So...I helped out at my 2nd consignment/general merchandise auction. I tell you what.... I´m just soakin´ it all in. It truly AMAZES me how I can pick a little somethin´ new up from EVERY SINGLE AUCTION. What is interesting about the auctions (consignment/general merchandise) - that I have NOT been auctioneering at is that I´m learning A LOT more about the way people bid and the different situations that occur during the bidding process.
Super COOL buy at the last auction. There´s more in the set! They´ll make GREAT gifts!
For example: When the auctioneer startied auctioning one item I would say....probably 5 hands went up...pretty much at the same time. We all giggled a little bit. EVERYBODY WANTS IT! The auctioneer and I actually saw the same lady first and we just moved on from that.
I can say that, as I´m standing there watching the crowd, I can see frustration run across their faces sometimes. The fact is....we can´t take everybody´s bid at the same time. All we can do is go with who´s hand we see first, than next, then if someone is still in after that.
Another thing I noticed...not only at the consignment auctions, but also at the last fundraising auction is that some auctioneers like to zero in on 2 people.... I am not gonna lie. I´m not real crazy about that way of thinking.
First of all...I think it adds more excitement when you have 3 bidders or more, bidding on an item. You may have more bidders starting out, but (by my experience) you won´t have 4 bidders for long. I have re-posted a video from my blog titled: A Little Constructive Criticism... It´s a GREAT example of how that 3rd bidder added more excitement to the auction and coincidentally made the item bring more $$$.
2nd of all....Why should I as an auctioneer choose who gets to bid and who doesn´t? Now sometimes you may not see them when they want to bid and they fall out of the bidding war, but when a gentleman is sitting in the middle of the crowd, waving his hand around, and wants to bid on something....LET´M BID!! Don´t just pass him over. It just seems fair to me...to take everyone you see...in order :).
So if I SEE multiple bidders...I´m gonna take´m! Now that´s not to say that I´ll catch every single one. I´m human and only have two eyes, but I´ll do my very best!
I´ll be sittin´ up there before you know it :)
Other things that I learned deal more with the operations and logistics of a consignment auction, that I won´t bore you with in this blog...but be prepared for more info on that in later blogs.
If you read my profile you know that I work in TV Ad Sales and can insert commercials on networks like ESPN, Fox News, History Channel, HGTV, etc - and I work along the Texas Coast. I. HAVE. BEEN. SO. BUSY. For as busy as I am...you´d think I´d have more $$ in my pockets, BUT we all know hard work pays off and I´ll still be here when it does. I´ve shared some pics below of some of the different clients I´ve worked with. We shot a commercial at the consignment auction and there are probably 6 or more that have to get edited. For clarification...I DO NOT shoot the commercials, but I am at most every shoot and usually write the scripts. My friend John Garza with Eyecon Video Productions usually does most of the shooting. I think its going to be interesting to see how this form of advertising works for this type of business.
Shoot at a Mattress Store. We use an iPad with a teleprompter app to help clients with speaking parts.
Here we are shooting a commercial for a Non-Profit - advertising a Golf Tourney. I´m listening to his audio as he´s speaking.
This is a shoot for a manufactured home dealer. I guess I´m just overseein´ :).
Commercial shoot for a local hospital. The hospital´s Marketing Director and I did our best to round up all the Docs and get them in their places.
Commercial shoot for an AC company - where the lady WON a BRAND NEW unit! Green Screen used for a testimonial-type ad.
Now on to SOME REALLY FUN STUFF....
I´ll be heading out of Rockport with a friend later this week for the Junk Gypsy Prom at the Antiques Show (in my hometown :)). I kinda sorta have my get-up figured out, but I´ll share those pics when I ACTUALLY have it figured out :). I will share some pics from past proms though!! WOO HOO!! I can´t wait!
The 1st JG Prom I dressed up at. Actually...I think it was the first time for all of us to dress up.
Enjoyin´ ourselves....sippin´on some Sangria!
My Sis and I did some last minute gettin´ together this year and got there at 11pm or something. Our friend Crystal does the BEST up-dos!!
We were all tryin´ to keep our eyes open :).
All I know is the posse travelin´ with me in tow better be ready to BUCK UP BABY!! Last time....Everyone THOUGHT I was lost in the MASSIVE SEA OF TENTS and were running around looking for me. JUST FOR THE RECORD.... I WAS NOT LOST. I actually found them before they found me. My sister and I also got into a REALLY HEATED argument and a couple of my (kinda new) friends (at the time) got to see the MEAN side of me. They´re still around :) and Little Sis and I are headed back this year with a few more friends in tow! We´ll do our VERY BEST to play nice.
