I just got something interesting in the mail. A catalog from one of those venerable auction houses….you know the type. Centuries of expertise. White gloves. Hushed tones. The kind of place that's spent a hundred years building a reputation for knowing exactly what things are worth. Every page showcased their recent triumphs: An Audemars Piguet estimated at $20K-30K that sold for $63,500. A Rolex pegged at $40K-80K that went for over $100,000. Page after page of the same story….more than 100 items, every single one selling for dramatically more than their estimate. Now here's the thing…I know what they were going for. They want people with heirlooms gathering dust to think, "Hey, maybe mine is worth more than I thought!" It's a clever pitch to drum up consignments. But what they actually communicated is that we have no idea what we're doing. Think about it. This is an auction house that's spent a century positioning itself as the ultimate authority on valuation. That expertise is their entire business model. And with one glossy catalog, they've undermined it completely. The paradox in trying to excite potential sellers is that they've accidentally broadcasted their incompetence to everyone else…including potential buyers who might wonder why they should trust these estimates at all. It's a perfect reminder that every piece of marketing, every communication, every decision you make is either building your reputation or chipping away at it. And the thing you spent decades building can vanish in a single catalog.