| Auctioneers put in their bid to be the best |
 |
 |
 |
|
By Marilyn Miller Most were dressed in dark suits and red power ties. You couldn't get a word in edgewise, but then again, you really weren't suppose to. Auctioneers can read your face. ''You can tell. It's written all over their face if they are going to bid,'' said auctioneer John Hayes, 56, of Ravenna, a second-generation auctioneer. His father sold real estate. His daughter and a cousin are also in the business. And Hayes said the key to his success is having clarity when he chants. ''I'm easy to understand.'' Forty-one auctioneers from throughout the country gathered for the 2010 World Automobile Auctioneers Championship Friday at the Akron Auto Auction on Ley Drive. This is the first year Akron has hosted the 36-year-old car-selling competition. The auctioneers each demonstrated their best chanting and used eye contact to scope out the crowd and pick out potential buyers. Their voices were loud and clear. They even used different voice ranges to entice bidders, emphasizing a sense of urgency and friendly rivalry. Some buyers tried not to look too hard at the solicitor out of fear of bidding more. ''Even when people tell you no, we think there is still one more bid in them, so we keep working on it, trying to get one more chance,'' said auctioneer Jimmy Ray Gentry, of Dallas. ''It's like dating. You may get turned down at first, but if you keep asking, you may get them to change their minds and say yes.'' Personalities come out during the bidding. ''I enjoy interacting with the crowd and getting them involved,'' said John L. Pond, 45, of Urbana. ''I used to be super shy. I couldn't talk to people one on one, but this has really given me self-confidence. I only went to two auctions before I decided this is what I wanted to do. I've been doing this since I was 16.'' Auctioneer Cheri Boots-Sutton, 43, of Missouri, the only woman in the competition, said she started out with a home-course auctioneering kit that her brother ordered through the mail in 1985. She was looking for a part-time job on the weekends to supplement her job at a cement plant. She was going through a divorce and was about to become a single mother raising her only son. ''But as jobs became more plentiful and I got a handle on my nerves, and after winning an international championship in 1999, I said goodbye to that cement job and started working full time,'' she said. Now remarried with four children, she owns an auctioneering business. ''I love bringing buyers and sellers together,'' she said. ''I especially like the control you have when you hold that microphone in your hand.'' The auctioneers team up with ringmen, who work the crowd, letting the auctioneers know who bid what and how much is on the table. With a basketball referee stance, pleading eyes and hands saying c'mon, the ringmen coax buyers to bid, giving the thumbs up, asking for a higher figure or slashing the number in half with a chop sign. The ringmen never stop moving. The ringmen clench their fists to tell the auctioneer where the bids are. Hand signals along with a few shouts, such as bam, hey and yay, keep the bids rolling. Ringman William Cody Long, 29, of Texas, said the key is to know how to read people. ''It's all about body language. You can see a bidder by the look in their eyes, sometimes they just need a little help.'' Long has a degree in business from the University of Texas, but got hooked on this profession as a kid. His dad is a past champion. Auctioneer Peter Gehres, 29, of Hilliard near Columbus, grew up on a farm and attended many farm auctions. '' I have a degree in agricultural economics but took an auctioneering class in Columbus and never looked back,'' Gehres said. ''At one point or another, everything gets auctioned off — land, animals and cars. This is just one segment of the business. ''I'd do this for free, but I'm glad they pay me for it.''
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
|
