Home Based Business – 3 Tips to Making Your Home Based Business a Success

The main consensus is that if you start your own home based business is that there is little work, and tons of income.Nothing could be farther from the truth.1. Working your home based business take time, training and yes, moneyIf you are seriously thinking that you want to work your own home based business please take a moment to digest some helpful advice.Home based businesses whether they are working with digital downloadable products or inventory products, takes work. You cannot simply sign up with something and expect not to do anything to make it work. You will have to put training, time and money into it.Now before you leave me because that is not what you want to hear, consider this. You went to school and got your education, you put time, training and more likely than not money, to get that education. You got the education which got you a job. You more than likely had to train for a period of time before they left you to your own, and you probably had to buy cloths or tools to work that job, and you put your time in everyday. This will be no different.If you are working a job or career it may take you a little longer to get things moving with the home based business, simply because you will have to divide the remaining time in your day to be with the family, friends or other commitments plus try to work your business. You may even find that you will have to lose a little sleep so that you can work without distractions.2. HonestyBe honest with yourself and with others. There is nothing more devastating than being deceived. If you have tried to work from home in the past and joined a program because they made you believe it was going to be so easy and that you will become rich in no time. You know how you felt when you did not make a penny, and that you spent your hard earned dollars for nothing. You felt mad and cheated.Do not use trickery to sell your products, this will only generate returns and bad business. If you are selling a product, know that product either by using it yourself or by doing major research on that product. It is easier to sell a product if you know it works.The more honesty you use the more repeat business you will get because people will trust you.3.DiligenceAs defined by Wikipedia: a zealous and careful nature in your actions and work, exemplified by a decisive work ethic, budgeting of your time, monitoring your own activities to guard against laziness, and putting forth full concentration in your work. If you have the determination and the drive to work hard, your home based business will have no chance at failure.When you find what you want to do for your home based business make your schedule board right at the very beginning. Put it in your work space where you will be able to see it every time you are sitting there getting ready to work your business. Follow it without fail, this will become routine and you will eventually be able to take it down, or use it for other purposes.My work space board (to do list) has my list of things that I need to do along with my goals for a 3 month period. I sit at my work space first thing in the morning and go from top to bottom of my list. Then I look a little further down and see if I am getting close to my goals. If I am not, then I work a little harder at getting some of them accomplished.If you are not doing well in a business do not hop around for something else before you ask yourself these few questions: Did I try hard enough? Was I being realistic when I pick this particular business to get in, or did it just sound good? Did I follow through with the training?Those are good questions to ask even before you find your business. If you answer no to any one of those questions, you did not pick the right business for working from home.

Road Map to a Home Based Business For Women

Whenever we think of a computer geek, we tend to imagine a young man in thick dark rimmed glasses peering into a computer. However, women have also made gigantic strides into the world of technology. Closer to home and keeping technology in mind, a home based business for women is probably the next emerging trend. The male dominated ranks of “Internet Gurus” is starting to fill up with women, with increasing numbers of women owning websites dedicated to providing the necessary tools that are conducive to online success. More than men, women are embracing the internet community and the numerous advantages of a home based business for women are especially enticing to women.* Stay at home practical benefits:The freedom of choice can become exhilarating, although a drawback can be complacency. Time management and fervent dedication to a goal are essential qualities that should be mastered early on. Being able to stay at home can sometimes be doubly beneficial to women over 50 since they can perform chores such as providing home day care for children (either for their family or for financial gain) and still have the time and stamina to manage a home based business for women. Since practically all fields of interest can be open to women in the online world, the initial step should be to review personal expertise in a specific field and stick with it once the decision is made.One of the biggest mistakes that beginning online marketers make is not to let a certain direction have the opportunity to take hold. Just flitting from one promising opportunity to the next can easily lead to wasted time and money. The emotional benefits of staying at home are not to be understated either. Brainstorming the merits of a certain home based business for women with loved ones can lead to enhanced closeness and helping others make money is a gratifying experience in itself. Not having to answer to a demanding boss is a dream finally come true.* Financial benefits:Beyond the obvious value of making money from a home based business for women, the immediate financial benefits come in the form of reduced travel expenses, dry cleaning or meal expenses associated with working outside the home, clothing, shoes or cosmetics expenses, to name a few. Having the extra time to peruse newspapers or the internet for special deals on needed items will also result in additional savings.* Tax advantages:Having a formal home based business for women will make you eligible to deduct a percentage of your home expenses, such as mortgage, utilities, property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, repairs or improvements, and finally depreciation. For this purpose, having a tax professional, such as an accountant, conduct a formal evaluation would be money well spent since these types of tax deductions tend to raise your IRS audit score.* Skills enhancement:Running your own home based business for women will force you into learning new skills as you become the sole decision maker and will have to be knowledgeable about all the aspects of running a successful business. Remember, you are the CEO. Working from home typically involve low or very low overhead costs, thus budgeting for your business will be less stressful. Online work budgeting commonly consists of training course and marketing costs that are strictly controlled by you.Overall, a home based business for women can be of terrific value, just keep in mind that this is WORK; juxtaposed to the brick and mortar world, this work can sometimes be combined with pleasure.

