COLORADO AUCTIONEER
the Second Quarter • 2018
The Quarterly Newsletter of the Colorado Auctioneers Association
How Would You Respond If Asked: “What Time Is The 3 O’clock Parade?” “What time is the 3 o’clock parade?” On any given day in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort, you might hear Guests asking our Cast Members this seemingly peculiar question. And, while the question appears to have an obvious answer, we also know that frequently the true question lies beyond the obvious. As our Guests are often excited and distracted by the myriad of sights and sounds in our Theme Parks, we know that when they ask this question, more than likely, they want to know more than just the start time of the parade. So, Cast Members will ask some additional questions to uncover what it is that the Guest really wants to know…such as, “What time will the parade get to me?” “When should I start waiting to get a good viewing spot?” and “Where is the best place to stand?” Instead of simply repeating the obvious answer — the actual parade start time — back to the Guest, our Cast Members take this opportunity to draw from their theme park knowledge and Disney service training. They may share with the Guest what time the parade will pass by certain locations in the park, offer possible vantage points to view the parade or advise when to leave another area and still arrive at the parade on time. This is important, because rather than dismissing the “3 o’clock parade?” question as something trivial and offering a blunt response, Cast Members understand that it offers the opportunity to exceed the Guests’ expectations and make them feel special by further personalizing their experience. This understanding of our Guests, and our Cast Members’ ability to anticipate and respond to this question in a way
that exceeds expectation, is not new. Since opening Walt Disney World in 1971, both frontline employees and leaders have worked to fully understand and operationalize our service approach. Today, the “3 o’clock parade” question is commonly used to help Cast Members understand that their answer can either end the conversation, or it can begin a quest for richer discovery. At Disney Institute, we have seen that an organization can never have exceptional customer service without a profound understanding of its customer at the individual level. Therefore, in order to provide an exceptional service experience, the organization must understand each customer’s needs and wants, and be able to respond accordingly in the service moment. From what we have observed, every organization has its own “3 o’clock parade” question. First, you must find yours — asking frontline employees is often the best place to start. Then, you must train employees how to anticipate such questions and use them as an opportunity to exceed customer expectations. This represents a huge opportunity for organizations to differentiate themselves by reassuring each and every customer that they are truly listening and empathetic to their concerns. Ask yourself, what is your organization’s “3 o’clock parade” question? How can you help train your employees to forgo the seemingly obvious “need” in favor of understanding what each customer truly “wants”? By Bruce Jones, Senior Programming Director, Disney Institute
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018
thecoloradoauctioneer
From the President
S
pring and early Summer time usually seems like one of the busiest times of the year for everyone, their families and their businesses. I hope that your time in 2018 has been well spent with family and friends. The Colorado Auctioneers Association has been busy as well. We had one of our major meetings of our membership at our Annual “Day at the Capitol” visit on April 30th. This year we set a record for membership representation at out Capital Building and promoted the auction industry to our elected officials. Our 2018 State Champion, Dean Gunter, accompanied by Jr. Champion, Rylee Nichols, stood on the floor of the House of Representatives and sold a Colorado State Flag. Dean did a great job bid-calling and represented our association well. Bryce Elemond, our 2nd V.P., did a good job organizing our associations Day at the Capitol to celebrate National Auctioneers Week. I want to thank all of the individuals that took the time to visit our Capital Building and celebrate National Auctioneers Week. If you haven’t made time to visit the State Capital Building with our association, I highly recommend you do your best next