Always Be Prepared to Make an Offer

Charles Courney Curran

The margin between success and failure in the antique business is razor thin. When you come across items you know are treasures and you want to make an offer, there are many things that will mean the difference between having your offer accepted or not.

The inflexion in your voice, the manner in which you make the offer, the kind of day the seller has encountered, and your being able to assure the seller you are an expert on whatever items your dealing on can mean closing the deal or walking away empty handed.

Never leave home without having the means to buy whatever you might come across during the day. Carry blank checks, credit cards, or the phone number for the 31 Club with you at all times.

Don’t let your past experience dictate your present action.

How does this all play out in real life? My experience from other day might happen to you:

There’s a man whom I’ve found it very difficult to deal with over the years. Now, this isn’t because he wants to be unfair with me, but he reasons that, “If Daryle can make a profit on the items I sell him, so can I.” I can’t fault him for that.

The other day I was able to visit his place of business just at closing time. He wasn’t in, but as I looked around, I found some items I wanted to make an offer on, so we called him to see if he was in the selling mood. Although my past experience with him hadn’t resulted in a sale, I tried anyway. He haggled a little, but to my surprise, he said the pieces were mine if I could pay for them immediately.

Two wonderful paintings by Charles Courney Curran (be sure to look him up], a signed Ronald Reagan photograph in a great frame, the best print of West Point, from about 1860 that I’ve ever seen, and two watercolors by Daniel Sheerin immediately became mine for almost $6000.

I’m wondering though, would the results have been the same if I said, “I’ll send you a check?” Or, what if I'd let my past experience with him dictate my present action? My past experience told me he'd say, "No Deal." If I'd kept that in mind when I spotted his shop, I might never have gone in to look that day.

You see the timing was right. The deal was closed because I could pay for the pieces at that moment, and he envisioned something else he wanted to do with the money that day.

I will be completing my travels today, and the last part of the trip will not be nearly as pleasant as the time I spent yesterday doing what I love to do: search for treasure. Most of the finds I come across aren’t found at times I know what I will be looking, at but rather when I least expect them, like yesterday, so you must always be ready.

I did make a major mistake in yesterdays blog and believe it or not it wasn’t in my grammar. The mistake was that it is my Brother-in-Law’s funeral, not my Son-in-Law’s.

*****

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Get FREE MENTORING.

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Being a Team Player: 31 Club Marketplace

When I started the 31 Club Marketplace, I knew there would be times when I would have to go to the members for advice. This is one of those times, because a question has formed in my mind.

The development of the Marketplace and Wish List to service the needs of our members presents a possible conflict of interest, and I am asking for your input. Any expressed opinion will be helpful in the formation of 31 Club’s policies. Let me begin by further defining the marketplace:

The Aim of the 31 Club Marketplace is Multifaceted, Offering:

1. A venue for members to “Quick Turn” items at below market value.

2. A venue for members to sell items at the Fair Market Price.

3. A cost effective selling venue with a Low Commissions.

4. A Free Advertising venue of "Items Wanted" through our Wish List.

Quick Turn Price:
In order to quickly turn an item, it needs to be priced below fair market value, yet still enable the member to double their investment.

This offers the most likely scenario an item will sell, while still allowing the member to double their money. By quick turning the item, the member can keep their money moving, and more quickly ascend the 31 Steps recommended in my book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles.

Fair Market Price:
Members can choose to list their item(s)at fair market value with no assurance of getting the price wanted, selling the item in a timely manner, nor selling the item at all. This option will likely keep your money tied up longer, yet might also net you a higher amount, should the piece sell.

With all this in mind, when a member requests a value on an item they’ve purchased elsewhere, the club will always provide a figure it thinks would be the Quick Turn Price – the price a dealer or possible reseller would offer for a quick sale.

So, here’s a situation that might come up that I’d like your input on:

31 Club Member, Sarah, listed an item at the Quick Turn Price. It sold quickly, and she doubled her money when James, another 31 Club Member, purchased it. James decided he wanted to list that same item on our marketplace for the Fair Market Price.

Has the 31 Club been fair to both the buyer and seller and have they acted at arms length? I just want to be sure that after a member sells an item to another member, and it shows up listed at a higher price, each one will feel that their needs had been met. Please e-mail me at info@31corp.com or call me with your input.

The first person I presented the above scenario to is a wonderful young man in North Carolina who just completed a transaction of this nature with us. Here’s his response:

Daryle:

Thanks for the help in finding a purchaser for the Ellen B. Farr painting
so quickly. I received the check and those funds will be used to purchase
a WW2 German helmet. I am purchasing the helmet for $2000 and that will
be turned in to $4600 within the week. I realize I could have held on to
the painting and tried to retail it or sent it to a large auction house on
the west coast; but I have no guarantees that I will make any more profit
that way than you helped me make in only one week. So, in the span of
three weeks turning two items I will have profited $3600. For me the key
is not focusing on trying to get retail on an item, but to turn it quickly
with the goal of doubling my investment. Not bad for an Appalachian
American (hillbilly/redneck) from the mountains of North Carolina.

Mason

The Ellen B. Farr painting sold to a member and may be listed on our site. I'd like for you to share your ideas on this with the rest of our members. All responses will be shown to our group. The most important thing to me and to your staff is that we always keep your best interest at heart.

Learn Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills and Put a Turbo Charge on your money making skills. Join Me at the 31 Club and get FREE Mentoring.

You'll Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially, Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with the Strategic Plan 31 Club Members follow. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join today.

My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. Join Today!


View the 31 Gallery & Marketplace here.

Outsider Artist, Doug Odom

Outsider Art: Doug Odom, "Girl with Doll" is one of two Odom paintings offered at The 31 Gallery.

