If you’re early in your art career and trying to figure out how to start selling your art, much less getting your income where you really want it to be, you’re going to have to start small.
A great illustration for this is the Ladder of Value.
The Bottom Rungs
When you begin selling art you will be planted firmly on the bottom rungs, selling prints and, slightly higher up, small originals. You can make a small profit here, but at this point your primary goal is to get collectors in the door.
The way that you execute these early transactions will be crucial to your overall success- make sure that you obtain as much contact information as possible along with permission to contact them again.
Once you have a piece hanging on someone’s wall you have begun the cultivation of a direct relationship. Your artwork will be in front of their eyes on a daily basis. Hopefully it will be a conversation piece- they will chat about your work with friends, coworkers, and family.
During this time you will be staying front-of-mind with these collectors by sending them emails, inviting them to events, etc.
Climbing the Ladder
The next time these individuals are looking to buy a piece of art, whether it’s for themselves or perhaps as a gift, they will automatically think of you. Over time, the collectors with whom you’ve built a relationship will continue to buy larger pieces from you, and even commission work.
In this way, your art will move up the ladder of value as demand increases and you follow this direct-relationship method with every new collector you encounter.
This is the way that the majority of larger pieces and commissions are sold, and it works because of the emotional attachment and direct relationship that you cultivate with your collectors over time.
Time is the key word there- valuable collector relationships take time to build, but they will benefit you exponentially over the life of your career.
To hear more about the ladder of value and how to increase the value of your art, check out this webinar replay: How to Raise Your Art Prices. (This replay references some offerings that are no longer available near the end, but overall it’s just full of really good information that is still very relevant.)
For more on getting those first few sales and building momentum, you’ll want to read How to Get a Quick Win Selling Your Art Online.
Where would you estimate you currently are on the ladder of value?
Thanks so much for this article! It’s exactly what I needed to hear! Are you a psychic also? In fact, I intend to bring two pieces to a small kind of funky gallery Thursday. It will be a definite fit. I think I needed to evaluate my expectations! I have to remember my intention is to get my name out there, not to make a killing!!!!