| Auction Training : Hints REAL ESTATE TRAINING AUCTIONEERING Hints To help you in your auction career the Real Estate Education Company has provided you information and free downloads. We hope this information adds to your skills and makes your auctions more effective and enjoyable.
How to Add Colour to the Auctioneer's Palette Someone once said "an auction is like a love affair - any fool can start it but keeping it interesting requires considerable skill". So too with auctions. Maintaining a high level of interest throughout proceedings can be a daunting task for the inexperienced auctioneer. While Victoria is fortunate in having so many skilled and talented auctioneers, there are still those experienced auctioneers who constantly use the same time-worn cliches and phrases in an attempt to bolster their poor auction performance. Leading auctioneers frequently experience the ultimate compliment when a property owner insists that he/she will only list their property with the company if the auctioneer personally conducts the auction. As an estate agent, this should be your goal. Two of the MAJOR differences between the top auctioneer and others are, one, the clear oral description presentation of the property, and two, the all-important bidding technique. Many successful auctioneers select a key theme for each property to ensure that each auction is personalised. This key theme could be the exceptional location, the outstanding presentation, unique accommodation and so on. In the case of outstanding presentation you might congratulate the vendors for the time, expense and trouble they have gone to in preparing their home for sale. Suggest to the audience that if they were considering selling that they should use this property as a role model on "how to present a property for sale". In selling, we are constantly taught to sell the benefits, not the features. Why then do so many auctioneers consistently list the features and give a long drawn out, room by room walk through the home? Why not say: "Some of you have here on two or three occasions, you know the home intimately. However, I would like to remind you of some of the key features". Then give the audience the BENEFITS of living there. Instead of saying "the Primary School is handy", why not use more emotive words and phrases. "The highly regarded primary school is only 600 metres away and there are no busy roads to cross. How do you put a value on your child's safety?" If you were selling a standard bayside flat with a view of Port Phillip Bay, perhaps use the theme "Welcome to a new life - a new lifestyle". Place the audience in a moment of time. "What did you see when you woke up this morning? Did you draw back the blinds and look out to a magnificent view of the bay? Go for a quiet stroll on the beach and have breakfast of croissants at the kerbside cafe Acland Street? Perhaps have breakfast on the terrace like this", and so forth. Paint a picture and let your audience visualise and feel the benefits of living there. Features such as open fireplaces present prefect opportunities for visualisation. "Imagine coming home after a long day and having a quiet glass of wine in front of a roaring open fire", and so on. Even the Vendors Statement can be brought to life. Many in your audience do not understand the various Zonings. If it is Residential, show them. Ask them to look around and see what a Residential Zone is, and at the same time, play to the neighbours by congratulating them on their gardens and quality of the homes in the neighbourhood. Rather than simply reading out the amount of rates, why not say the amount and add: "Which is a very modest amount to pay for the privilege of living in this location". Consider using topical items, particularly interest rates, scarcity and the benefits of property versus superannuation. Generally try to avoid technical language and real estate jargon. Importantly, use your own vocabulary and words with which you are comfortable. Vary the pace of your delivery, alter your voice levels and avoid the boring monotone. Keep your voice compelling and enthusiastic. You can use 'the pause' to stunning effect. Create the right mood and atmosphere and consider the use of selective humour. Why not step out of your pattern and take a few risks. Relax, use some spontaneity, take control, breathe life into your next auction. And above all, enjoy it. Reprinted from an article published by Geoff Buck of the Real Estate Education Company in various Real Estate Institute magazines.
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