My MOST gussied up to date. Little britches didn´t go along that year, but she´ll be there for a little while this year!!
HEE HEE! GREAT Times!!
So Here´s to SHOOTIN´and CATCHIN´ and BUCKIN´UP BABY!! I can´t wait to share this year´s story!!
Hey Everyone! I´ve officially caught the blogging bug! It´s been a little while since my last one and the next auction isn´t until tomorrow, but I wanted to share something. I have shared this video with my Facebook friends, but I wanted to share it with you guys.
I am a STRONG believer that the Holy Spirit works in all of our lives and guides us on our path and at times CONSUMES us....when he really wants to get the point across. Well my new friend over at THE RUSTIC CHICK posted a video that really spoke to me and I had a VERY similar experience....you guys might find me a little crazy after this, but I feel compelled to share it :).
Here´s the video. WATCH IT!! It will make you laugh and cry!
SO NOW ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE....
I lost a very SWEET and LOVING friend almost a year ago. She had kind of a rough life growing up. She dated one of my good friends for a while and that´s how I really got to know her. She helped us move into our house when we lived in Carmine and we sat and organized one day and had some Ramen Noodles for lunch (I always made them in a pot before that day-when she showed me she made them in the microwave. Now I make them like that all the time). She was REALLY the sweetest thing and maybe....a little misunderstood my some people. After her and our friend broke up we didn´t really talk as much, but we did when we saw each other.
Me and Brandi!
Well she passed away. The details aren´t important. What is important is that little girl (she was pint-sized :)) made a lasting impression on my heart and I KNOW many others.
I´m at the funeral home in La Grange. I´m standing in the back. The place is full of friends, family, teachers, co-workers, etc....all mourning the loss of this sweet young life that we had the pleasure of being part of. Brandi and her family didn´t regularly attend church, so a friend contacted a pastor that he knew. Let´s just say he really didn´t know her, he got kind of long-winded, and I think maybe lost focus on celebrating HER life.
Well....just like Beth Moore having this overwhelming RANDOM feeling... I had one. I´ve NEVER told anyone about this EVER. I thought people would think I´d gone "off my rocker." So I´m standing in the hallway...listening to the pastor, but not really...b/c by this point he had started rambling a little and repeating himself....and what thought comes to mind you ask?........
WE SHOULD ALL START DANCING!
SERIOUSLY!!!! I thought to myself....WHAT?! I even thought I´d completely LOST IT. I mean...I LOVE TO DANCE and all, but....REALLY?! How random and crazy of a sight would that have been? Randomness and Craziness were a couple of traits Brandi and I both share, and it was like I could hear her saying "Do it! That would be so cool-and even tugging at me a little bit!" I even looked around and thought: Who would actually DANCE with me? Who else would start dancing if we did? You know...you HAVE to get MORE people to join in. If only us 2 were dancing they´d surely take us to GET OUR HEADS CHECKED. A family friend - Josh was standing in the back pretty close to me. I thought I could "maybe" pull him out there. Then I thought...where´s Beka and Lindsey? Courtney would do it, but she´s way in the front. Then...I let the FEAR OF JUDGEMENT overwhelm me. Just as I could hear Brandi coaxing me to do it, I could also hear her when I made the mental decision that I WAS NOT going to pull anyone into the aisle to dance with me say: "It´s okay!" Brandi was a free spirit and surely DID NOT want everyone to sit there and CRY!! She also would NEVER make someone feel uncomfortable or ashamed. She would have much rather had us dancing and laughing though! Actually....I KNOW Brandi would have danced with me, if the entire purpose was to lift people´s spirits and celebrate a life that really...wasn´t getting the justice that it deserved. She may have not been your everyday "traditional" girl, but she sure was somethin´!
You think he would´ve danced with me?
Lin, Brandi, and Beka :)
Brandi and Courtney
I´m sure the people closest to her would have gotten it, understood it all, and probably would´ve had a STRONG SPIRITUAL experience - IF I would have had the nerves to BUCK UP!! I didn´t that day, but that thought is STILL with me and probably always will be. I do have the NERVES today though to BUCK UP and share this story with you.
