Denver: Lydia Fenet, welcome to The Business of Giving.
Lydia: Thank you so much. I’m delighted to be here.
CEO & Founder of The Lydia Fenet Agency, Principal Auctioneer for Broad Arrow Group
Denver: The Today Show named you as the world’s leading charity auctioneer, having raised over a billion dollars for charities. That’s truly amazing. What are the essential qualities, Lydia, that make for a successful charity auctioneer?
Lydia: Well, I think the most important part about being a charity auctioneer is that you have to have spent enough time on stage to feel completely fearless when you’re up there.
Being a charity auctioneer is not for the faint of heart. People are talking; they’re loud. You have to figure out what it is that’s going to make a room of six, seven, 800 people pay attention late at night when they may or may not be purchasing what you’re trying to sell them.
And in addition to that, they may not even know that there’s an auction when you walk in the room. So I say, you have to be fearless; you have to be funny, and you have to be quick.
Denver: Okay. That’s a nice trifecta. Do you think about your entrance? And how do you cultivate that strong connection with the audience, particularly at difficult times during an auction?
Lydia: One thing I will always say about charity auctioneering is that the sky is always blue. So it doesn’t matter what is happening when I’m up on stage, I will always keep it positive; I will always keep it funny, and I will always keep it light.
One thing I’ve learned over the years as a charity auctioneer is when you’re out there as an auctioneer, people choose to pay attention to what you’re saying because you are engaging them in a way that makes them feel good. So when I’m up on stage and I see someone who’s bidding… and they’re bidding repeatedly and they’re having fun, I try to get that person involved.
Because the interesting thing about getting one person involved is then you get their table involved. And once I have a table that’s on my side, when the crowd is loud, I ask that table to shush everyone. So I’ve created these interesting dynamics in rooms.
And this just happened to me last week where it’s a thousand people. Everyone’s so loud. And I had one table that was bidding on everything, and they were bidding crazy amounts of money. And so I deemed them the star table. And I was like, if the star table could just help me quiet the room. And they took their job so seriously.
And afterwards, someone came up and said it was so nice not to be shushed by the auctioneer. And I was like: Of course, nobody likes being shushed. They want…
Denver: Nobody likes being shushed.
Lydia: …to be cool. Yeah.
Denver: Yeah. But that’s a wonderful technique.
Lydia: Yeah.
Denver: Was there a defining moment, Lydia, when you said, eh, you know, this is what I want to do. I don’t think a lot of little girls grow up and say, I want to be an auctioneer. What was that moment for you that said: this is for me?
Lydia: I read an article in Vanity Fair magazine when I was in college about Christie’s auction house, and it was selling the Princess Diana dress collection to benefit a hospital in England. And the article was so glowing about the auctioning world.
I knew nothing about the auction world. My parents were not art collectors. We didn’t come from a background where we were transacting hundreds of millions of dollars of art in our home. So it was really foreign to me, but there was something about the way they described this place that made me think that I wanted to be there, and that was really how it started.
I ended up applying for an internship. Eventually got it. And then once I got in there, I saw the auctioneers, and I’ve always loved the stage. I used to sing when I was little. I was always in community theater. I was always trying out for something, and there was just something about it that I felt even though no one up there looks like me, I felt like I could be up there.
Denver: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It is incredible how bumping into people… or in your case, bumping into articles can really change the trajectory of one’s life, and it certainly has in your case.
Lydia: Yeah.
Denver: Well, the autumn/fall auction season is upon us, and I talked to a couple of my buddies in the nonprofit sector and I told them you were going to be on the show, and they’re all excited. So I said, Well, what do you want me to ask her? And I’m going to run through a couple of those things.
First thing they had asked, they wanted to find out: What advice do you have for nonprofits when setting a realistic yet ambitious fundraising goal for their auctions?
Lydia: Yeah. That’s a great question. I think more important than anything is to go back to your data. Look at the past couple of years. See where people are bidding and giving, and lean into those amounts, but a little bit higher.
So I’ll give you an example. I was just doing an analysis for an organization that I’m working with for the first time. They have a huge paddle raise, a monster paddle raise. And one thing that was really interesting, which you don’t really see so much in New York, is they were very heavy on the twenty-five thousands and very, very heavy on the ten thousands. That means that they’re missing a middle. They need a $15,000 power raise.
