We have all been involved in an auction at some point in our lives. Maybe it has been for cattle, maybe household goods, maybe even for some collectible online. Whatever you are buying or selling, the principles are generally the same. It comes down to the auctioneer to know the product, know the value, and keep the bidders engaged while making money for the seller as well as themselves.
The problem seems to be that when some courses train the next wave of auctioneers, they stop at the familiar auctioneer cadence we have all come to expect. One man says that while that is a very important piece of the business, it is only just the beginning. This man is working to teach future auctioneers more than just fast talk. He wants to teach them to be successful.
Dave Aeschliman runs the Walnut Creek Auction College. He is an auctioneer himself. He says the vision he had for this training program came from a few things:
- Hearing from Auctioneers that they are having a hard time making a living at the business, because nobody showed them how to run the business side of the operation.
- After doing research into many auctioneering training programs, he discovered that once they taught students how to master the cadence, they hung them out to dry.
- There are no public education courses for auctioneering in the United States. All training courses are privately owned and funded. An education curriculum is a unique opportunity.
It was an event in support of the Iowa FFA Foundation that led him to a discussion with the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC). Now a new course will be taught, starting in January.
Aeschliman?s dream of having this become a full-fledged degree is still some time off, but this is the first step. DMACC is helping him partner the course with other business courses to help the students learn a well-rounded curriculum to help them on their journey.
Right now there are two different options for the course. A three-day course and a five-day course. Both will teach you how to do the cadence on the first day, but then they will move on to things like business management, logistics, building and interacting with your team, how to interact with a crowd, and so much more that isn?t always thought about behind the scenes at the auction.
You can learn more about the programs by visiting WalnutCreekAuctionCollege.com.
Our full interview with Dave Aeschliman will be featured on this week?s edition of Weekend Ag Matters