The whole point of this story and Beth Moore´s, is that: WE ARE HERE TO HELP EACH OTHER. Not to look at people and feel sorry for them or judge them. We NEED each other, friends, family, strangers, people we don´t "consider" friends. We are all HELPING each other to discover ourselves and our journey. We should all LISTEN to those strong feelings! Even when I was typing this...the thought came into mind...not to share. I´m pushing it away! Everyone´s life is different. Different situations make different impressions on all of us, different struggles, different successes. It is not our job OR BUSINESS to understand why some people are the way they are. It is our job to ACCEPT them...even when they don´t accept you. I know it can be hard sometimes, but - That is all.
BUCK UP BABY!! Push yourselves outside of that comfort zone!! We can´t grow and learn if we never push our limits, do something a little "crazy." Everyone have a VERY BLESSED WEEKEND!! Thanks for reading!!
BTW-ALL YOU READERS SERVE AS MY WITNESS. I would like a proper funeral service and burial, but I WANT YOU ALL TO THROW ONE HECK OF A PARTY AFTERWARDS!! I mean a REAL shin-dig! Have an auction to benefit something or someone and then DANCE UNTIL ALL YOUR TEARS TURN TO LAUGHTER!!
Well...this past Saturday I had the opportunity to help out at a new business in ARANSAS PASS called THE AUCTION HOUSE! Before Saturday...I had NEVER been at an auction like this. The Auction House takes CONSIGNMENT PIECES and auctions it off for people.
The back of our shirts :)
There were ALL KINDS of things there: Refrigerators, dishwashers, trailer hitches, saws, couches, dishes, art, home decor, cowboy hats, dressers, dining room sets, tools, boats, Wizard of OZ collectibles, children´s toys, coin collections, estate jewelry....I could go on for DAYS! They really had a little bit of everything. I´ll be honest...the buyers/bidders got some PRETTY SWEET DEALS! Anyone that is in the area...needs to check this place out!
Good shot of some of the items that were auctioned off.
Like you all know (at least my followers)....I DO NOT have my license yet.What that means is that I can´t help AUCTIONEER yet. I wanted to get some EXPERIENCE though in some different types of auctions. All I´ve really seen are CATTLE AUCTIONS, FUNDRAISING AUCTIONS, and very few CAR AUCTIONS. I really want to learn what works for consignment auctions and auction houses. So....I emailed the two contacts on their website a few weeks ago and I get a phone call and email back. They wanted to meet me!!
They asked me to show up to their next auction (which was this past Saturday). My main job was WORKING THE FLOOR - SPOTTING THE BIDDERS, TRYING TO LIVEN´ UP THE CROWD A LITTLE, MARK THE BOUGHT ITEMS WITH THE BIDDER NUMBER, SHOW THE NEXT ITEM UP FOR AUCTION, ETC. It was kind of a slow start, but then people started THROWIN´ THEIR HANDS UP :).
I got a chance to talk to some of the bidders after the auction and EVERYONE I talked to was really nice. Two ladies that were sitting outside (that bought A LOT of items) stopped me and told me I did an AWESOME job SPOTTING the bidders and asked if I´d be back for the next one - which I will :). They said everything ran smoothly and they´ll be back for the next one. I´m really not trying to TOOT MY OWN HORN (toot...toot :)). I just REALLY like it when I get positive feedback. Remember....this whole idea was A SHOT IN THE DARK...seriously. I LOVE IT!!
The auctioneer is in the big podium and there are all kinds of collectibles on those shelves (Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, etc).
The other cool thing about this entire JOURNEY I´m taking is that I am getting to meet A LOT OF REALLY COOL PEOPLE that I may not have, if it wasn´t for this. WHEW! I feel BLESSED!
So...what did I learn? Well...I´ll say that - IT´S A LOT DIFFERENT THAN A FUNDRAISING AUCTION. Getting bids can be like PULLING TEETH on some items. You´ve really gotta do your ABSOLUTE BEST to sell that item. Talk it up! Get the audience engaged. Explain to them WHY they need it OR the SWEET DEAL they´re getting. At benefit auctions people plan on spending some $$. At The Auction House...they are trying to spend as little as possible. The Coca-Cola products and money and coins seemed to be pretty popular, BUT...it all depends on the crowd. Next time...there may be a couple of people looking for nice tools and they could be the most popular items.
There were copy machines, washing machines, dishwashers...all kinds of stuff back there.
It´s a whole ´nother realm of the AUCTION INDUSTRY and I LOVE it too!! (I realize that what I just typed is so grammatically incorrect - but I typed it anyway.)
