Selling Out

The Northwest Fundraising Auctioneer talks about the myth of the Auction Gala, the way of the artist and how caring about whom you are selling for matters most.

I’ve been to a number of Galas and some smaller auctions. Both have a very different feel, however sometimes the money raised at a more modest event can be huge. Do you have a preference?  
While I work both types of events, it is a misnomer for folks to think that the traditional Gala is the only way to execute an auction event or that a more modest event can’t bring in the funds needed and goals desired. In fact, the opposite may be true. Since the Northwest has the most auctions per capita than anywhere in the country, more often than not these auctions are not full blown galas; I believe the Gala is more the exception to the rule. The event size, rather than type, lends itself to different strengths I possess as an Auctioneer. For example, a smaller event may allow more intimacy with my bidders and personal interaction while selling. Larger events, thus more bidders, allow me to cast my net wider and really work my numbers. Though stylistically, I’m always more of an ‘on the floor’ Auctioneer regardless of the auction formality; I jokingly call this my “Bank Teller” style of Auctioneering. A client recently told me that she loved how I ‘moved money around the room’ which was a great way of stating that I go where the money is.

How easy is it for you to sell something that one might judge as inferior or as in the example of art, not in popular taste?  
My preference or taste is irrelevant to what I sell. More important is my ability to speak intelligently about what I’m selling. My primary commitment lies with both the organization and their mission and to know what I’m selling and to articulate that, briefly and eloquently. Most groups procure according to their guest demographic and their cause, so infrequently do we have a dead end between the item and bidders. That’s why good procurement training, great solicitors, and a deep understanding of how guests ‘buy’ at auction are essential to the event’s success.

Come on, some things are just not easy to sell, even if desirable. How can you then sell these with confidence?
I can because in my other life as a dealer in the Vintage Furniture Decorative Arts business you would be shooting yourself in the foot to assume there was no one out there to buy your things. I have faith and experience and trust in people in their generosity and desires and in my ability to sell with confidence and great skill. That’s my job, after all.

You have to admit, when selling art at auction with the artist present makes for an interesting and sometimes overly expectant sale?
That’s a nice way of putting it. Organizers do fret over this, as it is natural to not want to disappoint an artist or perhaps have to face them if their piece didn’t meet their expectations. But you see, art is one of those things that may touch someone deeply, it is very personal, and the joy that the buyer experiences and sometimes the connection between the buyer and the artist during and after the sale outweighs the pre-auction jitters over feelings, ego, and just plain vulnerability. Art is one of my favorite things to sell for this reason. Ardent supporters and collectors are cultivated everywhere, especially at auction, and it thrills me to no end to be in that room when it is happening.

When I was at an art Auction a few years back, you wrote Haiku’s for each participating artist when you introduced his or her piece. How did you manage that?  
You must have been sitting close up, because if I remember correctly, we had major sound problems at that auction, so it’s good to know someone heard my Haiku-ing 101. It doesn’t take much for me to find an excuse to do something as equally thoughtful, especially in a room full of artists. At that particular auction I had the opportunity to meet the individual artists while they worked, so I could get to know them, ask questions and respond, viscerally. I think the most important thing when selling art, other than understanding the medium, is to understand the artist and to try to articulate that within the 30 seconds I have before selling the piece. When artists recommend you for other gigs, you know you have done your job for them.