Someone recently asked me if I was a business “coach” for artists.

Because “coach” is a commonly understood term, I’ve used this term to describe my one-on-one services with artists.

I start by helping artists shape their mission and unique value proposition that will serve a target market.

Why start here? Because this is a really tough thing to do on your own. It’s hard to see ourselves.

But I’m not really a coach. I’m really a mentor. 

Why? Well, I don’t have a coaching certificate and I don’t care to have one.

I know that what I do works. My artist clients experience measurable results in increased art sales.

A mentor is really a better description because I don’t teach theory.

I base my advice on my very practical and hard won experience in selling my art. This includes my successes and my big fat failures.

I also draw upon the case studies of other artists who I have worked with over the years.

I’m all for formal education but it often comes up way too short when it comes to the day to day reality of establishing and running a profitable and fulfilling art business. 

How do I know? I have mentored artists who have MBAs.

They did not learn about the unique demands of marketing and selling art in business school.

Business schools, and art schools, really do not understand how to sell art. And that’s probably why you are reading this post. 

This debilitating lack of critical knowledge about selling art caused me years of frustration and that is what compels me to share what I’ve learned. 

And that is why I designed an 8-part, sequential, iterative road map for other artists to follow.

Your ability to master each of these eight business realms is as important as your creative talent.

Why? Because your talent is NOT going to be discovered.

When I ask artists why they apply to work with me they all essentially say because, “Because you walk your talk.”

In fact, I’ve made my living from selling my art for over eight years.

Whatever it is that you want to learn, you can learn more from those who do rather than those who only teach.

It’s not that you can’t learn valuable lessons from those who have mastered a subject academically, in theory. You can.

But it’s far more valuable to learn relatable lessons from a “coach” who has run and who has won and lost races, rather than someone who has just read about winning.  

I’m still running!

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.

Since 2006 I have been offering individual business and marketing coaching and consulting to artists.

Helping other artists sell their art is very rewarding. I proudly witness my artist clients making huge strides because of their courage, determination, and heart.

But I can only offer so much of my time to these services so I limit it them to Mondays. Why? Because I am managing my own fine art enterprise, Ann Rea, Inc., during the other days of the week.

I continue to receive national press on my fine art enterprise the inspired responses I receive from artists is really wonderful.

But at the end of 2012 I felt a growing frustration. I wanted to reach more artists and change the skewed, wrong-headed conversation about selling art, selling out, and the starving artist mythology.

I certainly can’t, and don’t want to even try to help every artist, but I wanted to have a greater impact.

So I created Making Art/Making Money, an 8-week course based on the 8-part methodology that I use and that I teach artists to grow their creative enterprises.

Rather than ask students if I could share their glowing testimonials, like everyone else does, I asked them to list the top ten lessons that they’ve learned from me or their top ten rules of running their creative enterprises.

Why? Because this information is more instructive to other artists who may never enroll in the course.

Here are the inspiring and the practical words of wisdom from artists I have coached from different ages, backgrounds, and genres.

Ask yourself.  “What are my top ten rules of running my creative enterprise?” Or put another way, “what are the top ten lessons I have learned about running a profitable creative enterprise?”

We don’t receive a business building blueprint upon graduating from art school. So if you don’t know, it’s a common dilemma but one that I have solved and you can to.

One of the painters that I have been coaching has doubled her sales over this past year. 

I asked her, “What is the biggest benefit you’ve received from coaching?”

I thought she would say, “Selling more art.”

But that’s not what she said. Guess what. She said, “The number one benefit is that I have more confidence.”

I then realized that confidence is a much more valuable currency than immediate sales. Why? Because confidence will fuel long term sales and it delivers peace of mind.

What if you don’t have confidence?

I can tell you what I did when I didn’t have confidence.  When I first started my fine art enterprise, I knew no one in my new home of San Francisco and I had never run a business, so I faked it. 

Yes, you heard me. “Fake it until you make it.”

Because what’s your other option? Confess your lack of confidence to your prospects and potential patrons. That’s not going to help, is it?

The truth is that you don’t actually have to fake it entirely if you focus your attention on your strengths versus your weaknesses and you are clear on why you’re selling your art.

If you know why, your unique value proposition, your confidence will flow naturally.

Maybe you don’t know your unique value proposition?  You absolutely must know, so you may want to apply for “Making Art/Making Money.”

Regardless of whether you apply or not, here’s one thing you can do immediately.

Sit right down and write yourself a letter. What? Yes. Speak to yourself of all of your strengths and all of your accomplishments by making a list of them.

Sound trite? I don’t think so.

Confidence is a feeling. This exercise helps stir this feeling.

Confidence sells art, it sells everything. The limits of your confidence will be reflected in the limits of your success.

You can stir confidence in yourself by what you focus on. And you can choose where to place your focus.

Choose to commit to yourself by doing this exercise. 

In fact, reach out to a friend and ask them to do it with you by a certain date.

Or go to the Artists Who THRIVE Facebook community and ask someone there.

“Just do it”, the very best mantra for generating confidence. 

If you are serious about building a creative enterprise, you must pay the minimum price of admission.

If you tuned in last week, here are the remaining 3 of 6 elements that I encourage you to examine.

4. Passionate about art and Profit

If you are passionate about your art, you are in the majority.  

If you are passionate about art and business, you are in a rare and a fortunate minority who stand a chance at making a full time living from their creative expression.

