So this article in the Associated Press caught my eye.  Are we really so different from other retailers?

J.C. Penney Says ‘No Sale’: Cuts All Prices, All the Time to Simplify Bargain Hunting

J.C. Penney (JCP) is permanently marking down all of its merchandise by at least 40% so shoppers will no longer have to wait for a sale to get the lowest prices in its stores.

The plan is similar to Walmart’s (WMT) iconic everyday low pricing strategy except that Penney’s goal isn’t to undercut competitors. Instead, Penney aims to take the guesswork out of shopping in its stores by offering customers fewer sales and more predictable pricing.

Penney’s plan comes at a time when stores are struggling to wean shoppers off the profit-busting bargains that they have come to expect in the weak economy. The move is risky because shoppers who love to bargain-hunt may be turned off by the absence of sales.

We created the “Artist Business Plan” template to help artists over this hump. Just $4.99 and you’ll have an instant download!

Additional helpful information can be found (as we mention in the introduction) at both the Small Business Administration (SBA) and SCORE is a sub-chapter of this organization.

Rieva Lesonsky

At the end of the year, most people are in dual modes of looking back at how their business did over the past year and looking forward to what can be improved in the New Year. It’s probably time to blow the dust off your old business plan and see what’s missing. Most likely, there’s room for significant improvement. Here are three ideas to craft a fresh and effective business plan for 2012……….

http://www.score.org/resources/columnists/rieva-lesonsky/three-things-business-plan

The Fast and Easy Shortcuts to Success?

by M.Theresa Brown

An interesting discussion began the other day when, on a yahoo group message board, a list of the 12 ways to be successful as an artist were published. The 12 steps were “OK advice” but pretty generic and from a popular Internet art marketing site  and I responded to the post with the following:

“Oh my, real world experience counts for a lot in these discussions.

It is telling that the most often asked question in our art marketing seminars is “How do I price my work?” The artists who ask, regardless of what they just heard from me in the seminar, are searching for an easy, magical formula for instant success. And top of their list is the thought ” skip the rest-just tell me how to price my art so I can sell”

Those artists are not understanding or accepting that there is no single answer. I tell them it is the “whole package” which is the key to pricing their art. But even putting the “correct price” on a piece of art will not sell it!
From what I have seen and heard, very few artists today are willing to work as hard as it takes to develop that package

They pop from one guru’s message to another looking for the yellow brick road and a way to the top with as little effort as possible:-) And along the way, they go nowhere because there is always the underlying voice telling them “but that’s a lot of work” or “I don’t know if I can do that” and off they go looking for a message that sounds more in keeping with what they’d like to do.”

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BTW-did you notice the “teaser” form of writing? This seems to be the era of a new news form of  Internet writing. Gone are the days when the summary of the whole article was in the first paragraph. Now most headlines when you turn on your computer are questions. “Did the man jump from the building?”  “Did the war end?”   The old time newsmen would roll over in the grave.

What we learned about dismissing  or negating a compliment was that you are essentially telling the person giving you the compliment is that “his/her tastes are not very good.”Think about that and it will make sense!

“I love this art piece!”     “Oh I was just playing around in the studio!”

In the art world I recently congratulated an artist at an opening on her long distance sale via telephone. I happened to be in the gallery when the owner received the call and the sale from another state after seeing the email with images! The artist’s response to me was “Oh that was just a very old friend from Florida who wanted to help out!”   Now seriously. The best response to me would have been a simple “Thank you.”  But to diminish the sale (after all it WAS a sale) by dismissing the buyer also put her confidence in her own art in question. Better for me to think that buyers were flocking to her art than only a close friend would buy my art. See the difference?

