Midwest Auctioneers Roundup * Kalamazoo, Michigan Don’t Post that on Facebook! What you say online could be used against you Don’t Post that on Facebook! What you say online could be used against you Summer 2019 Viewing Instructons: If you fnd that some sectons are too small to read easily... Go up into your VIEW menu at the top of your screen and scroll down to zoom, or even turn on the “View at Full Screen” opton. These are just a few of the simpler optons available. Plus, don’t forget you can also print the document. A Digital Publicaton of the Michigan Auctoneers Associaton. www.FindMichiganAuctons.com, Email: [email protected]Impactful Revenue Generators! Bringing in more money for your client Impactful Revenue Generators! Bringing in more money for your client *See Rules for details and requirements Website Security Staying Compliant and Reducing Threats Website Security Staying Compliant and Reducing Threats Cover Photo: Spring Aucton, Joel Holzhauzen, Park Lake Auctons Midwest Auctioneers Roundup Kalamazoo, MI June 17-18, 2019 Midwest Auctioneers Roundup Kalamazoo, MI June 17-18, 2019 Championship Features $3,500 Grand Prize!* Becomes one of the premier championships in the country Championship Features $3,500 Grand Prize!* Becomes one of the premier championships in the country How to get the Upper Hand Negotiating the Deal How to get the Upper Hand Negotiating the Deal
Transcript
Midwest Auctioneers Roundup * Kalamazoo, Michigan
Don’t Post that on Facebook!What you say online
could be used against you
Don’t Post that on Facebook!What you say online
could be used against you
Summer 2019
Viewing Instructions: If you find that some sections are too small to read easily... Go up into your VIEW menu at the top of your screen and scroll down to zoom, or even turn on the “View at Full Screen” option. These are just a few of the simpler options
available. Plus, don’t forget you can also print the document. A Digital Publication of the Michigan Auctioneers Association. www.FindMichiganAuctions.com, Email: [email protected]
Impactful Revenue Generators!Bringing in more money for your client
Impactful Revenue Generators!Bringing in more money for your client
*See Rules for details and requirements
Website SecurityStaying Compliant and Reducing Threats
Website SecurityStaying Compliant and Reducing Threats
Cover Photo: Spring Auction, Joel Holzhauzen, Park Lake Auctions
Midwest
Auctioneers
RoundupKalamazoo, MI
June 17-18, 2019
Midwest
Auctioneers
RoundupKalamazoo, MI
June 17-18, 2019
Championship Features
$3,500 Grand Prize!* Becomes one of the premier
championships in the country
Championship Features
$3,500 Grand Prize!* Becomes one of the premier
championships in the country
How to get the Upper HandNegotiating the DealHow to get the Upper HandNegotiating the Deal
Get More Info & Register at www.MidwestAuctioneersRoundup.com
June 17-18, 2019
Midwest
RoundupDelta by Marriott
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Roundup ScheduleJune 17, 2019
9:00 AM Golf Outing
10:00 AM Clay Shoot
3:00 PM Exhibits Open! Education Starts! Barrett Bray, IAC Champion “Tools To Achieve Success in the Auction Business”
8:30 AM Jason Hallberg “The Devaluation of the Auctioneer”
10:30 AM Billy Peyton “From Auto Auctions to The Super Auction: Finding Success as a Contract Auctioneer”
Noon: Exhibitor/Sponsor Luncheon
1:00 PM David Helmer “Negotiating - An Interactive Role Play on Overcoming Seller Objections”
3:30 PM MAA Board Meeting*All Schedules are Subject to Change
Hotel Info...Delta by Marriott Kalamazoo Conference Center2747 S 11th St, Kalamazoo, MI 49009269-375-6000 or 888-890-3222
Single/Double Room Rates:
Sunday or Monday Night: $119**Prices do not include state & local taxes. Please contact hotel for policies.
