You may remember the Fabergé Organics Shampoo commercial where Heather Locklear tells us to be sure to tell two friends about the shampoo and “then they’ll tell two friends, and so on, and so on?”

Fabergé was not advertising so much for you to buy shampoo, they where really advertising for you tell two friends about their shampoo. A brilliant strategy.

Most solo entrepreneurs, meaning entrepreneurial artists, are introduced to new business by way of referrals. Also known as “word of mouth marketing.”

And this is why social media is a key tool to employ in a referral marketing effort. 

If you are not handling referrals correctly it could really be costing you.

Handle referrals correctly and your art sales will increase and selling your art will take far less time and effort.

I recently gave one of my “MAKING Art/Making MONEY” students a referral for a potential commission.

Wait! Before you email me asking me for referrals to my collectors, please know I do not refer business to anyone who I do not know.

What’s so beautiful about this referral is that:

a. She is a qualified collector, meaning she is genuinely motivated to buy

b. She trust’s my judgment so the artist won’t have to do much selling

What happened? My student promptly responded to the referral but she made one critical mistake. She did not confirm to me that she received my referral.

It’s okay. She’s still a student and she is still learning and they don’t teach you this stuff in art school.

So. Here’s what you do. When you get a referral, qualified or not, you immediately thank the person who gave it to you. Immediately.

That is if you would like to get more referrals from that person. Remember. They have gone out on a limb for you so let them know that they can trust you to follow through on their introduction.

Then your immediate goal is to get that referral on the phone or meet with them in person before the next shinny ball distracts them.

If it was an email introduction, and you don’t have their number, you might reply with something like.

Hello Sally,

Very nice to “meet” you.

Thank you for your interest in my art.

I would love to talk to you about the commission that you are interested in and see if what I do is a good fit.

I’m currently available next Friday, 12/06 PST for brief chat by phone?

Please reply to confirm or suggest a few other times that will work best for you.

I’m looking forward to speaking with you.

Sincerely,

Tammy

• Notice. It’s short, sweet, and friendly.
• We get way too many emails for our health. If you have a number it’s better to call immediately. Why? You don’t sell art via email. Selling is a live contact sport.
• Start your message with a “thank you.” People appreciate good manners and this sets the right tone. It’s a big gift to get a referral. Be gracious.
• “See if what I do is a good fit.” This is very deliberate. Why? Because most artists reek of desperation for sales and this is so not appealing and it puts you and a disadvantage. And guess what? It might not be a good fit.
• “I’m looking forward to speaking with you.” This demonstrates that you are indeed interested in their business.
• The goal is to make live contact ASAP. So you give them a specific time so that they can say yes or no and give you a time. If you don’t do this, you could be left hanging.

Action step. Has someone given you a referral that you have not yet taken action on? Get on it. NOW.

How have you handled referrals in the past?

What would you do differently? Learn from your mistakes.

Go over last year’s sales and determine how many sales came by way of referral. What is the percentage?

 

Do you know who you are and what you stand for?

If you want to sell your art, you must!

Why? Because artists are thought leaders and we are in the business of selling emotions.

We don’t sell paint stuck on canvas, musical notes hanging in the air, or moves on the dance floor.

How do I know that we are thought leaders?

Because during political revolutions we are the first to be commissioned and we are the first to be executed. Revolutions are led by the emotions evoked by thought.

Do you have unique talent and something to say to the world?

Then you must make art.

Do you want to be heard?

Then you must sell art.

Truth be told. Some artists get stuck on what they want to say to the world or how to articulate it because they don’t know really know what they feel deeply about.

This is a big problem.

Actually, it’s HUGE.

Why? Because everything stems from this, everything.

To borrow a “Commandment of Biz” from my friend Jonathan Fields, “Thou shall do EPIC Sh*t that actually matters.”

Your mission has got to really matter to you if it is ever going to matter to someone else.

MAKING Art/Making MONEY students must define their mission on the first line of their one page business plan.

Your mission must be convincing and clear before the rest of your business plan can be constructed.

Your mission is the “why” you are selling art.

The answer is not to make money. If that’s the only thing you can come up with, you’re screwed. You need to dig deeper. You can’t fake it.

The next line on the one page business plan is the “vision.” The “what” you are building.

How can you know “what” if you don’t know “why?”

Put aside your art for a moment. Think about you, not the artist but the human.

Be vulnerable. Be honest.

The answer to “why” is grounded in your deeply held values and emotions.