year to do so. The CAA has also had great representation on the national level this year. The World Automobile Auctioneer Championship took place on May 4, 2018, and we had 5 of our own members compete. Vaughn Long earned 4th in the Team Competition and Wesley Lamb earned the “Rising Star Award.” Shawn Hagler, Chris Miller and Sammy Hamblen also competed in the World Automobile Auctioneer Championship contest. Our state is full of talented and skilled auctioneers and we are proud of them for representing our State Association. The National Auctioneers Association 2018 Conference and Show is coming up in July and the CAA has many of our members representing us, including Scott Schuman (2018 NAA President), David Whitley (Board of Director) and various other members. Your CAA Board is busy with the planning stages for the Summer Picnic and 2019 Convention, etc. I would encourage our members and their families to join us for the Summer Picnic at the end of July. It is a great opportunity to meet, visit and enjoy fellowship with your fellow CAA members. We also toss a few horseshoes and enjoy great food. As each of our schedules continue to fill up more throughout the Spring and Summer, I ask that you keep in mind our auctioneers who may have been a previous member or scout for new members. Keeping our members active and engaged is the solid foundation of any successful business or association. We are in our 60th year, proving to me that our founding members did it correct when they formed the CAA and we need to keep that legacy going strong to the best of our abilities. As I close this short message I wanted to remind our membership of our mission statement; The Colorado Auctioneers Associations Mission: To promote the auction method of marketing to all buyers and sellers through continues professionalism, education and experience. I want to wish you a prosperous and continued success in 2018 for you families and business. Respectfully, Michael Nichols, 2018 CAA President 2
BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT: Michael Nichols Nichols Auctioneers 22300 County Rd. 9 • Flagler, CO 80815 719-765-4756 • Cell 719-350-0126 • mnichols96@esrta.com 1st VICE PRESIDENT: Mike Heitmann MH Bar Auctions, Inc. 27275 Mid Jones Rd. • Calhan, CO 80808 406-450-2051 • mhbar@earthlink.net 2nd VICE PRESIDENT: Bryce Elemond Affordable Auctioneering, LLC 25800 E. Byers Pl. • Aurora, CO 80018 720-229-5832 • affordableauctioneering@gmail.com CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD: Eric Arrington The Auction Team 2478 Industrial Blvd. • Grand Junction, CO 81505 970-245-1185 • Cell 970-623-9161 • eric@theauctionteam.com TREASURER: Rob Hart, CAI, ATS Hall & Hall Auctions 100 S. Cherry Ave., Suite D• Eaton, CO 80615 970-716-2120 • Cell: 918-510-3866 • rhart@hallandhall.com Casey Giddings (2018-2019) Rocky Mountain Estate Brokers, Inc. 24 Oak Ave. • Eaton, CO 80615 970-454-1010 • Cell: 970-222-1625 • casey@whitleyauction.com Shawn Hagler (2018 – 2019) 25800 E Byers Pl. • Aurora, CO 80018 303-709-3725 • auctioneer@shawnhagler.com Rob Hart, CAI, ATS Hall & Hall Auctions 100 S. Cherry Ave., Suite D• Eaton, CO 80615 970-716-2120 • Cell: 918-510-3866 • rhart@hallandhall.com Josh Larson (2017-2018) 310 N. Wayne • Haxton, CO 80731 970-520-2946 • jmlauction@gmail.com Lance Nichols (2017-2018) Nichols Auctioneers 38241 WCR 23 • Eaton, CO 80615 970-302-6185 • lanichols12@gmail.com John Schaffner (2018-2019) Schaffner Auctions 36470 CR Z • Wray, CO 80758 970-630-3402 • jschaffner51@yahoo.com Mike Whitfield (2018 - 2019) Schur Success Group 366 Second Street, Suite B • Monument, CO 80132 719-667-1000 • Cell 719-238-8300 • whit@successauctions.com David P. Whitley (2017-2018) Rocky Mountain Estate Brokers, Inc. 24 Oak Ave. • Eaton, CO 80615 970-454-1010 • Cell: 970-539-1269 • david@whitleyauction.com Cissy Tabor • Executive Secretary 846 Cactus Ct • Rifle, CO 81650 Cell 970-985-8228 • admin@coauctioneers.com
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018 thecoloradoauctioneer
NAA Spotlight
Your membership just helped the whole industry
T
hank you! Your membership in your State Association has helped the entire auction industry. By mid-April, the United States Supreme Court will have heard arguments about a case, South Dakota vs. Wayfair, that could have significant impact on the future of the auction industry. You see, the South Dakota state government passed a law last year that said that you must collect sales tax if you sell an item(s) at the place of possession of the item.