Banks Have a Lot of Reasons to Reject Your Small Business Loan

For a small business to grow into a big business, it needs a loan unless it has exceptional sales and profit margins. A small business owner has quite a few places where he/she can go with a loan request. Banks seem to be one of their options on most occasions. What these owners might not realize is that banks have recently developed a reputation for rejecting small business loans. It seems that banks are more interested in financing large businesses due to their benefits. A bank can come up with a variety of reasons to reject loan approval for a small business. Some of the common reasons are as under:Reasons for Banks to Reject Your Small Business LoanCredit HistoryOne of the barriers between you and the business loan is credit history. When you go to a bank, they look at your personal as well as business credit reports. Some people are under the impression that their personal credit does not affect their business loans. But that’s not always the case. A majority of banks look into both the types of credits. One of the aspects of credit that matter a lot to the banks is credit history. The length of your credit history can affect your loan approval negatively or positively.The more information banks have at hand to assess your business’ creditworthiness, the easier it is for them to forward you the loan. However, if your business is new and your credit history is short, banks will be unwilling to forward you the desired loan.Risky BusinessYou must be aware of the term high-risk business. In fact, lending institutions have created an entire industry for high-risk businesses to help them with loans, credit card payments, etc. A bank can look at a lot of factors to evaluate your business as a high-risk business. Perhaps you belong to an industry that is high-risk per se. Examples of such businesses are companies selling marijuana-based products, online gambling platforms, and casinos, dating services, blockchain-based services, etc. It is imperative to understand that your business’ activities can also make it a high-risk business.For example, your business might not be a high-risk business per se, but perhaps you have received too many charge-backs on your shipped orders from your customers. In that case, the bank will see you as a risky investment and might eventually reject your loan application.Cash FlowAs stated earlier, your credit history matters a lot when a bank is to approve your loan request. While having a short credit history increases your chances of rejection, a long credit history isn’t always a savior too. Any financial incidents on your credit history that do not favor your business can force the bank to reject your application. One of the most important considerations is the cash flow of your business. When you have cash flow issues, you are at risk of receiving a “no” from the bank for your loan.Your cash flow is a measure for the bank to know how easily you return the loan. If you are tight on cash flow, how will you manage the repayments? However, cash flow is one of the controllable factors for you. Find ways to increase your revenues and lower your expenses. Once you have the right balance, you can approach the bank for a loan.The DebtA mistake that small business owners often make is trying out too many places for loans. They will avoid going to the bank first but get loans from several other sources in the meantime. Once you have obtained your business funding from other sources, it makes sense to return it in time. Approaching the bank when you already have a lot of debt to pay is not advisable at all. Do keep in mind that the debt you or your business owes affects your credit score as well. In short, the bank does not even have to investigate to know your debt. An overview of your credit report can tell the story.The PreparationSometimes, your business is doing fine, and your credit score is in good shape as well. However, what’s missing is a solid business plan and proper preparation for loan approval. If you haven’t already figured out, banks require you to present a lot of documents with your loan approval request. Here are only some of the documents you will have to present to the bank to get approval for your loan.

Income tax returns

Existing loan documents

Personal financial documents

Affiliations and ownership

Business lease documents

Financial statements of the business

You have to be exceptionally careful when these documents and presenting them to the bank. Any discrepancies can result in loan rejection.Concentration of CustomersThis one might come as a surprise to some, but a lot of banks consider this aspect of your business seriously. You must not forget that loans are banks’ investments. Businesses that approach the banks are their vehicles to multiply their money in the form of interest. If the bank senses that your business does not have the potential to expand, it can reject your loan request. Think of a mom and pop shop in a small town with a small population. If it only serves the people of that town and has no potential to grow further, a rejection is imminent.In this particular case, even if the business has considerable profit margins, it relies on its regular customers for that. The bank might see it as a returnable loan but not as an investment opportunity.ConclusionThe good news is that you have a lot of funding options as a small business owner. Today, banks are only one of the many options for you to fund your bank. You don’t necessarily have to apply for loans when you have crowdfunding platforms actively helping small business with their funding needs. If you are seeking a business loan from a bank, that’s fine. However, if the bank does not approve your request, it should not worry you much.

How To Generate Home Based Business Leads Offline

Having any type of business is all about marketing. Regardless of what anyone says having a profitable home based business is all about effective marketing. How do people know your in business if your not marketing your home business? People think that marketing is expensive and that you have to have a degree to be effective at profitable marketing. I want to dismiss this myth and share with you some cheap and effective ways to market your home based business and start generating leads starting today.

Guerilla Marketing 101

To make a lot of money with your home based business you don’t have need a marketing budget of a large corporation. Let me share some ideas and tips on how you can effectively market on a shoe string budget.

The first step with any marketing strategy is identifying your target market. With your home based business this is pretty easy. Your target market is anyone looking to earn extra income outside of their job. You can even narrow it down further then that and target stay at home mom’s,professionals, young people, etc. Second step is addressing a certain problem which is lack of money. Then you want to address how they can solve this problem through your home based business. And lastly having a call action whether it be calling a toll free number or even a online website. You can bring offline prospects online!

