When I first started writing this blog, I wrote about personal branding. I've spent a lot of time and effort in making myself the kind of person I'd want to deal with. I've also spent a lot of time, effort, and money showing people what kind of person I am. When they visit ArtofJohnFrench.com, people can see what kind of person I am.
In this new economy, people are not so willing to part with their hard earned cash like they once were. There's still money to be made, but now it's going to be made by the people who go the extra mile with their clients and customers. As I've said before, people are more willing to do business with someone they like.
I sincerely believe we reap what we sow. Some people call in Karma. Doing the right thing has obvious benefits. Most of the time there are even financial benefits. However, doing the right thing solely for the financial benefits is not only phony and tacky, but cowardly. It takes courage and sacrifice to do right just because it's right.
One of my latest endeavors is helping some friends form The West End Community Arts Network, (WeCan) based in Ishpeming, MI. Three years ago, I joined this group of people in the fetal stages of the organization. I was there as it grew into infancy. Now, my fellow organizers have made me President of WeCan. We're all working hard to develop this infant group into a young, vibrant and busy arts organization. I've worked hard doing my small part. I've spent my own money on it. I've stressed over things. Not because it's good publicity for me, but because it's a good idea for a lot of people.
Our first public meeting is tonight at 6:oo p.m. If you're in the area, and you'd like to help the community, please feel free to stop by the Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library on Main Street.
Below is my first ever television interview. I'm talking to ABC 10 about WeCan. I really came out of my comfort zone to do this! I wasn't nervous until the reporter, Mike, said "OK, NOW we're recording."
Monday, August 29, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
A Detour Through Creativity -Every Friday!
I've decided to try something new to make this blog more fun for you to read and more fun for me to write. I've decided to dedicate Fridays to my art; not just the marketing of it, but the creating of it. Each Friday, starting today, I'll talk about a different painting. Some new, some old, some for sale, some sold.
"Marquette Dreams" was a big hit! It was fun to watch people walk by and look at it, then look closer, then stand back, then suddenly realize that "there's things in it" as the eventual buyer put it.
Still, I was nervous about the auction. Would anybody want this painting? It was fun to look at, but would anyone buy it? My worries were alleviated when the bidding opened at $250. That was a little higher than retail at the time.
I watched as the bids went up to $500. Then $750. $900!! After the heated bidding, this painting sold for $1000! I was stunned and pleased. I'm thrilled that I got to help the museum, and I'm very happy with the bragging rights!
This painting, "Marquette Dreams" is what I did for the Upper Peninsula Children's Museum when they hosted their annual Celebrity Auction. One of the gimmicks of the Auction is that most of the 'artists' are not artists at all. They're simply prominent or well known people from the community like politicians, radio hosts, musicians, sports figures, etc. These people are asked to step out of their comfort zones and push themselves in a way that they aren't used to.
I'm not a politician, radio host, musician, or sports figure. I'm an artist. I actually felt that I might NOT fit into THIS art auction! So I did what everyone else had to do: I pushed myself in an unusual way and did something I wasn't used to.
"Marquette Dreams" is a landscape painting of a well known Marquette, MI landmark. What's so unusual about that? I paint landscapes all the time! Well, this landscape has hidden treasures in it!
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| The worn and rounded sandstones have images 'etched' into them of Marquette's two most prominent examples of sandstone architecture.The stone just below the gull displays St.Peter's Cathedral in Marquette. Also notice the root of the tree behind the bird becomes a staircase. |
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| Can you see the Marquette County Courthouse in the stone next to the grass? Notice I separated church and state! |
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| The rock is in the shape of a great, slumbering dragon, outlined in orange. Fitting, since the actual outcrop is ancient lava rock from a long extinct volcano. |
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| Is the lighthouse perched on the rock, or is it hanging from the tree branch, like a bird house? Are you sure? |
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| There are four faces in the tree branches. Can you see them? They're four of Marquette's early historical figures. In the upper left corner is Chief Charlie Kabawgam. To the right is his friend, Peter White. Below Mr. White is one of Marquette's founders, Amos Harlow. Too the left of Mr. Harlow is Bishop Baraga. |
"Marquette Dreams" was a big hit! It was fun to watch people walk by and look at it, then look closer, then stand back, then suddenly realize that "there's things in it" as the eventual buyer put it.
