THE POWER OF INFORMATION

by Deb Weidenhamer

We all hear and read about the "information age" and how history will record this time in which we are living as being akin to the industrial revolution. Just as our great grandparents who experienced the introduction of mass production were benumbed of the changes taking place in their lifetimes, so are we. We do have one distinct advantage though; we can look back at history and learn how to take advantage of opportunities available to us today.

In our industry, the power of researching product and finding buyers and sellers grows with each new day. If you have a unique auction item, you have several avenues available for research that weren't in existence even five years ago. And even more importantly through less expensive methods of advertising you can attract more buyers and sellers to your auction firm. The Internet has opened up many unique opportunities for the auction industry.

But the information age is not all about the Internet, indeed it is about the availability of information. Recently when faced with a paperwork challenge, I walked into a bookstore and found a book that had the forms I needed and the corresponding CD to go with the forms. This book saved me countless hours of work and gave me beneficial ideas of how to save time through the use of the forms. For $19.95 my auction firm was able to organize and prioritize its paperwork flow. That is the miracle of information.

What is even more exciting is that you can walk into a library and have a vast amount of information at your fingertips. Not just current information, but knowledge from the past that aids you in making decisions and understanding trends. You can also sign up for news services that will deliver information to you on specific topics - right to your email address, everyday.

The most bleak idea about information is that no matter how long you live there will never be enough time to read or listen to enough information to know it all. But take heart, with a "keyword" search you will always find anything you want to know.