Reservations...For Reservations, Call Delta by Marriott at 269-375-6000 or
888-890-3222. Rooms are LIMITED!Group Name: Midwest Auctioneers RoundupRoom Block Cutoff: Hotel Reservations must be made before May 30.
Soar into comfort at our newly renovated hotel in Kalamazoo
Maximize your time at Delta Hotels Kalamazoo Conference Center. With our enticing amenities, convenient location and thoughtful accommodations, our newly renovated hotel offers a seamless experience. Situated along Highway 131, destinations such as Bell’s Brewery, Western Michigan University and Wing Event Center are just moments from our hotel. Skip the taxi when you land in Michigan and depart the airport in our complimentary shuttle. You don’t have to go far for a local craft beer. Our on-site restaurant offers 20 regional brews on tap and Michigan-inspired meals. Mix business with pleasure and connect to our complimentary Wi-Fi to finish a few work tasks. Then, dive into our plush beds and stream your favorite Netflix shows on our Smart TVs before drifting off to sleep. Wake up feeling refreshed and radiate momentum throughout your conference in one of our 17 event venues. In-between professional meetings and beer tastings, make time for a little relaxation at Delta Hotels Kalamazoo Conference Center.
Lift Restaurant & Lounge
Take off to Lift Restaurant & Lounge to indulge in enticing, regionally inspired dishes. With 20 Kalamazoo craft beers on tap and dishes with locally sourced ingredients, our modern restaurant offers a refreshing take on classic Michigan cuisine. Enjoy our Starbucks Cafe on-site!
www.MidwestAuctioneersRoundup.com
*All Times/Events are subject to change.
CALLING ALL BID CALLERS TO THE MIDWEST AUCTIONEER CHAMPIONSHIP!
The GoToAuction.com Midwest Auctioneer Championship made it’s name for being the roughest bid calling contest in the country. After new sponsor backing, this contest is now even rougher, and tougher and features even bigger prizes!!
WE ARE PROUD TO INTRODUCE THE 2019 GOTOAUCTION.COM MIDWEST AUCTIONEER
CHAMPIONSHIP!
Featuring $3500* grand prize to the winner!Top 5 finalists receive cash payouts
Any auctioneer with a hat can enter, doesn’t matter what contests you have won or how fancy your suit is or how many birthdays you’ve had.
Two minute time limit to sell as many items as you brought. If you go over the time limit, the GONG will sound to indicate a loss of
10 points.
No interview questions, just straight up bid calling.
BRING YOUR “A” GAME!! THIS IS SURE TO BE ONE OF THE HOTTEST
This entry form and appropriate entry fee must accompany your conference registration to enter.
I agree that the above is true and correct and I agree to abide by all rules and regulations of the Midwest Auctioneer Championship set forth by the committee, Board of Directors & Officers of the Michigan Auctioneers Association. I also understand that if I win over the IRS minimum, I
will be required to provide information required for IRS Form 1099.
Signature
CONTEST GUIDELINES:Entries close on Monday, June 17, 2019 at 5:30pm1. Contestants must pay for full registration to the Midwest 2. Auctioneers Roundup along with contest entry fees. Members of sponsoring states (IN, MI, OH) may register at Member Rates. $50 early entry fee, $60 after May 28. 3. There is a cap of 40 contestants 4. - Register EARLY or you may not
be able to compete!
You have TWO minutes to sell what you bring for your preliminary 5. items, point deduction for exceeding time limit.Ringmen are allowed and encouraged, but you must bring your 6. own.Contestant briefing at 6:00pm to draw for selling order and 7. review procedures.Contestants cannot sell in the Fun Auction until contest concludes 8. or they have been eliminated.By registering, contestant agrees to be photographed and/9. or video taped and understands that the contest may be broadcasted via the internet. Contestant also agrees that the MAA may use your name, voice and/or image for informational, educational, advertising or promotional purposes relating to the MAA, the Competition and the Industry.Top 5 preliminary scores advance to the finals. Items will be 10. provided for the finalists. No finals interview.Champion will be announced based upon highest total of 11. combined score.Tie scores will be settled based upon high score of individual 12. score sheet criteria.*The Champion will receive the Title, trophy and $2500 prize. If 13. the Champion is a Michigan Auctioneers Association Member AND a YEARLY PLATINUM Member of GoToAuction.com, they will receive $3500 ($2500 + $1000 Bonus detailed above)! Cash prizes for all finalists!!!14.
