Local auctioneer elected vice president of MSAA

By DAWN SLADE
Mille Lacs County Times
Posted 2/19/03

At 32 years of age, Mitchell Siemers of Milaca is the youngest vice president ever elected to the Minnesota State Auctioneers Association (MSAA) since its inception in 1949.

On Saturday, Jan. 25, Siemers was elected to the position during the organizationís annual conference in St. Cloud.

With approximately 900 auctioneers in the state, 310 of them are members of the MSAA. The organization has nine board members, which Siemers was a part of for the past three years.

Next year, Siemers will become the youngest president of the MSAA, as the jump from vice president to president is an automatic one.

Tongue twisters

A licensed auctioneer for the past seven years, Siemers is not new to the unique business.

His father Bill was an auctioneer for 25 years. His uncle on his motherís side of the family, Wayne Pike, a well-known auctioneer in the state, employs Siemers as a full-time auctioneer.

When Siemers was around seven years old, he found a record his father had from his days in auctioneer school in the early ë70s.

And thatís when he started practicing tongue twisters and number drills.

"Rubber baby buggy bumpers" and "red leather yellow leather red leather" are tongue twisters he still recites to practice clarity on a daily basis.

He also works on his rhythm and tone and makes sure his voice is warmed up before a sale.

"It helps to warm up your voice before a sale. Cold weather is really tough on voices," Siemers said.

His father once froze his tonsils during a sale, but these days, the auctioneers are inside heated toppers in pickup trucks, with quality sound systems.

At Wayne Pike Auctions in Princeton, Siemers is selling mostly heavy construction equipment, but approximately 10-15 percent is real estate.

Siemers pointed out that in New Zealand and Australia, about 75 percent of the real estate is sold through auctions.

"Weíre light years behind them," Siemers said.

His customers range from hobby farm owners to big construction companies. And though theyíre typically from Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin, some come from Illinois, Indiana and the Dakotas.

Becoming an auctioneer

A 1989 graduate of Milaca High School, Siemers went on to graduate from St. Cloud State University with a degree in marketing and speech communication in 1994.

A few years later, Siemers decided he definitely wanted to become an auctioneer, so he attended a 10-day course at Missouri Auction School in St. Joseph, Mo.

"It definitely helped having the background, listening to my uncles, father and grandfather sell, but the school was a good experience," Siemers said.

In 2001, Siemers won the MSAA State Auctioneer contest.

But being an auctioneer isnít just about calling out numbers and getting people to bid on items. Thereís a lot of preparation that comes before an auction.

"Even though thereís not an auction every day, thereís always planning and prospecting," Siemers said.

Meeting with customers to determine what will be going on the auction, going through all the items to be sold, which can sometimes include the actual property itself, and then advertising it all.

"These are peopleís life-long possessions," Siemers said. "Itís an important job."

He points out that every sale is different and every customer unique.

You might find him in a suit and tie one day and in bib overalls digging through dusty items the next.

For Siemers, knowing what the sale price on items should be has become almost instinct for him.

But the sellers are typically unaware of what to price items. Siemers admits itís one of the more frustrating aspects of the job - getting the sellers to understand the actual value of auction items. Most sellers assume things should be worth a lot more, especially the sentimental items.

Siemers said preparing sellers for the auction day is a major part of his job.

"You donít want any surprises," he said.

With auctioneering being such an interactive career, Siemers has seen some humorous and interesting things along the way.

"Some are auction-wise and some arenít," Siemers said of buyers.

At one auction, an elderly man actually fell asleep and toppled over backwards with his feet in the air.

And, of course, Siemers has seen a few husbands and wives that have unknowingly been bidding against each other.

"Once in a while you find an antique of real interest or equipment thatís different," Siemers said.

He goes on to tell of an auction his father had about 20 years ago that ended with quite a find.

A man bought a box for 50 cents and discovered a big hunk of metal covered in grease. What looked like a big chunk of coal turned out to be a big chunk of gold!

The MSAA

Three people were in the race for the MSAAís vice president position - one has been an auctioneer for 25 years, another for 36 years.

Siemers said his age was an issue and the fact that heís only been licensed for seven years, but he also said the members know how long heís really been involved with auctioneering.

"It helped that I was on the board of directors and attended national conventions," he adds.

"I wanted to continue on with it, since Iíve been involved for the past three years," Siemers said of the MSAA.

He stressed the relationships that are built being involved in the organization, even though the other auctioneers are his competitors.

Siemers said itís an environment where everyone puts that part aside and shares ideas and information with each other.

As the organizationís new VP, Siemers will be creating schedules and lining up speakers for next yearís conference. Heíll be planning summer seminars and attending board meetings throughout the year.

Siemers said that not only is it a way for him to contribute, but it he feels the most successful auctioneers have served on the board.

"It was a big decision for me to make a run for vice president," Siemers said.

"Thereís a commitment of time and extra work, but I learned a lot while I was on the board of directors. I wanted to continue the learning experience.

"Youíre basically an ambassador for the auction industry. We help auctioneers and sellers."

And that seems to be his goal - learn more so he can help his sellers and himself have the best auction.

"You want to do everything you can to have the best possible sale. A lot of things you can control to provide a better outcome," Siemers said.

Having good "ring men" - the ones who display items and catch the bids as they come in - is extremely important in a good sale, according to Siemers.

"Part of their job is to keep the person interested and bidding, making comments about the items," Siemers added.

But, one of the most important things he has total control over is the clarity and rhythm of his "chant."

"Even though thereís a lot of pressure on you, you still have to keep it light," Siemers said of using humor during the sale.

So who does he look up to as good auctioneers? It depends on if youíre talking about being an auctioneer as a whole - planning, organization, sales, etc. or if youíre talking about the chant.

He sites Pike as the ultimate overall auctioneer, but when it comes to that chant - Paul Behr would be his number one pick.

"Heís won numerous contests. Heís really good," Siemers said.

Having grown up in the industry, Siemers admits it has helped him tremendously.

For the younger generation looking at becoming an auctioneer, Siemers says, "Associate yourself with someone who has been involved in the business for a while. And practice. Itís hard work."

Reputation is key, Siemers says. And that chant is essential.

"People are enamored with it," Siemers said. "Thereís something about that chant!"