I graduated from auction school 22 years ago tomorrow. In one sense it seems like more than a lifetime ago, in another it might as well have been last month. The ride to auction school was an unbelievable adventure, Auction School Journey, that I have written about in an earlier blog. The one thing that I remember about the ride to Kansas City was the thought of what it would all mean once I graduated and became an auctioneer.
Now, two decades later not much has changed when it comes to the perspective of the auction business. Don't get me wrong, a lot has transpired because I've personally called over 500 auctions, worked another 200+ as a ringman, and called at least another 600 charity auctions. All of that experience but the basics have remained the same.
As an auctioneer I'm hired by someone to help them sell their property in a very short amount of time, converting their asset to cash. The missing element to the equation was the fact that I was only 18 and looked 15...People trusted me to sell their most valuable assets. Pretty amazing to think about it now, I probably wouldn't have given myself the time of day if I was on the other end of the business relationship in today's world.
You see, it was all about image for me in the early days. In the first 5 years I did a complete marketing overhaul of the "Crum's Auction" brand with redesigned business cards, all new stationery and even an institutional brochure that I put together single handedly, mostly boasting my second generation auctioneer status. I wanted to create an image that parlayed my fathers experience with my youth and enthusiasm.
When my dad was first diagnosed with throat cancer he told me the only thing I had going against me was my thin skin and young appearance. After being beat up in the business world for a few years my skin got pretty thick. As far as my youthful looks go, well, nature would take its course in due time.
Just recently, over the last year or so, I've become humbled by my auction career and all that it has allowed me to accomplish. After several large commercial developments, 250 employees, a few partnerships, lots of Realtor transactions and a few failures along the way I've come to appreciate our little family owned and operated auction company. I love going through all of my pictures and files from the past 20 years, especially those with the original Crum's Auction & Realty logo.
Now, I realize how lucky I was getting such a strong "boost" into the business back in the late 1980's. The gray hair, thick skin and wrinkles on my face have magically appeared, not seeming so bad after all.
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