As an example, if you sell an item in Minnesota and you ship it to South Dakota, the new law says you must collect South Dakota sales tax. Right now, the South Dakota government does not believe it will be a big deal because they say this will only happen if you sell 200 items to one person/company or sell items totaling $100,000. However, there is no telling how long that “threshold” will last. Did you know there are 9,998 individual sales tax jurisdictions in the United States? Think about the impact that could have on your business – selling items all over the country and having to pay sales tax all over the country. Many small companies will not be able to handle this huge administrative issue. So, thank you – your membership dollars paid to your state association (and NAA if you are a member), have helped support an effort to submit a brief to the Supreme Court that very effectively articulates how this could impact the industry. We won’t know if we are successful until June. But if we are, we will have helped stop something that could literally put some people out of business. And if we are not, we will be working with your state association to determine effective strategies that combat this on a state legislative basis. It is for this reason that we encourage you to start developing your network of public policy officials now. Do you know who your State Legislators are? Who is your State Representative, and who is your State Senator? If you don’t know them, contact them now before you need them. Send them an email introducing yourself; invite them to your next auction; see what you can do to help them. Because you WILL need them. If the Supreme Court sides with the South Dakota government, there are 35 states that have legislation ready to go regarding the collection of sales tax. And at that point, you will need your State Association more than ever – you will need them to help you fight this.
Even if you don’t sell non-real estate items, you will need to be involved. This impacts your colleagues and small businesses in general. And come to Jacksonville to the 69th International Auctioneers Conference and Show, July 17-21, 2018. The NAA will be hosting a special program on this issue facilitated by NAA Board member, David P. Whitley, CAI, CES, and NAA Member, John Schultz, AMM, who have led NAA’s efforts on this issue. By then, we will have a decision and we’ll talk about what is next….. In the meantime, “Thank you to you, and to your State Association, for joining NAA in this fight!”
Let’s wish the CAA Members competing at the 2018 IAC Championship Good Luck
Halie Behr
Dean Gunter
Emily Wears Kroul
David Whitley
Shelby Shuman
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018
thecoloradoauctioneer
3
Come get a bargain? “Some awesome bargains … name your price … we have no bids yet, so bid now … we’re practically giving things away … heavy discounts … almost free …” and the list goes on, and I cringe every time I see such so-called auction marketing. Let’s start with this premise: Auction marketing is distinctly different than other marketing. Retail operations need buyers and when they get some, they order or manufacture more product to sell. Auctioneers need buyers and when they get some and sell property, they need more sellers. To describe this difference, I met with some potential clients at a house/barn the other day filled with personal property — 5 cars, guns, coins, jewelry, tools, and much more. The sellers (the two daughters) had interviewed one other auctioneer before I arrived to meet with them. After looking around at the inventory, I sat down with them, where they disclosed that were ready to sign with the “other” auctioneer. Noticing his business card on the cocktail table, I asked if I could show them an ad he had recently placed on Facebook? I asked these two women if they were looking for someone to “give their parents’ stuff away — sell it all at steep discounts — and/or provide all the buyers big bargains?” Their reply was, “Of course not!” They were now ready to sign our contract. Auction marketing is almost as much about getting buyers there for the current auction as it is finding sellers for the next auction. Auction marketing needs to suggest — imply the possibility of discounts (the prospect of a deal) but not expressly say so, as to not drive away future sellers. We regularly discuss at (The Ohio Auction School) that Auctioneers during the auction shouldn’t be announcing “Wow! What a deal you just got!” nor “You stole that” or the like. We then pose the question, “Would a seller in attendance go home and tell their spouse, ‘Boy, that’s the auction we should take our stuff — they were giving things away!'” Probably not. Auctioneers are advised to either get up-to-speed on this subtle but material part of auction marketing or hurry and find someone more schooled to place their advertising — unless, of course, an auctioneer wants their last auction to possibly be? 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 and Faculty at the Certified Auctioneers Institute held at Indiana University. 4
Real Estate Business Liquidation Personal Property
Eric Arrington Auctioneer
Phone: (970) 245-1185 Cell: (970) 623-9161 eric@theauctionteam.com 1610 Hwy 50 Grand Junction, Colorado 81503
www.theauctionteam.com
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018 thecoloradoauctioneer
CONGRATULATIONS
CAI
GRADUATES!
