A Missed Bid is no Bid

Let’s focus for a minute on the Ring Crew, sometimes called "Bid Spotters". As Charity Auction specialists, Sherri and I spend a good bit of time speaking to Non-Profit Organizations about their Benefit Auctions and how to best maximize the profitability of the event. We have spent many hours discussing the need for a Professional Auctioneer to call a Charity Benefit Auction. But what about the rest of the crew?

So we are all on the same page, let’s define a "Bid Spotter" or "Ringman". These are the individuals out in the crowd, helping the Auctioneer connect with the Bidder. In a room of 500, 800 or even more attendees it’s simply impossible for one person no matter how experienced an Auctioneer he/she may be to see everyone. Hence the need for Ringman or Bid Spotters. These valuable members of the Auction team are also called “Bid Assistants”.

Many Charity Auctions utilize well meaning volunteers for this task. They use spouses of committee members, maybe young people from a local Fraternity, Sorority, or Service Club or even staff. While this might seem on the surface to be a smart, and cost effective decision it can actually cost an organization a great deal of money in the long run. Thousands of dollars can be left on the table and guests can be put off and decide not to attend in coming years.

The well meaning volunteer many times has another job that night, has paid for a ticket and therefore wants to enjoy the event, or is not comfortable actually going after that extra bid, and if they are they may accidentally do it in such a way that they offend the bidder. This is not their fault. They are well meaning and think they are doing a good job. It’s no different than asking a Local Newscaster or politician to be an Auctioneer. They are neither trained nor experienced in this type of work and make what we would refer to as “Rookie Mistakes”.

The best quote I ever heard on Ring Crew members Vs. Bid Spotters was by Dustin Taylor of Albertville Alabama. He said," A professional Ringman makes the bid happen where a volunteer bid spotter waits for the bid to happen." The professional ringman knows Who, What, Where, Why and How when it comes to performing at any type of Auction.

Who- This is simple, a Ringman knows who is bidding at all times, and who the last bidder was. Also, if he/she is trained they have worked the crowd ahead of time and know who wants that nice necklace or that trip to Paris. When it comes up, they are ready to sell!

What- The Ringman knows what the bid as and what the ask is. Many ringmen work primarily with the same Auctioneers. Ours are all trained Auctioneers as well. They know our chants, their mannerisms and their tendencies. They have also familiarized themselves with the detail of each trip, package or item being sold. Carat weight of the Ring, or the Travel arrangements that go with the trip or the details of the date with that bachelor.

When- A professional knows when the bidder they are working is done. He/she can read body language, so they know when to ask for more and when to walk away. They also know when to arrive at the Auction and when the job is done and its time to relax.
Why- A Professional Ringman, because of his training and experience knows why that man HAS to have that fishing trip and why that other guy won't let him get it! He has spoken to both of these bidders during the time leading up to the Auction. He knows the rationale and the desires behind the bidders. He asks questions, gets answers in the most informal of conversations he can glean from the bidders the information he needs before the Auction even begins!

Where- A Professional Ringman knows where the current bid came from and where the one before that came from and even the one before that. He knows where the next bid is likely to come from and where to go if those bids dry up to find more.
How- A Professional Ringman knows how to help generate more bidder participation. and how to communicate with their Auctioneer and other ringman and how to assist other ringman when needed.

In short a volunteer "Bid Spotter" simply does not know the basic important fundamentals of serving as a professional. They have their own careers, hobbies and interests and maybe serve in this capacity once a year. It’s not reasonable to expect them to be experts at this.

A few other things to note when using that well meaning volunteer as your "Bid Spotter"

Are they big supporters of your cause? If so, would they not bid? If they are to busy "Bidspotting" they can't bid on what they want. If you are using the "Paddles Up method this might cost you $5,000 or more.
If they wants to participate in the event have they been drinking? If they bought a $250 ticket they certainly have a right to the Open Bar, but how effective of a "BidSpotter" will they be?

