We've been Podded !

If you want to learn a lot about Agricultural Media relations, I would reccomend a trip over to the blog at AgWired.com

Chuck Zimmerman is a pioneer in using new technologies for getting the message out for companies. I had the privilege of being interviewed by Chuck today, so be sure to pop over to AgWired and hear what I had to say.

Edit : Here is a PermaLink

4 Tips To Saving A Bundle At Your Next Car Auction

by: Chris Fox

Many of us have been at the car dealership and have been drained by a salesperson during price negotiations for the purchase of a new car. Most people give in too easily or do not negotiate at all to avoid the dreadful act. This only means more money in the car dealers’ pocket, while you are out of several thousand dollars! Yes, they make that much in profit per car.

This article unveils the dealer’s selling tactics and how you can get around them. But before we dive into the new car buying tips, we need to understand what makes up the dealer’s profits.

In addition to the MSRP (manufacturer suggested retail price), which is the dealer’s cost for the car plus an additional 20-25% profit, a dealer also gets financial incentives from the manufacturer when a new car is sold. This is called Holdback.

Depending on the car, dealers can make hundreds on each car through holdbacks. Dealers also get additional incentives and bonuses on selling a car before the end of the month and/or quarter.

A shrewd dealer can make several thousand on a new car even by selling it at invoice price. This is how new car buying can become tricky for the consumer.

Ready to learn how not to put a dent in your wallet on your next car purchase? Here are four tips to get you started. Each one is a dealer tactic to watch out for.

1. The Guilt Trip

As you may have noticed, every desk in a dealership has photos of the salesperson’s family, instead of photos of cars. Midway in the negotiation, the sales person will bring them up and make it look like his little commission check can hardly pay for his daughters college and little Bradley’s braces.

A seasoned salesperson will soon have you feeling guilty for driving the price down and hurting his commission. Watch out not to fall for this tactic, since you already know about holdbacks and incentive programs from manufacturers.

2. Wearing You Down

Come prepared to spend half a day at the dealership or pay whatever the dealer asks for. Car Dealers are trained to delay and tire you out to the point where you give in and accept their price just to get out of there.

After you make your offer, sales people typically claim they would have to run it by their manager. You may then have to re-start negotiating with the manager, who is also a seasoned salesperson. This dance goes on for a while until you give in.

Remember, there are multiple dealerships in a city, so they need you more than you need them. Demand to speak to the manager after a certain time period or threaten to leave.

Because you are devoting a lot of time to bargain with the dealer, they know you are a serious buyer, so they will not let you leave. The earlier you can speak with the manager, the faster you can leave.

3. The Test Drive

We all enjoy a good test drive and look forward to it. Although it is essential to test drive a car before you buy it, remember to not show your absolute love for the car to the salesperson. Their goal is to get you emotionally attached to the car, so it becomes a must have for you. I have learned it the hard way.

To hide your emotional tears from the salesperson, mention the features of a competing car in the same class, like the new shape, light, leg room, resale value etc. This will make the salesperson a little vulnerable.

4. Monthly Payments

This one is to confuse you. Dealers will start talking about monthly payments rather than the total price of the car. They will start by asking how much you are willing to pay per month and how much of a down payment you are willing to pay. Since people don’t want to look like they cannot afford a certain car, they will usually give a higher number. Big Mistake!

You have left little room for negotiation when this happens. Always steer the conversation to the total price of the car and do NOT mention any trade-ins at this point. Only after the total price of the vehicle is completely negotiated then talk about interest, monthly payment and trade-ins.

General Rule;

As a general rule, remember to only focus and negotiate on the Total Price of the vehicle. Everything else is pretty much the car dealer’s trough.

If the above new car buying tips seem like a lot of hassle, yet you still want to get the best price in town, there are some websites that do this for you. www.autoauctionbids.com for example is a great website for this because you can collect price quotes from multiple local dealers for a particular car as well as its competing car models (like Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Ford Taurus) and compare them.

The website then allows you to send back the lowest quotes received for each car make to all participating dealers in your area through the website itself.

Dealers view this price and continue to submit new lower prices over a 3 day period. By putting local car dealers in such a price competition allows you to avoid the dreadful face to face negotiation and yet gets you the lowest price in town for up to 3 competing car makes.

The best part about AutoAuctionBids.com is that it is absolutely free for you and there is no obligation to buy after the new car auction is over.

About The Author

Chris Fox

For more information on cars and car auction visit http://cheap-car-auction-portal.com.

Copyright © 2001-Present ArticleCity.com

Online Webcasting

What is a Live Online Auction?

Live online bidding allows a consumer to attend an auction virtually, simply by using a computer with an Internet connection and Web browser. Bidders can now participate in any live auction with the same advantages they would have if they were sitting in the auction room.