Bryce Elemond, Shannon Schur (2018 Class Advisor), Cissy Tabor & Butch Hagelstrom
Summertime Picnic
Join us for food & fun in the sun! When
July 30th Where
Main Park 300 Locust St Windsor, CO 80550 Time
12:00 PM Directions from Denver:
I-25 North - Take Exit 259 / Crossroads Blvd - Follow Crossroads Blvd East and Merge onto E Cnty Rd 26 / E Crossroads Blvd - Turn Left at Co Hwy 13 Turn Right onto New Liberty Rd - Turn Left @ 7th St - Continue Straight at Traffic Circle - Turn Right on Locust St.
Horseshoe Pits, In-line Hockey Rinks, Basketball Courts, 2 Playgrounds & Sand Volleyball Court
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018
Your CAA Membership will be Billed Annually Your CAA Membership UNTIL you have notified will be Billed Annually the Executive Secretary that UNTIL you have notified you no longerSecretary choose that to be the Executive ayou member of the Colorado no longer choose to be Auctioneers a member ofAssociation. the Colorado Auctioneers Association.
~ 2018 CAA Board of Directors ~ 2018 CAA Board of Directors
thecoloradoauctioneer
5
Good Design is
Good Business Specializing in print graphics and logo & identity branding. Proud Designer for the 2016 NAA Marketing Award Winners for The Colorado Auctioneer newsletter.
Coming Soon... Colorado Auctioneers Association Members Savings Program
10+ years of experience in design!
Sarah Krautschun 970.590.3235 sarah.krautschun@gmail.com
GO FASTER
Website Design Special Offer $899
for a limited time
Contact:
Katie@auctionlook.com
Auction technology should help your business accelerate, not slow you down.
learn more at: wavebid.com or auctionservices.com
p Design Custom Ap er Special Off nth $39 per mo ds Without A d for a limite
time
The Auctioneer App List YOUR Auctions for FREE
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018 thecoloradoauctioneer
Social Media
Spam or Clever Marketing? Facebook Groups make it easy to connect with specific sets of people like collectors, professionals in the same industry or people who share a hobby. These peer-to-peer groups are on online community where members can interact with each other and share information and stories. Facebook has thousands of groups covering just about every interest. Penetrating Facebook Groups for marketing is a controversial topic. The basic idea is to promote a product or auction in a group that does not as a rule accept direct marketing. For any marketer it can be tempting and lucrative to try to target these groups to reach highly specific buyers. To keep the content interesting and relevant many administrators remove what they perceive as advertising to the group. Here are three techniques marketers are using to penetrate groups. Whether it’s spam or clever marketing, it is up for you to decide. Option 1: Leading Question Post. A “planted” third party poses a question that opens the door for a marketer to provide an answer, and in-so-doing promote their product. Since they are answering a question, and are not directly marketing, most page administrators leave it alone. An offshoot of this is to ask customer service related questions in a group when clearly they should be sent directly to the company. If the same people are always asking questions answered by the same people, be skeptical.
Option 2: Paid Super Fans. Did you know some people on Facebook are compensated to post about certain companies? Did you ever wonder why the same people post about the same service all the time? It might be
a box of chocolates, a discount in price or cash driving some posts in a Facebook Group. Super fans don’t always have the best interest of the group in mind; their goal is to promote the company or product they are compensated to promote. Don’t blindly trust what you read without considering if the source is being genuine or not.
Option 3: Ask a question full of information. People love answering questions on Facebook. Many groups are designed for informational exchanges between members. You can leverage that knowledge and add information about your auction into the question itself.
These are just a couple techniques, that when done correctly, can be used to penetrate Facebook Groups that prohibit marketing with messages about your auctions and company or get you labeled as a spammer. Proceed with caution. Remember one important note: many people are using these same techniques in the groups you visit. Keep a watchful eye for these marketing tactics in the groups you frequent and have fun.
