and outstanding instructors!
Tonight's instructors were equally impressive with Steven Hunt lecturing on real estate auctions and Carolyn and Allison Baker presenting on antiques, art and collectibles.
Lesson Learned: If in need of cash, sell your girlfriends Waterford glass collection! ;-)
What do aspiring auctioneers do when released from a classroom after 8 hours of work?
Answer: Head to the nearest Mexican restaurant. Sing a few karaoke ballads. Watch fellow classmates like our buddy Steve from Canada (17 time National Karate Champion!), teach/demonstrate/practice his submission tactics on fellow classmates. And...auctioning off a young women celebrating at her bachelorette party! Next question: What's the buyer's premium on a blushing bride-to-be?
Sunday, September 13, 2009
"I consider eye contact a bid"
If you know auctions, you will find this one-liner hilarious! Thank you Gary Corbett!
Day Two was even tougher and longer then Day One and I expect they will get longer as the week progresses.
We started a daily tradition today and were led by Shannon & Rich Schur and Gary Corbett. We will start every morning from now on off with a battery of tongue twisters, followed by number drills. Again, I've been counting since I was a child but trust me when I say counting with a rhythm and at a quick pace is tougher than it sounds. We do the same drill after lunch and you can tell the class is getting better and better everytime.
We broke the class into groups and met with instructors who coached every student on their bid call. Yes, I said bid call! We received our instructions last night and by 9:00 a.m. this morning we were practicing our bid calls before our fellow classmates. Mine is pretty basic: "I'm bid one dollar, now two, would you bid two". Unfortunately somewhere along the line I picked up "I got" which I'm finding out is about as bad as cursing in church!
The majority of the day was spent with instructors and after each time we chanted before our classmates you could tell everyone was getting a little more comfortable and at ease. While its only my second day and I am honestly pretty impressed with how my bid call is developing.
That said...practice makes perfect. Thanks to my new Canadian friend, David, I'm going to have to start practicing quarters now. I have enough trouble counting 1-10 and he threw me a BIG curveball today by offering $57.25! I'm new! You don't throw a newbie quarters! I got him back and threw him a quarter bid, too bad he actually knows his quarters and it didn't make a dent on his bid call.
Who knew you could exhaust your vocal cords but we did it today! Thanks to one lecturer, Kathy Perez, a speech pathologist in Denver who spoke tonight, I now how to protect my voice. She also taught us a massage trick that hit the spot on my throat after a long day of talking.
Rich Schur: I promise to post my 10s clip tomorrow so you know I've been practicing.
Day Two was even tougher and longer then Day One and I expect they will get longer as the week progresses.
We started a daily tradition today and were led by Shannon & Rich Schur and Gary Corbett. We will start every morning from now on off with a battery of tongue twisters, followed by number drills. Again, I've been counting since I was a child but trust me when I say counting with a rhythm and at a quick pace is tougher than it sounds. We do the same drill after lunch and you can tell the class is getting better and better everytime.
We broke the class into groups and met with instructors who coached every student on their bid call. Yes, I said bid call! We received our instructions last night and by 9:00 a.m. this morning we were practicing our bid calls before our fellow classmates. Mine is pretty basic: "I'm bid one dollar, now two, would you bid two". Unfortunately somewhere along the line I picked up "I got" which I'm finding out is about as bad as cursing in church!
The majority of the day was spent with instructors and after each time we chanted before our classmates you could tell everyone was getting a little more comfortable and at ease. While its only my second day and I am honestly pretty impressed with how my bid call is developing.
That said...practice makes perfect. Thanks to my new Canadian friend, David, I'm going to have to start practicing quarters now. I have enough trouble counting 1-10 and he threw me a BIG curveball today by offering $57.25! I'm new! You don't throw a newbie quarters! I got him back and threw him a quarter bid, too bad he actually knows his quarters and it didn't make a dent on his bid call.
Who knew you could exhaust your vocal cords but we did it today! Thanks to one lecturer, Kathy Perez, a speech pathologist in Denver who spoke tonight, I now how to protect my voice. She also taught us a massage trick that hit the spot on my throat after a long day of talking.
Rich Schur: I promise to post my 10s clip tomorrow so you know I've been practicing.
Caution: Avoid treadmills when practicing your numbers...
or at least slow the machine down! Thought I would start off the day with a little exercise and thankfully the gym was empty so I was able to practice numbers and my basic bid call, and spare any poor listeners the agony of having to endure hearing them.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Let the schooling begin!
