Meet the showman auctioneer, 28, earning THOUSANDS of followers thanks to his ‘slap clapping’ ‘heel flicking’ sale tactics – as fans dub him the ‘Aussie Phil Dunphy’
- A video of an Australian auctioneer’s entertaining style has gone viral on TikTok
- Ben Thompson, from Melbourne, eagerly slaps his hand when a final bidder wins
- He also points his toe out as he congratulates the winning bidder in applause
- Commenters have fondly dubbed the moves as the ‘slap clap’ and the ‘heel flick’
- Mr Thompson has been flooded with messages since the video was posted
An Australian auctioneer has gone viral for his quirky techniques and entertaining showmanship when selling a home under the hammer.
A compilation video of Melbourne man, Ben Thompson, enthusiastically slapping his hand when a final bidder wins then pointing his toe back as he congratulates them has racked up almost 915,000 views since it was posted to TikTok last month.
Commenters have fondly dubbed the 28-year-old auctioneer’s animated technique as the ‘slap and clap’ and ‘heel flick’.
A video of Melbourne auctioneer, Ben Thompson, has gone viral on TikTok for his unusual auction techniques and entertaining showmanship
A TikTok video of the auctioneer enthusiastically slapping his hand when a final bidder wins then pointing his toe as he congratulates them with applause has racked up almost 915,000 views since it was posted late last month
‘This is so addicting for some reason,’ one viewer wrote.
‘I can imagine someone going with no intention on buying the house and just participating in the auction,’ another said.
‘This is how I get rid of flies’ someone joked.
He said he like to ‘have a bit of fun’ with his auctioning style to put the stressed crowd at ease
Mr Thompson told FEMAIL it was his girlfriend, Evie who had the idea to create and post the video and called his new-found fame ‘bizarre’.
He has since been flooded with messages from viewers, family and friends.
‘Three or four days after it was posted, I was getting all these messages from friends saying “when did you become TikTok famous?”‘ Mr Thompson said.
In another video, Mr Thompson tried to put the bidding crowd at ease with a joke that falls flat.
The auctioneer has been compared by viewers to comedy TV series Modern Family character, Phil Dunphy who plays a real estate agent, for his quirky showmanship and cheesy punchlines.
‘Hey it’s Phil Dunphy in real life!’ one person commented.
‘This reminds me of Phil I don’t know why,’ wrote a second.
He said he like to ‘have a bit of fun’ with his auctioning style so is building up his joke repertoire and is on the hunt for new material.
‘It’s somewhat about entertaining people,’ he said.
‘It’s a stressful day so the more you can make people more relaxed the better they feel.’
Since going viral, Mr Thompson said he has been inundated with questions from new buyers and aspiring auctioneers.
‘I’ve always enjoyed giving people help and advice – it’s rewarding,’ he said.
Mr Thompson said he has been inundated with questions from new buyers and aspiring auctioneers since his video went viral
His advice for those wanting to get into real estate or become an auctioneer he said to look at your state’s requirements and once qualified find a job that allows you to ‘grow organically’.
‘Do your best to get into a business that has a bit of volume so you can learn a bit,’ Mr Thompson said.
‘Get into a business that a high auction volume so you can work out if it’s something you want to do or not.’