Offline Marketing

The best place to generate leads for your home based business is in your own back yard. Some people want to hide behind the computer to generate leads, but you need to get out there and start networking locally. Network marketing is all about meeting new people and creating relationships. Here are some easy ways to generate leads locally.

Sizzle Cards

Sizzle cards are business cards that are tiny billboards about your opportunity. An example of what one might say is this

“Do You Want To Earn More Money?
Earn $2000 to $5000/month without leaving your job!
Call 888-888-8888 (recorded info) to learn more!

See short and sweet, it addresses a problem which is earning more money, then it tells them how much they can make with your home based business, and lastly to call the number to get more info. Now you’ve generated a lead and for pennies! You can get these through your company or a 3rd party vendor with a generic message.

Yard Signs

You’ve seen these when your waiting at a light at a intersection. Those little signs with some sort of advertisement. This is a great way to generate home based business leads and they are a bigger version of the sizzle cards. These work 24/7 as long as someone doesn’t have them removed! It’s the same concept as the sizzle card and it’s really cheap as well.

Car Signs

Turn your cars back window into a mobile billboard for you home based business. Imagine someone sitting behind you in rush hour traffic coming from a job they hate and they see your sign. Think they might call? You bet they will! Turn your back window into a moving sizzle card! This works really well if you drive a nice car and you can even put a ad like this.

“Want To Drive A Car Like This?
Call 888-888-8888(recorded info) to learn how!

Newspaper Ads

Post a classified in any of your local papers. This is a really cheap and effective way to generate leads for your home based business locally.

Networking Groups

If you go online you can find all kinds of networking groups in your home town. This is a great way to meet people that are professionals and are looking to network with other people. Be cool here, don’t vomit all over people about your business keep it professional and ask for their business cards and exchange yours with them as well. If you make a good impression you can call them later and invite them to take a look at your home based business opportunity. One good site to network with people is YAP(young active professionals) They hold local networking events at local places like bars,restaurants, and other venues. Get out there and meet new people!

These are all examples of ways you can generate leads for your home based business and hopefully gave you some ideas and how to get started right away. You can become creative with this and might even come up with some new ideas of your own. Bottom line is that you always want to market,keep it consistent, and find out what works for you.

Top 7 Reasons For Advertising

The simple answer to the question ‘why do we advertise?’ is that either we have something we want to sell, or someone else has something we want to buy. Alternatively, we may want to give something away, seek an exchange or invite donors or gifts. We advertise, or make known, our offer or need. We bring together people who would not otherwise know of the existence of those able to supply and those with a demand, very often complete strangers. Most people use advertising at some time, either privately or in business. And most people respond to advertisements and so enjoy the choices available to them in every sphere of life.

The elementary answer applies whether we want to sell a private house, raise funds for a charity, sell the production of a million pound business, buy a pre-owned car, attract buyers to our store, launch a new product, engage staff or simply find a pen friend. The technique is same: there is merely a difference of magnitude and sophistication between an inexpensive classified advertisement to sell a charter yacht tour plan and a global campaign on the World Wide Web to sell the same. In short, advertising is the means by which we make known what we have to sell or what we want to buy.

However, with growing numbers of online users across the world, we notice a transition of our interest from paper-based advertisement to online advertisement. We may call it a ‘platform escalation’ that results from rapid progress of technology. But, whatever the modes of advertisements are, their objectives and reasons have been all similar. Let’s discuss them.

Specific Reasons for Advertising:

To announce a new product or service
To expand the market to new buyers
To announce a modification
To announce a new pack
To make a special offer
To educate consumers
To maintain sales

To announce a new product or service: Announcements for a new product or service are very necessary to make them known to the public. To promote something new the entrepreneurs have to take up this means at the very onset of starting with their enterprise. If they can make their promotional appeal bold, dramatic, persuasive and convincing, they can expect a quicker success for their business.

To expand the market to new buyers: A good example of this is when a solar energy system has been used successfully for industrial or commercial purpose, and is then packaged and promoted to the consumer market. The do-it-yourself (DIY) markets are full of such products; put there by advertising. The advertising in such case is likely to have greater impact because the goods have already been proved in professional, commercial or some other accepted use.

To announce a modification: An existing product may be given a ‘face-lift’ with an additive, a refinement, a new finish or casing, or perhaps even a new pack or container. The attempt may be made to revive the sale of a product whose life-cycle is waning too quickly because of competition or some other reasons.

To announce a new pack: Pack identification at the point-of-sale is always important, and is a reason why packages are shown in advertisements. Colorful advertisements work well in this regard. This becomes even more important if there is a change of pack.

To make a special offer: For various reasons, such as competition, slack season, policy to expand sales, advertising may be used to make a special offer. It could be a banded pack, a premium offer, a limited time price reduction or free gifts or samples. New products may be launched with ‘introductory’ special offers. Dry cleaners, cloth merchants, and others may make such special offers when trade is quiet. Again, travel agencies may also offer special low rates to public during out-of-season weeks of the year.