What is Live Real-Time Bidding?

Live real-time bidding allows online bidders to send their bids to the auction floor via the Internet, as if the bidder were at the auction in person. An auctioneers’ assistant is onsite to accept your bid and to relay your high bid amount to the auctioneer.

What is a proxy bid?

A proxy bid is a sealed bid left with an auctioneer or third party indicating the maximum amount that you are willing to bid on a particular lot or item.

What is Auto-Bidding?

The Proxibid™ system allows a user to place a "proxy bid" by entering the maximum amount they are willing to bid. The system bids on behalf of the bidder until they win the lot, or when the indicated maximum bid amount is reached. When using the auto-bidding feature, you may want to bid one increment higher to minimize the possibility of a tie bid.

What is the Dynamic Auction System?

Proxibid’s Dynamic Auction System allows interaction between the online bidders and the auction room floor during a live event. Proxibid™ customers can use their computers to participate in an auction from the comfort of their home or office. All bids are relayed in real-time over the Internet, allowing the users to bid with the same confidence as if they were attending the live auction.

For more details check out Proxibid.com

What Bidders Should Know About Wine Auctions.

ASK THE WINE AUCTIONEER
by Tom DiNardo

What Bidders Should Know About Wine Auctions.

Here’s an idea that will lift your spirits for the new year. Have you ever considered wine auctions as a tool for acquiring rare vintages or special buys? Wine auctions are quickly emerging as one of the hottest trends for the wine enthusiast, investor or avid collector in purchasing wine. Non profit organizations are even getting into the act catering to the demands of their donor wine connoisseurs by hosting wine auctions as a lucrative fundraising source of revenue. If you have not attended a live wine auction, participated in an online or silent wine auction before, here are some important facts that you should know as a bidder.

With wine interest and consumption at an all time high, it should come as no surprise that we are seeing a surge in the popularity of wine auctions. Wine auctions are becoming so popular and trendy that they are literally creating their own specific niche in both the wine and auction industries. As a bidder you will find two basic types of wine auctions with two distinct and separate agendas. There are retail wine auctions (for profit) and fundraising wine auctions (philanthropy).

Fundraising auctions are typically hosted by a non profit or charity organization seeking to raise revenue for a specific cause. You should not seek bargains at fundraising auctions, because the goal of the bidder is generally one of philanthropy. Fundraising auctions have an attractive bidder perk; they are sales tax exempt. The biggest bonus for bidders attending fundraising auctions is that if bidder’s spending exceeds the posted retail amount on a particular auction lot, then the IRS allows the bidder to deduct the difference between the posted retail price and the actual amount paid for the item as a charitable tax deduction on his 1040 tax return.

Retail auctions are completely different in focus, as is bidder method and strategy. In this venue it is completely natural for the bidder who seeks to acquire the “great buy” or “steal of a deal”. Keep in mind that it is the job of the auctioneer to make money for the auction house, and fair market value is established by the high or winning bid. Buyer’s Premiums (Additional commission percentage charged to you the bidder, typically 10% to 20 %.) are commonly utilized by the auctioneer or gallery to cover overhead or increase revenue, so figure this amount and sales tax into your bidding strategy.

Within both of these venues the bidder may find a variety of different style formats used by the auctioneer or auction house. The live auction format, featuring a live auctioneer, is most common. With today’s available technology, this format can even be simulcast in real time on the Internet. The online auction is also conducted in real time, and does not use a live auctioneer. A lesser used format is the silent auction in which bids are posted onto a clerk sheet, and the bid increments are established in posted predetermined amounts. The least used format is the sealed bid auction, where bids are typically placed in sealed envelopes and not opened until the auction’s conclusion. All of these formats can be used in both retail auctions and fundraising auctions.

Some sobering advice to bidders: Attend all auction previews. Take time to inspect the condition of the wine lots to be auctioned. The preview allows you time to ask the wine auctioneer any questions you might have. The auction catalog is a bidder’s best resource. In the auction catalog you will find auction house rules, specific information about each of the auction items, and the item’s anticipated bid value.

If you have never bid at a wine auction, attend a few auctions as an observer first. Make sure you know what you are bidding on, because this can be an expensive lesson for you to learn. Don’t be intimidated. Wine auctions can be great fun! You can a find a wealth of information about live and online wine auctions on the worldwide web. For more information about auctions in general, please visit AuctionZip.com. Not only can wine auctions be great fun and entertaining, but they are also a great way to stock your cellar with prized wines.



Tom DiNardo is a licensed auctioneer, certified appraiser, writer, and avid wine collector. You may reach Tom through his web site www.DiNardoandLordAuctioneers.com . © 2005 Tom DiNardo – All Rights Reserved.