Running away when you find yourself in a competitive environment without a single effort or even a failed trial to see if you can make it can be termed the worst form of failure.What defines you as a success story, are those efforts you made on your way to success and not the success itself. Your ability to take the bull by the horn and make concerted efforts to make a mark when everything seems blurry is what the definition of yourself should be.Small and growing businesses tend to run into hiding when the “Big bull” (the big business) comes to town.Some go as far as closing up even before the arrival of these big businesses. They surrender at the mention of the arrival of big businesses not minding the fact that they (the small businesses) have existed for a very long time.This is as a result of the self-inflicting pain and fear that they bring upon themselves due to poor orientation and insufficient grooming. As a small business owner, you should be able to adapt and change with changing market conditions. When the market is shaky and unstable, your agility and stance must be firm and resolute.A proper mindset, a proper thinking pattern and a good success orientation and grounding would help you to adjust and face the competitive business world confidently and bravely too.It would not be much difficult for any small business that has been doing well in the past to retain its market despite the presence of big brands/businesses.All you need to do is believe that you can make it and retain your company’s image along with your value driven products and services.Nevertheless, a small business that have not been living up to expectation can still put up measures to weather the storm at the emergence of big businesses.You as the owner of a small and growing business should possess a reasonable certainty and resolution devoid of relying on weak hopes to take your business to the next level as you aim at achieving success. You do this by putting in place, a good marketing system that directs and helps you to achieve reasonable amounts of profits and success.The big mistake that most small and growing businesses make is that they are unsure of themselves and end up using excuses to cover up. They fail to realize that their business is meant for some people and those potential consumers would come looking for them if only they can distinguish themselves and offer something substantial and valuable.You have people that believe in you and in what you have to offer. Remind yourself of this always and you will conceive that driving force you need to propel you further for more profitable actions.When your mindset is constructed and built up with the thought that, “if anyone can do it, so can I”, all your actions and strategies would be based on energy and hard work aimed at hitting your target and reaching your goal.It is therefore left for you as a small business owner to decide to stay put even if you are surrounded by the big businesses and create products and services that would help you sustain and grow your business.Your products and services have to possess greater value to the customers.As a small business owner, you have an edge over big businesses because;Your operational costs are low.You have direct contacts with your customers.Due to your closeness to your customers, you can get to know what they think about your products and services and how you can serve them better.You can come up with a very dynamic and targeted marketing plans and systems that cut across your target audience.Some of these advantages are not always available to big businesses due to their administrative bottlenecks and wide (sometimes unnecessary) market coverage.Putting some of these ideas and recommendations in place will obviously give you an edge over those domineering big businesses you are competing against.
Auction Listings Are Vital to the Success of Fundraising Auctions
Fundraising Auction Tip: You should always provide potential bidders with a printed Auction Listing of both your Live and Silent Auction items at any Fundraising Auction. A printed Auction Listing is vital for several reasons:
An Auction Listing informs bidders of the order of sale, and what is coming up next. If you keep your bidders guessing, they will simply not bid.
If bidders are not 100% certain of what they are bidding on, they will not bid. A printed Auction Listing should answer any and all questions about what is being sold in order to encourage bidders to bid as much as possible.
Bidders often need time to plan their bidding strategies, especially on multiple and/or larger value items. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.
Couples often need time to consult with each other about what they are willing to spend on something. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.
Potential bidders need to know the specifics, the benefits, and the restrictions on any item they are going to bid on, especially on travel and/or other higher value items. A printed Auction Listing should answer all of their questions, in writing.
After bidders see that they have lost an item to another bidder, a printed Auction Listing makes it easier for them to re-strategize on what else they can bid on.
Printed Auction Listings generally come in 3 forms:
Printed in the Event Program or Auction Catalog.
Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-inserted into the Event Program or Auction Catalog.
Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-delivered to all attendees, or left on each dinner table in the room.
Auction Listings cost practically nothing to produce and they can make the difference between the success and failure of a Live and Silent Auction. You should never conduct a Fundraising Auction without one.
A Case Study
Let me share a real-life experience with you. Once I was hired to conduct a Fundraising Auction for a nationally renowned organization. The event was held in a major hotel, in one of the country’s largest cities, with several hundred “black tie” participants attending. It was an extremely professional event, with the music, singing, lighting, speeches, and awards all perfectly timed and choreographed. Everything was done to perfection… exception the Fundraising Auction.
Although I had signed an agreement to serve as their Auctioneer nearly one year in advance of the event, no one bothered to contact me for any advice or help. Approximately one week prior to the Auction date, I contacted the group to see if they had replaced me with another Auctioneer. But they said that I was still their man.
Upon arriving at the event I asked for a copy of the Auction Listing. I was told that there were none. I’m not sure whether they felt that the Auction Listing wasn’t necessary, or whether someone forgot to have them printed. This was never made clear. When I asked what I was to use at the podium, I was told to copy the list of Live Auction items from a committee member’s computer. It took me about 30 minutes to copy three pages of hand-written notes in order to prepare for my role as their Auctioneer.
