No matter what you sell, you have to tell people about it. That means we have to do something we call “writing.”

I wish we could do away with the word. It seems to either freeze our brains or inspire us to get clever. Both lead to bad writing that fails to sell.

The best writing tip I ever got came from my old city editor at The Birmingham News. I’d written a really clever story and was proud of it. It was full of fancy words and elaborate, well-turned phrases. He glared at me over the desk and said, “Pretend I’m your mama. Now tell me what happened.”

I did. It sounded nothing like the story in his hand. (We still used paper in those days.)

“Good,” he said, “now go write that, and don’t ever give me any (stuff) like that again.”

Only he didn’t say stuff. You get the idea.

Few Auctioneers have had a mentor who knew how to write well. That leads to brochures, ads and websites that are confusing and lifeless. Here are some of the best principles I’ve learned. I promise they’ll help you sell more.

Learn to love

Facts. Channel Dragnet’s Joe Friday and stick with “Just the Facts, Ma’am.” With all due respect to the sales experts who tell you to “sell the sizzle,” just remember that the bidder’s buying the steak. (He assumes it’ll be sizzling.) What he wants to know is whether he’s getting a ribeye or a sirloin and whether it’s Prime or Choice.

Details. As you learn to stick to the facts and eliminate the fluff, use that space to give the reader more specifics. Instead of just saying a house has hardwood flooring, point out that it uses planks of two-inch-thick, six-inch-wide oak reclaimed from a colonial mansion.

Nouns and verbs. These are the guts of good writing. “We sold” is a complete sentence all by itself. Start with these and build around them.

Your reader. Be kind to him. Make his job easier. Never make him cut through a bunch of clutter to get to what he needs.

Bullets. The simple bullet frees you from the compulsion to write in complete sentences. It lets you cram a lot of details into a little space, without waste.

The delete button. Don’t be afraid. I’ve wasted hundreds of hours trying to fix bad sentences when I needed to just start over. Just take a deep breath, highlight and delete. There. Now you’re free to write something good.

Learn to hate

Passive voice. Never say, “the home was built” when you can say, “he built the home.” For starters, active sentences are more specific because they tell the reader who built the home. Active verbs keep people reading.

Adjectives. OK, they’re a necessary evil. Just remember that worlds like beautiful, elegant and lovingly hand crafted are there mostly to make the seller happy. They rarely help sell anything because readers breeze past them looking for the stuff that actually tells them what you’re selling.

Long sentences. I can’t tell you how long is too long. Just set a tripwire in your brain that alerts you when you’ve gone a while without using the period key. You don’t have to buy into the Twitter limit of 140 characters, but keeping it in mind can actually help you set a rhythm.

Verbs derived from “to be.” You can’t get away from words like is, are, am, was and were, but try to at least keep them corralled. Pairing them with “not” gets you extra points off. (Contractions like “can’t” and “don’t” seem OK. I have no idea why. They just do.)

Needless words. Make it a game to see how much you can cut out without actually removing any real information. My first draft tends to be much longer than the last one.
We’ve all written bad stuff. It’s OK. The blank screen in front of you is an invitation to do it better.

Carl Carter, APR, is President of NewMediaRules Communications, which has provided Auctioneers with public relations, copywriting and design services since 1994. He offers free communications tips through his blog, www.newmediarules.net. E-mail him at carl@newmediarules.com.

Carter is a regular contributor to Auctioneer magazine. Read 2011 and 2012 issues to pick up more marketing and public relations tips.

Those efficiencies, he says, come mainly from the proper implementation of technology, which ultimately maximizes profitability for his company.

And Rasmus, of Rasmus Asset Advisors, Alexandria, Va., says he plans to share his knowledge and some of his firm’s best practices with Certified Auctioneers Institute students in March.

The NAA plans CAI 2012 on March 18-22 on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. CAI Next, an intensive training program exclusively for CAI graduates, is scheduled for March 18-20.

During his “Technology” course, Rasmus says he plans to share with CAI students how social media, cloud-based computing and other technologies can increase income, improve marketing and boost auction attendance.

Another CAI trainer, Forres Meadows, CAI, ATS, BAS, also plans to focus on technology during his “Online-Only Auctions” course.