Featuring a $3500 GRAND PRIZE!
Contestants registered as MAA Members AND GoToAuction Yearly Platinum members will be eligible for an additional $1000 payout
to the champion ($3500 Total)!!!
Midwest Auctioneer Champions
Billy Peyton, 2018Eli Troyer, 2017
The internet offers ample opportunity to make money online, regardless of whether you’re selling physical goods or services.
But setting up a profitable ecommerce business can be a complicated endeavor. The major stages include building an online presence, attracting visitors to your website, and then converting those individuals into customers.
In the rush to get a new ecommerce company online, you may be tempted to bypass some security best practices. However, doing so puts your entire business at risk. If you do not prioritize cybersecurity within your organization and website, there’s a good chance hackers will eventually make you sorry you didn’t take the time.
1. Choose a secure host
As an ecommerce retail company, you are responsible for all of customer data stored on the website and servers, including the history of credit card transactions. But it’s impossible to keep this kind of confidential information secure if you cannot trust the server and platform where it lives.
To compete in the online world of retail, you must invest in a security-minded, high-powered cloud host that allows you to scale up or down based on customer traffic and sales levels. Relying on a shared data center makes it more difficult to maintain security over your data and that’s a bad thing.
If you choose a cheap and unreliable web host company, you will not only get poor speed and performance, but the security of your site could suffer as well.
2. Add SSL protection
Hosting your ecommerce website on a reliable hosting provider does not allow you to check off the box on a solid security strategy. Even if your host is as solid as they come, every time a customer enters a password or credit card number on your website, they are in danger
of having that information hijacked by a bad guy.
For piece of mind for both you and your customers (and because Google will reward you in the search results), it’s important to enable secure socket layer (SSL) protection on your website. When you obtain an SSL certificate and install it on your servers, it encrypts all data flowing between the server and a customer’s browser.
Lots of people access the internet via unreliable and probably unsafe public wi-fi networks, leaving their personal information wide open for hackers to intercept. But thanks to the SSL encryption, stolen data cannot be decoded.
As an ecommerce company, you are responsible for keeping your SSL certificate updated on a regular basis.
3. Encrypt customer data
With an SSL certificate, you protect customer data from the browser perspective. But that doesn’t prevent a hacker from trying to infiltrate your back-end systems and steal information directly from the source. For this reason, it is critical to have encryption tools protecting your databases and servers.
Obviously, a web host isn’t likely to let you start installing software in their server but you should ask questions about the specific security they offer before signing up for a hosting plan. This isn’t limited to hosting provides, either. The best email marketing services make security a top priority, and this includes Constant Contact. Subscriber emails and all associated data should be kept private and secure on multiple levels.
Obviously the goal is to prevent cyber criminals from ever gaining access to your corporate network. But you should be prepared for the chance it happens. If your database tables are stored in a plain-text format, then there will be nothing to stop hackers from extracting data and stealing email addresses, phone numbers, and passwords.
4. Test for vulnerabilities
Website downtime for an ecommerce retailer can spell doom. If your customers can’t reliably load your site, then it means a loss in revenue. For this reason, you need to be as proactive as possible in looking for potential vulnerabilities before an outsider actually exploits them.