I knew that they had created a PowerPoint program showing the various Live Auction items. When I asked whether the PowerPoint slide order corresponded to the order of sale I had copied from the committee member’s computer, I was met with a blank stare. The committee member left to check the slide order, and returned to let me know that the slide order did not correspond my notes, and he provided me with the correct slide order… hand-written on a paper napkin. This forced me to re-arrange my three pages of hand-written notes before taking the podium.
There was a Live Auction Table with descriptions of the Live Auction items that were to be sold, but the table was not clearly marked, and it received significantly less attention than the Silent Auction Tables, which were clearly identified. Since the Live Auction Table was located adjacent to the “Raffle Table”, it appeared that most people thought it was part of the raffle and therefore paid very little attention to it.
According to the event program (which did not include an Auction Listing), I knew approximately when I was to begin the Live Auction. At the designated time the Master of Ceremonies announced the start of the Live Auction to the several hundred people in attendance, and introduced me as Auctioneer. As I approached the podium I realized that photographs of award winners were still being taken… directly in front of the podium where I was to stand… which required me to stand aside for several minutes until the photographers were done. Can we say “awkward moment”?
As the photographers cleared, I approached the podium and began my Live Auction introduction. Approximately one minute into my introduction, the “Raffle Committee” approached the podium and stopped my Live Auction Introduction in order to pull the 8 or 9 Raffle Winners. These drawings lasted about 5 minutes. Upon it’s conclusion I was allowed to resume the start of the Live Auction.
When standing at the podium two intense and extremely bright spotlights were pointed directly at the podium. The lights were so bright that I literally could not see the center 1/3 of the room. I could see the tables on the right, and on the left, but was totally blinded when looking straight ahead. It took perhaps five minutes before the spotlights were turned off.
While at the podium and describing Lot #1, I had to ask someone to start the Lot #1 PowerPoint Slide… because apparently no one was assigned that job.
So with only the Auctioneer’s verbal description, and a PowerPoint slide, it appeared that few people in the room had any idea about what we were selling… or when we were selling it… until it was announced by the Auctioneer. As a result, bidding was extremely light and the final results fell several thousands of dollars short of where they should have been
The learning experience is this:
The Live Auction is where you place your better items, and where the real money should be made at any Fundraising Auction. Let bidders know as far in advance as possible what you will be selling, and the order of sale, so they can get excited about the Auction, and plan their bidding strategy accordingly.
Auction Listings are absolutely vital to the success of both Live & Silent Auctions. In my opinion, revenues at this Auction fell thousands of dollars short of where they should have been, because no Auction Listing was provided to the guests.
If bidders are not perfectly clear on what is being sold, including both the item’s specifics, benefits, and restrictions, they will not bid.
When you have a committee of volunteers, especially volunteers having full time jobs and/or very busy schedules, the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can help to keep the committee on track.
And once you retain the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer… use the services that you are paying for.
Regardless If You Are Currently Working Or Out Of Work You Can Find The Best Home Based Business
If you are one of those who dream of having your own business but until now it has remained a dream, then perhaps this is the best time for you to revive that dream. Regardless of whether you are currently working, a student, a housewife, or even out of work, you can find the best home based business for you from the different options in the Internet kingdom and in the real world.To help you get on the right track, look at the following possibilities so you can choose the best home based business for you from the following suggestions. Keep in mind though that these businesses still function almost the same way as traditional businesses. You also have the option of doing these businesses either full-time or part-time depending on your convenience.Remember the flea markets during the 1980s? Now, with the advent of the Internet you can begin your small scale buy and sell business. There are currently many websites that allow you to auction off or sell directly your products to prospective buyers. What makes this one of the best home based business options is that you only need a computer, an Internet connection, and interesting products and you are already on your way to establishing your own business. Something that you need to consider with this enterprise is the payment and delivery system for your products.Website builder or consultant is another lucrative endeavor that you can do entirely from home. The only problem with this best home based business idea is that you would need a certain degree of technical expertise in creating, designing, and editing websites. If you lack the technical skills but full of creative ideas, then you can opt to be a website consultant instead.Joining affiliate programs is another great way for you to earn some extra money. This is one of the best home based business possibilities you take advantage of because it actually allows you to earn commissions for the rest of your life. Strictly work from home you do not actually sell products to people but rather get people to promote the products. The more people you get the higher your earnings will be.If you are looking for the best home based business that requires you almost no capital at all, you can actually act as a middleman for people who have businesses but don’t know how to promote it. Moreover you can actually market products which are made in your neighborhood.Tutoring is one of the best home based business ever because your clients come to you. You do not need to leave the house and you can easily promote it to your friends, neighbors, and family members who can all refer potential clients to you. There are many areas of tutoring that you can explore based on your interests or education.So no matter what your background is if you are really serious about earning some extra cash or doing it full-time you will always have a huge variety of choices to find the best home based business for you.