Meadows says his training session will likely open the minds of CAI students to new possibilities available on the Internet. He emphasizes that all auction professionals, including those who don’t conduct online sales, will benefit from his course because a lot of it focuses on advanced marketing practices.

Go here to sign up for CAI and to learn more about the programs.

Start with professional-quality photography and video, industry experts say.

“People do judge a book by its cover,” says Bart Wilson, Chief Innovation Officer for VPiX, a Colorado-based company that specializes in virtual tours. “If you do not grab their attention and impress them right away, they’ll move on.”

Professional-quality photography pays off, studies have found. A 2010 analysis by Redfin, a Seattle brokerage firm, found that homes with professional photographs sold for $934 to $116,076 more than homes shot with basic point-and-shoot cameras.

Aerial photography, high-definition video and 360-degree virtual tours are among the top options available to Auctioneers seeking to market homes, properties or other items.

One company, 3vTV, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is now traveling the country by plane and automobile capturing aerial and on-the-ground images, which Auctioneers and real estate professionals will be able to purchase, says Bo Zarn, Business Development Director for the company.

For the aerial images, an airplane with 14 cameras attached to the belly flies at an altitude of 1,500 feet capturing panoramic views of commercial and residential properties. A street-level system uses eight cameras mounted on a vehicle’s roof rack to snap photos. The cameras collect hundreds of images, which are strung together and essentially form a video.

“We’re sweeping the country,” says Zarn, a former real estate appraiser and National Auctioneers Association member. “We’ll be everywhere except 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and Camp David.”

Read the complete story in Auctioneer magazine to learn how a database of images could help move millions of dollars in foreclosures and bank-owned properties.

Government policies and procedures, in some cases, tend to work against the principles of the auction method because they can be slow and arduous, the paper says. Auction professionals, on the other hand, bring liquidity to the marketplace, and auction transactions can lead to a chain reaction of additional sales that ultimately help the economy.

More specifically, the paper’s authors point out that auction businesses might encounter these regulatory roadblocks:

•    Smaller firms could continue to lose out on contracts, as governmental organizations have in the past favored only big auction companies or those with high amounts of capital
•    Some government agencies have stopped using auction companies because of lawsuits
•    There will likely continue to be no licensing requirements for online-only auctions occurring in most states
•    Auction licensing fees will probably continue to increase, and government agencies might more diligently pursue rule violations as a source of additional income in certain states
•    Certification programs now make it more difficult to earn educational designations
•    Tax laws, particularly when it comes to sales tax, and health care policies could have significant negative effects on small businesses, a category under which most auction businesses fall
•    State governments will begin to view auction professionals as retailers and therefore require auction firms to follow more thorough accounting practices

Present and former leaders of state Auctioneer associations say government regulations are a concern; however, most agree new laws, policies and mandates are to be expected as part of doing business.

Last year’s President of the Alabama Auctioneers Association, John Stewart, says the group is working with the Alabama State Board of Auctioneers to get a new licensing law pushed through the legislature.

Their first attempt at passing a new law, which addresses Internet auctions, was not successful, Stewart says, but the association and board plan to make another attempt in February.

California State Auctioneers Association President Todd Good says the Internet allows business owners to sidestep myriad regulations because transactions take place online.

Good, though, says arms of the government do not exist, are not going after violators or do not have the manpower to enforce certain laws or future legislation.

In addition, he says most auction licensing laws don’t “have any teeth.” Some fines or penalties might amount only to a slap on the wrist, especially when a small fine is levied against an auction firm conducting a multi-million dollar sale.

Federal, state and local governments also strive to bring in tax revenues, and in agreement with the white paper, that has some NAA members concerned about what additional expenses legislators could impose on their small businesses.

New sales taxes could play a significant role in helping municipalities rein in budget deficits.

Stewart says the rumor in Alabama is sales taxes could be on the horizon for estate sales.

“If they start taxing what you’ve already paid taxes on … that’s double dipping,” he says.

Good says Internet sales are likely to be taxed in California. Those who deal in e-commerce should expect to start charging sales tax, he says.

Read the complete story in Auctioneer magazine to find out how other government regulations are affecting and might affect the auction industry in the near future.

Read the Council on Future Practices’ white paper here.

The Task Force presented the suggestions with the belief that they will ensure the NAA continues to provide relevant and valuable educational opportunities and representation for the auction industry.