In New York, a lot of times you’ll get one or two bidders at the $25,000 that in most cases we know at least one of them will be there and maybe a couple of $10K. But you can really build in at the $5,000, $2,500, $1,000. But if you have that many people bidding at 25 and 10, you definitely have room for a 15 and you can pick up additional money.
But in addition, like, why not try a little higher than 25? If you have 12 people coming in at 25, let’s try a 30, let’s try a 40. Let’s push it. Let’s pin that number to something that is a banner year– this is our 40th anniversary! Throw in something like that to give everyone the impetus to give a little more.
So what I would say to someone when they’re setting the expectations for their gala and how to exceed them is to look at the data of years past. Figure out if there are areas where you could push a little higher, and then pin the number to that for the goal.
Denver: Great advice. And no caps. You love no caps, I know that.
Lydia: I know.
I was on a call earlier, and they were asking me about putting prices on things in the catalog for fair market value. I never put any information in the catalog about anything because people will pay whatever they want to pay if they don’t know the price.
I can keep that information. I can throw that information out if I need it. If we’re at a place where something’s going for half price, I will say that out loud. But if something is $4,000 and we’re already at $10,000 in the first two minutes, why would I ever want anyone to think it’s worth $4,000? Priceless is priceless, so pay what you will.
Denver: Absolutely. You just play it in the moment. How important is the timing of an auction, both in terms of the overall event– when’s the best time to do the auction? And also that big ticket item, when’s the best time to introduce that?
Lydia: Yes. Crucial, crucial part. During a run of show, you have a limited amount of time for your audience to pay attention. It doesn’t matter if they’re the most attentive audience, you have a limited amount of time. I like to think that it’s a starting gun, and it goes off the minute someone starts talking. An auction should take place at a time in the event when the least amount of talking has taken place in front of them.
And the most important part is that the only people who should go in front of the auctioneer are the people who are directly connected to the fundraising moment. So my ideal is always executive director, client testimonial, auction.
Denver: Got it.
Lydia: If you have an honoree who is going to blow the roof off– they have been someone who has benefited from the services– put them in front of me. Every other honoree should be after the auction or should be in the first act, completely nowhere near the auctioneer because again, it’s the audience’s attention that an auctioneer needs.
You need a fresh audience that’s paying attention, and you don’t get that when they’ve been talked at for an hour by nine honorees.
Denver: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And just listening to you, I can see how you customize each one of the auctions to the cause of the organization, knowing the stories and really tying everything together, as opposed to the add-water-and-stir mindset.
Lydia: Sure. I always say to my auctioneers in my agency: Every gala is someone’s wedding, right?
Denver: Uh-huh. That’s nice. I like that. Yeah.
Lydia: But it’s true. And you can’t, as the auctioneer, walk in and say, “We’re going to do hydrangeas” when someone’s like,” I hate hydrangeas.” You need to literally think about what it is going to be best for the organization, how your piece is going to help them fundraise, because honestly, the most incredible thing that I’ve seen over the years is people spend a year, 18 months picking out napkin rings and flower arrangements and tablecloths, and then call for the auctioneer three weeks before.
The auctioneer is the only person who you put on stage that night who can make money for you at any fundraiser. So everything that you’re doing as someone who’s creating a gala should be centered around that fundraising moment in order to maximize the amount of money you can raise. And your napkin rings don’t bring money. Take it from me.
Denver: Unless you walk off with one and put it on eBay, I guess, but…
Lydia: Yeah. But again, it’s not going to bring in the money.
Denver: But you’re right. So often, I work with organizations where auctions are an afterthought, and what they’re doing is they’re looking to see what they need to make their goal. And about 19 days before, somebody says, “Let’s have an auction!” And like, that’s not the way to go about this at all.
Lydia: No, and I completely understand, having trained a number of auctioneers over the years, but also having been to many galas myself as the auctioneer, but also not as the auctioneer, they can be really painful. It can be an incredibly painful moment, especially if you have the wrong person on stage, which is why I always say to people: When you’re looking for the person who’s going to do the fundraising, look for someone who’s trained.
