I was having a conversation with one of my business partners tonight, and the topic came up about home based business scripts. We were actually talking about how much of a struggle it is for new business owners to get on track in terms of getting over the anxiety to call their people to promote events, products, or services. My response was that it’s just a natural part of the sales process, and that people should get over it. We discussed various ideas and threw around some new ones to help people overcome the fear, but it all came down to home based business scripts.Without having home based business scripts in front of you to sort of act as a verbal guide, it’s mortifying to so many individuals who start a home based business that they need to pick up the phone and actually talk to people. I know many people who will actually take the time to come up with excuses just so they can get out of a call workshop or calling their people. It’s very sad, because if they only knew how much their friends, family, and acquaintances actually thought of them, then they wouldn’t be so fearful. The truth is, they rarely think of you, so why waste your time fretting over people who don’t even think that much of you?Do you ever wonder why movies have scripts? It’s because it doesn’t ruin the flow of the movie, because it allows the actors and actresses to follow a rubric so they won’t stall and create more “NG” clips. I think people refer to these as bloopers, but you get the picture. Home based business scripts are equally important when it comes to your own success, because if you had to “wing it,” you would probably be stumbling and bumbling and the exchange would be an utter fail with the customer or prospect, because they would soon realize that you have no idea what you are doing.I know that some of you are rolling your eyes, because you think that you are a superstar in the industry, and that you can make any call, without home based business scripts, and you’ll be successful. Well my friend, I can tell you this: superstars only come once in a lifetime. Everyone else learns how to be professional through scripted performance.Any good home based entrepreneur knows that the key to success is through duplication of teachable techniques that everyone can do. Establishing home based business scripts is one of those duplicatable techniques that can trickle through your organization. Flying by the seat of your pants is definitely not considered duplicatable.So what comprises really great home based business scripts? Let’s take a look:1) Good script packages cover almost every occasion possible so your new business partners always have a way to get in a conversation and get out with contact information.2) The script is clear, concise, and easy to follow without any real pre-coaching3) Scripts are made with ever-changing dynamics in mind, such like a decision tree, where different scenarios that are presented are already covered in the tree to guide the prospect through the conversation4) Scripts are so well-written that they don’t really leave any room for interpretation or modification of the wording. 5) Good scripts should have a setup and follow-up system before and after the script content, so the prospect knows how to open, and more importantly, CLOSE!6) Scripts are generally free of foul language or slang, so it removes any angst or ambiguity. 7) Scripts have good use of emotional language and trigger words that the prospects can identify with to create value.During that exchange with one of my business partners at the beginning of this article, I actually came up with some fantastic home based business scripts that are virtually fail-proof and get the job done every time. If you want to create your own scripts too, I would highly recommend it! It’s good practice, and it can help to improve your writing ability and imagination.If you are just starting out and want pre-made scripts, there are a number you can find online. Just figure out what works for you and is a script that you are comfortable using during a phone conversation. Anything you can do to make that experience easier and less nerve-racking is a plus.

I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.

A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.

So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?

The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.

I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.

Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?

Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.

A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.

But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.

So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.

They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.

But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.

But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.

But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.

And it cost them.

Learning Points

The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.

“The vast majority of small business owners do not plan”, I think that we can regard this statement as a ruling. But why is it so? As far as my knowledge reach, the reason for this derives from two different aspects: First, the lack of time that every small business owner face, which exists mainly because of the centrality of the small business owner in the day-to-day management tasks that are crucial for the maintenance of the small business. Second, the skills, or lack of skills, to establish a profound strategic planning process that will evolve into strategic plan that will lay out the small business goals and objectives and the necessary resources needed to achieve those objectives. Such skills are not as common even when we are dealing with large business top managers, but contrary to small business owners large business top managers do have the access to professionals in the field of strategic planning and the necessary resources to hire them, and this is what makes the whole difference.After saying all this, several questions needed to be answer: do all small business owners sentenced to lag behind their corporate colleagues regarding strategic planning? Is there something that the small business owner can do in order to narrow the gap? And if there is, what will be the benefits to the small business owner?Small business owners will never have the necessary resources needed to close the gap with large businesses regarding strategic planning process and implementation. But frankly I don’t think that they should put neither their time nor their money in the elusive quest to narrow this gap. What small business owners can and should do is to understand that a small business is not a large business regarding its abilities and needs with the only exception that it’s employ fewer employees. If this understanding become a common knowledge to the small business owner, it is rather obvious that he or she should adopt different approach regarding strategic planning.The idea that strategic planning at small business should not come in a rigid form, that dictate a step by step formula what the small business should do and how it’s need to act at every possible situation, opens a whole new set of alternatives to engage at some sort of strategic planning from which the owner and its business will be the main beneficiaries. The benefits to the small business from engaging in any sort of strategic planning could be as follow: The understanding of the small business owner how he sees the objectives of its small business as for today and what he plans to the future. Defining the resources needed to achieve those objectives and plans. Insight what are and will be the risks while trying to implement its present and future plans.