Auctions Monthly Magazine December 2012

The Midwests Largest Live and Online Auction Magazine
Dec 2012/Jan 2013
How 4-Bid.com
Keeps It
Easy
Where Auction Masters hones their craft
When Zielsdorf Auction reinvented themselves Why Hiller Auctions is a cut above
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www.auctions-monthly.com
December 2012
Scott Robinson scott@wheelsofthunder.net 612-730-3719
OWNER
Vince Griffith auctionsmonthly@yahoo.com 763-210-5801
OFFICE STAFF
Table of contents
Special Features
Auction Masters........................................................................5 Hiller Auction............................................................................9 4-Bid Online Auction................................................................14 Zielsdorf Auction......................................................................19
EDITORIAL STAFF
Tyler Hofstede auctionsmonthly@yahoo.com 763-210-5801
PHOTOGRAPHERS/WRITERS
Ceajea Philp Jenna Osterlund Mylie Lavold
ADVERTISING STAFF
SALES MANAGER: Jessica Kanke auctionsmonthly@yahoo.com 763-210-5801 SALES: Scott Robinson scott@wheelsofthunder.net 612-730-3719
Right now on auctions-monthly.com
December 2012
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December 2012
MASTERS
Of Their Craft
By Jenna Osterlund If youve ever seen the reality show, Storage Wars, you know an auction can be an intense, inconvenient, but exhilarating experience. The rush and occasional inability to obtain an accurate look at your product can make auctioning a gamble. Luckily, with online auctions, Greg and Sharon Christian, local owners of Auction Masters since 1983, have helped lead the way to make the auction experience easy, predictable and fun while keeping the energy of live competitive bidding. Their Auction Center, located in the Twin Cities, is where equipment, inventories and entire business are sold on auctions of 2000 or more lots. They also conduct onsite business liquidation auctions throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A testament to their continued success are the over 200 businesses from Auto Repair to Mortician to Home Improvement Store that they have liquidated over the past 2 years. Auction Masters customer loyalty secures a strong bidder base that, along with aggressive, targeted marketing, assures a competitive auction and fair prices. Their seasoned, professional auction team ensures that each step in the process from set up, to marketing, to payment and removal is perfected. Auction Masters teams expertise accommodates each seller by providing customized designed auctions to meet needs and goals. The team goes to each property and merchandises, catalogs, photographs and posts the assets on the Auction Masters website for bidding to the general public. Individualized, aggressive, targeted marketing is the key to a successful auction. Traditional, online and social media are used. Auction Masters isnt afraid to bend over backwards to accommodate their bidders also. They provide an online forum for distant bidders to view unembellished descriptions and pictures of products, but they also allow bidders to physically inspect the products of their interest. Auction Masters secure payment and removal process also ensures the bidder that their product will be there.
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Personal accommodation, expertise, security and flexibility are components in the auction industry that are of immense value to both seller and buyer. If you want to schedule your auction or appraisal give owner Greg Christian, a call at 612 701 9246 or start bidding now at www.auctionmasters.com Auction Masters also provides Certified Personal Property Appraisals that conform with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisers Practice. Their continuous exposure to commercial and industrial businesses keeps them abreast of current values. Serving individuals, banks, accounting firms and attorneys, they offer competitive rates and can secure a quick appraisal turnaround.
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December 2012
Keeping Themselves
Above
the
By Ceaja Philp
REST
s a little girl growing up in rural North Dakota I spent a lot of time with my Grandparents, and I will always remember my Grandfathers words, You ready to go find some goodies? To which I would hear Grandma moan, see her roll her eyes and say, Yeah, you bet. Grandpa would just smile, grab the thermos of coffee Grandma had made and off we would go. I remember I would stare out the window the entire drive and once I saw the trailers loaded with boxes and the precious items peeking out from them, along with the people actively searching the grounds, I would feel my heart beat race. Grandpa couldnt park the truck fast enough! I know hes looking down with that same smirk knowing I still get that same feeling I did as a little girl as I go to auctions today to find my own goodies. I may get those same old feelings, but the auctions today have sure come a long way. One of the first auctions I went to after moving to Minnesota had me speechless. I had seen the ad for Hiller Auction, of Zimmerman, Minnesota in a small local paper and thought it would be fun, after all....the ad said it was going to be held at the Barn.
At first when I saw the sign along the road I thought I had made a mistake. There were rows and rows of nicely lined up, parked vehicles and people buzzing in and out of a large building. I slowly got out of my truck and still in shocked walked around the people to see more items than I could have ever imagined lined up along the building, behind the building and for acres down the hill. I followed the crowd into the building where the walls and floor were packed with household and sporting goods, collectibles, guns, and more!
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The people were lined up at the window each getting their large bidding number and then headed to start their search. I followed the norm and was impressed at how easily it flowed at the window and how quickly I had my number and was off to look. I had no idea the quality and quantity of items was going to be so good and before I knew it I heard a voice come across the speaker system announcing they would be starting in about fifteen minutes inside and shortly after another ring would start outside. Speaker system, two auctioneers? Ok, I wasnt in North Dakota anymore. Inside three staff took their place up high on a podium so they were easy to see, had great headsets so it was easier to hear over the massive number of bidders, and three others were quickly showing the next item up for bid. It was impressive how fast and flawless they seemed to whittle away at the mounds of auctions items, adding humor along the way to keep the crowd involved. Outside was just as impressive. The auctioneer worked effortlessly with the other staff to move the items off the trailers and on the ground. The day went great, I had found an amazing auction company that was far beyond any I had ever seen, got great deals, and couldnt wait to get their schedule to see how soon I could go again. As time went I saw the many different things Hiller Auction had to offer. Owner Kevin Hiller and his son, Dan have taken auctions to entire new level. They are the only ones I know that carry all of the correct legal documentation and licensing to sell from nick-knacks, to vehicles and construction equipment, to guns, to homes. They are a dedicated, full-time, family owned company, doing business since 1991. They host numerous sales on their five plus acres, including the heated 7,000 square foot building they call The Barn, along with
