Estimating your assets value:

Typically, one of the first questions a business owner will ask me is, “how much will the assets bring at an auction”. After taking the time to review the assets, the auctioneer should give the client a conservative estimate of the sale based upon his experience and the current market trends. It is important that the company give realistic expectations so the seller can make informed decisions based on their best interest.

Compensation and Expenses:

Is the company you are considering working for you or against you? The agreement you decide may determine this.

A business owner should carefully consider how the auction company is compensated. The most common commission structures include: straight commission, outright purchase of assets, guaranteed base with a split above to both auctioneer and seller, guaranteed base with anything above going to auctioneer or a flat fee structure.

In a straight commission structure, the company is paid an agreed upon percentage of the total sale.

In an outright purchase agreement, the auctioneer simply becomes your end buyer. The company purchases your assets and relocates them. While this can be an option in some unique situations, keep in mind that they will want to purchase your assets at a very reduced price to make a profit at a later date.

In a minimum base guarantee, the auction company guarantees the seller that the auction will generate a minimum amount of sales. Anything above that amount either goes to the auction company or split with the seller. While a seller might feel more comfortable doing an auction knowing that he is guaranteed a minimum amount for his sale, keep in mind that it is the best interest of the auction company to secure a minimum base price as low as possible in order reduce their financial liability to the seller and secure higher compensation for the sale.

In a flat fee structure, the auctioneer agrees to show up for the sale and call the auction. There is no incentive for the auctioneer to get the best prices for your assets. The auction company is compensated regardless of the outcome of your sale.

What is the best option for business owners? In my experience, an agreed upon straight commission structure. This puts the responsibility on the auction company to offer the best outcome for everyone involved. There is an incentive for the auction company to work hard for both parties, set up and run a professional sale, get the highest bid and sell every item on the inventory. Successful auctions translate to a higher bottom line for both the seller and the auction company.

Auction Expenses:

In most auction agreements the expenses to conduct an auction are passed to the seller. If the auction company pays for the expenses, it is simply absorbed in higher commission rates.

All expenses should be agreed upon in advance in a written contract. Typical expenses will include the costs of advertising, labor, legal fees, travel, equipment rentals, security, postage and printing. A reputable auction company will be able to estimate all expenses based upon their experience in previous auctions. An agreement should be actual costs charged as expenses, not an estimated amount.

Advertising is typically the highest cost in conducting an auction. The auction company needs to set up an advertising campaign that will promote the sale to its best advantage and not overspend to simply advertise the auction company.

Once the auction is complete, the auction company should provide a complete breakdown of all expenses to the seller, including copies of receipts within the auction summary report.

Buyer’s Premium:

What is a buyer’s premium? If you attend auctions regularly, you are very familiar with this term. The auction company charges a fee to the buyer when they buy an item at auction.

The buyer’s premium has been around since the 1980′s and is standard auction practice. It was first used by auction houses to help offset costs of running brick and mortar permanent auction facilities. Since then, it has spread to all aspects of the auction industry. It is prominent in online auctions and allows auction companies to cover added expenses incurred from online sales.

It is the responsibility of the auction company to provide clear disclosure of the buyer’s premium to both the buyers and the sellers. Those not familiar with auctions are often taken back by the buyer’s premium. They looked upon it as an under handed way for the auction company to make more money. Reputable auction companies will provide full disclosure within the auction contract, advertisement and bidder registration.

Typically, an auction company will charge online buyers a higher buyer’s premium percentage than those attending an auction in person. Extra fees are incurred with online bidding and are charged accordingly to online buyers. This provides the seller a level playing field for both online buyers and those attending the auction in person. Without the buyer’s premium, there is no way to do this.

Pre-Sales:

We’ve all been there. We’re looking forward to attending an auction only to find that some items were sold prior to the auction date.

As an auctioneer with over thirty-six years of experience, I can honestly state that pre-sales will hurt an auction. When a company decides to liquidate their assets, it is easy to sell off high-end pieces of equipment through online sources, equipment vendors or to other businesses. The seller receives instant cash and avoids paying a commission to an auction company.

Auctioneer’s find themselves appearing to acting in a self-serving capacity when potential clients say they are planning to sell off parts of their inventory prior to an auction. It’s hard not to consider the auctioneer’s commission when they warn you not to pre-sell anything. Yes, the auctioneer wants to earn a commission on those sales but it is more important that the auctioneer protect the sale from potential negative backlash that comes from pre-selling. The buying public knows when an auction has been “cherry picked” prior to the sale and it reflects in their bidding. It becomes a sale of “leftovers” and that impacts prices.