NAA President Christie King, CAI, AARE, BAS, says the Task Force recommends that educational opportunities are made available to auction professionals regardless of their role in the business.

She says that in order to make this a priority, there were two supporting recommendations:

1) The Task Force recommends that any auction professional be allowed to join the organization as a voting member; and 2) The Task Force recommends that the name of the organization be changed to the National Auction Association.

The Task Force presented the recommendations, and several others, to the NAA Board of Directors during the Board’s October meeting. The Task Force also discussed its suggestions with the NAF Board of Trustees, the Education Institute Trustees and the NAA Auxiliary Board of Trustees.

After taking into consideration feedback from the respective groups, the Task Force created and sent final recommendations to the NAA Board of Directors. The Board reviewed these during a conference call in November.

In summary, the recommendations are as follows:

1) Create one level of membership that allows all members to vote
2) Change the name of the organization to the National Auction Association
3) Eliminate the Immediate Past President position from the NAA Board of Directors
4) Make it a presidential decision whether or not to appoint an outside individual to the Board
5) Reduce the number of Education Institute Trustees by three (the NAA Treasurer would no longer serve and two other Trustee positions would be eliminated — reduction would occur through attrition)
6) Eliminate one year of service from the tenure of the EI Trustees (from four to three years)
7) Eliminate the Candidate Information Review Committee — create a Nominating Committee that would be responsible for submitting up to two candidates per vacant position (individuals who wish to serve without nominations could still run as long as they met the deadlines specified in the Bylaws)

Some of the recommendations would require a revision to the NAA Bylaws, which can be reviewed with appropriate notice to members. The name change and any revision to the composition of the NAA Board of Directors would require a revision to the Articles of Incorporation, which would require a vote at the Annual Meeting on July 19, 2012, in Spokane, Wash.

The recommendations will be discussed at the State Leadership Conference in March as well as in presentations from various Board members at state Auctioneer association meetings.

Members who wish to provide feedback may do so in an e-mail to NAA CEO Hannes Combest, CAE, at hcombest@auctioneers.org. Feedback will be presented to the Board during its April meeting.

NAA President Christie King, CAI, AARE, BAS, says the Board has not finalized any decision or any revision. It is its goal to obtain as much feedback as possible on the Task Force’s recommendations. A white paper that discusses the group’s recommendations is located on the NAA’s website, www.auctioneers.org. Go to the “Member Resources” section and click on the “Downloads” link.

Please see supporting stories on Pages 8-9 of the January issue of Auctioneer magazine.

“There are people out there that are driven buyers,” says Rich Penn of Rich Penn Auctions, Waterloo, Iowa. “If you can’t identify them, inform them and convert them, you’re missing the market.”

That personal property market, for Penn, is in the antique and collectible side of the business. Some buyers are dodging high-risk or low-return investments and instead finding their money better spent at auction.

Plus, Penn says, his buyers find personal satisfaction in owning high-end collectibles. Average personal property items are selling a little below value, and auction buyers avoid low-end or common items.

Dan Matthews, CAI, GPPA, also targets collectors for his personal property auctions. He specializes in selling petroliana and automobilia.

Matthews recommends Auctioneers in the personal property market become specialists in certain niches. Auto-related items account for 95 percent of his business.

Collectible signs continue to go up in value, he says, and these investments might bring 3 percent to 10 percent returns. Like Penn, he says buyers are more willing to put their money toward the purchase of tangible items, forgoing the stock market and banks.

Read the full story from Auctioneer magazine.

Joe Hessney, of Hessney Auction Co., Geneva, N.Y., has included stamps in his monthly coin auctions for about four years. Stamps now take up about one-third of these auctions.

“We get as many people now for the stamps as we do for the coins,” he says.

Hessney had some previous familiarity with stamps, but he also relies on books and local collectors to help evaluate collections.

Hessney has auctioned albums for as much as $2,000, and he has taken in as much as $800 for an individual stamp.

Early American stamps seem to attract the most attention, and no matter what stamp is on the auction block, “condition is a big thing,” he says.

There might be millions of unused stamps out there, but the number of truly valuable stamps is limited.

“About 99.9 percent are worthless,” says Jonathan Kraft, of Kraft Auctions, Valparaiso, Ind.

Even if you have a valuable stamp, you may not know it.