Your most deeply held values and mission is most often illuminated by your most painful life experiences.

Your mission statement is not just snappy copy and you cannot borrow it from someone else. Your mission is your compass.

Action step. Why do you make art?

Put art completely aside. What really pisses you off? What gives you great joy? What’s most important to you? And “why?”

 

 

 

 

Making art and making money can be an overwhelming endeavor, even for me.

The way I gain focus is to simply focus on one thing at a time.

When I make art I spend an uninterrupted length of time focusing on just that, making art. My phones and computers are turned off.

When I’m in business mode there are many tasks to focus on. Again, I focus on one thing at a time.

The challenge I hear from the artists I coach is, “When it comes to making money from my art how do I know what I should focus on?”

That of course depends. 

A good way for me to sort out what my “making money” priorities are is to keep in mind three daily principles.

1. Keep the numbers straight
2. Focus on the fastest path to cash
3. Do daily face time. Relationships = Revenue

1. Keep the numbers straight

If I want to make a profit I have to have accurate real time access to how much money is coming in and how much is going out. I don’t rely on a book keeper to tell me. Learn from my big mistake.

2. Focus on the fastest path to cash

It’s easy for me to get distracted by a new shinny ball of a marketing idea.

Why? Because innovative marketing strategies are very easy for me to invent.

But what matters most often is the effort leading to profit, sooner rather than later.

I could launch a new website or meet with that collector who expressed interest in a commission.

3. Do daily face time. Relationships = Revenue

People buy from people who they know and who they like.

Your interpersonal communication skills are vital to your success.

You can’t sell art in the solitude of your studio or facing your computer monitor.

Don’t trip on whether you are charming and engaging enough.

Just demonstrate a genuine interest in others and really listen to them.

It’s amazing at how many doors open.

Action step: Examine your to-do list. Determine your priorities. Where you need to place your focus right now? Do it today.

 

 

 

Of the biggest hazards of building a creative enterprise is that most artists work in isolation.

Why is that a hazard? Isolation is not good for business.

Why is isolation not good for business? Because relationships equal revenue.

Crass as that may sound, we all know, that “it’s not what you know but who you know.”

And people buy from other people who they like and who they trust.

It takes time for people to get to know you and to get to like you. 

So how much face time are you clocking with prospects?

When I start coaching artists, they are never spending enough face time with prospects or other people who could expand their professional network. 

Very often they are marinating in self defeating thoughts because there’s no one to get them out of their head.

Many artists are hoping that social media and email alone will generate sales. It won’t.

Who are these artists spending most of their time with? Often it’s their family, friends, and other artists.

But the other artists they are hanging out with are also struggling with a frustrating pursuit of the traditional scarcity and permission based art establishment.

This is why I baked a close-knit Master Mind community component into my 8-week course Making Art/Making Money. 

Here’s what some of the recent graduates learned about the value of community, the importance of thier new colleagues.

“I have been used to living a very solitary existence as an artist throughout my career. Maybe it is because I have worked with agents from the beginning, so until recently, I felt it was their job to promote me.

Yes, I know that was a dangerous misconception. There was always the idea that artists all compete with each other…don’t share or tell anything.

I didn’t necessarily believe this, but knew others were kind of weird about associating with other artists because they felt that they were trying to get information rather than be a part of a beneficial community.

With this mastermind group, I never felt that way, and it was refreshing to be with other women who were generous with their insights and willing to share their own hits and misses.

I feel like I have turned a corner in developing my practice as a business, and I look forward to many successful years ahead.”

-Johanna Kolb, Illustrator

“As an artist I work in isolation.

When I feel fear or doubt, there are few people to talk to who understand.

Being able to talk to a friend in a similar situation, who will support and encourage me, can make the difference in my success or failure.”

-Kate Bradley, Portrait Painter

“I now have this community of artist peers who I can call on for support and discuss issues, problems and questions with.

We have also decided to keep a weekly Master Mind meeting for support.”

- Alie Vidich, Choreographer

The point is you have got to find and connect to a supportive professional network. 

If you can connect with successful entrepreneurial artists, that’s great!

If you don’t know artists successful entrepreneurial artists, you are not alone.

Apply to Making Art/Making Money or reach out to other entrepreneurs.

Givers gain. Demonstrate initiative, a willingness to give before you receive, and be eager to learn and earn. 

You will attract people who will show up to help smooth your path.

Take an action step. Can you think of two people to reach out to?  Call them today.