Auctioneers quickly become accustomed to being on the auction block. For an experienced auction agent, it is just another day at work. It is easy to forget that standing in front of a large crowd of people and speaking through an amplifier gives the auctioneer a form of real power. This power is what helps them get two people to bid well above the bidder's planned limits. But is the same power that in other hands has started riots and even an occasional revolution. The negative version of the auctioneer's power doesn't usually start riots but can damage the people present during an auction as well as the auctioneer's professional reputation.

An auctioneer's behavior on the auction block quickly tells you a lot about that person. Do they treat everyone fairly or do they give some people preferential treatment? Do they admit they made a mistake or blame someone else? Are they polite and keep their cool when things aren't going well or do they take out their frustrations on other people? Do they maintain a professional relationship with the bidders and auction staff or are they discourteous of others?

A little bit of good-natured teasing of bidders is OK and is even to be encouraged. Some of the best ways of prodding bidders to open or bid higher are teasing disparagements of a bidder's bids. In the right hands, polite pestering of bidders is a good way to build a sense of relationship with customers. Many people grow up in families where razing is a good-natured way of showing affection and the same effect can occur in a business setting. Sometimes the good-natured teasing works both ways with the bidders teasing the auctioneer in return.

Unfortunately, most of us have heard an agent that conducts auctions that outright abuses bidders from the block. They step past teasing into outright abuse. Some customers actually seem to like this sort of behavior. Bidders seem to think of it as a great show and are willing to swallow a bit of abuse themselves as the price of admission to a good auction. But a much larger number of customers come to the auction, can't stomach the abusive behavior and never return.

This abusive behavior can also extend to the auction personnel who work the event with the auctioneer. The agent who conducts an auction gets very comfortable communicating with other auction personnel from the auction block. They ask a ringman to hold a lot higher so everyone can see, the clerk to repeat back the closing bid, or the runner for a bottle of water. But too many auctioneers also make negative comments to the auction staff over the sound system. Auctioneers who would never dress down a co-worker in a staff meeting will criticize them in front of hundreds of people.

What it boils down to is what is professional behavior for an auctioneer on the auction block? Name one profession where abusive behavior is considered professional behavior? (I don't consider shock jock and comedian, professions.) Keep in mind when working the crowd that it doesn't take a genius to poke fun at other people's shortcomings but it does take humility and compassion to praise their successes.