Denver: Yeah.
Lydia: Make sure they’re a trained professional. A lot of times I’ll get an auction after they put a meteorologist from the local news on stage, and they’re like, Well, it just didn’t really go that well. It’s not his job. His job is to tell you the weather. Put me in front of a blue map, I wouldn’t know what to do. It’s the same with actors or celebrities in New York. A lot of times people will say, well, this celebrity could do it.
I’m like, this person’s a screen actor. They probably don’t even like being on stage, which is what I found over the years. Just because they’re famous. Use them for that, but then let the auctioneer do the work. And so that’s just always, for me, it’s the most important part of a fundraiser. I’m like, don’t forget why you’re here. It’s not about your flower arrangements. It’s about raising money. So let’s make sure that we do it well.
Denver: So Lydia, what do you do when you hear crickets? When you’re out there, you’re pouring your heart and they’re all sitting there like statues. Do you have any techniques to, say, wake up the crowd?
Lydia: Oh yeah. Well, first of all, that smile never leaves my face. I’m unflappable up there. It doesn’t matter if, inside, my stomach is in knots; up there, you would never know it. So that’s number one. Always keep it positive. Always keep it light. I think it’s so important, going back to that fearless quality, that you are okay playing with the crowd and having fun.
You throw out that first bid and no one bites, you just start making jokes, and then warm up the crowd because ultimately at a charity auction, there is always someone who can give. And when things get a little uncomfortable, you’ll sort of see people reaching for their paddles. That silence, as an auctioneer, is your friend. Because that silence is ultimately what will make someone bid.
So what you have to do as the auctioneer is be really comfortable being silent. A lot of times in a paddle raise, I’ll say, I’m going to start it off at 25,000. I was specifically told not to start it at 25,000. I’m going to start it at 25,000 and I’m just going to sit here and wait until things get a little sticky.
I do and I just wait. And then I watch people, really watch their hands go up for their paddle. So now I can see the people who actually can do it, and then I’ll sort of say something like, “I don’t know, sir, I see you reaching for your paddle there. Is that intentional?” And then of course, he has to raise his paddle or she has to raise her paddle.
So it’s interesting how watching from the stage, if you’re careful and you’re okay sitting in that silence, you get what you want.
Denver: Mm-hmm. I love that. I am an executive coach, and one of the things I learned early on when you ask somebody a question and their silence, as uncomfortable as I am with the silence, they’re even more uncomfortable. And you just have to because you’re so tempted, Lydia, to rephrase the question and put it in a different way.
And also sometimes when I think there’s silence, it means they’re thinking, you know what I mean? So this is when the real good stuff is going on. But it’s hard for a lot of people, particularly performers, to live with that silence. And obviously you have mastered that.
Lydia: It’s such an important part of it. I mean, there’s just no question, and I think people so often get really scared and feel like they can’t do that, but it is the most important part.
“It’s all about the crowd. You never forget that as the auctioneer, because at the end of the day, the auction items that you’re selling probably are a lot more expensive than most people can afford. So you have to walk this very fine line where you’re encouraging the people who are bidding, but also making it interesting enough for everyone to pay attention.”
Denver: Well, you do improv, you do public speaking, you’re a mathematician, but you’re also a psychologist. So what are some of the tactics or techniques you use to encourage bidding and maximize fundraising at that auction? What kind of psychology are you applying?
Lydia: It’s all about the crowd. You never forget that as the auctioneer, because at the end of the day, the auction items that you’re selling probably are a lot more expensive than most people can afford. So you have to walk this very fine line where you’re encouraging the people who are bidding, but also making it interesting enough for everyone to pay attention.
And that’s where a lot of people fall off and don’t realize that if you are only focusing on the people who are bidding, and you’re just using the numbers, no one is going to pay attention. So what you need to do is make it really exciting and fun and dynamic for everyone there. And once you’ve got the crowd behind you, you have the crowd behind the bidders.
And so a lot of times, if we’re in a place where we have two people who are kind of getting to the end, and one person’s considering it, and I know the other person has very deep pockets, so what I’ll say to the audience is, “I feel like a chant could be a good idea right now. Sir, what’s your name? Ma’am, what’s your name?” And then I get their name and then all of a sudden, the audience is yelling, “Denver, Denver!”