To educate consumers: Rather unfairly it is sometimes said by critics of advertising that there are two kinds, informative and persuasive, and that the former is more socially acceptable or ethical than the latter. The educational advertisement is necessary when a commodity, service or an offer needs careful explanation. This technique can also be used to show new uses for a well-established product. The market can often be extended if extra uses can be suggested.

To maintain sales: One of the secrets of successful advertising is that it should be continuous, in one form or another, however seasonal the main emphasis may be. Not all advertising is aimed at promoting new and exciting products or services. There are everyday products, such as toothpaste, branded beverages, and many more which have been on the market for generations.

These days, the platform of advertisement has widened much greater than the previous days. This has been possible due to the popular Web World. Now, reaching out to millions of customers spread all over the world is just a click away dream, and it has helped all volumes of businesses to expand their business sphere beyond the limits. Though traditional advertisement is still going on, the craze for online advertising has outgrown it to a surprising extent. It has been possible due to greater visibility, wider scope and much lower costs. But, whatever the advantages and distinctions there are, both of their objectives are similar.

The Finer Points of Internet Auctions

WHAT IS A PENNY AUCTION?

Penny auctions have exploded in popularity with the massive growth of the internet. However, few people know the true origins of penny auctions.Beginnings actually stretch back to the Great Depression. Those were hard times for everyone, but even harder for farmers. Farmers struggled to bring in steady income because of droughts and crops not selling as well as they had previously. As a result, the banks would foreclose on the farmers who couldn’t keep up with their mortgage payments.

The banks weren’t satisfied with just repossessing the house, they wanted to raise as much capital as possible, so they resorted to selling off the possessions of the owners of the repossessed houses. There was not much the farmers could do about it so they began bidding ridiculously low prices, pennies, on the items while threatening others who dared to bid higher than a few pennies.

The auctions of today hardly resemble their tremulous beginnings. Being part of a penny auction today is exhilarating, fun, and addictive. It combines the selling format of auctioning with a little bit of chance factored in.Auctions are a game of strategy but also a game of luck.

The premise behind penny auctions is giving people the chance to win an item at a drastically reduced price.Auctions make that possible by spreading out the cost of the product among multiple bidders. In order for a person to take part in an auction, they must pay a set price for each bid. For example, if a person wanted to bid on a fifty dollar Amazon gift card then he would spend a dollar for each time a bid placed. If he ended up winning the gift card, then he would only have spent a few dollars for a fifty dollar gift card. Usually penny auctions sell bids in packages.

HOW PENNY AUCTIONS WORK!

The main foundation of penny auctions is the pay-per-bid format. It is the key that allows bidders to win items at the fraction of their retail value and allows the auction owners to keep their site profitable. Most y auction sites run on the same premise: people pay a set amount for each bid, whenever a person places a bid within the closing seconds of the auction time will be added, the last person left with a unique bid after the clocks runs out will win the item. There are a large variety of items that can be won, but they tend to be popular electronics or gift cards to popular stores.

There are two types of auctions: lowest unique bid auction and highest unique bid auction. Lowest unique auction sounds confusing but it is actually quite simple. A unique bid is when only one person has a bid at a certain price. Bids usually start at one penny, a bidder can then place a bid at two pennies. Until another bidder places a higher bid, the most recent bidder will be the lowest unique bid because that was the only bid at two cents and nobody bid higher. However, penny auctions generally don’t stop at one penny. It is not uncommon to find auctions that end up at a couple hundred dollars based on the popularity of the item being auctioned. However, the same principles apply for those auctions. Highest unique bid auctions follow the more traditional auction format such as eBay. The person with the highest bid at the end of the auction wins the item.

Auction site owners turn a profit by selling bids. Say twenty people are bidding on a ten dollar gift card at one dollar per bid, at the end of the auction if there were twenty bids placed in total then the site owner would have made twenty dollars with a ten dollar profit.Auctions do seem like a win-win situation:The site owner makes money while the bidder gets an item for dirt cheap. However, not everyone wins in penny auctions. The people who paid one dollar each bid but left with nothing to show for their investments will not be so happy.

HOW TO WIN!

Penny auction has a lot of chance mixed into it, but one can incorporate strategy that will help raise the chances of winning. Playing smart can make all the difference between gambling and auctioning.

The first crucial tip to winning penny auctions is to know how to manage your bids. Your goal should be to win as much as possible without spending a ton of money buying bids. Managing your bids means that you should already know how much you are willing to risk in order to win an item. The amount of capital you are willing to risk will determine how many bids you can use. Once you know how many bids you have to spend on an item, then you will be better able to manage how and when you place a bid. That will keep you from blowing away all of your bids in the first few seconds of the auction.

The next tip is to practice time management. When fighting in the trenches of penny auctions, you have two enemies: other bidders and time. Knowing when to bid is a must if you want to have success. Placing a bid when there is a lot of time left on the clock is never a good idea. You have to remember that the key to winning a penny auction is being the last one standing when the clock runs out and that each bid increases the amount of time left. It would be a good practice to wait until the last few minutes of the auction before you begin to bid.