I made it to Denver safe and sound. After settling in and unpacking my 9 days of gear, I took a tour of the hallways here at our hotel where the school takes place. As I walked down the hallway I was impressed to see rows and rows of photos of past alumni who've achieved amazing milestones in their auction career. Past International Auctioner Champions. NAA Hall of Fame members. World Auto Auctioneer Champions. Etc. Impressive to say the least.
I'm amazed by the distances people travel to attend auction school. Fellow classmates have traveled as far as Canada and the east coast to attend auction school. Each has an interesting background. Some have experience with auctions and have worked in auto and heavy machinery auctions. Others...law enforcement, banker, real estate broker. I'm looking forward to getting to know more about them as the week progresses. Actually I plan to get a few on camera to talk about why the chose to come to auction school. Stay tuned for that video.
After a detailed orientation, the "fun" began. All I can say is thank goodness for iPods. If my school hadn't sent me a CD with practice tongue twisters and some initial bid calling training for me to listen to before I left for school, I would have been in trouble. I've been in front of audiences since I was a kid and have never considered myself someone who is afraid of public speaking. That being said, today when we had to get in front of the audience and do basic number/filler word combinations, I felt as if I was going to lose my lunch. Not the best feeling in the world. After a few trips up to the mic, my nerves started to relax and it actually kind of became fun.
I've been counting since I was a child. Why is it so hard to say "I'm bid one dollar now, would you bid two, I'm bid two dollar now, would you bid three...." in the proper order without screwing up! Trust me, its harder then you think. Oh yeah...don't forget to add the group of perfect strangers watching you. Its gonna take some practice.
The day ended with an exceptional lecture from Denver auctioneer, James Baker, CAI, GPPA on owning and operating an auction house. Not sure its for me, but it was interesting to hear about how he got his start in the business and how he has grown his business.
Off to bed so I can get up early and continue practicing.
I'm amazed by the distances people travel to attend auction school. Fellow classmates have traveled as far as Canada and the east coast to attend auction school. Each has an interesting background. Some have experience with auctions and have worked in auto and heavy machinery auctions. Others...law enforcement, banker, real estate broker. I'm looking forward to getting to know more about them as the week progresses. Actually I plan to get a few on camera to talk about why the chose to come to auction school. Stay tuned for that video.
After a detailed orientation, the "fun" began. All I can say is thank goodness for iPods. If my school hadn't sent me a CD with practice tongue twisters and some initial bid calling training for me to listen to before I left for school, I would have been in trouble. I've been in front of audiences since I was a kid and have never considered myself someone who is afraid of public speaking. That being said, today when we had to get in front of the audience and do basic number/filler word combinations, I felt as if I was going to lose my lunch. Not the best feeling in the world. After a few trips up to the mic, my nerves started to relax and it actually kind of became fun.
I've been counting since I was a child. Why is it so hard to say "I'm bid one dollar now, would you bid two, I'm bid two dollar now, would you bid three...." in the proper order without screwing up! Trust me, its harder then you think. Oh yeah...don't forget to add the group of perfect strangers watching you. Its gonna take some practice.
The day ended with an exceptional lecture from Denver auctioneer, James Baker, CAI, GPPA on owning and operating an auction house. Not sure its for me, but it was interesting to hear about how he got his start in the business and how he has grown his business.
Off to bed so I can get up early and continue practicing.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tongue Twister #1
Before you can learn to bid call like a professional auctioneer, you first need to master some tongues twisters.
Try this one out...The big brown bug bit a big brown bear.
Start slow and eventually pick-up speed. Try it 10 times in a row.
Auction School
Hi! My name is Chris Longly and I'm the Deputy Executive Director at the National Auctioneers Association. Headquartered in Overland Park (Kansas City suburb), the NAA is the world's largest professional association dedicated to the auction profession and industry. Our membership consists of auction professionals representing every sector of the industry (e.g. real estate, livestock, automobile, art, etc.).
I've been a member of the staff for over 2 years and while I know auctions, I've always wanted to go to auction school and learn the real "in's and out's" of being a professional auctioneer.
Follow me this weekend and next week as I join fellow future auctioneers in Denver, Colorado for auction school. 9 days of school, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Its going to be a lot of work but I expect to have fun along the way.
Til then...
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