Denver: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Lydia: And it’s funny because it’ll keep going much longer. I can’t even tell you how many times this has happened where someone walks up and is like, I can’t even use it because I’m not there that week, but what was I going to do? And I’m like, well…
Denver: Yeah, that’s great. Yeah, yeah.
Lydia: It’s all in good fun. And I do often think about the fact that most of the people who are bidding at those higher levels, there really is no limit. So as long as they’re having fun, and they don’t feel like it’s getting to a point where it’s gauche, and they feel embarrassed by it, they will keep going. And all the money is good, so I never mind pushing.
Denver: Talk a little bit about the chant. I go to a lot of galas and a lot of events, and it does seem like a lot of auctioneers have some kind of chant going. I don’t know, is there a rhythmic thing going on there, or is that just in my imagination?
Lydia: Well, I would say if you’re in the south, or if you’re anywhere regionally in a place where people are trained by traditional auctioneering schools, then you will find that chanting. That’s not something that we do at the larger auction houses. That’s not how we were taught to auction.
I think one thing you will find is that rapid pace, because especially at the beginning, what you’re trying to do is just get underbidders, and then at some point it flips into: you slow it down.
Denver: Got you.
Lydia: So anyone with a thousand dollars, we’re at a thousand, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, 7,000, and now the hands are starting to drop, nine, 10,000, you pin it on someone, $12,000 to you, sir. If they’re not like, oh God, if they’re like, oh, okay, you stay with them. If not, you’re like,” Oh, you were looking for wine?” Back to my other bidder.
You’re monitoring what’s happening to the crowd at that point. But then at that point, we’re at $12,000 to the gentleman on my left, and I see 14, and then…
Denver: I got you.
Lydia: …it becomes more intentional, and then you’re shaping it, right? Then it becomes about those bidders. The first 10 lots have nothing to do with anyone. You’re just getting the numbers, and you’re getting it to a place where you want to be closer to the selling number.
And then once you get it there, it’s really interesting because then you can play with your bidders, and that’s where getting people to chant someone’s name might be helpful.
Denver: Yeah, yeah, yeah. What’s going on with virtual auctions and how do they intersect with in-person auctions? I mean, so much of this obviously happened during COVID. What’s your thinking on that? What are the trends that you’re seeing?
Lydia: I mean, please let me never take another virtual auction. During COVID, it was me, three kids. And I mean, at some point I would, with my finger, we’d be waving under the table like, do not get up, do not get up.
Virtual auctions were a necessary thing during COVID. I think the enthusiasm for them has definitely faded in the nonprofit sector because people like to be in person. So sometimes people will have them, but I’ve largely seen them disappear and frankly, that’s fine with me.
Denver: Yeah, I got it, that last part. You have shared the stage with some of the biggest celebrities during your auctions… I mean Springsteen and Jackman, and Elton John and Damon and Jerry Seinfeld. How do you approach collaborating with celebrities to maximize fundraising events?
Lydia: I always say to people that the celebrities, you have to understand what their strength is. They’re not auctioneers, and frankly, none of them want to be auctioneers. Everybody says, as we’re walking out, they’re like, I hate this part. I’m like, really? This is my favorite part of the night.
So what I would say is: give a very specific reason for them to be on stage, and if they need to be there, keep them there. And if they don’t, let them go. So, Bruce Springsteen stays on stage because he plays the guitar that I’m selling, A-plus, like total win.
Hugh Jackman will come up. I’ll have him introduce things, and then I’ll send him out in the audience to help me win additional bids. Like, Hugh Jackman will take a selfie with you right now. Hugh Jackman will shake your hand right now. Hugh Jackmanwill remove his shirt right now? No. Okay. But you can use that, and then otherwise have them come up right before a lot that they’re involved in.
Especially if it’s a longer auction, it’s always great to refocus the crowd. So you have 10 lots. Lot number five, get your celebrities up there to make people pay attention again, and then off they go. But if they are not improv comedians, if they are not people who are on stage, do not try to force them to get up.