The final tip for successful auctioning is to keep your emotions under control.Auctions have a lot of similarities to gambling, and just like gambling, your spending can get out of control. If you keep your emotions level, it will keep you from making rash decisions and blowing loads of cash. Keep your mind clear so that you can gage the behavior of the other bidders and outsmart them.

HOW TO AVOID SCAM SITES!

Penny auctions are a great addition to the web whether you want to win an item that otherwise you wouldn’t be able to afford or if you simply enjoy the thrill that comes with bidding in auctions. Unfortunately, scam sites have tarnished the reputation of the legitimate penny auction sites. However, there are ways that you can protect yourself from scamers and enjoy your auctioning without having to worry about losing your money due to dishonesty.

Checking the reputation of the auction site before you start spending your hard earned money is always a good idea. Chances are other people have tried the site before you and some of them have left reviews. The reviews are your way to gage whether a auction site is trustworthy or not. If a site is getting overwhelmingly negative reviews, then that is a clear indication that you should steer your business elsewhere.

Another tool you can use to protect yourself is checking the Alexia ranks of the auction sites. Alexia rank will give a solid view of how much traffic the auction is getting. If you see a huge difference in the amount of traffic Alexia is projecting and the amount of active bidders on the site, then warning signals should be ringing in your head. Some auction sites have been known to set up robots that automatically bid on projects in order to keep the auction going and inflate the price. That is known as shill bidding. You can sniff out those sites by comparing the traffic the site should be getting to the amount of users using this site.

CONCLUSION!

New legislation may come out later down the road that will officially make penny auctions gambling, but until then, it is a fun, exciting auction that allows one to win the item they’ve always wanted but couldn’t afford.Auctions are also quite lucrative for the site owners because of the pay-per-bid strategy they’ve incorporated. Penny auctions had humble beginnings with farmers who just wanted to get back at the banks who kicked them out of their house. More recently, auctions have enjoyed an explosion in popularity with the rise of the internet.

There are two main formats fora auctions, lowest and highest unique auction, however they both run on the same premise where the last unique bid wins the item. Winning a penny auction will require a certain amount of mental tactic and a bit of luck. However, you can increase your odds of winning by practicing certain techniques such as managing your bids wisely, learning how to work with the time, and keeping a level head and your emotions under control. When you combine those three strategies to your bidding plan, you will find that you win a lot more often.

It is important that you do your due diligence to protect yourself when participating in auctions. Not every auction is run by honest and trustworthy people. There are people out there who just want to take your money. You can protect yourself by ensuring that you only bid on sites that already have a very positive reputation from real users.

How to Find Great Live Auctions for Resale Items

Hi, my name is Walt. I’m an auctioneer with 25 years of experience in the auction business and licensed in the state of MA. I own Quick Auction Service, a company that specializes in building and running custom auctions, I’m also the webmaster of my own site and have been on eBay for 8 years. Besides eBay, the types of auctions I run most frequently are antiques and on-site estate auctions, although I’ve run everything from business overstock auctions to charity & special event auctions.

I enjoy sharing my knowledge and stories of the auction business. My goal for article is to help folks get the absolute most out of their auction experience.

Whether your fresh out of the package or a seasoned dealer I think I can offer something in this article to help you with your auciton adventures.

There may be as many reasons to attend auctions as there are types of auctions to attend. Maybe you want to attend an auction to buy items for re-sale on eBay, or some other market. Maybe you want to furnish your home with wonderful antiques, or you want to furnish your home as inexpensively without sacrificing quality.Some folks are just looking for a fun night out. With a little perseverance all these things are possible.

There are antiques and estate auctions, auto auctions, overstock auctions, absolute and no reserve auctions, real estate auctions, specialty auctions where only one genre of items are sold, tailgate auctions, live auctions, online auctions, sealed bid auctions, silent auctions, charity and fund raising auctions and many more.

Can you really buy for pennies on the dollar at an auction? You bet! Many times I’ve seen folks buy and re-sell at the same auction on the same night for a good profit, although be advised, this should only be done after the auction is over.

There are a lot of ways to find an auction, but here are some tips on how to find and attend the best ones.

Visit the genre of shops in the area that apply to the type of auction you want to attend. IE: If your looking for a good antique auction to attend, stop in the local antiques shops and ask for what there are for good auctions in the area. Sounds obvious right? But listen to what they don’t say as well as what they do say. Oftentimes when a dealer speaks poorly about an auction he or she attends, it may be likely that they are trying to keep a good thing secret. Think for a moment, why would a dealer keep attending a lousy auction?

Newspaper ads: I personally like to find ads in the classified ad section rather than flashy display ads. Flashy ads are usually indicative of an auction that will be high priced, may have reserves, (a set price on an item), and usually an enormous crowd. While any auction can be profitable to attend, it is usually best to steer clear of the glitzy ones, at least for the beginner.