7 Website Security Essentials for eCommerce Retailers by Dan Fries
Want to learn how to really Network? Sign up
now @ www.MidwestAuctioneersRoundup.com
A process known as penetration testing involves hiring an outside firm to run a series of experiments where they pose as hackers. If they determine that a certain network or database exploit exists in your system, they will alert you to the issue and provide recommendations to correct the flaw.
5. Stay compliant
With internet privacy becoming a major topic worldwide, companies that store customer data online must be diligent about their methods and practices. Europe, in particular, has brought focus to this area. Legislation called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was passed in 2018.
Under the rules of GDPR, any website that is available to European users must control data in an appropriate way to stay compliant. Customers must be notified about how their data is shared and be alerted if a breach occurs. Failure to meet this standard could result in significant fines and penalties.
In addition, the industry where your ecommerce website operates may also dictate what compliance rules you must follow. For example, if your business needs to store health-related information on your users, then the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act also applies to you.
6. Back-up your data
Every ecommerce retailer needs to develop a disaster recovery plan in case of a major cybersecurity attack or outage. The goal is to restore service to your core website and servers as quickly as possible.
To completely defend against hackers, your organization must have a strict backup policy on all key databases. Best practices dictate that storage systems should be replicated across multiple global instances, so that even if your primary database crashes in one region, you can transfer all traffic to another one quickly.
7. Use real-time threat alerts
Knowledge is power. You’ve probably heard that phrase a time or two and nowhere is it more true than in the ecommerce field, especially as it relates to dealing with any of the variety of hack attempts and malware coming your way.
The sooner you know about a threat, the better, which is one reason to consider investing in a website monitoring service. While you might already feel nickel and dimed to death with the subscription fees associated with an ecommerce website, this one is worth a long look.
It’s time to invest in eCommerce securityThe bottom line is this. You probably didn’t go into business to spend your days pacing the network perimeter on high alert for the next penetration attempt. You’re in it to run the business, share your passion with the world, and make a living.
A monitoring service can be configured to deliver security alerts by text or email. How much is peace of mind that security experts are standing guard worth? Your call.
As global hack attempts continue to spiral upwards in intensity, tending to your ecommerce website’s security is no longer something to be tended to later if ever.
The sheer numbers reveal that your site is probably being probed by one or more bad guys right now.
Unless you’re proactive, it’s just a matter of time until they get in. Implementing the preceding security essentials sooner rather than later would be a good idea.
Dan Fries is a freelance writer and full stack Rust developer. He looks for
convergence in technology trends, with specific interests in cyber security, micromobility, and smart cities. Dan enjoys snowboarding and is based in
Hong Kong with his pet beagle, Teddy. Originally sourced from: https://blogs.
constantcontact.com/7-website-security-essentials-for-ecommerce-retailers/ *Reprinted with permission from Constant Contact
*Photo courtesy of www.pexels.com
Are you listing your Auctions on the MAA Website? The MAA is the #1 most viewed Michigan auction website on the Internet. MAA Members, Post your auctions for FREE on the MAA
website and it will automatically post to several other auction related sites on the Internet, including GoToAuction.com and more! Don’t have your login? Go to www.msaa.org, click on Member Login, and use the “forgot password” link to obtain your password. Use the
email you have in your MAA membership record. Not a Member? Join Today at www.FindMichiganAuctions.com!
After each charity auction we conduct a post-auction evaluation with our nonprofit clients. The group shares things they thought worked well and discusses any areas that could be improved upon. When we begin consulting with the client for the following year’s event, about four to six months out, we revisit the notes from that evaluation.
Sometimes we get so caught up in the history of the event that we fail to include ways to refresh the event out of the discussion. I’m not talking about changing the menu or the venue, but about refreshing things that are specifically fundraising-related. Let’s explore some of these things together.
Your evening’s program should be mapped out with fundraising in mind rather than a goal of entertaining the guests. Many times, charities want to schedule the fundraising portion of the event at the end of the evening, which is the same time your attendees begin to experience “guest fatigue”. I highly encourage just the opposite. Conduct your fundraising activities early
in the evening, while the guests are fresh and intoxication is not yet a concern. And remember, guests don’t want to stay at an event for 3 or 4 hours, so keep that in mind when putting together your event agenda.
