What to Expect When Selling with Steffes
April 2022
You might have hundreds of Steffes auctions under your belt, but do you have an inkling of an idea of what makes each auction successful?
Your vision might resemble something like talking with a sales representative about your sale, taking a few pictures of the items to be sold, and on the auction day when the auctioneer is speaking fast, waving hands, and pointing fingers. Here at Steffes, what happens behind the scenes leading up to an auction is the key component of what makes Steffes auctions successful.
Preparation
The first step in having a successful Steffes auction is to prepare – 90% of the work is in the preparation stage. The priority is to set a date and decide what type of auction will best suit your auction (live on-site or timed online). By setting the date and type of auction you have now created the epicenter for designing and strategizing all marketing efforts. After you complete this step, this is where most of the hard work begins. Now it’s time to create a detailed equipment list, prepare equipment, and gather all documentation necessary, including pictures and video for marketing. Our staff will guide you through what it means to get your equipment “auction ready” and what potential buyers are specifically looking for when shopping for used equipment.
Promotion
Setting the date is like obtaining the golden key and now that you have the key you have unlocked the power of the Steffes award-winning marketing team. “When you hire Steffes, you don’t just hire one person to focus on your auction; you get a whole team of industry experts,” said Max Steffes, West Fargo Site Leader.
Together as a team, we ensure your auction receives the attention it needs to be successful every step of the way so when it comes to auction day, you can sit back and rest easy. Our team of highly skilled professionals understand the equipment or items being sold, have the knowledge on how to sell it, and most importantly how to get it in front of the right audience.
The marketing team specializes in graphic design, videography, photography, advertising placement, social media, and more that is tailor-made for your auction. We use a portion of the budget to market your auction to potential buyers. Using our proven print and digital marketing strategies, we target those potential buyers and audiences you would not otherwise have access to. Printed marketing materials are created to help promote your auction to friends and neighbors and may be in the form of a sale bill, postcard, flyer, or local advertising. And of course, all auction information will be posted on our website and exposed to hundreds of thousands of viewers. SteffesGroup.com had over 40 million page views in 2021 alone!
Our social media presence and follower count continue to grow. In 2021, Steffes social media posts were viewed more than 85 million times compared to our competitors’ average of 3.2 million. So if you are not currently following us on social media you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok.
Performance
It’s your big day, it’s auction day! No matter what type of auction you choose – auctions are a powerful method for delivering fair market value. Our auctioneers work for YOU. Auction day is a culmination of all our efforts. Everything has led us to this day, and we let our experience guide us. Competitive bidding processes vary for different types of auctions, but each has proven remarkably effective in capturing markets and yielding premium results.
At Steffes, we focus on people, so our staff will remain with you every step of the way leading up to auction day. Again, 90% of the work is completed prior to auction day. We want you to rest easy and enjoy the day. Take it in – talk with family, friends, or neighbors if it’s a live on-site auction. If it’s a time online auction, we want you to rest easy knowing we have an entire in-house technology team dedicated to serving you and ensuring the online experience remains smooth and unhinged.
Why Steffes?
With over 60 years of experience, Steffes is well-equipped with knowledgeable and skilled staff who will ensure you receive fair market value for your auction.
“It’s all about the people because people service people,” said Max Steffes.
Hear first-hand how successful our auctions are from the people we have served.
“The Bank has utilized the Steffes Group on several occasions over the years ranging from equipment and business liquidations to multi-million dollar ag real estate auctions. It has always been reassuring to have the knowledge and resource of the Steffes Group to handle the situation from start to finish.” – Mike Pierce, on behalf of Dacotah Bank
“Absolutely wonderful experience. I truly cannot understand why someone or anyone would do anything other than an online auction with Steffes!!! A nationwide audience is tough to beat, which made the final sale total outcome far exceed my most wildest dreams!” – Mike & Brenda H., Mechanicsville, IA
Every auction has a story, let us share yours.
