I was at the casino over the weekend to watch a show. We had dinner. Watched the show. And afterwards, we grabbed a couple seats at the bar for a few cocktails. The place was PACKED. And sitting there, I was watching the bartender work. Not because I was impatient (I actually know him, and sat there on purpose). But because the dude is fu@$!ng GOOD. There were probably 20 different things competing for his attention at any given second. Someone needed another drink. Someone was trying to get his attention from the other end of the bar. A couple just sat down. Somebody wanted to close their tab. Another guy was telling him a story. The waitress needed drinks. Glasses were stacking up. And somehow... He was controlling the entire room. One thing was very clear… A great bartender doesn't just pour drinks... He controls attention. He controls anticipation. He controls conversation. He controls the ENERGY. And THAT is exactly what makes for a great auction! Think about it. He sees a couple getting quiet. He cracks a joke... Energy comes back. Somebody asks what drink he's making... Now he's got three people involved in the conversation. Maybe he gives the guy at the end of the bar a little shit. But he keeps moving. Keeps talking. Keeps acknowledging people. Keeps the whole damn bar ALIVE. Now pay attention... Because here's what he's NOT doing. Pouring everybody their first drink... Then sitting back and watching. Yet that's EXACTLY how most people typically run an auction. They put up the auction post... Then they sit back and wait for bids. That's not an auction. That's a freakin Craigslist listing. An auction is LIVE. It's a performance. Once that Hero Package goes on the block, YOUR JOB HAS JUST STARTED. Someone bids? Acknowledge it. Someone asks a question? Answer it where everybody can see it. Bidding slows down? Stir the pot. Drop an update. Ask a question. Reveal something. Add an enticer. Maybe add a bonus.

You know the guy. Two lanes are merging into one because of construction. Everybody sees it. Most people get into the open lane and wait their turn. But there's ALWAYS that one guy... He flies past 30 cars, gets all the way to the cones, turns on his blinker and expects somebody to let him in. And what happens? Suddenly the nicest people in the world become... "NOT IN FRONT OF ME, MOTHERTRUCKER." 😂 (I'm not sayin that was meeee 😇). You'll ride six inches off the bumper in front of you just to make DAMN SURE this guy doesn't get in. Which is kinda ridiculous when you think about it. If I let him in... What did I actually lose? One car length? Five seconds? Who gives a shit? But it doesn't FEEL like five seconds. It feels like... He got ahead of me. And THAT is when it hit me about auctions. Because the exact same thing starts happening when people bid. Let's say I bid $1,000 on your auction. At that moment, I'm winning. There's a tiny little piece of my brain that has already started thinking... "That's mine." Then you come along and bid $1,200. But look... I didn't lose $1,200. I didn't lose $1,000. Technically, I haven't lost ANYTHING. But it sure as hell doesn't feel that way . Because... YOU JUST GOT IN FRONT OF ME. So now my next decision isn't the same decision I made when I placed my first bid. Before I bid, I was asking: "Do I want this?" Now I'm asking: "Am I really going to let THAT GUY take it from me?" That's an entirely different psychological game. And it gets even crazier when somebody has been bidding all day. $1,000. $1,500. $2,000. $2,500. They've been in the lead. They've been watching the auction. They've been imagining themselves owning the thing. Then... 15 minutes before the auction closes... Some dude who hasn't made a SINGLE BID all day shows up and drops: $3,000. 😂😂😂 He just flew past 30 cars and turned his fu@$ing blinker on. Because an auction isn't just a mechanism for discovering what somebody is willing to pay.

Most people look at an auction and see bids. I see a list of people raising their hands and telling me: “I want this.” And more importantly... They're telling me HOW BADLY they want it. Think about the difference between these two people: One person likes your post (maybe even comments). Another person bids $3,500 on your offer. Those are NOT the same lead. The person who liked the post might think your offer is interesting. They might even want it. But the person who bid $3,500 not only told you they wanted it, they just told you: “I was willing to give you $3,500 to get this outcome.” That's buyer intent. And an auction measures it in DOLLARS. Let's say you're auctioning a package and the bidding goes like this: Sarah: $500 Mike: $750 Sarah: $1,000 Chris: $1,500 Mike: $2,000 Chris: $2,500 Sarah: $3,000 Chris: $3,500 Chris wins. Cool. You made $3,500. But look at what else just happened. Sarah told you she's willing to spend $3,000 solving this problem. Mike told you he's willing to spend $2,000. Those aren't cold leads. Those aren't people who downloaded a PDF six months ago. Those aren't people who clicked an ad. Those are BUYERS who literally tried to give you money. Buyers ready to spend NOW. They just happened to "not win". That's why I keep saying: An auction isn't just a way to sell something. It's a buyer-intent machine. And there's another layer to this: While the AMOUNT someone bids tells you something... Their BEHAVIOUR during the auction tells you even more. Who jumped in immediately? Who kept coming back? Who disappeared when the price crossed $1,000? Who fought like hell until $3,000? Who asked questions? Who suddenly jumped in after you added a particular bonus? Who said: "Dammit... I'm out." That is invaluable information. Because now you're not GUESSING what your market wants. You're watching them demonstrate it with their wallet. With their actions. This is one of the reasons I love auctions compared to surveys.