And if they’re okay with it, give them a microphone at their table. And let them sort of say things throughout, let them add things throughout, but it’s never a job that you want to hand off to somebody who doesn’t know how to do it. Because when there are those awkward pauses; when there are those moments that aren’t going well, they’re the ones who ultimately feel ashamed and embarrassed. It doesn’t bother me. I’m a charity auctioneer. My bar is so low.
Denver: You have no nerve endings anymore. They’re all dead.
Lydia: Exactly. Exactly.
Denver: Well, that’s good. You have to know your audience, but then also, you have to know your celebrity partner and what do they like to do and not like to do, and then play to their strengths, and don’t make them do anything that they don’t want to do or are not any good at. Absolutely.
Are there any best practices for following up with bidders and donors after the auction? A lot of people had this question.
Lydia: Well, I think the more work you can do in advance, the better, because at the end of the day, you have to make sure that there is not an opportunity for anybody to not pay.
So if you can pin a paddle to someone when they walk in the door, that is the best way to be able to get the money. You have their name, you have their information. Ideally, you have their credit card, great.
What is not good is when people walk into a room and they realize all of a sudden that they have a paddle. It’s not associated with anything, and it seems like no one’s organized, so do you have to pay? Who knows? There’s a pledge card on the table. They’ve been drinking a lot. Do they do it?
So what you want to make sure about always, always, is that unequivocally, a paddle is corresponding to somebody who’s walking in the door, and that that payment can be made either that night, using a QR code on the paddle or using a pledge card that they receive at that moment.
Denver: Got it, got it. I have always been curious about the auction world. I don’t know why, but I have been. Tell us a little bit about it. Is it as male- dominated as we’re led to believe?
Lydia: It is. It’s gotten a lot better though, I will say. I mean, when I first started, there were only male auctioneers, and frankly, it wasn’t until I think 2020 that Christie’s, where I’d worked for my entire career, made the decision that it had to be equitable. Like you had to have women on the podium, too. Up until that point, it was always men taking the sales, especially the big ones.
Denver: Yeah.
Lydia: But things have changed. Things have evolved like they have with many companies. And I think that people realized that women can be good auctioneers, too. What a surprise. My mom and dad have always said something, which I think is the best way to look at any of this, which is: it’s never good or bad, it’s just different.
And people get used to a different style and ultimately that’s what… once they’re used to it, they don’t think anything different. So as long as you are as good as anyone else, you’re going to do just fine.
My mom and dad always used to say to me when I was little that if you get in there and you show them the work, they can’t dispute it. And it was amazing to me because I realized over time that I had so much experience as a charity auctioneer, I was still getting passed over for the big charity auctions. And it was not because I wasn’t better or as good as, it was just that I was a woman. And so people didn’t… they were scared I wasn’t going to be able to handle the crowd… like that was told to me many times.
And over time, just showing up at the bigger auctions and having people see me was ultimately what got me to the place that I’m in right now, which I take Robin Hood, I take Tipping Point. I take the biggest charity auctions in the world, and I have no fear getting on that stage. And I think people have seen that time and time again, and as a result, they come back to me.
And so you hope that it doesn’t have to happen again and again and again, but it did work for me. Just the proof was in the pudding at some point.
Denver: Lydia, are you 24/7 fearless, or do you have a pre-auction routine, a ritual that you go through that’s going to get yourself ready?
Lydia: At this point, unless it’s something that’s completely different and completely like not even something that I’ve ever done before, or a new stage or something like that, there’s very little fear for me because I really enjoy my job.
Denver: Yeah. I can tell.
Lydia: And so that makes a difference. And look, I’ve done this for over 23 years. I take 70 auctions a year. I mean, it’s hard, it’s really hard to rattle me on stage at this point.
Denver: Yeah, yeah.
Lydia: But I think more than anything, I come out on stage feeling fearless because I have done the work. And in addition to that, I come out with a big smile. I come out ready for it. And that for me is always the most important thing.
Denver: Yeah. Yeah. I think for the audience too, knowing that the auctioneer wants to be there really make the big difference as opposed to: This is my job, I got to do this tonight.
Lydia: Yes.
