The Don'ts of Having A Successful Sale

Take items from the sale to keep for yourself.

Sell anything prior to sale being given. This means no pre-selling to neighbors, workers or dealers of anything that you are contracted to sell for the trust, family or home. This is the single best way to ruin your reputation as a seller, to strip or take all the good items leaving only the dregs for customers to shop from, which is a real deal breaker. This practice also cuts down on the profits hurting all involved.

Give unsolicited advice to anyone. No matter how knowledgeable or smart you think you are, you and I both know you are a genius with impeccable taste, customers do not care and did not ask you for your opinion. Keep it to yourself.

Hire non-trustworthy people you cannot trust in your own home.

Get grouchy and greedy with the public or the family.

Be lazy and decide not to do things you know need to be done: cleaning, sorting, pricing, organizing, researching, hauling, tidying during sale and redecorating every single day.

Cut corners by saving money on food for your helpers or the public. In the long run this costs you more in bad moods and behavior.

Be short tempered with high-maintenance clientele, as these are some of the best clients due to the fact that they often spend more time and money at your sales on a regular basis.

Cuss, swear or speak negatively to anyone including your own crew while prepping or giving the sale as this often comes back to haunt you.

Sit around and gossip, read or ignore the people coming in the door. Instead greet them properly.

Speak badly of your competition, instead listen and learn while others discuss their sales.

Underpay your help, regardless of chore. All help should be paid an average of $10 per hour.

Overwork your helpers, this means not more than 8 hour shifts with a few breaks and a lunch break.

Create extra phony costs for others to pay, many sellers do this and it is just plain dishonest and inexcusable.

Sell any fixtures you are not instructed to sell. Most houses demand you leave on premises the appliances, drapery, anything attached, fireplace tools, cabinets in garage, pool supplies, hoses and sprinklers, and lighting. There are exceptions so ask each family/attorney/realtor when you sign what goes and what stays.

Pay cash without getting a signed receipt for such regardless of them being workers or clients.

Smoke in or around the house, garage, yard and outbuildings. This is rude and nonsmokers can smell your smoke for hours longer than you think and it is unfair to force them to put up with your own weaknesses and bad habits.

Do drugs or condone workers/helpers to do drugs or drink alcohol while on the client’s property. I also never serve alcohol at a sale as this can lead to buyers’ remorse, drunk driving and or death. Why take the risk?

Sell beds, alcohol or guns without a permit. There are ways around this rule. See the Do's.

Argue with a customer or client over pricing, behavior or outcome. Let dead dogs lie and send copies of all receipts, sales or costs and let them think it over. If you are right and fair, they will come to understand it takes money to make money and you have earned every dime you have made. This is some of the hardest work imaginable but with many rewards and the feeling at the end of a home being cleaned out and ready for sale, is incomparable to any you could get doing otherwise. This job in and of itself is one in a million and the payoff comes mostly from the self-satisfaction of having a job well-done. Reputation is everything. People will be forever grateful for your respect and care during their time of need.