Still, I was nervous about the auction. Would anybody want this painting? It was fun to look at, but would anyone buy it? My worries were alleviated when the bidding opened at $250. That was a little higher than retail at the time.
I watched as the bids went up to $500. Then $750. $900!! After the heated bidding, this painting sold for $1000! I was stunned and pleased. I'm thrilled that I got to help the museum, and I'm very happy with the bragging rights!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Call to Action!
Remember the postcard I showed you last week? I asked my neighbor to look at it for me. She and her husband own, operate and market HyCreek Hunting Clothes and Gear. She gave me some great advice that I already knew, but always manage to forget: Include an urgent call to action.
Zig Zigglar says that very often people want to buy, but they don't know how, or they just aren't willing to take that final step to ownership. They think they should wait. People need to see a good reason to buy, and buy now.
I was at a geeky tech store this weekend looking at computers. Around the corner were two HP "salesmen" standing around talking to each other. To each other! While I was looking at HP computers?!I was about to grab one of these fools, when they both left to talk to someone about a laptop.
So I stood there and looked. I really wanted to buy a new computer, but I wasn't sure how to go about it, or if this was the right time, or if this was the right computer. I really have to think before I drop $800! Finally, a nice store clerk named Josh came up to me and asked if I had any questions. I certainly did have questions! Josh pointed out that the one of the computers was on sale. He walked me through the credit application, the purchasing process, the set-up procedure, and told me if there were any problems to give them a call. Thanks to Josh, I went home with a new computer! If Josh wouldn't have shown up, I would have probably left without buying anything.
When I tried to sell a painting to the lady at the Outback Art Fair, I felt I did a few things wrong. But I know I did something right. I asked her if she wanted me to hold it for her while she looked around. I asked her if she wanted me to box it up for her. I told her I'd take a check or cash. I offered a call to action. I didn't show her that there was any urgency. She left with a business card, but no painting.
My neighbor pointed out that there was no real call to action on the postcard I made. There was an attempt at a call to action, "Get Your Custom Art for $250" ...But there was no sense of urgency. She said even adding the word "Now" would be better than nothing.
Christmas is coming. It may not seem like it, but it is. Now is the perfect time to remind people of that. Now is the time to let people know that the perfect gift can be ordered NOW, while there's time. Now here's my new postcard
:
Zig Zigglar says that very often people want to buy, but they don't know how, or they just aren't willing to take that final step to ownership. They think they should wait. People need to see a good reason to buy, and buy now.
I was at a geeky tech store this weekend looking at computers. Around the corner were two HP "salesmen" standing around talking to each other. To each other! While I was looking at HP computers?!I was about to grab one of these fools, when they both left to talk to someone about a laptop.
So I stood there and looked. I really wanted to buy a new computer, but I wasn't sure how to go about it, or if this was the right time, or if this was the right computer. I really have to think before I drop $800! Finally, a nice store clerk named Josh came up to me and asked if I had any questions. I certainly did have questions! Josh pointed out that the one of the computers was on sale. He walked me through the credit application, the purchasing process, the set-up procedure, and told me if there were any problems to give them a call. Thanks to Josh, I went home with a new computer! If Josh wouldn't have shown up, I would have probably left without buying anything.
When I tried to sell a painting to the lady at the Outback Art Fair, I felt I did a few things wrong. But I know I did something right. I asked her if she wanted me to hold it for her while she looked around. I asked her if she wanted me to box it up for her. I told her I'd take a check or cash. I offered a call to action. I didn't show her that there was any urgency. She left with a business card, but no painting.
My neighbor pointed out that there was no real call to action on the postcard I made. There was an attempt at a call to action, "Get Your Custom Art for $250" ...But there was no sense of urgency. She said even adding the word "Now" would be better than nothing.
Christmas is coming. It may not seem like it, but it is. Now is the perfect time to remind people of that. Now is the time to let people know that the perfect gift can be ordered NOW, while there's time. Now here's my new postcard
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| Advertising, like art, is never finished; just temporarily abandoned. I still feel I can improve on this card, but might lose the original spirit and idea of it. I'll just have to make another with my brand new computer and Photoshop! |
Friday, August 19, 2011
The Exhausting Art of Marketing
I've heard many artists say that they hate marketing. They say it cuts into their creative time and drains their creative energies.
