Where possible I always try and meet as many guests I possibly can, before an auction takes place. I tell guests about the auction lots, answer any questions they have and most importantly I build a sense of trust between them and myself. 

Time and time again the people that I’ve been able to meet turn out to be the biggest bidders in the room. 

If an auctioneer doesn’t know about a lot that he’s trying to get bids on, then he’s going to have an uphill struggle to get people to bid on it. 

I take my time before every event to go through a detailed consultation with every client where I get completely clear about each and every lot. 

I have two auction styles. The first is what you may have seen on programs such as Homes Under The Hammer, where I remain on stage with a gavel. HOWEVER my preferred style is very different to this. 

I love nothing better than grabbing a wireless mic, getting in amongst the audience, running from one end of the room to the other, creating bidding wars and turning the whole event into an entertainment spectacle. 

People ALWAYS donate more, when they’re being entertained. 

Aside from running the auction, I love helping out in other areas where possible. This could be running the silent auction, selling tickets for the raffle or even creating a impromptu game to entertain your guests. 
If you’ve booked me for your event, then I’ll do whatever it takes to exceed your expectations and smash your targets. 

Sometimes at auctions things don’t go to plan and lots don’t meet their reserves. When this happens I enjoying thinking on my feet to see what can be created in that moment.

My best example of this is when I had two tickets to the opera, when the majority of the guests worked in construction. A bidding war got the bids up to £950, but I had a feeling the bids could go higher. It just so happened that an opera singer was in the audience, I asked if he would belt out a few notes, thankfully he agreed, the bidding restarted and the lot went for to £1800.