Denver: Tell listeners about the Lydia Fenet Agency and what makes it different, what makes it unique.
Lydia: Well, thank you for asking. The Lydia Fenet Agency is something I started last year. It’s an organization that really, more than anything, is trying to put the best charity auctioneers on stages all over the world. And it was an idea I had when I was at Christie’s because as I said earlier, I realized that people had auctioneers that just were not trained.
They didn’t know what they were doing. They were fundraisers who’d kind of fallen into auctioneering. They had no formal training. They didn’t know what they were doing. And I would take auctions year after year where people would say, Oh, we had this terrible experience with an auctioneer.
And I kept thinking to myself, this is a white space because there are so many talented auctioneers out there. They just don’t know where to look. They don’t know where to find them. And the people who are out there, who are doing this and not doing it well, should not be on those stages because…
Denver: That’s right.
Lydia: …these are the operating budgets for nonprofit.
And so ultimately, that’s why I started the agency. I started with six auctioneers and then within probably four months, I had another six. I had over 200 people who reached out about trying out for it. So I capped at 12 for the first year. We raised over a hundred million. I’ll be increasing as time passes just because of interest and demand.
“I would say I’ve probably done my 30,000 hours on stage, and it was somewhere in my 10,000 hours that I really started to be good. So I would say that an auctioneer can be born in the sense that there’s something there. There’s like a star quality there. But the auctioneer needs to be trained, and they need to spend time on stage to become really good at the trade.”
Denver: Is an auctioneer, a great auctioneer, born or can they learn the talent? And what do you do? I mean, I’m sure everybody’s trying to get better. What do you do to nurture and develop them?
Lydia: Well, more than anything, the person who is getting on that stage has to have practice. You can be amazing on stage, but unless you have been trained as a charity auctioneer and you have had time spent in that skill, you’re not going to be good at it.
Denver: Yeah.
Lydia: I would say I’ve probably done my 30,000 hours on stage, and it was somewhere in my 10,000 hours that I really started to be good. So I would say that an auctioneer can be born in the sense that there’s something there. There’s like a star quality there. But the auctioneer needs to be trained, and they need to spend time on stage to become really good at the trade.
“When things go wrong, just keep going.”
Denver: What’s the best piece of advice you ever received about being an auctioneer?
Lydia: When things go wrong, just keep going.
Denver: Lydia, you’ve also written two impactful books, The Most Powerful Woman in the Room Is You and Claim Your Confidence. Now, that first book is being optioned to Hulu. The second one is the name of your podcast. Tell listeners about each.
Lydia: All right. Well, the first one, The Most Powerful Woman in the Room Is You, was sold to Netflix originally, and the option ran out and has recently been resold to Hulu. Very exciting. And so I don’t really have many more details that I can share at this point, only to say: stay tuned.
Denver: Okay.
Lydia: And then Claim Your Confidence is a podcast that I started because I just felt like everyone thought everyone else was confident from the minute they were born, and I just don’t think that’s the case. I think it’s something that’s learned and earned over the course of your life.
And so I interview people about their confidence journey….people who are at the top of their game, hopefully to inspire other people.
Denver: Lydia, are there any universal truths for engaging with an audience and prospective donors at a live auction that nonprofits, and particularly the development teams, should keep in mind and apply to all their fundraising endeavors?
Lydia: Well, more than anything, remember when you’re going into fundraising that one of the most important things is that the audience is the most important part of your event. So you never want to have a fundraising gala where you’re not engaging them and making sure that they’re having a great time.
So often, people think about coming to a gala and just hammering people with as much information as possible. And I would say you need to think of your stage in your fundraiser, if this is your wedding, this is also… your stage is your Oscar night. So never forget that.
Denver: Yeah. And that is good advice, I think, for the rest of the organization because so often what we’re doing with donors is we’re telling them about the organization.
Lydia: Yes.
Denver: And we’re almost forgetting them. And we need to make them a little bit more of the star. And I read someplace the other day that when you’re making pitches like that, the perfect ratio is for the organization to do 43% of the talking and the donor to do 57% of the talking.
Lydia: Yes.
Denver: And we do not find that in most major gift calls or things of that nature.
