How to Become an Auctioneer

$30 bill, can I get a $40 bill? Can I get $50 bill? How's about a $60 bill? Most people think of the insanely quick-yet-clear speech of the auctioneer as his or her main skill, but there's much more to it than that. His involvement behind the scenes is just as important to the success of an auction as his talent in generating bidders. Auctioneers perform many duties, such as marketing, public relations, business management, accounting and basic administration. Use these steps to become an auctioneer.

Obtain your high school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (G.E.D). In order to qualify for a license (or to be taken seriously), you'll need to have your diploma or G.E.D. Take speech, marketing, history, business and agriculture classes while in school. These courses will help prepare you for the various roles required as an auctioneer.

• Though college isn't necessary, it can be useful. A recent poll taken by the NAA (National Auctioneers Association), 35% have degrees while another 36% have some sort of college experience.

Attend auctions. This is the natural first step to becoming an auctioneer. Start attending auctions! Watch the roles the auctioneer fills during a typical auction day. Observe his actions, decisions and skill. There's a lot more to it than just chanting quickly!

Work part-time for an auction company. If you're in high school or just looking to get some experience, start working for an auction company doing whatever odd jobs you can. Even if you're just organizing pieces to sell or sweeping the floor, it gets your foot in the door.

• Serve as a ring-side helper that hands items to an auctioneer and aids in crowd control.
• Work as a bid watcher. The auctioneer needs help to identify everyone making bids, especially during busy and well-attended auctions. A bid watcher identifies bidders whom the auctioneer doesn't see.
• Help set up auctions prior to bidding. Auctioneers rely on help to unpack, set out and arrange auction items for viewing and bidding. Learn more about the business by working on a set-up crew.

Research state and local laws regarding licensing requirements. Now that you've got your feet wet, do you like what you see? You may choose whether you want to go on to get your license and become an auctioneer. Currently, 37 states in the US require licensure. Proceed with licensing guidelines as your state requires.

• Some states require you go to an NAA affiliated school, some states want one or two years of experience before you're allowed to take the final exam, some want a formal apprenticeship, and some states will allow some combination of the aforementioned types of experience. If you can get hands-on experience, you may not have to take a course.

Start working charity gigs. That's right -- you don't need a license to be an auctioneer for charity gigs. It's basically volunteer work (you're not making any money), so it's open to whoever is kind enough to donate their time. It's a great way to start developing a résumé and to get your name out there. In time, it'll be all about your reputation. It's for a good cause too; did we mention that?