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018
thecoloradoauctioneer
7
GREAT PEOPLE. GREAT INVENTORY. GREAT ATMOSPHERE. FIND IT ALL AT MANHEIM DENVER.
AUCTIONS TUESDAY - WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY SPECIALTY AUCTIONS ONCE A MONTH BUY IN-LANE, VIA SIMULCAST OR ONLINE AT OVE
8
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018 thecoloradoauctioneer
Ringman Events
n o i t i t mpe
Co n a m e Ring at th vention on C A A C 9 201
* Details / Registration will be in 3rd Quarter Newsletter
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018
thecoloradoauctioneer
9
Legislative
Record Attendance
for the CAA Day At The Capitol Event
By Bryce Elemond, CAI, BAS
The Colorado Auctioneers Association has been able to grow the "Day at the Capitol" over the past few years. We had members that came from the Western Slope to the Eastern Plains, as far South as Calhan and to the North of Eaton. We have tried to implement new ideas in making this event an enjoyable time for all, including the House of Representatives that have given us a warm welcome over the years. This year we had 31 auctioneers and staff attend our event, and were happy to see the amount of enthusiasm that was shown in our time together. Many of the members were able to get to the Capitol early to have time to visit with each other and rekindle conversations from our Convention back in January. It was also very nice to see a few people that were not members that were willing to come out and be a part of the special day set aside for our profession. We have tried to spread the word to ask non-members to come and attend our events to see what they miss and how important it is to be a member and have fellow professionals to work with and attain important education opportunities that we provide. We were very happy to have Representative Perry Buck sponsor us and introduce our Association to the House of Representatives, with a brief history recognizing our strengths as an association for the past 60 years. We were greeted by the House of Representatives with cheers and applause. Dean Gunter, our 2018 State Champion, was accompanied by
10
Rylee Nichols, our 2018 Junior Champion, and son of CAA President Michael Nichols to the side of the House Floor. Dean gave The House “a heartfelt thank you to The Representatives for serving the State of Colorado,” followed by auctioning a Colorado Flag to the attending House of Representatives. Dean gave a great performance and sold the flag to Representative Bob Rankin for $220.00, in which he immediately donated the flag to the Rangely Middle School teacher, attending students from Representative Bob Rankin, & the Western Slope school Dean Gunter of Rangely, CO. It was great way for our elected officials to see an auctioneer work to sell and the teamwork necessary from other auctioneers to work together to collect bids and raise enthusiasm within the confines of the Representatives. On a side note, last years bidder that bought the flag that was
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018 thecoloradoauctioneer
Legislative sold was Representative Kimmie Lewis. She was invited to our convention and was unable to attend due to an illness. Representative Lewis was undergoing chemo treatments for cancer and the Board wanted to do something to show her our appreciation. We presented her with a gavel that displayed CAA logo.* She was very humbled and appreciated the hospitality of our Association. The Board of Directors held our board meeting at the State Capitol, in which we had several topics to discuss with the 2019 Convention to be the main topic. We are already making our plans for a new venue, speakers and topics to be showcased for next years’ convention. Thank you for all that attended and we hope more of you will be able to attend next year. * We would like to recognize and “Thank Dee Dodge of Direct Impressions,” for her donation of the CAA gavel to Representative Lewis. A Colorado Auction Company
H.L. (Butch) Hagelstrom, Jr. 140 Denver Ave., Ste. F Ft. Lupton, CO 80621
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018
Office: 303-857-2399 Mobile: 303-827-5157 buckhornauctions@earthlink.net www.buckhornauctions.com
thecoloradoauctioneer
11
World Wide College of 3 3 9 1 e c n i S Auctioneering “Where Champions Are Made”
30 students Age 25 & Under (50 Total in Class) Attended The June 2017 Class at World Wide College of Auctioneering “The Future of the Auction Profession” World Wide College of Auctioneering For More Information Call 1-800-423-5242
www.worldwidecollegeofauctioneering.com 12
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018 thecoloradoauctioneer
*Photo Credit to Myers Jackson
CONGRATULATIONS WES LAMB!
