Auctioneers serve clients through professionalism

“It’s not the job you do, it’s how you do the job.”

That anonymous quote on professionalism often finds its way into business advice. In the auction industry, a high level of professionalism is, like the quote says, evident in how auctioneers do the job. As one prominent example, National Auctioneers Association (NAA) President Timothy W. Mast, CAI, AARE, pointed to the trust auctioneers earn from their clients. “Auction professionals are tasked with taking the utmost care of our clients and their assets. An auctioneer takes someone else’s assets and finds the best buyer for the most money,” Mast said. “Auctioneers have a great responsibility, and they handle it with care.” Problem-solving – that’s another way auctioneers display professionalism every day, Mast said. “Auction professionals solve their clients’ problems. We find out the challenges people face surrounding their assets, and with care and expertise, we solve those problems,” he said. The NAA works to elevate professionalism within the auction industry by focusing on areas including education, promotion and advocacy. EDUCATION “NAA members have an abundance of educational offerings at their disposal. Many of them take advantage of the opportunities and pursue additional designations and classes every year to ensure they’re equipped with the latest and best education in order to better serve their clients,” Mast said. Specifically, the NAA’s Education Institute functions as an important arm of the organization, governed by trustees tasked with ensuring the viability and quality of the NAA’s educational programs. Through eight designation programs, online education, sessions at NAA events such as the annual Conference & Show, and freestanding educational summits, the NAA’s education focus endures. PROMOTION The NAA provides its members with many tools they can use to highlight the benefits of engaging an auction professional to sell assets. These efforts include social media campaigns using hashtags #AuctionsWork and #NAAPro as well as campaigns surrounding National Auctioneers Week and National Auctioneers Day. The NAA also creates promotional videos where clients speak about the success they’ve experienced working with auction professionals. Plus, the NAA provides members with templates for press releases as well as other public relations tools. ADVOCACY From professional licensing and small business regulations to changing real estate and tax laws, the issues impacting the auction industry are many. Led by the Advocacy Committee, the NAA’s efforts focus on proactively identifying, prioritizing and acting upon federal issues that affect the way members do business. A few examples: the NAA hosts an annual Day on the Hill in Washington, D.C., each September to help advocate for the association’s most critical issues to legislative and regulatory officials. Additionally, through the NAA Public Policy Agenda, the National Auctioneers Association Board of Directors is committed to representing NAA members in Washington, D.C. “Our advocacy efforts revolve around what’s best for our clients,” Mast said. “We have helped introduce some bills that have enabled us to better serve our clients.” He added, “In everything auctioneers do, our professionalism benefits our clients.”