Here’s the minimum you want to find out before you go. If there is a phone number in the ad, call and ask for the terms of the sale. What forms of payment do they accept? Is it an absolute auction? An absolute auction is one that has no minimum or reserve bids on items. These are the best auctions to attend! Is there a buyers premium? A buyers premium is like a tax that everyone who makes purchases at that auction must pay above the winning bid price. Most auctions these days do charge a buyers premium, 10% is not unreasonable but I feel much more than that is greedy, and the auctioneer that charges over 10% is counting on most bidders not doing the extra math as the bids quicken in pace.

A fair auction will have ample time to inspect the merchandise, usually at least 2 or 3 hours. Find out when inspection starts and make sure to attend! Never attend an auction if you can’t make the inspection, not unless your prepared to gamble. Most auctioneers sell at a rate of about 100 items per hour, which is why they sell “as is”. They simply don’t have the time to give a detailed description of all the items. Since almost all items at auction are sold AS IS, there are sure to be some damaged, refinished, fake and incomplete items at any given auction. Beware of any auctions that offer very little or no inspection time.

Good auctions will usually have 150 to 400 lots. A lot may be one item or a group of items. The exception to this are specialty auctions, auto auctions, real estate auctions etc.

When you attend your first sale, take note of the 1/2 dozen or so dealers that buy the most often. See if you can find out about other area auctions they attend.

When you do find an excellent auction, attend it as often as possible. By frequenting good sales, you help increase the bottom line of that business. It’s difficult for many auctioneers to keep the quality of merchandise consistent, so good attendance certainly helps. And when an auctioneer gets to know you as a buyer, he/she will go out of the way to accommodate you, to keep you coming back.

Hiring An Auction Company

Estimating your assets value:

Typically, one of the first questions a business owner will ask me is, “how much will the assets bring at an auction”. After taking the time to review the assets, the auctioneer should give the client a conservative estimate of the sale based upon his experience and the current market trends. It is important that the company give realistic expectations so the seller can make informed decisions based on their best interest.

Compensation and Expenses:

Is the company you are considering working for you or against you? The agreement you decide may determine this.

A business owner should carefully consider how the auction company is compensated. The most common commission structures include: straight commission, outright purchase of assets, guaranteed base with a split above to both auctioneer and seller, guaranteed base with anything above going to auctioneer or a flat fee structure.

In a straight commission structure, the company is paid an agreed upon percentage of the total sale.

In an outright purchase agreement, the auctioneer simply becomes your end buyer. The company purchases your assets and relocates them. While this can be an option in some unique situations, keep in mind that they will want to purchase your assets at a very reduced price to make a profit at a later date.

In a minimum base guarantee, the auction company guarantees the seller that the auction will generate a minimum amount of sales. Anything above that amount either goes to the auction company or split with the seller. While a seller might feel more comfortable doing an auction knowing that he is guaranteed a minimum amount for his sale, keep in mind that it is the best interest of the auction company to secure a minimum base price as low as possible in order reduce their financial liability to the seller and secure higher compensation for the sale.

In a flat fee structure, the auctioneer agrees to show up for the sale and call the auction. There is no incentive for the auctioneer to get the best prices for your assets. The auction company is compensated regardless of the outcome of your sale.

What is the best option for business owners? In my experience, an agreed upon straight commission structure. This puts the responsibility on the auction company to offer the best outcome for everyone involved. There is an incentive for the auction company to work hard for both parties, set up and run a professional sale, get the highest bid and sell every item on the inventory. Successful auctions translate to a higher bottom line for both the seller and the auction company.

Auction Expenses:

In most auction agreements the expenses to conduct an auction are passed to the seller. If the auction company pays for the expenses, it is simply absorbed in higher commission rates.

All expenses should be agreed upon in advance in a written contract. Typical expenses will include the costs of advertising, labor, legal fees, travel, equipment rentals, security, postage and printing. A reputable auction company will be able to estimate all expenses based upon their experience in previous auctions. An agreement should be actual costs charged as expenses, not an estimated amount.

Advertising is typically the highest cost in conducting an auction. The auction company needs to set up an advertising campaign that will promote the sale to its best advantage and not overspend to simply advertise the auction company.

Once the auction is complete, the auction company should provide a complete breakdown of all expenses to the seller, including copies of receipts within the auction summary report.

Buyer’s Premium:

What is a buyer’s premium? If you attend auctions regularly, you are very familiar with this term. The auction company charges a fee to the buyer when they buy an item at auction.

The buyer’s premium has been around since the 1980′s and is standard auction practice. It was first used by auction houses to help offset costs of running brick and mortar permanent auction facilities. Since then, it has spread to all aspects of the auction industry. It is prominent in online auctions and allows auction companies to cover added expenses incurred from online sales.

It is the responsibility of the auction company to provide clear disclosure of the buyer’s premium to both the buyers and the sellers. Those not familiar with auctions are often taken back by the buyer’s premium. They looked upon it as an under handed way for the auction company to make more money. Reputable auction companies will provide full disclosure within the auction contract, advertisement and bidder registration.

