Who dreams this stuff up?

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In the newsletter, I will examine why no other profession is “emerging!” LOL-they have more sense!

In our workshops we emphasize adding testimonials from your clients all over the site and an ability for the client to purchase your art online. Some of it is common sense. Making it difficult or time consuming for an interested person to buy your art went out a long time ago!  The Art World has always been in love with the words “elite, exclusive, private inquiries, call for pricing inquiries, etc.” when it came to marketing art.  The idea was to elevate the appeal and perceived value of  the art in question by making a potential client jump through hoops to finally talk with a gallery salesman.

But times, in everything, change.   The consumer savvy client many times has the money but not the time to go through the contact process. There are plenty of artists out there making it easy to purchase their art.  You can offer the same advantage by having not only prices but a way to purchase your art at any time of the day or night which truly does enable you to “make money while you sleep.” And that is an amazing feeling the first time you experience it!  Sure you can have a store on Etsy or Ebay and the whole sales checkout is set up for you. They’ll work fine. Etsy, by the way, is far less expensive than Ebay but having a small shopping cart on your own website is even less expensive!

The testimonials are equally crucial. Buyers don’t really want to hear how great you believe you are. They want to hear that from your buyers! So ask you clients for their reviews and be timely in adding testimonials to your website.

So what two tips can help turn your passive website into an active website? Summing it up below:

Two Ways to Get More Sales on Your Web Site

1) People like what other people like: Artists often forget this but testimonials or reviews do sell art. Make sure and list comments or testimonials on your site and in your online store.

2) How tough is it to get to your shopping cart? Make sure the experience of getting to your shopping cart is quick and easy. Add a buy-now (or collect now!) button under each art product you are selling. Make sure the buyer knows what the shipping and any other expense is BEFORE they put it in their cart.

Now, sleep peacefully!

So how can we illustrate how artspeak sounds to the non-artist.

Here is an example from another field, not connected with the art world. I came across the following descripiton of a sailboat available for charter. Of course, if you are a sailor, it reads just fine. You will understand everything and it is very specific. But if you are not and you are just looking for a boat to charter for a couple of weeks what does this tell you?

Measuring 63′ 5″ x 47′ 3″ x 15′ 1″ x 9′, plus bowsprit and boomkin, …. displaces 43 tons and carries about 1700 square feet of sail area.

….is Coast Guard licensed and inspected to carry 6 guests and 3 crew on near shore routes during day light hours, from XXXX N to Calais, Maine. Coast Guard permission can be obtained to sail to the Canadian Maritimes, and further south as well.
Accommodation: Chain locker forward, foc’s'le with crew accommodations (single and double bunk plus lockers), aft to port is a bosun’s locker, aft to port again is a head with basin and toilet, to starboard is a double cabin with large hanging locker and book shelves plus drawers, aft and full width is the main salon with two pilot berths, table and seating for 6 to 8, aft to port is the galley with propane 3 burner stove with oven, and sink, to starboard is the icebox and dish locker (ample storage in lockers and bins) to aft to port is a large head with basin, toilet and shower plus linen lockers.

To starboard is a foul weather gear locker. Aft is the “general’s cabin” with a single and double bunk, settees, bureau and hanging lockers. The engine room is under the dog house which has the chart table and a bunk plus a settee.

Lighting is a combination of electrical and kerosene lamps. She has portholes and a skylight plus two hatches, for ventilation and light plus several dorade boxes with cowl vents.
Sails, rig and rigging: Main, foresail, staysail, jib (yankee, genoa), fisherman. All standing rigging renewed 2006.

Safety Equipment: All Coast Guard approved: Life Raft, EPIRB, Man Overboard Pole and light, MOM equipment, Fire extinguishers, flares, etc.

Electronics: VHF, GPS, RADAR, Depth sounder, and FM radio/CD player.

Comprehensive refit during the winter of 2005/2006 includes installation of generator, new standing and running rigging, engine overhaul, complete cosmetic refinishing on deck and below.

Do you know where is XXXX N?

Can you visualize the interior of this boat? Do you want to spend time aboard her?

I hope none of you EVER participates in a show or sale where this is the headline grabber!

“Well”, you say, “What else should we use? It IS a sale and we ARE starving!”

Humor aside, think what you are implying. You might as well yell “ART GIVEAWAY!”or “CHEAP! ALMOST FREE!”
Most of all, who do you think you are going to attract? Even cheap won’t be good enough. They will still see you as desperate and negotiable.

Think creatively! The “outside the box” comes into play everywhere- your headlines, your signs, your ads…everything. So what else could you use? What words could you substitute for “starving artist sale?” Here are a few:

“spring art extravaganza! ”
“Artists celebrating Winter”
“Rainbow colors-Art of the Watercolor ”
“Winter Celebration in OILS”……the more you start to think about this the more ideas pop into your heads. In a few minutes you will have started to come up with something that fits your art product and captures a reader/viewer’s curiosity. Once they have either viewed your work in person or on your website, then you have attracted the people who you are most interested in.

If you use the starving artist sale headliner you will get the starving artist crowd. The ones with discretionary income simply assume it is not good art!

January Art Marketing Workshops

In the Raleigh NC area, we are holding two mini workshops on  Art Marketing!  Sign up is at the Jerry’s Art Store. The January 14 from 5-7 pm is sold out. The second (identical) will be Jan. 21 from 5-7.

We’ll keep you posted!