RISING STAR AWARD
I had the opportunity & privilege to speak with the 1997 World Auto Auction Champion, Kevin McGlothlen, about the Rising Star Award and find out a little more about it. The Rising Star Award is decided upon by World Auto Auction Champions attending the Annual WAAC Competition in regard to upcoming competitors that “show great potential in growth of continually moving their career forward and improving.” Confidence, Control, Charisma, Chant, Clarity and an Auctioneers Control / Feel on-the-auction-block are many of the qualities that the past champions look for when deciding upon whom they determine to be the recipient of the Rising Star Award. Kevin has known Wes for a couple of years and is very impressed by him and has watched his growth and improvement as an Auto Auctioneer. He further states that, “Wes really possesses Class & Charisma. He has a bright smile, confidence, passionate and most importantly, humble. Whenever Wes meets someone, he greets them confidently and the whole package just comes across. He’s going to go far.” ~ Cissy Tabor
"It is always nerve wracking competing at a world championship. Especially when you are competing against the caliber of auctioneers that are in attendance. When chosen for the Rising Star award it was an absolute honor. And to say the least, I was a bit shocked to hear my name being called. To me personally the best part was not just winning the award, but the compliment of being chosen by a an elite group of all prior Championship auctioneers. That is in and of itself a most humbling experience. I would like www.coauctioneers.org to thank my dad Randy Lamb, Manhiem Denver, Auto Auction of Billings Dealers Auto Auction SECONDThe QUARTER • 2018 Montana, thecoloradoauctioneer 13 of the Rockies, and Loveland Auto Auction for all of their support and sponsorship." ~ Wes Lamb
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018 thecoloradoauctioneer
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018
thecoloradoauctioneer
CAA Website
The Colorado Auctioneers Association:
User Registration (Step 1) ______________________________________________________________________ ➢ On the Colorado Association site, go to the upper right-hand corner and click “Member Login” and then go to “Register Now”
* Read this info
1. Fill out the information as requested and then you will receive a confirmation email to activate your membership.
16
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018 thecoloradoauctioneer
CAA Website
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018
thecoloradoauctioneer
17
CAA Website
18
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018 thecoloradoauctioneer
Technology
Use a VPN for security and privacy
By Aaron Traffas, CAI, ATS, CES
In this third installment of my series on security, I’m going to explain what a VPN is and why you should use one every time you’re away from the home or office. You might even want to use one at home, too. If you don’t want to read everything here or you don’t feel like you understand it, here’s the take-home message: if you’re away from your home or office, always use a VPN when you connect to the internet. It’s easy and inexpensive. Why use a VPN? I’m sitting in the airport, getting ready to leave for the NAA’s Designation Academy in Las Vegas. I know many other auctioneers from around the country are doing the same thing. I also know that many of them will want to connect to the internet using their phones or computers while they’re away from home. Many, if not most, will do so without using a VPN, putting their accounts and data on their phones and computers at risk. A VPN is a virtual private network. It’s an encrypted, private tunnel between computers over the internet. There are a few different examples for how useful such a private tunnel can be. Remote access Imagine a secure company network. Maybe at your office you have a username and password to login while you’re on the network to access your printers and your server or other computers. However, what if you wanted to access your printer or the files on your server while you weren’t at the building? A VPN would let you safely connect to your network at the office from your house or mobile hotspot. This type of VPN would be configured on your network and your computer and wouldn’t require a third party service, so it’s not really the type of VPN we’re interested in today. Security and privacy This is the use I’m focused on today. If you connect to public wifi at a coffee shop, hotel or convention center, much of the communication between your computer and the internet is unencrypted, or in the clear. This means anyone with common software can connect to the same network and watch not only what sites you go to but, in some cases, capture your account information. Using a VPN when on public wifi would give you both security and privacy. You would connect to the public wifi, but instead of all your traffic going out on the internet from that location, all your traffic would go through the tunnel to the VPN provider before going out onto the internet. This is essentially a game of keep away from anyone else on that free wifi who would like to get at your data. Here’s a diagram from IPVanish showing how it works. (continued on page 20)