Lydia: Yes, I absolutely agree. And I don’t think that you can say that enough because truly, I sit at so many galas over the course of the year, and that for me is always the most incredible thing because you’ve put all this work into it, and everyone’s sitting there looking around like, Okay, we get it.
I just want to stand up for five seconds. I just want to eat. I need the auction to be over so that I can enjoy the rest of this evening. I understand why I’m here. Let me give the money, let me keep moving forward.
Denver: Finally, Lydia, you’ve been involved in so many auctions, as we mentioned, so many with famous personalities. Do you have a favorite story or two that you’d like to share with the audience?
Lydia: Well, I always love the story of Matt Damon, who was such a good sport. One night I was at his children’s school taking an auction, and it was just that of this incredible happenstance that he decided he was going to start bidding on something and was bidding against somebody else who was in the room.
And I’d been introduced to him because I was seated at his table. He knew that my name was Lydia when we were introduced. But by the time the auction started, I guess I was just one of many. And he’d renamed me, Lindsay. So he started yelling out to the crowd while I was bidding on everything, “Hey, Lindsay, Lindsay!”
And I remember thinking like, I guess he is talking to me, but I knew a lot of the parents in that room, and so he’s like, Hey, Lindsay. And I was like, Yes? And he said, “You should double the lot,” meaning you should sell it twice. And I couldn’t double the lot because I only had one to sell. And so I said that out loud.
I was like, well, there’s always someone who wants to be a junior auctioneer. I was like, honestly, I can’t sell the lot because I only have one to sell. And also, my name is Lydia, and he was like, Oh my gosh. And it was so funny because I remember thinking like the audience was so on my side after that.
Denver: Yeah, yeah.
Lydia: Because they were like, Wow, she just said that to Matt Damon. And this was solidly 12, 15 years ago. And so the other funny part of that story was that he came up to do the paddle raise with me at the very end, and he got up on stage. And when he got up on stage, he sort of said to the audience, Hey, everyone, like, this is… Lindsay and I have this funny thing that we do where I call her Lindsay.
And I remember saying, I was like, Really? I don’t recall anyone saying anything. They said there was going to be a struggling actor named Mike Diamond who would be joining me on stage. He died, and he thought it was the funniest thing ever.
And so after that, there was another event with one of his other children, and he came, I was at Lincoln Center, I was on stage and he came on stage and introduced himself as Mike Diamond. And it was so funny because for me, I was like, I don’t think anyone here understands that I could not stop laughing.
So my real takeaway from that, and it’s always been when people ask me about celebrities and all these amazing people that I’ve met over the course of my life, they’re all the same. Everyone puts their boots on the same way in the morning, which is what my father always says, and it’s so true. Everyone is exactly the same.
People who like to laugh, like to laugh. People who are embarrassed are embarrassed. People who are good at something respect people who are good at their own trade. And I truly feel like every time I get on that stage with a celebrity, they’re always like, This is a really hard job. And I say, Well, yours is, too.
Denver: Yeah. Yeah. But they’re regular folk at heart, and we sometimes don’t realize that until you get to know them a little bit better, and they’re just like us. So…
Lydia: Exactly.
Denver: Tell us about the Lydia Fenet Agency website and how can listeners get in touch if they should be interested in learning more about your services.
Lydia: Well, thank you for asking. So everything is pinned to my website, lydiafenet.com. So if you go on that website, you’ll find The Agency, and it’s basically just a submission form. So if you are looking to hire an auctioneer, you just fill out the form; it comes straight to me and to my assistant.
And we will look at your organization, see the work you’re doing, look at the crowd size, really understand what your event looks like, and then I will make recommendations based on auctioneers that I think would be good, either regionally or just because of the topic.
Denver: Well, thanks, Lydia, for being here today. You are an absolute delight, so much so I’m already ready to bid on something even though you’re not selling anything.
Lydia: I’m always selling something, Denver. Thank you so much. It was such a pleasure to be on with you.
Denver: Thank you.
Denver Frederick, Host of The Business of Giving serves as a Trusted Advisor and Executive Coach to Nonprofit Leaders. His Book, The Business of Giving: New Best Practices for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Leaders in an Uncertain World, is available now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.