I’m increasingly encouraging my nonprofit clients to consider focusing their events more on the appeal. An appeal is called by many things – Fund-A-Need, Fund-A-Mission, Paddle Raise, Pledge, Mission Moment, etc. You can read more about this important component of any fundraising event, and how it can raise a lot of money for your charity’s mission, in an earlier blog I wrote entitled “A Special Appeal – What is it and do we want it?”. In a nutshell, the appeal is simply a portion of your event that allows guests to give to the charity, receiving nothing in return.
The trend we are seeing at benefit events is groups offering fewer live auction items, usually 5 to 10 items, and a significantly smaller or nonexistent silent auction. Sometimes the silent auction is replaced with 6 to 10 raffle baskets.
With fewer auction items, there could be a loss of revenue. To remedy this, a major focus needs to be made toward the appeal, especially obtaining pre-commitments. Pre-commitments are in essence pledges from donors who commit to giving at the higher levels of ask ($1,000, $5,000, $25,000, etc) when the fundraising auctioneer conducts the appeal. I cannot stress enough how important these pre-commitments are to the success of an appeal. I encourage you to strive toward obtaining a minimum of one-third of your appeal goal in the form of these donor commitments.
If you decide to reduce the number of live and/or silent auction packages, you might consider replacing that revenue with impactful revenue generators.
Many of our clients have found that a Three Trip Raffle is a very successful way to raise funds. This raffle consists of 3 different trips that the winner can choose from. It’s optimum if you can get trips donated that are desirable and of a similar value, but most of the time our nonprofits use travel packages can be found at numerous consignment companies. Our nonprofits speak highly of Mitch-Stuart, Getaway2Give, and Winspire.
To facilitate a Three Trip Raffle, you’ll need to identify three travel packages with similar costs of no more than $3,500 each. Create raffle tickets that include a place to collect contact information so you will have the info you need to contact the winner (and add those ticket purchasers’ info to your charity’s database!). Begin selling raffle tickets for $100 each about 6 weeks prior to your event and continuing the sales through event night, when you’ll draw the winning raffle ticket. You can limit the availability to 135 tickets, or not. Selling all 135 tickets means you’ve creates a net profit of $10,000 for your charity. *Be sure to check and adhere to the raffle laws in your state.
Make every minute a revenue generating minute!
Brainstorming Fresh Fundraising Ideas by Christie King, CAI, AMM, BAS
We have written more than once regarding auctioneers posting on Facebook and elsewhere — where other people can see such. Most notably we explored this issue here: https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2017/02/10/hiring-auctioneers-and-social-media/.
Recently we noted this again in regard to direct and circumstancial evidence in court cases: https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2019/05/09/intent-direct-and-circumstantial-evidence-in-auction-cases/.
The issue is essentially this: Anything you post on Facebook, your website, or other platforms (including this writing, for that matter) are able to be accessed by others — and anything posted which helps your side of your case is beneficial — and anything that helps the other side can be devastating.
I walked into a deposition a few years ago where an attorney had four 500-page binders full of my prior blogs, with colored tabs marking my writings he intended to query me about; a recent case marked the second time an auctioneer’s post on Facebook was used against him in multimillion negotiation/settlement discussions.
Most posting on Facebook or otherwise is fairly inconsequential. However, posts about your experience, marketing, what you do, what you don’t do … are best to accurately reflect your experience, marketing, what you do and what you don’t do, or those posts could be used against you.
Further, remarks about sellers, bidders, buyers or the auction industry generally could be used as evidence of your attitude or perspective. This is not necessarily a bad thing unless your actions or subsequent behavior don’t quite match those words.
