If the first stage was slow with buyers testing out bids to see who responded, the second stage is quicker with bidders responding quickly.
They still follow their bidding strategy but will up the bidding as they challenge the other bidders to see if they can knock the competition out.
What might have started as 5 or 6 people bidding will usually come down to just 2 or 3. At that point the auction moves into its final stage.
An auctioneer will reduce what they say, they will quieten and just call the bids and let the bidding flow.
During the first stage auctioneers talk to bridge the gaps between bids. As things speed up and bidders focus on trying to outlast each other, keeping the calls smooth and relaxed removes some of the tension. The salesperson leaves the people bidding to run their own race and concentrates on talking to the bidders who have pulled back. He’ll check if they are out, by asking.
Many will say yes. A good salesman will look more at the facial expression and body language and not just of the bidder but of those with them. If their body language doesn’t suggest they have resigned, then they probably haven’t. More likely they want to be left alone while they think through what they want to do.
During the second stage, the agent and the auctioneer are watching to see who is still in the race, who is out and who might come back in. We let the game plans play out, we don’t need to control the bidding. It flows by itself. When we are down to the last 2 or 3 bidders and the pace has slowed, we are ready for the final stage of the auction.
Author – Stephen Jackson.