Sometimes -like right now- this is exactly how I feel. I usually approach marketing a with a creative, open attitude. I treat it as an extension of my art. But lately I've felt exhausted, busy and rushed. I don't feel I have the time to make the art AND market the art. One is no good to me without the other, so I haven't done much of either.
I've scaled back my marketing activity because life in general has gotten busy and expensive. I have several commissions to get done for Christmas, so I'm going to spend more time on those and less time on advertising. Keeping satisfied customers is a huge part of my marketing!
I quit running my Google Ads linking to ArtofJohnFrench.com because they're getting too costly right now without enough return on investment. So I'm concentrating more on search engine optimization, or SEO. SEO is simply the many strategies one can use to get good indexing on search engines.
I love a new venture and a chance to learn new things and see new results. But the problems with SEO is that you don't see immediate results, nothing is guaranteed, and often what I do today will work tomorrow but not the next day. Over the long haul, I think the SEO will pay off.
I've also made a postcard that I think is kind of neat, but I want to change a couple of things on it. When I sit down to work on it, something comes up to distract me. So I haven't gotten around to printing it, much less sending it!
Right now I'm satisfied with backing off the marketing and ramping up the creating. Life must be balanced, and by creating more now I will have more to market later!
Sometimes -like right now- this is exactly how I feel. I usually approach marketing a with a creative, open attitude. I treat it as an extension of my art. But lately I've felt exhausted, busy and rushed. I don't feel I have the time to make the art AND market the art. One is no good to me without the other, so I haven't done much of either.
I've scaled back my marketing activity because life in general has gotten busy and expensive. I have several commissions to get done for Christmas, so I'm going to spend more time on those and less time on advertising. Keeping satisfied customers is a huge part of my marketing!
I quit running my Google Ads linking to ArtofJohnFrench.com because they're getting too costly right now without enough return on investment. So I'm concentrating more on search engine optimization, or SEO. SEO is simply the many strategies one can use to get good indexing on search engines.
I love a new venture and a chance to learn new things and see new results. But the problems with SEO is that you don't see immediate results, nothing is guaranteed, and often what I do today will work tomorrow but not the next day. Over the long haul, I think the SEO will pay off.
I've also made a postcard that I think is kind of neat, but I want to change a couple of things on it. When I sit down to work on it, something comes up to distract me. So I haven't gotten around to printing it, much less sending it!
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| Tell me what you think! |
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Why I don't Want to Sell Prints
I have to admit that I may be wrong about this. People keep telling me I'm wrong. Wrong or not, I don't want to sell prints.
I had an interesting conversation with a my new friend Angela Pierce about prints. Angela's art career has taken a very busy turn for her. This career includes the selling of prints of her art. So she asked me why I don't market prints more. So I answered her:
About 10 years ago, the market was flooded with Thomas Kinkade prints. Now people are sick of him, and the prints are worthless. Of course, I'm no Kinkade, and I never will be. My common sense tells me this probably won't happen to me. In fact, I'd make sure this didn't happen to me. Still, my heart tells me to be careful.
I've been trying to market myself to upper-end people. It's been slow, but I'm showing signs of getting there; two of my higher priced paintings sold to doctors at The Outback Art Fair in Marquette, MI. My art is selling, and more and more to the right people.
Affluent people want to spend their money on the unique. If they see prints all over, will they want the original? Will they want something that everyone has? Now, I know that a very popular print can drive up the price of the original and make it more sought after by people who want to buy bragging rights. I'm not there yet. I'm not sure I've painted that kind of painting yet.
Another reason I don't want to sell prints is that in the end, prints are simply copies of my work. They can be artfully presented, and creatively marketed. Take a giclee' print for instance. 'Giclee' is from French for spray, as in ink jet. Yep. It's just a copy. It's a fancy copy, and a pretty one too. Still they aren't really MY work.
Here's where Angela vehemently disagrees. She says: "Yes, they are in the sense that if you authorize production of them you have to accept ownership of the end product. That's why it is extremely important when choosing a print service that you choose very wisely."
I used to offer prints, but got absolutely no sales. I'm not sure why. Maybe I didn't try hard enough. Maybe my pictures weren't high resolution enough.