Typically, an auction company will charge online buyers a higher buyer’s premium percentage than those attending an auction in person. Extra fees are incurred with online bidding and are charged accordingly to online buyers. This provides the seller a level playing field for both online buyers and those attending the auction in person. Without the buyer’s premium, there is no way to do this.

Pre-Sales:

We’ve all been there. We’re looking forward to attending an auction only to find that some items were sold prior to the auction date.

As an auctioneer with over thirty-six years of experience, I can honestly state that pre-sales will hurt an auction. When a company decides to liquidate their assets, it is easy to sell off high-end pieces of equipment through online sources, equipment vendors or to other businesses. The seller receives instant cash and avoids paying a commission to an auction company.

Auctioneer’s find themselves appearing to acting in a self-serving capacity when potential clients say they are planning to sell off parts of their inventory prior to an auction. It’s hard not to consider the auctioneer’s commission when they warn you not to pre-sell anything. Yes, the auctioneer wants to earn a commission on those sales but it is more important that the auctioneer protect the sale from potential negative backlash that comes from pre-selling. The buying public knows when an auction has been “cherry picked” prior to the sale and it reflects in their bidding. It becomes a sale of “leftovers” and that impacts prices.

A buyer who purchases prior to the auction usually does not attend the sale. They already bought equipment at a good price with no competition. If they do attend the auction, they tend to let others know of their great pre-sale purchases which again, impacts prices and the overall excitement of the sale.

It is important to understand that auctions work best with a complete inventory. You want competition on your higher end equipment. The easy to sell items make it possible to gain respectable prices for hard to sell items.

When a business owner decides to liquidate their equipment assets, there is only one opportunity to do it right. Hiring a reputable auction company will assist you with a professional, orderly and timely liquidation.

Five Tips for Selling at Live Auctions

Ah, the old-fashioned country auction! The idea of a country auction conjures up certain images for people. The image of a fast-talking auctioneer offering up an antique table or chair is a popular example.

People who are buying household goods or collectibles are looking to get their items at the lowest price possible. However, the people who are selling their items at auction are hoping for the highest price!

Unless a person is in the business of buying and selling antiques or other items, not a lot of thought goes into how goods are prepared for sale via the auction process. However, if you are one of the growing number of people using auction venues to sell your collectibles or other inventory, there are a few things to learn first about how to sell at auction before you bring a truckload of stuff over to the next event.

Tip 1: Make sure the things you want to sell are a good “fit” for the auction house you’ll be using.

Never bring a load to an auction house without actually having been to one of the previous auctions. It’s important to get a feel for the type of goods that the house sells. For example, at one very rural country auction it was common for the owners to sell live chickens, pots and pans, car parts, and farm equipment.

After close investigation, this would not be the right venue for selling your daughter’s “Hello Kitty” collection. On the other hand, the spare John Deere parts that you bought at last week’s yard sale might be just the right thing for the buying crowd at this auction.

Tip 2: Be sure you clearly understand the terms and policies of the auction house.

Visit with the auctioneer ahead of time. Call to find out what the best days and times are to visit. One of the worst possible times to drop in for an informational visit with an auctioneer is the day of the auction. Call ahead and ask. While you’re at it, find out what are the best days and times to drop your stuff off.

Once you have a little time with the auctioneer, you’ll be able to find out what type of commission he or she takes from consigners (which is you), and what type of paperwork might be needed. Some auction houses send out Form 1099 tax forms at the end of the year. An auctioneer may need to see your identification and have you fill out a W-9. Be prepared.

Find out what happens to your items if they don’t sell. For example, some auctioneers may have a minimum starting bid. If, for some reason, one of your items does not sell, it may be grouped with another one of your pieces. Know the auctioneer’s strategy beforehand so that you aren’t surprised on pay day.

Tip 3: Make sure the auctioneer knows what you’re selling.

It might be perfectly obvious to you that the signed print you are consigning is a rare and valuable piece of art. However, the auctioneer may not know this particular artist. Make a note of anything particularly special about your items, and leave the note with the piece. Be sure to tell the auctioneer about it as well. He or she might determine that this is something to highlight on the company website or in the newspaper listing.

Tip 4: Present your items neatly.

No one likes to have to dig through a box full of grimy and greasy car parts to see what treasures might be in there. Separate the parts and lay them out on a flat, or use more than one box to de-clutter the lot.

There is no need to buy fancy display boxes. It’s easy enough to go to the local convenience store or supermarket and ask if you can have the emptied boxes or flats that they are discarding.

While it’s good to present clean items, take care not to ruin the value of anything by over cleaning. For example, if you find some old cast iron cookware, clean the obvious dirt and grime, but don’t scrub it to its original finish. For many people, this ruins the value of the item. So, clean and tidy and organized is the key here.

Tip 5: Don’t complain to the auctioneer if your stuff doesn’t sell for as much as you’d like.

The phrase to remember here is, “You win some; you lose some.” That’s just the way it is. There are some days where an auction house is loaded with people who all seem to want what you’re selling. There will be other days where the crowd is sparse, and the bidding is simply not competitive.

