One of my favorite referrals came through a friend in the auction business. Her long-time friend had many outstanding items to sell. She recommended me and Kamelot as she thought the items were ideal for our auctions. Her friend was not dealing with an estate. She was not down-sizing her living space. Our potential client was also not stuffocating through inheriting and over-accumulating over the years. She had a different reason to sell.
From my initial phone conversation with this referral, it was clear she had wonderful items. When we visited her beautiful main-line home, she was friendly, engaging and fun to talk with as we toured. She showed us her home as we talked about the auction process. She had never sold or purchased at auction before. As she was showing her beautifully decorated home and we were getting to know each other she suddenly stopped, her smile went away and she said emphatically, “I am selling everything in this room because it reminds me of my ex-husband!” As we walked into the next room she continued, “and most of these items as well.”
We agreed to offer several dozen items for her including some wonderful 19th century furniture, modern furniture, garden urns, art, and lighting.
A couple months later, she was watching the auction where her items were being offered, among many others. She was not live in our auction gallery. Rather, she was watching from her computer on one of our internet bidding platforms. She called my cell phone in excitement and asked if I could help her bid. She was a quick study and bought several items. After the auction, she enthusiastically shared how much she enjoyed it.
We were talking several weeks later and I asked her if she felt better. “Absolutely!” she said, “I am enjoying decorating and using the rooms again!” She was among my favorite clients to work with… lively, enthusiastic, straightforward and grateful. At times the process of listening and helping my clients feels a bit like family therapy.
Sometimes I share a version of this story when speaking to women’s groups. Whenever I share her line, “I am selling everything in this room because it reminds me of my ex-husband!” I get a big reaction. I have to pause momentarily for gasps and the start of whispered conversations. After each meeting, over a dozen attendees line up and share similar stories about themselves, a sister, or a friend who felt exactly the same way!