This brings me to another reason not to sell prints. My friend Tim Flannery, who has created website after website after website, has told me that my photos online don't do the real thing justice. Here's why: When I paint, I glaze one transparent color over another, allowing the paint to dry between sessions. This gives the work a depth, a glow, and a brilliance that you can't see in photos. And that's all prints are; copies of photos of art. With a bunch of prints of say, "The Dance" floating around, I fear that my work will be downgraded to just another painting of a tree. You'd miss the way the colors dance around on the rock and tree, an effect which helped me give this painting its name.
So I market my art as unique, one of a kind work. When you buy one of my paintings, you can be sure no one else has it. You can be sure no one else will have it later.
I'm not knocking anyone who sells prints. It's big business, and I'm happy for those who can and do make a good living off them. I've simply chosen not to use them at this point.
To which Angela tells me: "...even though you feel this way now, and the way you feel is perfectly justified and understandable, be prepared to have your feelings and circumstances change in the future. Don't let a piece of your work out of your hands without securing a high resolution print file for it. You never know what might happen."
And she would know!
I had an interesting conversation with a my new friend Angela Pierce about prints. Angela's art career has taken a very busy turn for her. This career includes the selling of prints of her art. So she asked me why I don't market prints more. So I answered her:
About 10 years ago, the market was flooded with Thomas Kinkade prints. Now people are sick of him, and the prints are worthless. Of course, I'm no Kinkade, and I never will be. My common sense tells me this probably won't happen to me. In fact, I'd make sure this didn't happen to me. Still, my heart tells me to be careful.
I've been trying to market myself to upper-end people. It's been slow, but I'm showing signs of getting there; two of my higher priced paintings sold to doctors at The Outback Art Fair in Marquette, MI. My art is selling, and more and more to the right people.
Affluent people want to spend their money on the unique. If they see prints all over, will they want the original? Will they want something that everyone has? Now, I know that a very popular print can drive up the price of the original and make it more sought after by people who want to buy bragging rights. I'm not there yet. I'm not sure I've painted that kind of painting yet.
Another reason I don't want to sell prints is that in the end, prints are simply copies of my work. They can be artfully presented, and creatively marketed. Take a giclee' print for instance. 'Giclee' is from French for spray, as in ink jet. Yep. It's just a copy. It's a fancy copy, and a pretty one too. Still they aren't really MY work.
Here's where Angela vehemently disagrees. She says: "Yes, they are in the sense that if you authorize production of them you have to accept ownership of the end product. That's why it is extremely important when choosing a print service that you choose very wisely."
I used to offer prints, but got absolutely no sales. I'm not sure why. Maybe I didn't try hard enough. Maybe my pictures weren't high resolution enough.
This brings me to another reason not to sell prints. My friend Tim Flannery, who has created website after website after website, has told me that my photos online don't do the real thing justice. Here's why: When I paint, I glaze one transparent color over another, allowing the paint to dry between sessions. This gives the work a depth, a glow, and a brilliance that you can't see in photos. And that's all prints are; copies of photos of art. With a bunch of prints of say, "The Dance" floating around, I fear that my work will be downgraded to just another painting of a tree. You'd miss the way the colors dance around on the rock and tree, an effect which helped me give this painting its name.
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| The Dance $520 at Vertin Gallery |
So I market my art as unique, one of a kind work. When you buy one of my paintings, you can be sure no one else has it. You can be sure no one else will have it later.
I'm not knocking anyone who sells prints. It's big business, and I'm happy for those who can and do make a good living off them. I've simply chosen not to use them at this point.
To which Angela tells me: "...even though you feel this way now, and the way you feel is perfectly justified and understandable, be prepared to have your feelings and circumstances change in the future. Don't let a piece of your work out of your hands without securing a high resolution print file for it. You never know what might happen."
And she would know!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Customer Service; Setting Up the Next Sale
I've been paying a lot of attention to customer service lately. Everywhere I go to spend money, I notice how the business and its representatives treat me and everyone else.
This past weekend, I went to Calumet, MI to bring some of my paintings to The Vertin Gallery. This wasn't just a business trip, however. I brought my family so we could rest and relax in Michigan's fantastic Keweenaw Peninsula. The Keweenaw is a gorgeous place, and a popular tourist attraction. The people and stores in Calumet are fantastic, including the owner of the nearby Centennial Cottages!