If they bought a $250 ticket they may want to have dinner and rightly so. This gives them little time to work the crowd and get the information a professional ringman would obtain.

If you are using staff, how many other duties and tasks do they have that evening? Are they the right people to encourage those board members?
Can they communicate with your Auctioneer? Can they follow his chant? Have they had time to adequately meet with him/her to learn his mannerisms and tendencies? If you using a volunteer Auctioneer or that well meaning Newscaster or celebrity this aggravates the challenge.

Finally, this quote from Brian Rigby of the Professional Ringmans Institute (http://pri.barigby.net)sums it up well. "A good ringman also knows what they are worth and they maintain a professional image with a high level of ethics."

Can you afford to have anyone else representing your organization with hundreds of supporters at your gala?

Are you using a professional M.C. for your event?

The Professional M.C. for your event:

You are using a professional Auctioneer but what about the M.C.? Are they of the same caliber?

Sherri and I have spent a lot of time making the case for the professional Auctioneer and Auction team for Gala Events. A trained team will always make your event better and generate more revenue for your organization than a well meaning volunteer. I’ll write more about that in a later post. But have you considered your Master of Ceremonies?

Many organizations use politicians or other local “Celebrities” to host their events. The rationale is they are free and well known. They may even know people in the audience and this is also a plus, so the thinking goes. But have you considered the potential challenges? A professional speaker as your emcee will follow your directions, and respect your time limits. They are also experienced enough to “role with the punches” if something changes at the last minute. I would hope you are using a professional Auctioneer for your event, (if you are not let’s talk) and on many occasions this individual can serve as your M.C. as well. They are experienced in front of crowds, understand the time constraints of an event, and can certainly handle sudden changes in timelines and agendas. After all “The first rule of the Auction business is Adjust!”

Here are three examples of where the use of the “Celebrity” or Volunteer Emcee went awry.

The Politician- Sherri and I were once working on an Auction with a well-known politician. (I will not mention the name). When the time came to begin this important individual was asked to start things off with a 5 minute synopsis and personal endorsement of the cause. We learned that you never give a politician a microphone and a time limit. 25 minutes later we were able to begin. The audience was lost and it took us two items to get them back again. This cost (In our opinion) about $6000 in revenue due to people not paying attention or having left the room.

The Personality- A well known comedic media personality who was Emceeing an Auction recently decided that comedy was vital to the success of the event. They were not serving as the Auctioneer but were doing the “Color” as we refer to it. Describing the item and attempting to make each one sound great before the professional Auctioneer sold it. This individual could not resist long drawn out descriptions filled with comedic inserts and continued to interrupt the Auctioneer with what they thought was helpful banter. The result was nothing short of disastrous. The crowd became confused, did not know who to listen to and as a result stopped paying attention to the Auction. By the time the “Paddles Up” was conducted 30% of the audience had left the room, not being interested in a stand-up comedy routine. This cost the charity at least $15,000 in revenue. Do not misunderstand us, a hearty dose of laughter and fresh perspective will energize and activate your audience but it can be taken too far.

The Well meaning Board member- A well known board member and past president of an Organization was the Emcee for a Black Tie Charity Ball. They were working off of a script and timeline prepared for them that was very detailed. Even though timing had been changed due to some unexpected challenges with weather and catering when the time arrived to begin the event this individual walked to the stage and announced the start of the evening. This started a “domino” effect that started a video, started the serving, and the wine and then the Auction. 40% of the attendees had not arrived. Matters were further complicated when individuals who were not present yet were called up to be recognized. This supporter meant well, but the staff were unable to convince them of the necessity of timing changes and that an extra 45 minute venue charge would have been more than worth it in the long run.

To summarize, you use a professional caterer, wait staff, and entertainer and Auction team. Consider the benefits of the professional emcee or master of ceremonies for your fundraising Auction. Interview and negotiate price on these individuals and check references as you would any other vendor. You can research them at www.nsaspeaker.org.

The payoff is in happy guests who rave about your event all year and can’t wait to return and give you more of what is rightfully yours, their money!