Brian here....so....I felt the strong need...urgency one might say....to bring up this subject as it pertains to the storage industry...specifically with buying units at auction. Let me give you guys a little back story....just in case you don't know.
First of all... the Law of Governing Dynamics relates to how, basically, we interact with one another and how it can harm/benefit us as an individual or as a whole. (Reminds me of the Vulcan saying..."The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...or the one"......Rebecca is going to laugh at me for bringing in Vulcan to this...but hey.....it works!) Basically....it states....in part....that you can often times get further ahead and produce faster in a group helping each other instead of going after the same thing as several individuals and getting in each others way....(Now for all those Math/Science wizards out there....I know there is much MUCH more to Governing Dynamics...but the basic layout of the knowledge is sufficient for my purposes....so I apologize right now for taking one of the greatest thoughts of our time....and dumbing it down!)
Ok....now onto the Nuts and Bolts of my diatribe!
So....there I am...at an auction....(arrive at 930.....wait until 1030 of course for logistics to get done) When I arrive...I notice only two other bidders waiting, and the auctioneer. Now....I think to myself...."Ok...I know they only advertised 2 units...so maybe the others will be here shortly...knowing that auctions take a few minutes to get started." But after it gets onto 10am.....(Now remember....auction start time was 930)....I am starting to realize there are no others coming! Hmmmmm.....the wheels of Brian's brain begin to turn faster and faster....the cobwebs are clearing out....dust shifting side to side....and then it happens!
A thought.....singular....BRILLIANT....enters into the depths of my being!...."There are 2 units....3 bidders....if we work as a team....we get them cheap and can split the loot....and all walk away winners!"
Now....this should be easy....right....one of the other bidders is someone we know well....see all the time....the other I have never laid eyes on until that morning. So....I have a good 45 mins....(started at 1030 remember) to mention to them that we should work as a team....and get stuff cheap and split it up! I thought the others were on board........but apparently they were still standing on the shore trying to determine if the water was too hot....or too cold!
Now most auctioneers....(all auctioneers...lets keep it real) would shutter at this thought...after all....they make their money off of how much units sell for! So....I know the events that unfurled must have made the auctioneer happy....and made me realize I was at the wheel of the ship all by myself!
We begin the auction....first unit is a broken down fridge and a pile of other assorted "whatevers" so NO ONE wants this one....it goes down to a no bid....we move on....to the second....and LAST unit.
Oh...I forgot to mention that there was a fourth bidder...who we didn't know....who apparently rents units at the facility....and who was in the office and greeted me like she worked at the place....and I didn't even know she was a bidder until we got inside....as she was in the office the entire time we waited. Anyways....I DIGRESS....
So we get to the last unit.....door opens....decent stuff.....couch, weight stuff....looked like the contents of a small apartment....but nothing that jumped out and said...."OH....HEY.....YOU WANT ME BECAUSE I AM SPECIAL AND WILL MAKE YOU RICH!" Auctioneer starts the bidding at $50....which I GLADLY say YES to........and just as soon as I say my $50....the other bidder we know very well says $75 and the third guy follows that with $100. I am looking around at all of them like.....WHAT THE HELL....WERE YOU ALL SLEEPING OUTSIDE JUST NOW WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT GETTING THIS CHEAP AND SPLITTING IT UP!!! So, I move in on the $125.....they take it up to $175 when all of a sudden, the fourth bidder/woman/office dweller says $200. And she says it just as the $175 bid was about to close. We all look at her, have no idea what she sees or what she wants....but even so....it ended and she won....and we all walked away. I was dumbfounded.....I had no idea what to think.
For one, I can't believe the others bid against each other.....unable to work as a group....but I guess in the end it didn't matter because MRS. MYSTERY BIDDER was willing to go higher anyway! But more importantly for myself....I should have realized this wasn't going to work out. In this business....the only PARTNER I have....is a Storage Hero herself! And in the end....no one else can deal like us! (Just don't tell her I said it!....)
Thanks for your time everyone....and remember...
Storage Hero Tip "BRIAN" ALPHA 1: In this business, it pays to network for sure, but just remember, no one is your friend. When the bidding starts, the law of governing dynamics comes to a tragic end!
Until next time,
Storage Heroes
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