I watched a recent episode of “Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares”.  If you have ever watched this show, you will know that chef Gordon Ramsey’s job is to come in to failing restaurants and figure out what can be done to make them be successful. He evaluates, shake things up, re-groups and gets the restaurant back on its feet and in the black.  But to stay in the black and make a profit is the continuing job of the owner or manager.

In this episode, a young woman had a vegetarian restaurant in the heart of Paris and she was losing money daily. A lot of money. She loved the idea of having her own restaurant in Paris-the WOW factor.  She had a hard working best friend waiting the tables, an apparently useless chef and a father who had financed the whole thing.  But in watching this, I knew within minutes that this young woman was going to fail no matter what Ramsey did.  It became obvious as the show progressed that she did not want to do what was going to be required. Work hard. Ramsey replaced the chef, changed the menu and the crowds came in. The woman’s father was delighted but cautious-he knew his daughter’s attitude had to change.

For many of us, seeing the crowds line up, the money come in and having a new chef with everything under control and a father footing the bills would be all that would be needed to be a roaring success. But after Ramsey left, the momentum slipped away and the owner was back to where she was beforehand.  When Ramsey returned just several weeks later to check her progress, she had decided to quit, leaving her father holding the debts and her new chef (who was terrific) winding up working for Ramsey. And that’s how the show ended, the woman striding off the set in a huff and leaving her father and Ramsey to just shake their heads.

What went wrong here?  Lack of money? Hard work? Stress? No. What went wrong was  her attitude. To reach a goal you have to know what that goal is. And to attain it, you have to be prepared to work hard. If you do not know what you want, how can you achieve it?

There’s a great lesson in this story. Although it seems to have nothing to do with art, it has everything to do with an art career.

Do you have what it takes?

A week later you need to call everyone who expressed an interest in your art product. That’s right. Use the phone! In this day of electronic communication, it is easy to forget that the single most effective means of reaching a client is to pick up the telephone. Make sure that your phone ID shows that it is you. And if you get a message machine, leave a message but also try again. Not all equipment is efficient and homes with children and teens can easily erase your message. Always assume that they did not get the message, not that they are ignoring you!
within 3 weeks of the show, all these contacts need to be in your computer and mailing list. Send emails once a month and in the subject line make sure that your name is in there. (ie: Email from Glass Artist, John Doe, etc.)
Newsletter need the option of the recipient being able to opt out. Do not assume they are not interested in you if they do. Just assume that they get too much email! Never take unsubscibing personally.
It is perfectly OK to remind your prospects of upcoming events, holiday specials and any worthwhile events. The point in all the contacting is to stay somewhere in the mind of your prospect so WHEN she is ready to make another purchase or a first one, YOU come to mind!
Although a computer file is great, I still like the 3 x 5 index card files because I can make quick notes on the cards. I have two long boxes. One for the buyers and one for those who have expressed interest but have not yet purchased. Both lists are important but the ones who HAVE invested in you are very important. Never assume that because they already bought something, that they are through with you!

So when the show has ended, collect and file all your buyers and prospects. Take the time to organize all the information and have it at your fingertips. Because your real work starts after the show!

How about this one “I could do that if I put my mind to it and had the time.”

Does this sound familiar?

Well it does to me because not ony do I hear it all the time from artist hopefuls but I once walked in the same shoes.  Yep,  I had the same excuses.  And as far as I was concerned, they were all very justifiable excuses!  And yet it seems that the people who have the most on their plates, accomplish the most! So why do some people seem to accomplish much and others nothing with the same number of hours in the day?

The key to accomplishing your artistic goals is to make a plan. Call it a list. But don’t call it a wish list!  If you are busy with your daily activities, then you already know how to schedule  your day, your week, even your month.  Scheduling  appointments is good for your job and for your family . But scheduling activities for yourself also has to be high on the totem pole…not constantly sliding down to the bottom!

I have told countless parents, mothers especially, to schedule 20 minutes 2 times a week in the evening or morning for Art Time. I do not care if it is for scrapbooking, painting on canvas or sculpting but whatever it is, schedule it realistically. You know the bedtimes, you know who gets up and who doesn’t and set your two weekly appointments with your Art Time around those times. 9:15 in the evening? 10:00 pm? How about 5:15 am?  Have an hour lunch break at work? Work on your art product at the office, in a park, whatever.   IF you are serious about  accomplishing your goal of creating art, you WILL set up a place, a time and a schedule

Let your spouse know your plan. If your spouse is positive in supporting your efforts,  he or she will help you by holding down the fort while you enjoy your Art Time.  A supportive family can still unwittingly sabotage your efforts so establish the fact that it is YOUR time and go into the designated area and start your art project.

You need a workspace with a door and a lock. No joke.  Because initially, the fact that Mommy or Daddy is going to do something that does not involve “them” makes vying for your attention an irresistible challenge for a child. Even a teen!  And sometimes even a spouse!  The first few times you establish your Art Time is a critical period which will determine your future success or failure at controlling your schedule.  In other words, unless the house is burning down, do NOT open the door until your 20 minutes is up.  Not to your children, Not to your spouse.  Make it clear that this is YOUR time. It will take about 4 sessions and fortitude on your part, but once you  establish the fact that you are SERIOUS, the attempts by your family to have your undivided attention focused on them, will end. Do not ask me why 4 is the magic number but it is! Set up your schedule, adhere to the pattern and it will become as easy as sitting down to watch a TV program!

If you are NOT serious, then you will procrastinate and spend the rest of your life wondering “what you could have accomplished if you had had the time.”