I recently returned home from what has become my annual “auctioneer convention season” including conferences and other events in Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, Texas, and West Virginia. For most of these events, I served as a speaker/presenter talking about a myriad of auction-related issues.
In less than a month, I will return again to Bloomington, Indiana to teach a class for the foremost in auctioneer education: the Certified Auctioneer Institute (CAI). If you don’t mind a bit of my advice here … if you’re an auctioneer and haven’t attended CAI yet, there may be no better time than this March.
Otherwise, much of my other time away recently was spent talking with auctioneers before and after class about issues specific to them. For example, I had in-depth discussions with other auctioneers about:
How to improve their bid calling for the next auctioneer contest
How to improve their interview skills for the next auctioneer contest
What questions should be asked in an auctioneer contest
Why they should join the National Auctioneers Association
What is involved in canceling an auction event
How best to advertise an auction
The future of the Multiple Listing Service
How to properly defend themselves in a lawsuit
What the best business structure is for an auctioneer
When and how can firearms be sold at auction
What changes do I foresee in the firearm laws
The best restaurants in New Orleans
Except for restaurant recommendations, I also directed a few auctioneers to this blog, where I thought they could read my opinion(s) on particular subjects. To date, I’ve published almost 800 such articles relating to the auction industry here: https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/
Given all this advice — could anyone disagree with me? Surely, and some have shared their disagreement with something I’ve said or claimed on this platform via social media or otherwise. While I would hold I have the right to express myself and my opinion — they have that same right to make their disagreement known; discussions such as this often cite the First Amendment.
I note a few other auctioneers have an interest in free speech as well, and here is a video from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas: http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/11/01/clarence-thomas-rare-interview-ingraham-angle concerning the topic.
However, do people such as myself and other auctioneers have a higher level of responsibility as we represent the National Auctioneers Association, state auctioneer associations and the like? I think maybe we do … and I would consider those responsibilities to include: have thoughtful, well-reasoned thoughts and necessarily express them.
We should all applaud the slate of top-shelf auctioneers and other professionals who have — and continue to — give tirelessly to National Auctioneers Association classes and seminars, state auctioneer classes and seminars and contribute otherwise to creating, auditing and rewriting classes as well as coordinating all the scheduling, traveling and instructor needs for the betterment of the auction industry.
Mike Brandly, Auctioneer, CAI, AARE has been an auctioneer and certified appraiser for over 30 years. His company’s auctions are located at: Mike Brandly, Auctioneer, RES Auction Services and Goodwill Columbus Car Auction. He serves as Distinguished Faculty at Hondros College of Business, Executive Director of The Ohio Auction School, an Instructor at the National Auctioneers Association’s Designation Academy and Texas Auction Academy. He is faculty at the Certified Auctioneers Institute held at Indiana University and is approved by the The Supreme Court of Ohio for attorney education.
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