“It’s very difficult for anyone to know a lot about them outside of the guys who really collect them,” he says. “And that’s a very small market.”

If you have just 10 people at a stamp auction, he says, “you really hit a home run.”

One indication of the potential value of a stamp collection is the value of other things that the owner collected. If he had a valuable coin collection, for example, his stamp collection might be equally valuable.

In determining the worth of a stamp, Kraft says, “It all comes down to how many are left,” not whose picture is on it.

One of the most valuable stamps is the “upside down Jenny,” a stamp printed in 1918 on which the image of an airplane was accidentally inverted. It can sell for more than $1 million.

Truly valuable stamps are not likely to be mounted in collector books or albums, Kraft says. Rather, they’ll probably be graded, placed on individual cards and accompanied by details about the stamp.

Find out more about the stamp auction market in a full report from the January 2012 issue of Auctioneer.

Downtown Spokane is packed with attractions within walking distance of the two conference hotels — the DoubleTree and the Red Lion at the Park.

“We have a very walkable, safe downtown,” says Dana Haynes, Communications Director for Visit Spokane.

From the hotels, you can easily walk to at least 60 restaurants and 14 wine-tasting rooms, she says.

Both hotels are on the banks of the cascading Spokane River, which flows through downtown Spokane. You can enjoy a relaxing walk through the paved Centennial Trail along the riverbank or take the SkyRide over Spokane Falls.

At 100-acre Riverfront Park, just a few steps from the hotels, you can ride on the 100-year-old Looff carousel or visit the I-Max Theater.

Spokane is a major shopping hub, with a large downtown mall and numerous boutiques, Haynes says.

And the city has a vibrant arts scene with a performing arts center and the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, where the “really fascinating” Smithsonian Dig It! The Secrets of Soil exhibit will be on display, Haynes says.

Hikers can walk along the 37-mile Centennial Trail, which stretches from Riverfront Park into Idaho. And Riverside State Park’s hiking and biking trails are within 10 minutes of downtown.

If you’re an amusement aficionado, consider the Silverwood theme park, just north of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, less than 50 miles from Spokane. It’s billed as the Pacific Northwest’s largest theme park and has more than 65 rides and attractions, with three roller coasters, including a vintage wooden ride and a water park, Haynes says.

Spokane is known for its superb wines, and guided tours are available of the 20 wineries in the region.

The weather should be just right during Conference and Show. The average high temperature during July is a comfortable 83 degrees.

The hotels are only a 10- to 15-minute drive from Spokane International Airport. Both hotels have courtesy shuttles available. A cab ride downtown costs about $20.

The airport is served by several major airlines, including Alaska, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, United and U.S. Airways. It has eight restaurants, free Wi-Fi and eight on-site rental car companies, says Todd Woodard, the airport’s Director of Business Development and Public Affairs.

To make your stay extra enjoyable, a couple of Northwest Auctioneers are planning some special activities for visiting National Auctioneers Association members.

At the Welcome Party, attendees will be treated to a Pacific Northwest barbecue.

Merle Booker, CAI, GPPA, of Booker Auction Co., Eltopia, Wash., and some of his agricultural clients, including Easterday Farms, Brad Boersma Farms and Sunny Farms, plan to treat visitors to some “Pacific Northwest hospitality” in the form of barbecued beef, lamb and pork along with a few surprises, Booker says.

The menu hasn’t been finalized, but Booker says one thing is certain: “It will be something more than just a hot dog or hamburger you’d get at a restaurant.”

He’s also planning a tasting event with wines from three or four local wineries.

And some top-notch entertainment has been called in.

Scott Musser, CAI, BAS, of Musser Bros. Inc., Pasco, Wash., has booked an appearance by the Chris Ward Band.

The six-piece group specializes in classic country and classic rock and plans to perform at the Welcome Party barbecue.

Booker also is working on some additional activities for later in the week.

He hopes to arrange a visit to Spokane’s DAA Northwest auto auction, and he’s planning a trip on the Snake River through Hell’s Canyon, North America’s deepest river gorge, on Sunday afternoon after Conference and Show.

“It’s a very historic, wild and scenic river,” he says.

Musser says golfers will enjoy playing a round on the Coeur d’Alene Golf Course with its famous floating green.

There should be even more to do in Spokane than there was at Conference and Show in Boise, Idaho, Booker says.

