In my opinion, an auctioneer has to be the supreme salesperson. From the outset of the auction, they have to articulate the benefits of that property. They must be knowledgeable and enthusiastic for the lifestyle in the area, inject a sense of excitement for bidders and convincingly create a fear of losing out if they don’t bid.

At times, they must be comfortable with silence and work with the environment around them, such as the nice house next door or an interesting character in the crowd to add some colour to the auction.

When all is said and done, a great auctioneer will persuasively remind buyers of why they fell in love with the property in the first place. Whichever way you look at it, it is imperative that they are a great conductor of the crowd, gracefully drawing out every last bid from potential buyers.

A great auctioneer is also aware of their audience. There could be potential buyers and sellers in the crowd scoping out the area, neighbours, family and friends, all of whom could be their next client.

What are auctioneers taught?

Our elite auctioneers receive their training through the hockingstuart corporate accreditation program, part of our internal “hockingstuart Academy”. The initiation and curriculum is highly regimented and all-encompassing – which goes a long way to explaining why this year, we had four of our budding auctioneers make the REIV Novice Auctioneer final, a statewide competition held each year.

Auctioneers learn a number of skills, providing them with the adroitness to conduct a fantastic auction. Among other things, they learn how to verbally promote a home in its best light, while keeping the dynamics of an auction in mind. It’s about being aware and knowing how to react to the different outcomes that can take place during an auction.

Practice does make perfect, and that’s why it’s mandatory for each auctioneer at hockingstuart to have an auction coach. The benefit of having a coach is that they can constructively critique as well as point out weaknesses of your auction. Tempo, tone, ability to count and “patter” are very important and a coach can help you hone these skills. Through video recording, the speed of learning has certainly been accelerated. This allows coaches to highlight elements that may otherwise go unnoticed like body language, your voice and eye contact.

What is it about hockingstuart’s training that achieves such good results?

The caliber of our coaches and the high standard of our selection process is the biggest factor. Only very accomplished auctioneers can be a coach at hockingstuart, ensuring we learn from the very best.

hockingstuart uses this approach to run a very well-honed auctioneering accreditation program. There is a perpetual refining of what is successful and what is relevant at the time, and then our eventual examination of candidates is second to none. Understandably, these students are almost at a senior level of auctioneering before they get their accreditation.

The fantastic results of the year reiterate just how effective our program is. We set the bar so high that if you pass our training course you’re probably good enough to win the Victorian competition!
 
How important is the auctioneer to the sales process?

The sales process and the auctioneer are just as important as each other. They are not mutually exclusive, and one cannot survive without the other. The right sales process identifies key buyers, price patterns and will determine the strategy on the day. If you’ve had a good sales process in place then a great auctioneer will ensure all the hard work will be maximised on auction day.

Success on auction day can come in many forms, but at the end of the day you are the conductor of the sale and it is in your hands to steer the auction and get its bidders to the highest point. You don’t get a second chance so you must make it count!

See also:

Auction clearances holding strong heading into the holidays

Get to know Jack Richardson

Short real estate auction campaigns tempting sellers ahead of holidays