I have had students in art workshops who go on and on about how bad their attempts are until it becomes very trying for the other students! At one such event I finally said “OK. it’s not good.” There was a moment of silence but the other participants laughed and then I laughed too and said “I am the teacher. If it wasn’t good I would tell you. And I have told you it’s good! But you still don’t believe me so I might as well agree with you!”  The woman laughed as well and agreed that she would accept my compliments as fact from now on. Silly story but it happens ALL the time. You might  dismiss compliments because you honestly fell you don’t deserve them but to dismiss them because you’re fishing for more compliments is manipulative

Read the article and see whether or not you agree with it.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/why-you-cant-take-a-compliment.aspx?xid=aol_eh-emo_19-_20110905&aolcat=HLT&icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-sb-bb%7Cdl7%7Csec1_lnk3%7C94744

An excellent, well written article from the Huffington Post by Matt Gleason and parodying what we  promote! We too have arrived at the same conclusion that this writer has. And it is a brave stand as nothing ruffles feathers like telling an artist that donating CASH to a good cause rather than his art makes way more sense!   It is what we do……besides, confess…don’t you usually donate that piece that no one has bought yet? Or the one you do not think will ever sell? Or convince yourself that it is feels better and grander to say you donated a $500.00 piece of art to a good cause rather than really pulling out “just”  $25.00 or $50.00? Or better yet, donate your piece and buy it back for full price if you truly want to participate in a totally charitable way?

………….I would love to hear the story of the artist whose career rocketed to success because he or she donated a work to a charity auction and this act alone tipped the first domino toward an avalanche of success coming his or her way. This narrative is always implied. I’ve never seen it happen.

Charity art auctions are the emptiest of promises to artists: you give us your work, you get nothing in return except a party invite to an event where you are a second class citizen. Watch as the price of what you really will let your work go for is nakedly advertised to the select group of people to whom your work is meant to be seen as rare and desirable.

Suppose you want to at least deduct a donation of your art to the charity, guess what? The law only allows an artist to deduct the cost of materials. Meanwhile a collector can buy your work for the minimum bid, have it appraised at its full retail value and donate it to some other good cause for that top dollar amount…………

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mat-gleason/charity-art-auctions-_b_872953.html

“Art Should Sell Itself!”

That would be nice. But it doesn’t and it won’t happen. Not in your lifetime.  And curiously enough, artists actually know this.  But somewhere back in their mind is some group, book or individual whispering that phrase to them and early education is very powerful…..even if it is utterly wrong!

Artists who feel that their Art needs to only be displayed and the buying public will flock to their studio or booth at an art show and push money eagerly into their hands can be seen everywhere. and are easily identifiable by both their attitudes and how they dress.

The “Art Should Sell Itself” artists are especially prevelant at Art and Craft Shows where they can be seen reading a book, or instant messaging on their cell phones, or lounging sleepily in their chairs. They ignore possible collectors completely, or stand in front of their booths blocking the entrance and engaging in conversations with friends and relatives. Or they are gathering in groups with other vendors to complain about the show.  They are wearing their “official artist clothes”…..cut off shorts and flip flops and many unconsciously spend a lot of time trying to perfect their perception of what an artist is supposed to look like and do. Sometimes the green hair helps…..

Read the rest here: http://www.jerrysartarama.com/blog/post/2011/06/09/If-Art-Should-Sell-Itself-then-why-am-I-so-broke.aspx

Think that living your dream and becoming an artist is about how talented you are?  It’s not about the talent, it’s about sticking with it! So what a great story about determination and perseverance! And hey, throw in a little revenge…..:-) Read this excerpt from the article about Barbara Corcoran (SHARK TANK!) and see if it does not inspire you to read the rest of the story!

………But you want to know, when I had the courage to end that partnership, he gave me the best gift of my life. He said to me, ‘You’ll never succeed without me.’ And I knew, right then and there that moment, I thought, ‘Oh yeah? I’d rather die than let you see me not succeed.’ And you know what? That was an insurance policy for success. Every time I was thinking of failing or giving up, I would think of one more thing, just because I didn’t want them laughing at me! Maybe not the best motivation but whatever, it worked for me.
http://smallbusiness.aol.com/2011/06/02/my-first-million-barbara-corcoran-the-corcoran-group/

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