A buyer who purchases prior to the auction usually does not attend the sale. They already bought equipment at a good price with no competition. If they do attend the auction, they tend to let others know of their great pre-sale purchases which again, impacts prices and the overall excitement of the sale.

It is important to understand that auctions work best with a complete inventory. You want competition on your higher end equipment. The easy to sell items make it possible to gain respectable prices for hard to sell items.

When a business owner decides to liquidate their equipment assets, there is only one opportunity to do it right. Hiring a reputable auction company will assist you with a professional, orderly and timely liquidation.

When I write this article I am reminded of the saying “when you do what you love you never have to work a day in your life”.So for this reason whether you work in a job for someone else or in your own business, based either at home or in an office or factory, the ideal is to do what you love.But I am not here to talk about all types of jobs. I am talking specifically about the home based business in the area of network marketing.When you set out to investigate working from home having a criteria to measure prospective businesses against might is essential. Here is my suggestion.
Do something you love

Choose a growth industry- it is important to do your homework and make sure that whatever you are buying into is not a fad or soon to be superseded

Lucrative- high return for time put into the job. We were realistic enough to know there is no such thing as a free meal ticket……a real business requires real work but we certainly did not want to be working 24/7 with no time for fun things.

Systemized – with “tried and true” systems in place to follow from the word go. Learning the business by that often costly method of trial and error is not ideal

A reputable company that provided ongoing support- This is essential especially at the beginning of any new business when there is a lot to learn. It is vital to have access to people who are succeeding and are willing to help and advise

A sound compensation plan with residual Income built in- Plan to build your business and your income simultaneously. So if you are looking at a network marketing business you need to become very familiar with the compensation plan as well as how many people in the company are top income earners and how long did it take them to get there. All too often a business can look great on the surface but when you delve a little further only a select few are making the big dollars and it has taken them years to get to that point.

No monthly quotas to stay in the selling position or stock to keep and ship- Having these kinds of restrictions can be disastrous when you find yourself at the end of the month buying up enough goods yourself to stay afloat
So if you are looking at researching a home based business to set yourself up for financial freedom this criteria might be just what you need to make an informed, intelligent decision.

Depending on their capital, finding the necessary funds to operate their business is one of the most difficult tasks that a small business owner must face. At one point, expansion becomes necessary for growth and before this happens, the small business owner must be prepared. Before expansion and a small business loan to fund it become necessary, the small business owner should take the necessary steps to help him minimize the difficulty involved. It pays to know what you need to help you increase your chances of getting approved for a small business loan.Risk is your enemy when applying for a small business loan because it’s the only reason that lenders such as banks will turn down your loan request for your business. With the right preparations, you help yourself seem less risky in the perception of lenders so that you can get approved for your loan.Government and community grants are now a thing of the past and if you think you can start with that, think again. This is one common error that entrepreneurs make. You’re more likely to be able to get funding from family, your own savings, friends, or from conventional lenders.Here are some of the things that lenders look into in their applicants for small business loans:Credit score and history
Business plan and its feasibility
Business history and performance
Education
Business cash flowThese are just some of the many things that you should prioritize in taking care of when applying for a small business loan.You need to ask yourself several questions first, before applying for a small business loan. These questions are most likely questions that lenders will ask you too when you apply for the loan. Prepare your business plan and know that this is very important. The business plan needs to be able to show the lender that your business is feasible and can gain profit which in turn gives them gain in their investment. This means that the lower risk they see in lending you money, the better chances you have on getting approved.How much money do you need for your business expansion? This is the first thing you should ask yourself first because this determines the direction of the loan application. Be sure that you request only for the amount of money that you need, nothing more and nothing less.Where will the money go? Lenders also want to know how you will invest their money so they’ll know the kind of risk involved. Provide detailed information where every dollar will be invested in such as operations and acquisition of new equipment and/or facilities.When will you pay off the loan? Be sure that you also give the lender an idea when they will be able to get back their investment. Convince them that you’ll be able to pay in the expected time you give them.Lastly, many people think this is unnecessary but it’s a plus on the part of lenders. Tell lenders what you’ll do if you won’t get approved for the small business loan. This tells lenders that you have persistence and will not get discouraged if they turn down your application. This portrays a confident and determined personality – someone they can trust.Sometimes all you need is a little more cash. If you have bad credit you should consider a bad credit loan from a company like BHM Financial. Bad credit loans can give you the cash you need to achieve your goals.