Ray Carman – Auctioneer

Recently my friend Bill Seaver published a post with the most recent Facebook user stats. To say the least they are quite astounding. It never ceases to amaze how many people have joined FaceBook and how much time they spend there daily. I have personally been on Facebook for a few years, and this past year incorporated a Fan Page for our Auction business.

The big question is how will this media outlet be a factor in Auctions? Personally, I think it is going to be huge. Here is a few reasons why -

1. The visibility of your auction can reach millions in the matter of minutes. If an auction is properly marketed on FB, then you could see residual hits from friends and fans re-posting the ad/video/article in the matter of minutes. This past fall, I saw first hand how it could work as people quickly spread some of our videos around and our hits went up dramatically.

2. You can use FB to reach your friends when you are going to have am auction. They in turn can pass the word to their friends, and on and on. Once again, this brings immediate attention to the auction sale, and if the ad, pictures, and/or video are interesting, then it will spread quickly.

3. Facebook allows for those last minute updates and reminders to millions where email data bases are limited in their scope.

4. Facebook allows for real time updates from the auction site which I think people find interesting. This can in turn lead to some real time opportunities for people to bid online for items up for sale. This is going to be a process in progress, but I can really see some huge potentials with it.

Thanks to Bill for publishing those stats and lets see how Facebook drives our auctions this year!

Ray Carman

Yes, believe it or not, this is a question I have had to answer often. The most obvious reason I share with people is the family heritage. It is difficult to break with such a long heritage in one business. When you start waking up at 5am on Saturdays at the age of 5 to go “work with Dad” (not sure how much actual work we accomplished at that age, lol), and you are around auctions all your life, then it would seem only natural that one would become an auctioneer.

When I went off to the Reppert School of Auctioneering in 1996 my purpose was to simply add something to my resume. I had attained my real estate license in 1994, and it seemed logical for me to get my auctioneers license. To be honest, I was not very excited at the time, because I was not one who would jump at the opportunity to stand in front of people and be heard. I was very content to be the “grunt” at auctions. However, if I wanted to advance in my career, becoming an Auctioneer just made good sense.

Today, when asked Why am I an Auctioneer, my answer is simply this, Passion.

As I have grown older and handled more auctions, I have realized how much enjoyment I get from assisting people and conducting auctions. Truth is, they are FUN! There is lots of hard work involved, and sometimes you have to deal with cranky people, but these things even are part of what makes this career so enjoyable. I have grown to enjoy the microphone and the auction cry, but my most enduring part of each sale is the people I get to work for. Knowing they have entrusted me with their assets at auction, gives me the desire to do all the more I can for them. I hope my clients and customers at the end of the day, can look at the job I have done and that they can see this passion flowing through.

After all, they say if what you do is not your passion, then you must be doing the wrong thing.

Ray Carman

This past week I was given the opportunity to share a 10 minute presentation on our company and what we do. As a part of this presentation, I was able to share briefly why our company is a great choice for your auction needs. I wanted to briefly share the three main reasons here and why it is important to the client choosing an Auctioneer.

1. Family Owned Business operating since 1910. Yes, we have 100 years as a family in the Auction Industry in Tennessee and Kentucky. Why is that important? Because it has now led us to having 9 full time auctioneers in the family, a large crew of Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandkids that all work together for you. This allows us to service any and all auction needs with great experience and professionalism.

2. A company you can Depend on, Rely on, and Trust in. Our foundations were laid on Honesty and Integrity. We strive to give the most professional service that is backed with a person you can trust in. If you do not have faith that the auctioneer is working for you and not just the commission check, then it is going to be a very difficult journey. However, at Gene Carman, our goal is to not only do our job, but form a reliable relationship with our clients.

3. A company that will WORK. Yes, it is amazing how many times you run into a situation where an auctioneer would like to sell your valuable assets ( Real Estate ), but really would rather not “mess with” you personal property you have to liquidate. Yes, I admit, it is VERY hard work and requires many hours of preparation and back labor, but it is YOUR merchandise and it deserves just as much work as your Real Estate as well. With our large family, we know what the work is like, and we are not afraid to dig in and get it done.

4. Passion. We simply love what we have been given to do and we love working for/with people. This is not just a job or a career, it is what we ENJOY doing.

If we can ever be of service to you or someone you know in any way, please let us know.

Ray Carman

Yes, it is unbelievable that our family has been blessed to have the honor of serving Middle TN and Southern KY in the auction industry for 100 years. All starting with my Great Grandfather, Jim Carman, when in 1910 he answered the need for an auctioneer in his home county of Trousdale. What started as a willingness to help a neighbor and friend turned into of  the longest lasting family heritages in the business today.

I cannot remember a time when auctions were not a part of my life, including the day I was born, Saturday, Dec 13th, 1975. My father, Harold Gene Carman Jr, was off with the other family members conducting an auction in Macon Co when I decided it was time to arrive. My mother had to send for my father who came and off we were to the hospital. Ever since that day, I have been connected to auctions. From working at them since the age of five, to having my very first auction in the  mid 1990’s, to brokering and conducting an auction on my very own wedding day, April 8th, 2000. We even had snow that day and the hired photographer got a picture of my wife calling me to ask if I was coming, cause I was running a little late (30 minutes) due to the successful auction and following paperwork. But as you can tell, I made it and have been blessed with the most amazing wife for ten years.

This year is a milestone for us as a family, and we owe that to several different things:

1. God’s grace! Without the blessings of Jesus the Christ and the many prayers ( and early Saturday morning breakfast feast for all thee years) of my Grandmother, Dorthy “Me-Ma” Carman, we would not be here.

Gene Carman Sr and Me-ma with our latest addition, my son, Truett McGraw Carman

2. To my Grandfather, Gene Carman, who taught us all the true meaning of integrity and hard work. His perseverance even in the toughest of times kept us all going and striving to offer unbeatable service combined with integrity and honest hard work mixed with sweat, tears, and joy. He still conducts auctions on a weekly basis in the auction season.

3. Loyal customers who have continued to grace us with their presence at auctions. I can honestly say, every Saturday it is very easy to look up and recognize a large portion of our auction crowd as they have truely become extended family through out the years.

4. Our clients who have entrusted us over and over to handle some of their most valuable commodities in Real Estate and personal property and have honored us with the privilege of walking them through countless Estate Auctions, sometimes only having met us but having been referred to us by a common friend or acquaintance.

So how do we celebrate? By offering you more of the same! Honest hard work founded on Integrity!

Without these key ingredients this cherished heritage would not be possible. So from the bottom of my heart, I would like to say “thank you” for giving us the honor of serving in the auction industry for so long in Middle TN. I am truly looking forward to this year of celebration by giving you, our clients and customers, more of what you have come to expect from us. And by seeking to glorify God in all I do, I hope that those we serve will receive the blessings that He has sent our way.

If I can ever serve or assist you in an Auction, whether Estate, Real Estate, or Benefit Auction, please do not hesitate to call! And I hope our next 100 will be more of what has already been as we celebrate 1910-2010 with you!

Ray Carman