What to Expect in Your First Year of Online Bidding
Moving your stallion service auction online for the first time is a big step, especially if your association has always done it at a banquet or on paper. The good news is that the move is usually far smoother than associations expect, and the results often surprise people. Here is an honest look at what your first year will actually be like.
Setup Is Faster Than You Think
Many associations expect getting an auction website built to be a long, technical ordeal. It is not. Once you sign on, your auction site can be up and running within about a week, provided you get the information needed in promptly.
You do not need any technical skills. The auction site is built for you and designed to match your existing association website, so it looks and feels like an extension of what you already have. Your members will recognize it as yours the moment they land on it.
Adding Stallions Is Just Data Entry
The part associations worry about most, adding the stallions, is genuinely simple. If you can fill out an online form, you can list a stallion. You enter the stallion's name, add photos, fill in the pedigree, note where the stallion is standing and any additional fees, and set your pricing. You can add as much or as little detail as you want.
Most associations watch a short tutorial once and then handle everything on their own from there. Questions are rare after the first stallion or two because the process repeats the same way every time.
Your Members Will Adapt Quickly
If your association has older members, you might worry they will struggle with online bidding. In practice, online bidding is easier for most people than the old banquet format. Bidders can participate from home, on their own schedule, from a phone or a computer. They do not have to be in a room on a specific night to take part.
Bidders get an email when they are outbid, so they always know where they stand. Maximum bidding lets them set their top number and walk away, and the system bids for them. For most members, the experience is more relaxed and more convenient than bidding live ever was.
You Will Likely Reach More Bidders
This is where associations are most often surprised. An online auction is not limited to the people who can attend an event. Anyone with an internet connection can bid, which means your auction reaches members who live far away, people who saw it shared on social media, and bidders who would never have driven to a banquet.
More bidders means more competition, and more competition means stronger final prices. Many associations raise more in their first online year than they ever did in person.
Promotion Makes the Difference
The platform handles the bidding. What it cannot do is promote the auction for you. The associations that do well in their first year are the ones that actively get the word out. Email your members, post on social media every time you add a stallion, and send reminders as the close approaches.
This is the part that takes effort, and it is the part most directly tied to your results. The auction runs itself. Getting bidders to it is your job, and it is worth doing well.
There Will Be a Few Questions, and That Is Normal
Your first year will have a learning curve. You will have a few questions about settings, timing, or how something works. That is completely normal, and you will not be on your own. During your auction season, support is available for any questions or issues that come up. If something technical needs attention, it gets handled right away.
By your second year, you will know the process well enough to run it almost without thinking about it.
The Bottom Line
Your first online stallion service auction will most likely be easier to run and more successful than you expect. Setup is quick, the software is straightforward, your members adapt fast, and you will probably reach more bidders than you ever did in person. The main thing that determines your results is how well you promote it.
If you have questions about what your association's first year would look like, reach out. We have helped many associations through their first auction and we are glad to walk you through it.