ACE Newsletter

Adding Value without Lowering Prices

by M Theresa Brown

Hi

We have had a number of discussions about pricing artwork and we have shared with you the idea that an artist cannot just price his or her artwork "to sell."  You just don't slap a price on your art based on vague generalities and hope that it sells! Pricing your artwork is a team effort. It involves presenting the "whole package". That is YOU, your ART, your physical self and your attitude self! YOU are the package and your art is the by-product of your time, abilities and creative efforts.

You may have seen that artists in this economic climate feel lowering prices will sell more art. Lowering your prices raises questions. Is your art worth less now than it was in the past? Or was it overpriced to begin with?

Don't lower your prices- Instead, add more value!

What does that mean? It means that the little perks that perhaps you would have added a la carte in the past, should be included in your current offerings to your clients.  And if you did not offer any additional value for your art product, start doing so now.

It seems that every business in the world, at the moment is offering free "add ons." You've seen them:  Free shipping, Buy two get one free,  a gift card, an interest free car loan....THINK!  What can an artist offer while either keeping prices the same or even raising them?

• In commission art, consider NOT adding the customary mileage when you drive to a location.
• Offer a free print with every commissioned piece.
• Offer free notecards
• Offer a $50.00 gift certificate towards the next painting ( over a certain amount)
• Offer additional mini gifts for each sale regardless of what you sell.
• Send a custom hand written thank you card in the mail after the sale with a mini special offer!
• Offer free shipping
• Interest free lay a way for large pieces.
• Discounts on framing, not the art.
• Offer special discounts to previous clients
• Come up with additional ideas specific to your art product!
• Oil paintings may need to be varnished months after delivery, offer to do this free.
• Offer to hang or install a large painting or work of art

The artists who worry about losing money by offering "freebies" need to be more concerned with getting the sale rather than what will happen IF they get the sale! You could raise your prices by 10% to cover most of the add ons if you were concerned but the point is to add VALUE to an art piece in a variety of little ways that tells the buyer that THEY are special.

EVERY client is valuable. Every sale is hard won regardless of whether it is $20.00 or $20,000.  These "challenging" times have once again proven that the customer is king in a retail world that begain to lose site of that.  Many many times an artist collects a following because of their gracious yet professional attitude. Adding value to an art product that a client is interested in lets that client know that you will take care of her after the sale. And that both she AND you are worth it!

Until Later,
Theresa and Steve

Speaking of adding value, here is an added value for you. :-)

You will now get a instant audio download when you invest in the Art For Sale CD set with Ebook.  Still only 24.95. You still get the 2 CD set containing the audio book and the ebook shipped to you, but now you can also download the audio files along with the ebook at the time of purchase. No more waiting for CD's to arrive in the mail.

Jumpstart your art career with our audio books and instant downloads of our e-books 

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