Not that I ever daydream overly much about being in a band, but I’ve always thought of auctioneers as being similar to drummers. 

Now I’m not saying that’s because we like to stay in the background, nor that some of us probably like to wear leather trousers and pretend to be in The Doors sometimes, but rather that many people falsely believe that auctioneers are the front person on auction day when they’re really not. 

That perception seems to be that the auctioneer is the lead singer and therefore the star of the show.

I’m here to tell you that isn’t the case. 

In reality, on the day, the auctioneer has a hybrid role that fulfils a number of distinct behind the scenes purposes. 

1. Commentator - Auctioneers play the role of commentator during the auction, ensuring that everyone present knows what’s happening at the same time.  
2. Referee -They also fulfil the role of referee when it comes to issues that need to be resolved such as legislative queries. 
3. Negotiator - Their third role on the day is to negotiate with the highest bidder to secure a help to successful sale for the vendor. 

The thing is, of those three roles, two of them usually happen behind closed doors rather than out in the open.

Negotiations always take place away from the crowds, as does refereeing on the finer points of the relevant legislation. 

The real star of the show 

That’s why I say auctioneers are like drummers in a band – they keep the beat of the auction day going so that the stars of the show, which are the sales agents, can do their thing.

Up until auction day, it is the sales agent who sings the property’s praises to create anticipation and to draw an excited crowd who wait nervously for the spectacle to begin.

Sounds like a rock concert, doesn’t it?

No doubt it annoys agents that auctioneers appear to get all the glory, when our roles are more about process than anything else. 

The thing is, the best auctioneers are not the ones who are the loudest in the room. 

The top performers actually have a number of key attributes that they all have in common.

First and foremost they must be engaging, empathetic as well as having a decent sense of humour. 

It’s vital that auctioneers are engaging so they can conduct the crowd – a bit like they’re an orchestra now that I think of it.

Clearly, it’s always better to have a honey approach rather than a vinegar one if your job is to secure a sale. 

One of the most important attributes is obviously proficiency with numbers, because if math’s if not their forte, then they will always struggle on auction day. 

Miscalculating bids can cost sellers tens of thousands of dollars, plus if they solely concentrate on adding up the bids, they will not be engaged with the crowd, which ultimately can impact the sale price. 

They also need to be quick thinkers so they can respond and react to queries from the crowd without it interrupting the flow of the auction.

Practice then practice some more 

Harking back to the musical metaphor, everyone can become a mediocre guitar player who is good enough to play a handful of simple songs after a few beers.

It’s the same with auctioneers, and any other skill, which requires thousands of hours of practice before you become an expert. 

As well as practice, the best auctioneers have mentors, and continue to upskill throughout their careers to stay at the top of their games. 

I have called thousands of auctions in my career so far, but I’ve also spent many more hours again practicing as well as taking part in competitions to keep me on my toes. 

Competitions, especially, take auctioneers out of their comfort zones, which is always a great learning opportunity. 

So, while we are the ones standing out the front, gavel in hand, on auction day auctioneers are not the most important people there. 

Those people – aside from the sales agents – are the buyers and the sellers, because without them there is no auction at all.

In fact, without a crowd, it would be a bit like a musician playing to an empty room – and we can all imagine how soul-destroying that would be. 

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