As the title of this post oh so delicately suggests, I am not the best at selling my art.
My identity and skill set did not come equipped with “Sales
Woman.” And unfortunately, money is not the biggest motivator for me to step out of my comfort zone. I’ve had
jobs where I’d get sales commissions, and although it was a perk I was not driven
to push people to buy things. In my head, I thought maybe they didn’t really need
the product. Maybe they didn’t realize they were being over-charged. Who am I
to force this upon someone?
Obviously, this is an issue. If I plan on making a living as
an artist, it would be beneficial to sell things. Clearly, I desire to make money--I would just like to be comfortable while doing it.
So, why am I so bad at selling my art and other creative products?
For one, I am an introvert. Talking to people is exhausting
if I don’t know them and don't know what to talk to them about. It also opens the door for me to say and do awkward things, and then remember those interactions years later in painful detail.
Two, I make the false assumption that potential customers
shop like I do. I don’t like being pressured to buy anything. I do research on
products before I commit to a purchase. Everything from shampoo to a couch.
Three, selling art is like selling a piece of yourself and
it’s quite difficult for me to put a price on that.
It would be incredibly convenient for me if potential
customers would say, "I value your art. Let me pay you 'x' amount."
And if 'x' amount is something I would be happy with, then we both walk away
feeling satisfied with the transaction.
Instead, I am often times left teetering between what I
think my art is worth, and what I think people might be comfortable paying for
my work. I tend to short change myself this way, but my goal is to unload my art,
buy more supplies, and eat Chipotle. I’ve been so anxious to get rid of my art that
I have basically given it away at times.
To challenge my comfort zone, I displayed my work at a local art event last week. Naturally, I wanted to make the event more successful so I decided to compensate for my lackluster
sales skills by trying a few new tactics.
1. Overcome my introversion.
Introverts often cannot handle large crowds of people with
only surface level interactions, but we can thrive on conversations that are
more meaningful. A fellow creative person offered me the advice of “treat each
transaction as a relationship.”
That is what I did.
I didn’t try to convince anyone to buy my stuff. I talked to
people. I showed an interest in their experiences. I shared my techniques. I
treated people as people and not as a potential sale.
Was this successful?
I had a tension headache by the end of
the night and my cheeks hurt from smiling for 5 hours, but it worked.
2. Stop assuming people are like me.
I
don’t meet a lot of people like me in public—so this is just a bad way for me
to operate.
I
decided to present myself more and do the exact opposite of how I want people to treat me. I engaged customers when they approached and put
in the effort to approach them as well. I made sure to tell them I was the
artist. Apparently, I don’t come off immediately as the creator.
Once I established my artistry, the conversations kept going, and sales happened more frequently. People want to know the artist.
Opening
the dialogue and being forward with information allowed me to feel like I was
creating an experience and not pushing for a sale. This even works on other
fellow introverts. Just focus on making a connection meaningful.
3. Place a value on my art.
I tried something new at this event. I made a “Name Your
Price” bin. I have a bunch of prints and work that I am tired of looking at.
Instead of telling people what they are worth, I let them choose. To my surprise, people went for it.
Out of the majority of sales from the “Name Your Price” bin,
customers paid at or above what I would have asked for.
I also settled with the fact that I will always price lower
than I should, but I made it a point to clearly label all pieces with these outrageously low numbers. If you don’t
put a visible price on your work, a lot of people won’t ask. They may just assume
the piece isn’t for sale.
In conclusion, this was the most successful event that I have ever done, in
both sales and pleasant interactions
with people. The location of my display, the favorable weather conditions, and
other factors definitely played into the traffic at this event, but my effort
to come out of my bubble contributed to my success.
Thank you for perusing my post and do let me know if you
have any questions or comments.