“I’m excited about my auction family coming to see me,” he says.

TRADE SHOW

Plus, Don’t miss your opportunity to win BIG prizes and learn about the auction industry’s latest products and services during this year’s trade show. The Conference and Show schedule features trade show time that does not compete with educational sessions, providing every attendee an opportunity to visit with vendors and participate in prize drawings.

Similar to the past two years, prize drawings will again take place every day on the trade show floor. There will be several drawings Wednesday and Thursday beginning at 4:45 p.m. On Friday, prizes ranging in value from $100 to $500 will be drawn about every 15 minutes, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

LUNCH IS ON US

Conference and Show registrants who stay at one of the event’s two host hotels, the Red Lion at the Park or the DoubleTree, will receive $45 in complimentary lunch vouchers. The vouchers are available only to Full Pack and Supersaver 1 registrants.

Check out the full story from the January 2012 Auctioneer magazine.

Search for flights that allow you to cash in miles and points.

And the Real Estate Auction Summit on Feb. 7-8 in Atlanta might be one of the best resources for learning how to get it back.

Two well-known real estate trainers plan to discuss how to build successful, long-term relationships, how to properly use the latest technologies and how to increase sales and performance.

Verl Workman, technology and sales guru, says his presentations will provide auction professionals with the knowledge that they’re not alone — the tools, processes and people are out there to help them achieve at the highest levels.

“When I’m done, we’re going to blow them away with what they’re capable of doing,” Workman says. “There’s going to be a frenzy of Auctioneers that are going to raise their hands and say, ‘I want more.’”

Workman, known as the “Freaking Sales Animal,” has experience as a small business owner, entrepreneur and corporate executive. He’s a real estate sales expert who also specializes in marketing, self-promotion, management and technology.

He is co-founder of Pinnacle Quest Consulting and Automation Quest, a company sold to homes.com in 1999. Workman also has experience in online real estate auctions.

He says his training sessions focus on the following:

•    The proper application of technology
•    Sales tactics and client relationships
•    Business efficiencies and project management
•    Lead tracking, follow-up and conversion

A lot of people, Workman says, use technology just because it’s available, and that’s not the correct approach. Instead, salespeople should focus on practical applications of new technologies and ways in which they can maximize return on investment.

In his presentations, he plans to recommend software and web-based technologies, particularly those available through cloud computing, that will help auction professionals improve sales in a difficult real estate market.

Salespeople, he says, place too much focus on miscellaneous tasks within their businesses, and the most important part of their jobs — selling real estate — often gets the smallest percentage of attention. Like other entrepreneurs, he says auction professionals get bogged down in paperwork and spend too much time on $15 an hour tasks when they should be working for $1,000 an hour.

“This is an exciting speech for me to give,” Workman says. “It’s outside of my normal presentation, and it’s allowed me to do a deep dive into the Auctioneer business.”

He recommends that business owners rely more on assistants, virtual assistants and technology to take care of various tasks on which they could be losing money. At the Real Estate Auction Summit, he plans to share best practices for making this happen.

His humorous, hands-on presentations will help auction professionals learn how to create value for their clients and drive people to respond favorably to their messaging, he says. He plans to present practical marketing tactics that will keep clients engaged on an ongoing basis.

Engagement is a key topic for the summit’s other featured trainer, Terri Murphy, e-communications strategist and entrepreneur.

A real estate veteran with 28 years of experience, Murphy is a consultant to the National Association of Realtors and an author who recently penned a book with Donald Trump. She is a contributor for many national publications, and she has appeared as a guest on several national television news programs.

Murphy is Chief Information Officer for U.S. Learning Inc. and President of Terri Murphy Communications Inc.

She’s a proponent of creating long-term, meaningful strategic partnerships through the use of electronic communications.

“Strategic relationships are built on mutual respect, admiration and confidence,” she says. “Just asking people for referrals or just having your resources isn’t enough.”

During her Real Estate Auction Summit presentation, she says she will present auction professionals with a matrix that provides step-by-step instruction on identifying, engaging and creating relationships with new clients.

Online social networks can help salespeople build the trust necessary to foster current and future relationships; however, it’s still about people doing business with people, she says.

Therefore, it’s essential business owners understand that a simple Internet presence on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn is not enough. Salespeople must be active online, and they must know how to use these tools effectively.

