Selling #1… Get to know the business.

Selling is not easy.

No one is born a great salesperson but selling can be fun, if you learn some simple things to take a little of the fear out of it.

The first thing you need to do is understand the Art business where you live, in your world, not the Art business here in Manila or any other place but your location, your city, where you want to sell your Art.

So get around all the Art Galleries, Art fairs and markets and look at all the Art.

Try and get an understanding of what is out there and where you fit into your Art scene.

Check out what is selling and what is not and ask why?

Find out what are the best price points to sell at.

Which Galleries and markets have the best sales records.

You need to learn all about this so you can know your market.

Learn this not so you can copy what is selling and duplicate it but find what sells best, landscapes or abstracts or some other genre.

If you are an abstract painter and you learn that landscapes sell best then you know you will have to work hard to educate the public to appreciate abstract Art and therefore you need to be able to answer lots of questions about abstract Art in general and your particular Art.

Learn about prices, what is the average selling price in your market place so you get an idea of what your market usually tolerates.

That does not mean you will not get better prices but know the average price so you can work your particular paintings into that price range.

If you are exhibiting at an Art fair get around all the other Artists ask questions, listen more talk less and learn all you can about what’s selling, maybe at this fair cards and small paintings sell better, note that down in your journal so next time you come here you have cards and small paintings to sell.

Information is key, learn all you can about all your different markets so you go prepared to do business each time.

Now this in no way hinders you from painting your own individual original work, you can still be as creative as you feel led.

If you do what I say you will have more information about your particular Art market than most other Artists in that Art market and you will be able give price points to your buyers because you know what are the popular prices and popular product lines.

Knowing your particular Art market just makes sense, it will take some of the frustration out of the selling process.