Remember that it’s in the auctioneer’s best interest to sell your things for the highest possible hammer price. But sometimes, it’s just not going to be a stellar sale. The auctioneer is only human, and is also disappointed if a sale doesn’t go as well as planned.

If you notice that every time you bring a bunch of goods to sell that you’re not realizing as much as you think you honestly should, try another auction venue and compare apples to apples. That is, bring the same types of items to the new auctioneer and compare the results.

Unless the auctioneer is particularly disagreeable or inconsiderate to you or buyers, there is no reason to confront him or her about a sale. If you find you just don’t care for an auctioneer’s style or methods, find another one. Believe me, there are plenty of them out there!

The primary thing to remember as you learn how to sell at auction is that the business is unpredictable at best. You will have good days, some not-so-good days, some great days. The more you sell, the more experience you will gain, and the more enjoyable the business will be.

Real Estate Auctions – The New Land Rush

On a sunny afternoon in Florida, an energetic crowd gathers on the lawn of a high end luxury estate. A loud and eager banter between an auctioneer, a group of bidders and bidder assistants fills the air. For several minutes the auctioneer asks for the next highest bid and the bidders respond. Suddenly the bidders grow silent. The high bidder holds his breath in anticipation of winning the auction. The auctioneer calls for one more bid. In a loud clear voice which rolls over the audience he says, “Fair warning, last chance” the auctioneer pauses, “SOLD!” And in less than 10 minutes another multimillion dollar estate has changed owners.

Successful real estate auctions like the one above are happening all over North America and the Caribbean. Recently real estate auctions have been on the rise, the increase in popularity is partly driven by growing inventories and fading buyer confidence. Properties that were selling in weeks using traditional methods are now languishing on the market unable to attract buyers even as seller’s lower prices. Many say the real estate boom is over but savvy buyers and sellers are profiting from real estate auctions.

Real Estate Auctions Work in Up or Down Markets.

Regardless of trends or market cycles, real estate auctions provide an open and transparent process for buyers and sellers. Properly conducted real estate auctions attract ready and willing buyers and motivate them to act now.

The auction method removes the “wait and see” attitude which serves to further depress real estate values. Buyers are always concerned about overpaying. Buyers gain confidence with their purchases at real estate auctions because they can see what others are willing to pay.

When market demand is high and inventories low, real estate auctions can deliver selling prices well above what a willing seller would have accepted in a negotiated private treaty sale. In good selling climates many property owners using traditional real estate methods; negotiating with one buyer at a time, leave thousands of dollars of equity on the table. During up markets real estate auctions are the best way to establish top market price.

Evaluating Your Real Estate for Auction

Not every property or seller for that matter makes a good candidate for auction. First of all sellers must be ready to sell now and for the current market value. Also a real estate auction will not fix problems caused by a downturn in market value of your property, if you owe more than a willing buyer will pay, be prepared to come to closing with your check book.

Properties that do well in real estate auctions have a high uniqueness factor. Ask your self, “What makes my property different from most others?” Maybe you own a resort property or high end luxury home, commercial properties and land do very well at auction. Real estate auctions thrive on uniqueness. If your property is like everyone else’s, the best thing you can do is offer the most competitive price.

Most importantly sellers must be reasonable about setting a minimum bid. A seller must look at the lowest, most current comps and price below that to generate the interest and urgency necessary for a successful real estate auction. Once the auction begins and qualified bidders start competing against one another you can watch the selling price increase.

Locate a Qualified Real Estate Auctioneer

Start by checking with the National Auctioneers Association, the best real estate auctioneers belong to this organization. These real estate auctioneers are well trained and adhere to a standard of practice and a code of ethics. Many attend the annual International Auctioneers Conference where the latest techniques and innovations in the real estate auction industry are presented.

Find out if the company you are interviewing is a full time real estate auction firm. Many real estate agents are getting auction licenses yet have no experience with the auction method of marketing. Conducting a successful real estate auction is nothing like (private treaty) traditional real estate sales. Go with a real estate auction pro.

You’re probably better of with an auction house that specializes in real estate auctions. There are many qualified auctioneers who have generations of experience selling personal property; furniture, dishes, lawn equipment and the occasional rare painting. Selling real estate at auction is a complex matter that should only be attempted by full time experienced real estate auction professionals.

Commissions and fees may vary, sellers must pay all marketing expenses up front and buyers typically pay 10% of the sales price to the auctioneer of which a share goes to participating real estate agents.

Types of Real Estate Auctions

Auctions are effective because they create a seller’s market. Professionally conducted real estate auctions create urgency, a reason to buy today and competition for the property. Terms and conditions of sale are established ahead of the auction. Real estate auctions will follow one of these three approaches:

Absolute Auction

The property is sold to the highest bidder regardless of price- using this process often returns the highest sale price.

Minimum Bid Auction

Seller agrees to sell at or above a published minimum bid price – this method is useful for internet auctions.

Seller Confirmation or Reserve Auction

With a reserve auction, the seller “reserves” the right to accept or decline any bids usually within 48 hours of the auction. Reserve auctions are used when there is a lien on the property from a lender or a court ordered sale with a minimum selling price.