How To Become An Auctioneer

If you want to become an auctioneer, you need to be prepared. You can’t just go out there and start selling off items for people who want to buy them. You need to know all the ins and outs of what it takes to become a successful auctioneer.

Auctioneers usually get paid by commission on all items that are sold at their auctions. They also get paid by the hour for their time spent preparing for an auction, as well as any time they spend at the actual event. The pay rate is based on how much money they bring in during their time as an auctioneer, so it’s important that they work hard and bring in as much money as possible.

The first step towards becoming an auctioneer is getting licensed by your local government agency or state department of commerce. This will ensure that you are able to legally conduct auctions within your state and county boundaries without fear of breaking any laws or regulations set forth by local governments or state departments of commerce throughout your region or state where you live currently.

How To Become Auctioneer

Becoming an auctioneer can be a very rewarding and lucrative career. You can adapt it to fit your lifestyle, interests and way of life.

How To Become An Auctioneer:

1. Attend auctions and observe how they are conducted. If possible, introduce yourself to the auctioneers and learn about them. Make sure to ask them questions.
2. Research state or provincial licensing laws and find out the requirements to become an auctioneer in your state or province.
3. Attend auction school. Auction school is a critical step in accelerating your auction career. At auction school you will learn industry best practices from leading auctioneers, business professionals and public speakers. When researching schools, find a school that will invest in your success as an auctioneer. A school that is taught by qualified instructors, offers a quality education, limits the class size so that students receive one-on-one time with each instructor and provides students with tools to start their auction business after graduation.
4. Apply for your license by contacting your state or provincial licensing boards to obtain necessary licensing.
5. Practice makes perfect both in your auction chant and your business practices.
6. Join professional associations. Professional auctioneering organizations exist both on the state, provincial and national levels and are a great resource for education, networking and many other resources.
7. Build a business plan. Your business plan does not need to be long and in-depth. It will provide you the opportunity to think about and document the direction you want your auction career to take.
8. You are now an auctioneer! Enjoy the journey. Strive for excellence and professionalism in all that you do!

Most people think of the insanely quick-yet-clear speech of the auctioneer as their main skill, but there’s much more to it than that. In fact, an auctioneer’s involvement behind the scenes is just as important to the success of an auction as their talent in generating bidders!

Part1Breaking into the BizDownload Article

1. 1Obtain your high school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (G.E.D). In order to qualify for a license (or to be taken seriously), you’ll need to have your diploma or G.E.D. Take speech, marketing, history, business and agriculture classes while in school. These courses will help prepare you for the various roles required as an auctioneer.
   • Though college isn’t necessary, it can be useful. A recent poll taken by the NAA (National Auctioneers Association), 35% have degrees while another 36% have some sort of college experience.^[1]
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2. 2Attend auctions. This is the natural first step to becoming an auctioneer. Start attending auctions! Watch the roles the auctioneer fills during a typical auction day. Observe his actions, decisions and skill. There’s a lot more to it than just chanting quickly!
3. 3Work part-time for an auction company. If you’re in high school or just looking to get some experience, start working for an auction company doing whatever odd jobs you can. Even if you’re just organizing pieces to sell or sweeping the floor, it gets your foot in the door.
   • Serve as a ring-side helper that hands items to an auctioneer and aids in crowd control.
   • Work as a bid watcher. The auctioneer needs help to identify everyone making bids, especially during busy and well-attended auctions. A bid watcher identifies bidders whom the auctioneer doesn’t see.
   • Help set up auctions prior to bidding. Auctioneers rely on help to unpack, set out and arrange auction items for viewing and bidding. Learn more about the business by working on a set-up crew.
4. 4Research state and local laws regarding licensing requirements. Now that you’ve got your feet wet, do you like what you see? You may choose whether you want to go on to get your license and become an auctioneer. Currently, 37 states in the US require licensure.^[1] Proceed with licensing guidelines as your state requires.
   • Some states require you go to an NAA affiliated school, some states want one or two years of experience before you’re allowed to take the final exam, some want a formal apprenticeship, and some states will allow some combination of the aforementioned types of experience.^[2] If you can get hands-on experience, you may not have to take a course.
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5. 5Start working charity gigs. That’s right — you don’t need a license to be an auctioneer for charity gigs.^[3] It’s basically volunteer work (you’re not making any money), so it’s open to whoever is kind enough to donate their time. It’s a great way to start developing a résumé and to get your name out there. In time, it’ll be all about your reputation. It’s for a good cause too; did we mention that?

Part2Getting LicensedDownload Article

1. 1Attend auctioneer school. Though this isn’t always necessary, it’s definitely valuable experience. Unless you’ve grown up with a gavel in your hand instead of a pacifier (aka gotten into the family business), this may be the route for you.The NAA has a list of schools on their website.
   • Currently the NAA has schools in the US, Canada, South Africa, and an affiliate in Australia.^[2] Depending on your location, you may be able to get away with a course that’s only a few weeks long or you may need to take one that’s closer to a standard college semester. Either way, it’s not that long.
     • Choose between an on-site school or a virtual program. Auctioneer schools are located across the globe, and many programs are offered online. You’ll be taking classes in bid calling, marketing and basic business management.
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2. 2Get an apprenticeship. Some states, like Ohio and Tennessee, require 1 or 2 years (respectively) of experience before you’re even allowed to sit for the exam. But regardless of the rules in your jurisdiction, it’s a good idea to start getting experience as soon as possible.
   • There is such a thing as an apprentice auctioneer license. This is generally a stepping stone (often required) in states that do require the experience before the exam. Exam fees currently sit at around a couple hundred dollars in most areas.^[3]
3. 3Take the exam. In most areas, it’s offered quarterly.^[3] Your state should have information on how to study for the test, like Texas’ Green Book. But since you’re already in the auctioneer network, you’ll have plenty of other resources to hit up, too.
   • Certain states have reciprocity laws. That means that your license is good in the states that recognize your state’s license, but not good in others. If you want a license in a state that doesn’t work like this, you’ll need to fulfill their requirements and take their exam.^[3]