If you not interested in business and marketing, what are you doing here?

Personally, I find business just as creative and satisfying as painting.

I like it so very much that I dedicate every Monday to cooking up business and marketing strategies for other creatives.

In fact, it is my passion for business that fueled the creation of my upcoming online business course for artists, Making Art/Making Money. Plus, if hear “starving artist” one more time I’m going to scream.

Think the artist’s and the entrepreneur’s personality profiles are incompatible?  Think again. 

The most successful entrepreneurs are highly imaginative and aesthetically oriented. 

Think Steve Jobs. The only subject he studied in college was typography and the beautiful and elegant designs of all things Apple is a reflection of his keen interest in the Japanese Zen aesthetic.

5. Emotional Intelligence

Last but not least the biggest indicator of success and happiness is EI (Emotional Intelligence). 

The good news about EI is that unlike your IQ (Intellectual Quotient), which you are pretty much stuck with, your EI can be elevated.  

Because art is personal, and rejection can sting hard, a high degree of EI is required. 

6. Ability to Focus

Since you will be shifting from creator to business owner you need the ability to shift gears and focus. 

Too many artists think that somehow they are separate. One painter I consulted with remarked about me, “You are an entrepreneur first and artist second.” 

Really?  Actually I am proudly both.  Each ability resides within me.  They are not separate aspects of myself with a hierarchy.  Jeez!

If you are a surgeon with your own practice you are an entrepreneur and a surgeon.  

If you are a plumber who owns his or her own business, you are an entrepreneur and a plumber. It’s that simple.

So you must focus on the business side of your enterprise as expertly as you focus on the creative side.  

“You really don’t want to sell your art?!” What? 

Yes. You read that right. I tell artists that I coach and teach this all the time, they are often initially confused and a bit dismayed.

Why don’t you want to sell your art? Because it’s just way too damn hard.

The art establishment does a much better job at this and you can’t compete with them.

So you ask. “What do you mean I don’t want to sell my art? Of course I do!” 

No. You don’t. You want to sell value above and beyond your art. “What does that mean?”  Let me break it down for you.

Let’s look at three key elements of selling art.

1. Artist’s passion
2. Unique value proposition
3. Target market served

We learned in art history class that Andy Warhol sold Pop Art in the form of lithographs. Wrong.

1. Andy Warhol’s passion was the modern consumption of celebrity
2. He celebrated celebrity’s fame by reproducing their iconic images, furthering their fame by with his magazine, Interview, and providing networking and PR at his “Happenings”
3. Celebrities and those devoted to them derived value

What is art? I am not interested in answering that question. I’ll leave that to the art critics and the gatekeepers of the art establishment.

I’m interested in helping you Sell Your Art because the real answer to that question is simply, art is in the eye of the beholder.

In other words, if the beholder, the target market, perceives value, then it is art to them.

Collectors are not going to examine art as objects of art. They are not artists.

A collector may vibe with your aesthetic but that will not be enough to move them to buy.

Collectors need to perceive value, meaning, or experience inspiration. That’s where you need to focus your sale.

You are not your market. So stop trying to explain your art to yourself in your artist’s statements.

Artist’s statements do not convey value to collectors.  They are mostly confusing and self involved.

And not everyone is your target market. Identify your ideal customer avatar, a profile of your very best customer, and speak directly to them.

If this is still a bit confusing and you don’t even know where to start, I encourage you to apply for the pilot course, Making Art/Making Money today.

It’s guaranteed but only a few candidates will be selected.

The thought leaders at the World Domination Summit really reenergized my personal mission to obliterate the starving artist mythology and to issue a direct challenge to the gatekeepers of the scarcity and permsission based art establishment.

How do I plan to execute this mission? By helping artists like you become more business savvy so that you can secure your creative freedom and share your successes by example.

I’m a perfectionist by nature, a double edge sword. So I was waiting to have all of the pieces of the puzzle in place before I started enrolling and interviewing students for the pilot Making Art/Making Money, an 8-week, guided, online multi-media course.

Then I thought, what the heck am I waiting for? Artists have been asking me to do this for years. I need to get this show on the road now and see who’s on board.

So I’ve decided to open early enrollment into this special pilot course of Making Art/Making Money.

Although everyone is welcome to apply, this course is not a good fit for everyone, and there will only be 9 students accepted into the first pilot course. 

This limited enrollment is not a sales angle, it’s the truth. I’m only willing to enroll artists who are ready to bring their A-game because some of them will become course mentors in the future.

I’m really excited about Making Art/Making Money because it enables me to reach so many more artists.

This new platform allows me to have a greater impact by teaching artists practical and real life principles and strategies that I’ve learned the hard, and the very expensive way, from my own successes and failures.

And I’m sharing the lessons learned, and the key insights, from an array of artists I’ve coached, including:

·       crafts men

·       film makers

·       fine art illustrators

·       healing practitioners

·       mixed media artists

·       musicians

·       painters

·       photographers

Just like art school, Making Art/Making Money isn’t cheap. But the difference is, I stand behind it by offering a 100% Guarantee.

If your are seriouly interested, I encourage you to apply today.

Just so you know. I get and I appreciate that not everyone is going to enroll in this course or recive one-on-one coaching or consulting but you’re always welcome to ask me specific art businesss and marketing related questions here. 

If your questions is specific and relavent, I’ll answer it. I promise.