offsite auctions, and online proxy and timed auctions as well. They are known nationally for the massive number of used snowmobiles and ATVs they sell. Hiller Auction Services give you many ways to stay connected; online sign up for email updates, newsletters, their web site www. hillerauction.com and on Facebook Hiller Auction Service, Inc. All of which are done in-house, keeping your identity confidential. They are one of few who actually hold a Federal Firearms License, Minnesota Automobile Auctioneers License, a snowmobile and ATV dealers license and a Minnesota Real Estate Brokers License. Hiller Auction Services is also a member of The Minnesota State Auctioneers Association and The National Auctioneers Association. There is no doubt Hiller Auction takes great pride in all they have accomplished and have established themselves as one of the best auction companies in the five state area, which shows with every sale!
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December 2012
Reinventing
with the
TIMES
ielsdorf has been in the machinery business since 1986 when he started Tri-State Appraisal and Equipment. When machinery started getting harder to find, Zielsdorf and his partner (who also owned a John Deere dealership) started buying equipment at auction for local dealers in the Benson area. As things changed and equipment became easier to find, Zielsdorf knew his business had to change too. Dealers started to come with low interest rates and special programs,explains Zielsdorf. Feeling the squeeze, he took the advice of an auctioneer friend who suggested it might be better to sell equipment than to own it. Ninety days later he was enrolled at the Continental School of Auctioneering in Mankato, MN. That was nearly 23 years ago.
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After auction school, Zielsdorf worked for Norling-Henslin Auction Company and then spent about 6 years with Steffes Auctioneers before founding Zielsdorf Auction and Real Estate Services in 2001. Zielsdorf is appreciative of knowledge and experience he gained working for those companies. There were a lot of things they were doing that rubbed off on me and really helped me jump start my auction business. The business is headquartered on nine acres in Benson, about 130 miles west of Minneapolis/St Paul, but Zielsdorf and his team conduct auctions throughout the tri-state area of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, selling land, farm and construction equipment and commercial buildings. Other services include pre-auction appraisals, estate auctions and equipment cleaning. The team consists of Janel Tolifson, who runs the private Real Estate division, and Auction Coordinator Jacob Fragodt, who oversees both the live and online auction business. Together with Zielsdorf, they conduct three of Minnesotas largest consignment auctions. Held annually in March, August and December, these sales have become known for their selection of late model equipment and grown exponentially over the years. Part of that growth is attributed to the addition of online auctions in 2004. Along with running two rings at the auction site, every item we sell on the auction is online live, explains Zielsdorf. We try to give everybody the opportunity to buy no matter where they live. They can buy all over the world because are live online. Zielsdorf has had buyers from South America and bidders registered from Portugal. He admits that this doesnt happen often but its still impressive. Most of Zielsdorfs business from outside the United States comes from Canada. We do a lot of business with people from many of the provinces, says Zielsdorf. People travel down here to the consignment auctions and buy direct. Currently, the team is gearing up for the annual December consignment auction on the 19th. This will be the 47th West Central Minnesota Farmer and Dealer Auction. These big consignment auctions consistently attract 100 or more sellers. This past August, Zielsdorf had 175 sellers with about 800 lots. Zielsdorf explains the December sales tend to be a bit smaller than the August sales, but the items are much bigger. The December 19th auction list includes equipment from dealers, lenders, farmers and construction companies. Throw in smaller miscellaneous items like trucks and trailers and you have a wide variety of items. Bidders can look forward to seeing a large selection of late model farm equipment, including some 2012 combines and tractors as well as some of the smaller and older 4-wheel drive, 2-wheel drive and mechanical front wheel drive tractors, says Zielsdorf. They will also be auctioning a 2012, S670 John Deere combine. Were excited about selling this new series combine. In my research nobody has sold a combine of that nature at auction. Zielsdorf points out that they are not a one-dimensional company that only deals in equipment. They also have a lucerative real estate auction business. If anybody out there interested in selling land, there is only one way youd want to sell it, and that would be by
auction, says Zielsdorf. He suggests that with the new highs on the sale of farmland, sellers should let the auction method of marketing work to their advantage. By setting a price and working your way up sellers often find someone who is willing to pay more than the going rate. Zielsdorf notes that their real estate and consignment programs are really the backbone of the business but he also knows how important it has been to incorporate the grow the online program. Online auctions have been a tremendous boost to our business, says Zielsdorf. As well as to the auction industry itself. Going online as also allowed Zielsdorf to provide better customer service. When you register with our company you become a customer. Bidders are assigned a personal number that is good at every auction. People no longer need to get a new bidder number for every auction. Its much easier to stay in contact with customers and keep them informed upcoming sales. Customer service is something Zielsdorf holds in high regard. He believes that each sale is an important learning experience. We try to do every auction better than we did the last one, says Zielsdorf. If you remember its about the customers, the buyers and sellers, youre going to be successful in this business.
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Auctions Monthly Magazine December 2012

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The Midwests Largest Live and Online Auction Magazine

Dec 2012/Jan 2013

Where Auction Masters hones their craft

Scott Robinson scott@wheelsofthunder.net 612-730-3719

Vince Griffith auctionsmonthly@yahoo.com 763-210-5801

Right now on auctions-monthly.com

Your # 1 Source To Buy And Sell In The Northland!

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