View past newsletters on the IAA website:

This is a question I often see in Auctioneer Facebook groups and have been asked privately countless times. I don’t think there is a perfect answer to this question, but I’ll explain what we do and why.

We choose the day of the week our auctions end based on our marketing plan- our area Shoppers come out on Tuesdays, so we give readers 2 days to see them and end our auctions on Thursdays. While relying primarily on Facebook, it maximizes the one print ad we still run. We also choose weekdays because it is more convenient for us to be available via phone and for online questions during the week.

We learned a valuable lesson from one of our clients early on in our online auction business. One of the largest banks in our area, with whom we do a great deal of business, told us that their productivity dips significantly when we have online auctions ending. Even though many of our customers work full time, they still make time to bid! By closing during the weekday, we aren’t competing with children’s and grandchildren’s activities, sporting events, or other recreation, we are only competing with work.

If you have what they want, they will participate. In the end, it's about training your audience. We have trained our clients that online auctions start closing at 10 am on Thursdays (personal property) or 1 pm on Thursdays (real estate) and just stick with

what works.

Corey Fraise, CAI, PRI

Fraise Auction & Real Estate

We all are aware of the Governor’s proclamation and has forced us to all make some serious business decisions. Some auctioneers have gone to online auctions, others have postponed auctions until restrictions are lifted. Since the order has been in place, it has been pointed out that some auctioneers continue to conduct auctions and ignore the Governor’s proclamation. My personal thought is this: I do not want any of my sellers or buyers to catch this virus. It only takes one person to say they caught it at your auction, and we are all aware of the power of social media. The repercussions could be irreparable to a business if the event caused the spread of Covid, impaired the health, or the death of just one person.

My hope is that everyone thinks about this while planning their auctions. We need to represent our client’s best interest by following the guidelines properly with the number of people allowed to gather for an auction/event.  Are you doing that? Just as we decided to cancel this year’s convention, it was to protect our membership. The health of everyone involved is priority one. This decision was not made light-heartedly, as we all enjoy the time spent with our fellow auctioneers, friends, & members. If any of you have cares/concerns, please feel free to reach out to me or another board member. Just as an FYI: we are looking into doing a virtual meeting/discussion sometime in the future for our membership to discuss the matters of this new normal. Stay Safe!

TJ DeMoss

2020 President

DeMoss Auction Company

The home office remodeling project has moved from the demolition phase to the building phase. Footings have been poured and some structural pieces have been erected for the front entrance addition and the north side expansion.

Just a reminder that the Iowa Auctioneers Association offices have temporarily relocated to a building a few miles away on the east side of Des Moines. Remodeling is currently underway on the Agribusiness Association of Iowa building, which is also the home office for IAA.

The office phone number, email addresses, and other contact information remain the same. We will continue to receive US Postal Service correspondence at the current Des Moines Street headquarters address.

If you need to talk to someone in person, or if you are sending a package via UPS or FedEx, the temporary physical address is below. The office has implemented a remote work strategy to deal with the pandemic, so be sure to call ahead if you have a need to stop in.

Iowa Auctioneers Association

2425 Delaware Avenue STE A

Des Moines, Iowa 50317

For questions contact Joan O’Brien joano@agribiz.org.