State Your Price – With Confidence

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Recently I was researching rates for a service.  And I felt like I was participating in a version of the game show, “The Price is Right.”

The providers I contacted offered a range of rates and some included the fact that they were negotiable.  Hmm. Negotiable?  It left me feeling, in two words, confused and hesitant.

I also noticed that their office phones where actually their mobile phones. How did they answer them?  Hello.  Not.  Hello, the name of the business and then their name and how can I help you?

Their email addresses were not associated with their domain but they were AOL and Comcast email account addresses.

A few of the websites were created from templates and they forgot, or they had not yet filled in, all of the webpages.

None of these unprofessional factors alone disqualified them but each triggered a response that left me with the impression that they were not all that professional.  And it left me asking myself, so what price is a fair price for their services and what and should I pay them, if at all.  As a matter of fact, I didn’t.  I stayed with the provider who was professional.

The results of their missteps made them appear to me as if they have a lack of confidence. Bottom line, our perception is our reality. And we don’t pay for anything without a certain degree of confidence.

So when you are selling your art, do you state your price with confidence?  Are your prices negotiable? Do you discount?

The fact is that as a painter I’m literally selling paint stuck on canvas.  So how I convey the value beyond paint on canvas is critical.  There must be confidence on both sides if I want to make a sale.

Don’t guess and don’t leave your prospects guessing about your price. Know your value, know your price.  Be professional. It will give you confidence and inspire confidence in your collectors.  The result, increased sales.

Should a Fine Artist have Bargain Bin?

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There was an insightful comment posted on the  Artist Who THRIVE Facebook page about my last post, “Should I Discount my Fine Art?”

“If a painting is not selling and is collecting dust, it is probably not the same quality as your work that IS selling. Putting out work that is lower quality than your standard and marking it at a lower price is like taking steps backwards- you lower the value of your work and it affects how collectors see you…


 If you see a painting that “wows” you…and its priced 1500.00, then you see another painting by the same artist that is not very good, and its priced 500.00 (presuming they are the same medium and size) does it not effect your view of the artist in terms of value and quality?

It would confuse me- as a collector- because it makes the artist seem unreliable and desperate.

Man this marketing stuff is tricky!”

My opinion, “this marketing stuff” is really NOT that “tricky!”

As yourself this. Should an artist really maintain a “bargain bin?”  I think not!

All artists produce work in a range of quality.  Your job as the artist is to edit. When I have work of lower quality, and it’s not moving, it’s a sign to heed.

Take work of lower quality out of your sale inventory and maintain your standards. Launch your lame work and make more excellent work.

The editing process is part of the creative process.  It will feel good and you will have more confidence in your work.  And then, it’s easier to sell.

Don’t’ confuse your collectors. As it is, they have a hard enough time understanding the prices of fine art.

Keep it simple and pursue excellence.

Should I Discount my Fine Art?

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“Should I discount the price of my art?”  Uhmmmm.  Let me think about that.  Ah, HELL NO! Original works of fine art are a luxury item.  And discounting your luxury product is the very best way to shoot yourself directly in the foot.  And when you do this that bullet ricochets and can hit the entire art market.  So, if you’re discounting: Cut it out! Or stop complaining that you don’t make enough money.

Oh, I can hear it now. “I have to discount.  We are experiencing a deep recession, don’t you know?”  “Yes, I do.”

I recently attended a presentation sponsored by the San Francisco Luxury Marketing Council reviewing current luxury market data and trends.  I almost jumped out of my chair with glee when the presenter confirmed that the one category of luxury where sales have actually increased during the current recession is, you guessed it, fine art.

So there.  You have no excuses to discount your luxury product, besides a lack of marketing and negotiating skills.  So let me offer you a couple of useful tips.  If you maintain a range of offerings, at different price points, you can often redirect your prospects to the choices that work within their budget.  My price points currently range from $5 to $39,000 and everything in between.  If you don’t have $5 to spend on my art, then I can’t help you. And I can live with that.

If redirecting a prospect doesn’t work and they press me for a discount, I maintain a handy reply.  “My prices are about to be adjusted upward, so now is actually a good time to buy.”  The looks on their faces, “priceless.”  No pun intended.

My former art rep in LA confirmed that those artists who she represented, who did not discount, consistently experienced a significantly higher sales volume.

So take your power back! Build your brand. Don’t discount it.