WELCOME TO 2012-DID YOU THINK YOU WOULD MAKE IT?

What a year we had in 2011.
There where two extremes we saw in our industry in 2011-Auctioneers
either did very well or had the worst year ever.  For those who did well kudos, for those who did not it’s time to reevaluate your market, fees, advertising and how Buyers and Sellers see our services as a solution to their problems.

I have always found the end of the year is a good time to look back and reflect on the good and bad things my company accomplished.  It is not easy to be objective about the “bad things” with answers like “it wasn’t my fault” , “I wouldn’t do that job for that fee” or “ I didn’t want that assignment anyway”.  But you have to force yourself to look in the mirror and say “The only one who can fix this is me!  So lets get back to work!”  What I do personally is compare my work approach when I was doing well with my work approach when things are not so well.  What am I doing differently?  Am I reaching for deals I should pass on.  Is this Seller motivated?  Are there Buyers out there who believe that
the value of the item for sale is in the same ballpark as the Seller?  So at the end of every year we put together our business plan for the following year with revisions every quarter.  This forces me to preform.  Like all sales businesses it’s a matter of getting out there and asking for the business.
Don’t be shy-your competition isn’t!.
Another very important component of success is continued education.

CSAA & You.
Having been involved in our trade association for over 10 years I have found that by attending the Annual Convention, Spring Conference and our Legislation Day in Sacramento has taught me the importance of continuing education.  This last year alone the CSAA had featured speakers in real estate, charity auctions, estate and personal property auctions as well as car auctions.  We had at length discussions about the impact of online vs. live auctions.  We had speakers review and discuss technology trends and implementation.  And best of all we had made time to sit down with fellow auctioneers from not only around the State but auctioneers from around the country to discuss deal stories of what worked and what did not work.   And now we use these new friendships to help us succeed in our everyday business.

2012 Challenge- We are here to help.  But we also need your help.  Contact JJ our administration director and ask what subcommittee you can participate.
Know that we are here for you, our member, to assist in making your
business successful.  Just ask for the help.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the CSAA we wish you
a most prosperous year.

Todd L Good

Chairman of the Board-CSAA