I somewhat frequently see posts on Facebook which essentially say, “I booked this auction and I have no idea what I’m
doing …” Let’s just imagine for a second this auction doesn’t go that well and the seller (or seller’s attorney) sees this post indicating the auctioneer knew his expertise was woefully inadequate.
People have long said, “Think before you speak.” In today’s environment, it’s maybe even more important to, “Think
before you post.”
Mike Brandly, Auctioneer, CAI, CAS, 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, Executive Director
of The Ohio Auction School, an Instructor at the National Auctioneers Association’s Designation Academy and America’s 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.
Should I post that on Facebook — or anywhere?by Mike Brandly, The Ohio Auction School
June 17, 2019 * Kalamazoo, MichiganFeaturing $3500* grand prize to the winner!
Top 5 finalists receive cash payouts
New finals round to bring back the top 5 for an exciting SHOOT OUT!
Any auctioneer with a hat can enter, doesn’t matter what contests you have won or how fancy your suit is or how many birthdays you’ve had. Two minute time limit to sell as
many items as you brought. If you go over the time limit, the GONG will sound to indicate a loss of 10 points. Limited to 40 Contestants!
No interview questions, just straight up bid calling.
BRING YOUR “A” GAME!! THIS IS SURE TO BE ONE OF THE HOTTEST CONTESTS IN THE COUNTRY FOR 2019!!
Register Online at www.MidwestAuctioneersRoundup.com
Join us for the GOTOAUCTION.COM MIDWEST AUCTIONEER CHAMPIONSHIP!
*See website for rules and more info
One issue negotiating almost always - no, I’ll say ALWAYS produces a win-lose result. When there’s only one issue on the table, for one party to gain an advantage on that issue, the other party has to yield or make a concession.
On the other hand, if there are multiple issues, one party could gain on one while their opponent gains on another. Each party tends to be a hard bargainer on issues they value heavily, while they’re willing to make concessions on other issues they may not value so heavily.
That’s all theory, to this point, so how does one actually avoid single issue negotiating. It’s as simple as being alert to the benefit of having multiple issues and being creative in introducing multiple issues.
Example: A fellow is out to purchase a new appliance. The one issue that’s most obvious is the price. Our fellow wants a low price. The store manager wants full price. A gain by one
only is possible by a loss by the other. That’s win-lose at its core.
Our keen fellow recognizes that limiting the negotiations to just price is something to be avoided. So, as he drives to the store he diligently seeks to identify other issues to add to the discussions (negotiations). What would you suggest he consider?
Our fellow has identified a few, including: 1. Delivery of the new appliance (which might be an extra cost item), 2.The removal and disposal of the old appliance (another extra cost possibility), 3. Extended warranty (almost always an extra expense), and 4. Purchasing another item at a significant discount (quantity discount).
There certainly can be others.
Now when the bargaining begins between our key fellow and the store manager, they’re not just negotiating price, but other items come into play. Without the other issues, the bargaining would proceed quite quickly to the highest price our fellow would pay and the lowest price the store manager would accept. Heading to an impasse or a ‘cave in’ very quickly.
Don’t forget that beyond the price and ancillary issues, our fellow can always ask for the ‘courtesy discount’ or ‘repeat customer discount’ (if that applies) and he can ask, “What do I have to do to get a better price on this item?” One is often surprised at what their opponent finds valuable and what they’d like from a customer.
So what’s your next negotiation going to be? Will it be a major purchase where extra issues might be easily identified? Or will it be a family negotiation with a teenager where you have to be creative to inject additional issues. Even if the extra issues don’t result in a major price concession by your opponent, at least you’re in a position to gain some other items of value and be assured that you did achieve the best deal possible. Isn’t that always our goad?
Whatever the situation, good negotiators know that limiting negotiations to one issue is a dangerous situation and creative efforts should be made to add other items to the bargaining list. Identify those extra issues as you KEEP Negotiating.
Avoid One Issue Negotiations by John Hamilton
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