The northernmost settlement in the Keweenaw is a small lakeside town called Copper Harbor. Copper Harbor is a hot tourist destination. It's remote. It's historic. It's beautiful. It's a customer service dud.
From the beginning: the woman at the hotel desk was polite, but in a forced, short and hurried way. I felt like I was bothering her. The cabin we stayed in was acceptable, but no more. There was a pile of grass clippings and dead brush outside our cabin door. We went to the General Store to use the ATM. I was charged $4.00 to take out a twenty. The store clerk didn't acknowledge my presence until I was ready to pay him for his overpriced drink. The owner of the restaurant greeted us with "It'll be a few minutes" Rather than a simple "hello." The waitress was nice, maybe because she was from Macedonia. Really! Macedonia!
Even though I enjoyed my visit, despite the hosts, I was constantly comparing this experience to our trip to Michigan's Mackinac Island. Mackinac Island is also a hot tourist destination. Like Copper Harbor, it's remote (even more so), historic and beautiful. But the difference is the way the people treat you.
From the moment we got on the ferry, we were made to feel welcome. The ferry staff joked around with the passengers, educated them about the island, helped people with luggage, and smiled at everyone. Once on the island, people greeted us on the streets. Business owners were pleased to see us and help us. A woman enticing people to eat at the Mexican Restaurant she worked at told us where we could go to get sandwiches if we didn't want tacos. The ATM only charged me $2.00 to take money out. The people working at the hamburger place were very friendly. The ferry crew was as nice to us when we left as when we arrived.
The people at Mackinac Island know how to help a person enjoy the experience. They were nice, fair and very pleasant. They made sure that a person wanted to stay for a long time, and eventually return. The business people we encountered at Copper Harbor didn't seem to care if they got our business or not. They certainly didn't care if we came back! Copper Harbor is a nice place to see and visit, but not a great place to stay.
To be fair, I did run into a couple of great people working in Copper Harbor. Literally, two! I've also been told that a few of the other businesses do take care of the customer. I'm sorry to have missed these.
I want to be the kind of artist that people enjoy dealing with. I want to ensure that I'm not only making the current sale in an upstanding way, but also the next sale!I want to be a Mackinac Island kind of guy!
This past weekend, I went to Calumet, MI to bring some of my paintings to The Vertin Gallery. This wasn't just a business trip, however. I brought my family so we could rest and relax in Michigan's fantastic Keweenaw Peninsula. The Keweenaw is a gorgeous place, and a popular tourist attraction. The people and stores in Calumet are fantastic, including the owner of the nearby Centennial Cottages!
The northernmost settlement in the Keweenaw is a small lakeside town called Copper Harbor. Copper Harbor is a hot tourist destination. It's remote. It's historic. It's beautiful. It's a customer service dud.
From the beginning: the woman at the hotel desk was polite, but in a forced, short and hurried way. I felt like I was bothering her. The cabin we stayed in was acceptable, but no more. There was a pile of grass clippings and dead brush outside our cabin door. We went to the General Store to use the ATM. I was charged $4.00 to take out a twenty. The store clerk didn't acknowledge my presence until I was ready to pay him for his overpriced drink. The owner of the restaurant greeted us with "It'll be a few minutes" Rather than a simple "hello." The waitress was nice, maybe because she was from Macedonia. Really! Macedonia!
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| Copper Harbor |
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| Mackinac Island, MI |
From the moment we got on the ferry, we were made to feel welcome. The ferry staff joked around with the passengers, educated them about the island, helped people with luggage, and smiled at everyone. Once on the island, people greeted us on the streets. Business owners were pleased to see us and help us. A woman enticing people to eat at the Mexican Restaurant she worked at told us where we could go to get sandwiches if we didn't want tacos. The ATM only charged me $2.00 to take money out. The people working at the hamburger place were very friendly. The ferry crew was as nice to us when we left as when we arrived.
The people at Mackinac Island know how to help a person enjoy the experience. They were nice, fair and very pleasant. They made sure that a person wanted to stay for a long time, and eventually return. The business people we encountered at Copper Harbor didn't seem to care if they got our business or not. They certainly didn't care if we came back! Copper Harbor is a nice place to see and visit, but not a great place to stay.