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018
thecoloradoauctioneer
19
Technology Bypassing geo fencing The websites you visit know where you are based on your IP address. If you want to see what those websites can see about you, take a look at infosniper.net. Geofencing is the practice by some streaming services wherein they provide different programming to people in different areas. Netflix, for example, has different content in Canada than they do in the US. ESPN will blackout ballgames for some users based on where they are. Since using a VPN changes your IP address, one common use for VPNs is bypassing this geofencing. Most VPN providers let you select which town or even country you want to appear to come from when using their services. Using a VPN It’s true that you could use your own router at home or work to allow you to connect back to your own network from anywhere on the internet to get the same security as one of the paid services, but it’s beyond the scope of this article. I’ll skip discussing the setup and configuration of a roll-your-own VPN setup and look at using a paid service from a VPN provider. Computer Your VPN service will have an app for your PC or Mac. When you connect to the public wifi, you simply tell that app to connect to the VPN. You can then browse safely and securely knowing that all your traffic is being transmitted to that VPN provider’s server before it goes out onto the internet. Phone Similarly, most VPN providers have apps for Android and iOS that make it just as easy to connect to the VPN. Now that unlimited data plans are becoming ubiquitous, it’s less important to connect to wifi with phones. If you do ever connect your phone to a free wifi network, it’s crucial that you use a VPN. Selecting a VPN The first rule when selecting a VPN provider is to never use a free service. There are a few exceptions in the case of reputable VPNs offering a free version that’s slower than using a paid premium account, but the general rule is that if you’re not paying for the VPN then it is making money from you by selling your browsing data. 20
Most VPNs are really inexpensive. The gold standard is a service called Private Internet Access and it costs under $4 per month if you pay for a couple years at a time. If you’re just wanting something inexpensive to keep you safe while you’re on public wifi, you can also run over to StackSocial and grab one of the lifetime subscriptions to one of the no-name VPNs. They’ll probably do a good job of protecting you from hackers and changing your IP address, but they might not be as reliable at protecting you as PIA if a company or government went to them and asked what you were doing when. A cheaper and less well-known VPN also might go out of business, rendering your lifetime subscription worthless. If you’re looking for a reputable VPN that offers a free tier to try before you buy, ProXPN is a good option. It’s fast enough to check email and Facebook, but probably not fast enough to stream video. If you want to learn more about the different VPNs available, TorrentFreak publishes a good question and answer set for myriad VPNs each year. Other reasons to use a VPN Even when you’re at home or using your cell phone’s data or hotspot, your internet provider or cell phone company is tracking your activity. Verizon made news a few years ago when they began adding tracking headers to the traffic of all of their users, allowing websites to track Verizon customers around the web. Users could opt out of this tracking, but I’m guessing a very small percentage of their customers actually did. Some lessthan-reputable internet providers also intercept traffic and inject or swap out ads on the pages you visit. Using a VPN would ensure that your traffic isn’t intercepted, monitored or altered by your internet provider. Downside of a VPN The only downside of using a VPN, other than the small cost, is speed. Because you’re routing all your traffic through a third-party service, it’s never going to be as fast as directly connecting to the internet. VPN providers are getting better, and reputable VPN services are so fast that the speed difference is usually negligible, but there can be significant differences in performance from one provider to another.
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018 thecoloradoauctioneer
MAXIMIZE YOUR ONLINE SALES 2017 Marketplace Statistics
4.8B
$
TOTAL GMV
2.3M BUYERS
SELL WITH PROXIBID.
2.1M/mo
SITE TRAFFIC
Proxibid.com/Selling › 877-505-7770 › Sales@Proxibid.com
CAA in the News!
W
e want to showcase what Our Members are doing in their profession! Please email any photos or news articles to coloradoauctioneersassociation@gmail.com. We want to share the difference YOU Are Making in the lives of Your Sellers & Buyers, in your Communities & in Your Businesses.