Let´s just say that I really enjoyed myself and I´m INTRIGUED :). A BIG THANK YOU goes out to everyone over at The Auction House in Aransas Pass - John King (the auctioneer) and his wife Jeanne and their two girls, Mr. and Mrs. Davis, Tim and Miranda Wooten, and all the other staff there. They have WELCOMED me with OPEN ARMS. I´ll do all I can to HELP them anyway I know how.
All you LOCALS reading this...go check them out in Aransas Pass and bring an item or two and see if they can make ya´ll a little money. WHO KNOWS? You might walk away with a SWEET DEAL too!
AUCTION SCHOOL is right around the corner and it´s fixin´ to be time for me to BUCK UP BABY!! I can´t wait!! The next auction I´m helping with is at THE AUCTION HOUSE - in Aransas Pass again, then the Ledbetter Fireman´s Feast, and then AUCTION SCHOOL and my licensing exam :/. Time is FLYING!
Well everyone....Texas is still FIGHTEN´ FIRES and as much as íts on my mind - I think it´s time to think about something else for a little while. I will say that my friend Stephanie Cochran with Cochran Landscapes , Mrs. Lynn Johnson, and I got some first-hand experience with this tragedy on Friday. Let me just say that WE WERE LOADED DOWN with supplies! Thank you Coastal Bend and everyone that has helped organize and gather these items. Keep it up! A BIG THANKS also goes to all the volunteers that helped us unload. It really is GREAT to see everyone COME TOGETHER and HELP each other. They do have a little more containment on the fire, but please be sure to keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers and PRAY FOR RAIN!! If we don´t get any...fires will just keep poppin´ up.
Lynn, myself, and Stephenie in one of their 4 warehouses!
I also want to say that yesterday being 10 YEARS since the 9/11 ATTACK...got me to thinkin´. Mainly...that we REALLY need to APPRECIATE the IMPORTANT things in life like....OUR FAMILIES, FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, ETC. BE GOOD TO PEOPLE! You never know what day will be your last. I´m sure many will agree that it´s been a LONG 10 YEARS....but WE´LL MAKE IT!! UNITED WE STAND!!GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS, SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN, AND EVERYONE ELSE DOING THEIR PART TO KEEP US SAFE!
So...not this past weekend, but the one before, I had the chance to catch up with my friends at THE FAYETTE COUNTY FAIR in LAGRANGE, TEXAS on Friday and Saturday night. I also got the chance to listen to one of my FAVORITE TEXAS MUSIC SINGERS - MR. PAT GREEN on Saturday! He put on an AWESOME show! I REALLY enjoyed it! (If anyone ever wants to get me a present - tickets to one of his concerts will work :)!)
On Sunday I had the opportunity to help auctioneer at the CHURCH FEAST for ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH in FAYETTEVILLE! This auction was a little different for me (each one is - isn´t it?). First of all...Uncle Mele wasn´t auctioneering with me - which was a FIRST for me. He was there though :). Secondly...I helped work the tea booth inside until they needed me, which didn´t really give me the chance to scope out where the more CONSISTENT bidders were sitting. (This is kind of important for me - b/c sometimes it is REALLY hard for me to see whether or not someone is bidding - depending on how they bid.) Not really a big deal though. It just made me realize how much it´s helped me at past auctions. Lastly...we switched off every hour or so - which was probably good for my voice. It was a little bit harder for me to get in the groove of things, but I think that was dealing more with my nerves and working with different people and what not.
THANK YOU Mrs. Kaysie Noska for the action shot :)!
All in all...it turned out GREAT! I got some really good EXPERIENCE and some even better CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. I wound up selling an old empty antique soda bottle for $210, was able to sell a quilt that was in my husband´s family, and was able to learn a thing or two from MR. RICK SODEK and MR. KORENEK.
Now let me say.....that I had the same kind of response at this one that I have at all of them.... OVERWHELMING COMPLIMENTS and well-wishes. However, I went around asking some people different things like: Could you understand me good? Was I too fast? Was I fast enough? What could I do better? The only way I´m going to get BETTER is to ASK questions and figure out what to CHANGE...right? Let me tell you...the responses VARIED. Some people thought I was TOO FAST, some thought I NEEDED TO BE A LITTLE LOUDER, some said I COULD WORK THE CROWD MORE ON SOME ITEMS and then some people would tell me JUST THE OPPOSITE or tell me I was BETTER at something someone else told me I could IMPROVE. NOT one person told me I did a bad job - They just gave me some advice.
So what does that feedback and my videos tell me?