To be fair, I did run into a couple of great people working in Copper Harbor. Literally, two! I've also been told that a few of the other businesses do take care of the customer. I'm sorry to have missed these.
I want to be the kind of artist that people enjoy dealing with. I want to ensure that I'm not only making the current sale in an upstanding way, but also the next sale!I want to be a Mackinac Island kind of guy!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Outback Art Fair Sales Report, part three: Why didn't I ask?
Why didn't I ask questions? Why did I talk and talk until she got away?
Two ladies stepped into my tent on Sunday at the Outback. I assume they were a mother and her middle aged daughter. They stared at a particular piece, "Striped Stone" below. Then they went to another, "On the Trail to Little Presgue Isle", also below. She asked me what place "Striped" represented. I told her it was Little Presque point. She asked the same about "Trail", and I told her it was the same area, only further south.
The two ladies went back from one to the other, gazing. I asked if they'd ever been there. The younger lady smiled and said she lived near there. I had a very interested person here!
She asked about a frame. Could they take direct sun? What size were they? She asked her the older lady which she liked better. I explained the process of painting them. I offered to hold it while she finished shopping if she bought it. I offered to deliver it at the end of the day if she didn't want to carry it around. She said she had to think about it. She asked if I had a card.
They walked away, but turned around and looked again. She made a phone call, and stared. She got off the phone and stared. Then they left and they didn't come back.
I knew she wanted one of the paintings. I was desperately trying to figure out how I could 'reel her in.' I've been replaying the exchange in my head ever since. What could I have done? Suddenly, Zig Ziggler told me in his book "Secrets to Closing the Sale".
Notice how SHE asked most of the questions. I barely asked her any. Zig stresses the importance of questions. Questions can be used to find out what the prospect might be afraid of. They can be used to let a person talk themselves into it.
I should have asked her what was stopping her. Was it the price? Was she worried about the quality? Did she need to talk it over with her husband? (I'd have pointed out that $325 wasn't too much to ask for a lifetime of happiness!) I should have asked where she planned to hang it. Was it near a window with a similar view? The only thing I asked was if she wanted me to hold it for her.
The story still ends well. "Trail" was sold to somebody else later that day, and it really didn't take much effort from me at all!
Maybe my art does sometimes sell itself?
"Striped Stone" is still for sale! Would you like me to hold it for you?
Two ladies stepped into my tent on Sunday at the Outback. I assume they were a mother and her middle aged daughter. They stared at a particular piece, "Striped Stone" below. Then they went to another, "On the Trail to Little Presgue Isle", also below. She asked me what place "Striped" represented. I told her it was Little Presque point. She asked the same about "Trail", and I told her it was the same area, only further south.
She asked about a frame. Could they take direct sun? What size were they? She asked her the older lady which she liked better. I explained the process of painting them. I offered to hold it while she finished shopping if she bought it. I offered to deliver it at the end of the day if she didn't want to carry it around. She said she had to think about it. She asked if I had a card.
They walked away, but turned around and looked again. She made a phone call, and stared. She got off the phone and stared. Then they left and they didn't come back.
I knew she wanted one of the paintings. I was desperately trying to figure out how I could 'reel her in.' I've been replaying the exchange in my head ever since. What could I have done? Suddenly, Zig Ziggler told me in his book "Secrets to Closing the Sale".
Notice how SHE asked most of the questions. I barely asked her any. Zig stresses the importance of questions. Questions can be used to find out what the prospect might be afraid of. They can be used to let a person talk themselves into it.
I should have asked her what was stopping her. Was it the price? Was she worried about the quality? Did she need to talk it over with her husband? (I'd have pointed out that $325 wasn't too much to ask for a lifetime of happiness!) I should have asked where she planned to hang it. Was it near a window with a similar view? The only thing I asked was if she wanted me to hold it for her.
The story still ends well. "Trail" was sold to somebody else later that day, and it really didn't take much effort from me at all!
Maybe my art does sometimes sell itself?
"Striped Stone" is still for sale! Would you like me to hold it for you?
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Outback Sales Report part 2: Saturday
The Outback Art Fair in Marquette started out great! My art was displayed and ready to be sold. There was a nice breeze gently blowing off of Lake Superior, and thirty minutes before we opened there were nice crowds forming.