I have to admit, I couldn't stay away from the Glenview art show yesterday. This urge to return and tell the two wonderful ladies at the show I had written about in the previous blog overtook me I’m very hopeful my readers will follow these artists, because I think their art will be searched out in the future by collectors and will survive the test of time. While I wasn’t looking for thanks, they thanked me so much, and I assured them this wasn’t going to be the last time they heard from me.

While my opinions from the previous day remain the same, there were a few of the artist who caught my eye again once I returned, but they were the same ones as before. And, while this is just one man’s opinion, this is all I can write about from the show. However, I did meet up with an old friend who was exhibiting, and I can once again say he was the hit of the show. I mentioned in yesterday’s blog I would write about this special artist today.

He is perhaps the best known outsider artist around, and his paintings are unique, and I knew I wasn’t alone in my opinion when I stood in his booth, crowded with people commenting in awe and excitement in their voices as they viewed his work for the first time. Once you see one of his paintings you can't help but comment on it. His name is Doug Odom, and one of the things I like best about his work is that it appeals to both children and adults.

Doug had became a friend of mine almost a year ago. In fact, he was a guest in my home and I got to spend some quality time with him. However, our friendship doesn't reflect in my judgment of his talent, which is huge. I never tireof his good old boy demeanor as he tells his audience about life in lower Alabama. Whether you wear a suit or a pair of jeans, you’ll stop and listen to what Doug is saying. I overheard a conversation between Doug and a gentleman in his booth that made me, as well as everyone else roar with laughter. The man asked Doug if he had an e-mail address, and Doug replied, “Not in Alabama.”

“How about a phone number?”

“Not one you could reach me on,” Doug replied.

By this time, I could see from the gentleman’s face he was getting frustrated, but it was then Doug told him, “I can tell you where I live.”

“Are you sure,” the man asked tongue in cheek, and the crowed gave out a huge laugh.

If you know me, I’m sure you’ll know by know that one of my stories is coming about this point, so here goes: As I was making my way toward Doug's booth, I noticed a man carrying a very large painting, but it was facing away from me. I walked around the man because I thought I recognized it. Sure enough, it was one of Doug's works I’ll call “The Yellow School Bus.” You see, I had seen him working on this piece the day before. At that time, it was just this large yellow bus with children riding on it. While I hung around his booth, I noticed that as children approached this painting he would ask them if they’d like to ride on the bus. If their answer was yes, he’d ask where they wanted to sit. You might have guessed, but when they told Doug where they wanted to sit, he’d paint them into the piece right where they chose to sit and added their name to the piece.

So, when I arrived at Doug’s booth, I thought I’d have a little fun with him. He saw me and I started looking around at the paintings. “Where’s my painting,” I asked Doug?

“Which one,” he asked?

“The Yellow School Bus.”

He thought for a moment, then pointed up the aisle and said, “It went that away.”

I couldn’t help but tell him I’d seen the man carrying it, and Doug told me it was going into a museum. Keep a keen eye out for Doug’s work because people haven’t yet fully recognized how unique it is. Our gallery has two of his pieces available and you can view them here.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club.

Get FREE MENTORING. Learn the Fine Art and Antique Industry Insider Secrets that can help you make money trading in these treasures. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today.

My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. Join Today!

Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.

Daryle Lambert Blog: Networking with 31 Club – The 50 Gallon Red Wing Crock Find

Several months ago, I wrote about the person that wanted to find a 50 gallon Red Wing Crock for her parents. Well, one of our members found one and contacted me with this great news. If you are just following our Blog and haven’t become a member of the 31 Club yet, I encourage you to join and use the resources being offered by the Club to your advantage. Networking with us can produce great results.

The Associate Program is offered to 31 Club Members and will enable the member to work in conjunction with the 31 Club to higher end items they come across. When the member finds an item and it is out of their price range, the club will buy it, handle the sale and split the profit between them on a fair arrangement. We make this a win-win situation for all, so call or send me an e-mail for further details and information at info@31corp.com

The Associates Program is extremely valuable if the member is able to locate multiple pieces and the purchase is substantial. This way the company, as well as the member locating the items, can benefit. You may remember the Blog about the sale of several comic books by one of our members. She used this principle with a man who asked her to post several lots of comic books on eBay for him. These comic books brought nearly $13,000. Even after the expense of purchasing and selling these comic books, I figure the man walked away with perhaps $6,000. By working together, almost anything is possible in the these markets, and we are here to help you finish the race you’ve begun.

Personal Mentoring: It is so hard today for a person to get a live body on the other end of the phone, but not so at The 31 Club. I am willing and waiting to help you in identify items, negotiate, guide, give you a pep talk if you’re feeling a little defeated, or any other service that I can provide for you to help you succeed. We can talk over the phone and through e-mails. You’ll find I answer E-mails in a timely manner.

I could go on tooting our horn, but I think that you get the picture. But what the staff and I are offering is only as good as its usage. If you don't take advantage of our service, I can promise that you will not benefit from them. When you do, then your bank account will see the results.

Wish List: Let the world know what you’re looking for! We have a wish list where you can post items that you look for, and it can be found in the Buy/Sell section of the website. If you think it’s too hard to find, let me know, and we’ll post it somewhere else. We’re planning on setting the wish list up in a way that will enable someone to contact you by e-mail, should they have an item you are looking for. Just another way of networking with other dealers and collectors. Make your postings today!

31 Gallery: Show off your Paintings or Collectibles to the world and get them sold. Our Gallery Pages are very popular pages on our site. When you put your item in our Gallery, you’ll have no advertising fees, and we’ll help you secure a buyer.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and turbo charge your treasure hunting today. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE! Our book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

Join the 31 Club and learn how to build personal wealth through the antique, collectible and fine art markets.

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