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018
LET US HELP YOU SHINE— JOIN OUR PARTNER PROGRAM PARTNER PROGRAM BENEFITS
O Grow Your Business with Leads from Us
O Regional & National Seminar Opportunities
O $150 for Each Referral
O Published Articles on Our Blog
O Co-Marketing Opportunities O Co-Branded Marketing Materials
O Quarterly Update Calls & Training
O Website Listing
O Feedback & Product Testing
O Webinar & Live Event Opportunities
O Your Clients Are in Great Hands with Our Team
Nonprofit Fundraising Software
Find out more at marketing@greatergiving.com
thecoloradoauctioneer
Chaplain’s Corner By John Schaffner
T
he auction business is unique in many ways from any other business. At an auction the Auctioneer is the only middleman between the Seller and the Buyer and must provide Customer Service to both sides. When an auction is over the Auctioneer needs to have his Sellers thinking they received every dollar their items were worth on that particular day. At the same time, the Buyers need to be thinking that their purchases were somewhat of a bargain. Having both sides satisfied is determined in a large part by how we handle Customer Service. In my estimation customer service boils down to nothing more than what is commonly known as the Golden Rule; “Treat others as you would want others to treat you.” This is a Biblical principle quoted by Christ in Matthew 7:12. We can’t get a Customer Service recommendation from any higher power than that.
responsible for me being in the auction business in the same area they served for all those years. They both knew and followed the Golden Rule of Customer Service and that is why they were successful in everything they did. I had numerous conversations with both those men over the years and they always made me feel good about myself and the auction business. There is a lesson to be learned from Dave and Troil if you want to be successful in the auction business. “Always leave your Customers, both Sellers and Buyers, feeling good about themselves and the auction business.”
In Loving Memory
As I write about Customer Service and the Golden Rule, I think about some sad news I received a couple of days ago as I was driving to Denver for an auction. Dave Welton’s son, Stan, called and told me Dave had passed away. Dave and his family had spent the Memorial Day weekend at the family ranch southeast of Wray, Colorado, where Dave had grown up. Dave dearly loved that family ranch and loved telling stories about growing up there. As Stan was driving him back to Denver, Dave died peacefully with those childhood memories fresh in his mind. I believe mentioning Dave Welton fits in perfectly with a message about Customer Service. Dave learned the Art of Customer Service from his Dad, Troil Welton, who was an Auctioneer in Yuma County • for fifty some years. Troil and Dave are somewhat
PRAYER REQUESTS Please keep Dave Welton's Family in your thoughts and prayers from his passing
• Keep Safe Our Military / Police Officers & Civil Personnel
PRAISE REPORTS •
Multiple CAA Members have been successful in fighting Cancer in 2017 & 2018. Please keep them in your prayers for complete healing.
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018 thecoloradoauctioneer
Board of Directors
CULTIVATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF AUCTIONEER & RINGMEN PROFESSIONALS FOR THE LAST 22 YEARS
AUCTION DAY - EVERY THURSDAY AT 9AM.
daarockies.com | 303.289.7716 | 7176 York Street | Denver, CO 80229
www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018
thecoloradoauctioneer
23
Colorado Auctioneers Association, Inc. PO Box 1133 Rifle, CO 81650 • 303-729-1195 www.coauctioneers.org
CALENDAR OF EVENTS July 15 - 19, 2018
NAA Designation Courses - Jacksonville, FL
July 17 – 21, 2018
NAA Conference & Show - Jacksonville, FL
July 30, 2018
CAA Summertime Picnic - Windsor, CO
Aug 26 - 28, 2018
BAS Summit - St Petes Beach, FL
September 6, 2018 NAA Day On The Hill - Washington DC Sept 10 - 12, 2018
AMM Designation - Birmingham, AL
Nov 5 – 6, 2018
Women in the Auction Industry Summit
Jan 3 -thecoloradoauctioneer 6, 2019 2019 CAA Convention www.coauctioneers.org SECOND QUARTER • 2018