1) I will NEVER be 100% PERFECT for everybody.
2) SPEED isn´t always important. It depends on the auction. (Uncle Mele´s been telling me this from Day 1)
3) I still have to LEARN to get MORE COMFORTABLE behind the mike.
4) I need to LEARN how my VOICE works and how to PRESERVE it and to BREATHE.
5) I just NEED to keep PRACTICING. The more practice I get, the more comfortable I get, and the more I learn!
I´d be a fool to think I´ll have it all down in a day, or two, or three.
One thing I know I need to learn is to just TRUST what your SPOT CALLERSlook like they are trying to tell you. You´ll see what I mean in the video below. From the front....you can tell that the spotter (Mr. Brad Fritsch - with Fritsch Cattle Company) is telling me that there´s a bid. I mean...he had it after I said the price the 2nd time. Geez...that was PAINFUL for me to watch. I thought to myself: "Come on already! BUCK UP and TAKE THAT BID!" :) Anyways...to me (from where I was) I thought he was trying to get them to bid...kinda like he wasn´t sure, which made me a little unsure. Anyways....a prime example of something I need to improve on. I´LL GET THERE! For my 4th auction....I think I did all right. Like I tell everyone....I still have LOTS of LEARNIN´ to do - but I´m getting there.
Until next time my friends....BUCK UP BABY and go donate some $$ to the Red Cross of Central Texas OR say a PRAYER for everyone! A special THANK YOU goes out to all the BIDDERS, BUYERS, HELPERS, and DONORS!!
Hey Everyone! I was sure hoping I would be blogging about something much different than this. It´s been a SAD couple of days for TEXAS! We need PRAYERS of all sorts...PRAYERS for the hundreds of families that have lost their homes, livestock, and possessions...PRAYERS for lives lost, PRAYERS for firefighters and volunteers, PRAYERS FOR RAIN and PRAYERS for our GREAT state to come together and help each other!
Bastrop Fire
Central Texas has been CONSUMED by a MASSIVE WILDFIRE. Actually....fires have broke out in MULTIPLE areas across the state including: Bastrop (currently spreading into Smithville), Walhalla/Nechanitz/LaGrange area, Magnolia (moving into Hockley), Willow Springs/Fayetteville area, Bryan, Huntsville, and MANY MORE! Click HERE to see a map of all the fires in Texas.
Another shot of the Bastrop Fire...
To put it plainly....HUNDREDS of homes have burned (probably 600 or better), FIREFIGHTERS and VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS have been called in from all over, people have died, and the FIRE that started in BASTROP - YESTERDAY was 0% contained (when I checked a few minutes ago). This is EXTREMELY scary. It has already CONSUMED more than 6000 acres! I personally know people that have been affected by these fires! IT´S SO SERIOUS! Emergency AIRCRAFT has been flying over the fire, but our current DROUGHT conditions have LIMITED the AVAILABILITY of WATER and the breakout of other fires in the surrounding areas are stretching the area fire departments as far as they can go.
The aftermath of a fire that spread to a Church Camp less than 10 miles from my in-laws property in Walhalla.
More of the aftermath...If you look towards the hills you will see black. That´s how far the fire went.
For people in the ROCKPORT area... TOWN ROCKPORT is trying to gather as many supplies as possible and we will be making a trip to several of the different donations and rest centers. For more updates on what they need and when we plan on heading that direction - check out the TOWN Facebook Page.
If you are from another part of the state, country, or world you can make MONETARY DONATIONS to the RED CROSS of CENTRAL TEXAS by clicking HERE!
MORE FIREFIGHTERS ARE NEEDED! If you know of anyone near or around any of these areas please call the TEXAS STORM CHASERS @ 512-978-1187.
I am SO saddened by this. This is SO close to HOME and I feel HELPLESS! Let´s get it together folks! It is time to BUCK UP BABY!! It is devestating for one family to lose their home...much less 600 and growing! EVERYONE needs to BE CAUTIOUS of cigarette butts, BBQs, and anything else that could cause a spark or light a fire.
Someones home used to be right past that gate.
FOLKS...WE REALLY NEED AS MANY PRAYERS AS YOU CAN SEND US. THE FIRE IS STILL MOVING! I am on the TEXAS COAST and there is SMOKE from these fires HERE! Supposedly...9 hours ago....the BASTROP fire was 16 miles long AND 6 miles wide.
GOD BLESS YA´LL!! Please RE-POST, SHARE, and PASS ON this blog!! We need all the help we can get!