For the last three years I've been sharing a booth with Pam Perkins. Pam makes cute, low-cost earrings and neat higher priced necklaces. She knits nice clothes, sews wine bottle covers, and generally makes a lot of useful art items. This is great for her. People like useful art! I had to try to convince people that nice paintings were useful too.
Most of Pam's work was displayed on a table in front of the tent. My work was inside the tent. At first I liked this set up, because a lot of people would slow down to look on her table. While they were there I would greet them, and get their attention. This seemed like a good trap.
By the end of the day, I realized that the people who looked on the table were more interested in the jewelry than my art. Many of them would step into the tent and look. A few were really interested. Only one would buy.
I was very fortunate to spot this buyer. He's my old boss, spinal surgeon and business man Dr. Matthew Songer. I saw him and his wife Laura walking somewhat quickly through the walkway, looking in the tents and moving on. As he walked by my tent, I walked out to greet him. He smiled and we talked for a bit. Then he and his wife came in and spent several minutes looking at my paintings and talking about them. Then they left.
So I went back to my smiling, chatting, and greeting. The breeze died down and it got hot! The heat didn't stop this crowd! I met a lot of nice people, including one lady who said "You're self taught!"
I said "How did you know?"
"Because you're a genius!" She called me a genius! She obviously knew what she was talking about.
Cool Clear Stream, collection of Dr. and Mrs. Songer
At about this time Dr. Songer and Laura came back and told me they wanted to buy "Cool Clear Stream", one of my latest and favorites. We talked for awhile more, and I offered him to sell him a $150.00 painting for $100.00 to go along with his original purchase. He laughed and said "You're a good businessman!" Then he declined my offer.
Having Dr. Songer buy one of my paintings was great. Having him tell me I was a good businessman was awesome!
Monday, August 1, 2011
OutBack Art Sales Report part 1
The 2011 Outback Art Fair is in the books, and I'm exhausted! I feel like I ran a marathon while fighting off George Foreman and Hulk Hogan! The chair I brought did me no good. I can't sit and let people pass me by! So I spent two days standing, walking, and- when it rained- running!
I stood near the front of my tent and greeted people as they walked be. There's no harm in saying "Good Morning"! Most of the time, people would pause and greet me in return. Then they'd peer inside form the walkway. If they lingered more than two seconds, I invited them to come and take a closer look. Usually they did.
Once they were in, I told them that I'd be happy to answer their questions. This usually started a conversation about the paintings, which is a great time to hype the art up. If it didn't start a conversation, I was still able to watch what they were focusing on. Then I asked the questions. "Do you like it?" "Are you Local?" "Do you know where the scene in this painting is?" "Can I tell you about this painting?"
The most important part of this dance was getting people's attention. There are a lot of things to see at an Art Fair. People will walk right past you if they're focused on something else. Not only was I being friendly by saying 'hello' and 'good morning' to anyone who wouldn't ignore me -and even those who did ignore me, the greeting and smile attracted them to me and the paintings I was standing near.
I ended up selling two higher priced paintings during the weekend. I can say one of those paintings was sold because I grabbed the attention of the eventual buyer!
I stood near the front of my tent and greeted people as they walked be. There's no harm in saying "Good Morning"! Most of the time, people would pause and greet me in return. Then they'd peer inside form the walkway. If they lingered more than two seconds, I invited them to come and take a closer look. Usually they did.
Once they were in, I told them that I'd be happy to answer their questions. This usually started a conversation about the paintings, which is a great time to hype the art up. If it didn't start a conversation, I was still able to watch what they were focusing on. Then I asked the questions. "Do you like it?" "Are you Local?" "Do you know where the scene in this painting is?" "Can I tell you about this painting?"
The most important part of this dance was getting people's attention. There are a lot of things to see at an Art Fair. People will walk right past you if they're focused on something else. Not only was I being friendly by saying 'hello' and 'good morning' to anyone who wouldn't ignore me -and even those who did ignore me, the greeting and smile attracted them to me and the paintings I was standing near.
I ended up selling two higher priced paintings during the weekend. I can say one of those paintings was sold because I grabbed the attention of the eventual buyer!
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