Content, including video, must be relevant in order to create rich relationships with clients and increase profits. Murphy recommends marketing and editorial content with a purpose — auction professionals must convince social media followers to check back with them on a regular basis.

Then, using several social media tools, clients should all be invited to a central location: a blog-based website at which the “party,” as she calls it, is occurring. At this site, auction professionals should serve as expert resources that provide concise and relevant information, such as tips for buying or selling a home at auction in a turbulent market.

She says she plans to offer summit attendees resources and best practices for making the most of their social media efforts. Her training sessions will include examples of real-world success stories, actionable ideas and instruction on communications strategies.

Murphy compares the opportunities in the auction market to those that retailers have during the holiday shopping season, in particular Black Friday.

“The basis for auctioning is competition,” she says. “That creates excitement. That creates a concern that you might not get what you want. You have to be able to create the energy around what you do.”

In addition to presentations from Workman and Murphy, the Real Estate Auction Summit program includes panel discussions with some of the auction industry’s top real estate professionals.

Stephen Karbelk, CAI, AARE, of National Commercial Auctioneers, Tulsa, Okla., plans to moderate “Real Estate or Information Technology: Which Business Are You In?”

This session will help auction professionals better understand how to balance the demands of real estate businesses while they manage information technology at the same time.

Another panel discussion, “From RFP to Closing the Deal on Complex Sales,” includes the following National Auctioneers Association members:

•    J. Craig King, CAI, AARE, of J.P. King Auction Co. Inc., Gadsden, Ala.
•    R.D. Schrader II, CAI, of Schrader Real Estate & Auction Co. Inc., Columbia City, Ind.
•    Max Spann Jr., CAI, of Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Co., Clinton, N.J.

Check out the complete schedule in Auctioneer magazine

Register for the event here.

“Today’s equipment is portable, easy to use and captures the full voice range,” says Rich Basinger, who owns Basinger Audio Systems, Canfield, Ohio. “It’s about making the Auctioneer comfortable and the auction more enjoyable for those attending.”

Audio systems include microphones and speakers and can range from a few hundred dollars for a basic model to several thousand for a versatile, high-end package.

Dual, wireless microphones for the bid spotter and Auctioneer are becoming increasingly popular, says Bruce Jones, vice president of marketing for Lectrosonics Inc., Rio Rancho, N.M.

“The ability to move around at an auction is important,” Jones says. “This eliminates the cord, so you don’t have to worry about getting tangled up.”

Dual technology also allows auctions to run smoothly with few interruptions, Basinger says, as the bid spotter and Auctioneer do not have to hand off microphones before speaking. Hands-free options, such as a headset, also are available.

Auctioneers must decide between microphones that operate in the newer UHF television band or older VHF electromagnetic spectrum. UHF bands operate on multiple frequencies, while VHF bands use a single frequency.

With proper use, Jones says, both types should work well.

Improvements in speakers have provided Auctioneers with a much more natural voice reproduction than equipment a decade ago, Basinger says.

With older, horn-style speakers, voices often came across with a high, tin-like pitch when used indoors, Basinger says. Newer, cone-style speakers are better able to capture different voice tones, resulting in a natural, easy-to-understand sound.

In recent years, Basinger says, manufacturers have designed portable, cone-style speakers, a benefit to Auctioneers on the go.

“More and more Auctioneers are seeing the benefits to natural sound reproduction,” Basinger says. “Horn speakers are no longer adequate in most cases.”

Many also have found benefits in pre-auction music, as more systems have built-in MP3 players with talk-over features, which allow music to fade automatically when the Auctioneer makes an announcement.

“Without pre-auction music, people were coming into a dead environment,” Basinger says. “Music livens things up quite a bit and makes the buyer’s experience more enjoyable.”

Recording auctions is an important step for many Auctioneers who need to review who purchased items and for how much.

In the past, auctions relied on audio cassettes placed near the Auctioneer and flipped every hour or two.

Now, most Auctioneers are opting for digital recorders, says Basinger, whose company sells a recorder for $130 to $200 that uses an SD card, much like a digital camera, and can provide up to 30 hours of coverage.

“Wireless and digital technologies have had big benefits for Auctioneers,” he says. “There have been a lot of improvements in sound quality over the years.”