"Should I use an Art Agent?"

I just received this question from an artist that I thought I would share:

"It seems I spend more time selling than making - are there agents to represent artists like they represent other lines?"

Yes there are art agents and consultants that represent artists. They help artists sell to galleries around the world. Depending on the agent you choose they can charge you a flat fee, salary and commission or a combination of all three. That being said, I would tend to discourage you from using an agent.

Here are my reasons why I say this:

1. Using an agent places one more hand in the register so to speak. Not only is the gallery going to want their percentage (typically 50%) but now the agent will get a cut off the top as well. This can be as high as 15% in some cases. In other words, everyone else seems to be making more money than you.

2. Most agents are representing several to many artists at a time. What incentive do they have to represent your work or show your work any better than the other artists they are representing? They are going to sell what sells best. This doesn't mean that they are not interested in selling your work, but they are most interested in making their commission. Honestly, they will be more motivated by the "selling" artist.

3. Agents typically do not spend a lot of money on promotion. If your art does not fall into a category that commands a large price tag, say for instance over $2,500, the cost of doing heavy promotion is just not warranted. You will rely on their ability to pay for publicity for not just you but every artist in their fold.

The above may sound like I am totally against the use of art agents and for the most part I tend to be. The exception to this would be the artist who can attract the wealthy collectors. These collectors may only buy from certain upper scale galleries which will in turn only buy from reputable agents. There is nothing wrong with trying to strive to attain this level of success. It is far and few artists that have reached this level. That being said, agents typically do
not make sense for most artists starting out or who are not well-known in the industry. You will find yourself getting angry and upset with the agent. When you come to realize they are trying to make a living for themselves and their families as well, you will understand that they work the artists that produce proven sales.

So, what's the solution? You need to learn to sell you own work. The problem is that many artists, probably like yourself, have no desire to sell their work. They want to create art and work in their studios. There is nothing wrong with that. You need to find a method to sell your art that works time and time again. If the "art agent" is not the initial answer, what is?

I recommend finding a strategy that you feel comfortable with. This could be selling on the internet, selling at weekend art shows, displaying your work at high trafficked locations such as restaurants or businesses. Whatever you decide, make sure it is something that does not stress you out. You should look forward to selling thru that funnel. If you have no desire what-so-ever to sell, find a family member or friend to help you and give them a small percentage or piece of your work. They will ultimately have more interest in your success than an agent that really doesn't know you.

Selling your art should not be difficult when you have a plan and system in place. My advance course gives you both. The easiest thing to do is to go thru the course and find the strategies that are congruent with your beliefs and temperment and work those. There are over 27 different techniques that I teach to help you in this regard. Take a look at the course at www.thethrivingartist.com/vip and evaluate it. Think of the course as your mentor and teacher. It will definitely give you the tools to make you successful in your quest to make it as a full time artist. More importantly, it gives you the confidence in knowiing that you can do it!

Best wishes,

Steve
www.thethrivingartist.com/vip

Building Your Art Mailing List

This was a question that an artist recently wrote in that I thought would be of interest to all:

"How do I get people to sign my mailing list. Now it seems that I have to talk them into it?"

This is an excellent question which most artists tend to ignore. Either they are at an art show selling their artwork or trying to build a mailing list with their website, most do not put an effort into building a list correctly. This is very important to do for it gives you a list of people who have raised their hands saying they like what you do. Put it this way, they liked it enough to sign up on your mailing list. The key is getting them motivated to give you their information in the first place.

Remember when you first came to know my website? I offered you a reason to give me your name and e-mail address. That was a subscription to my complimentary weekly articles. That was the gift I gave in return to have the privelege to mail to you about my advance course. I provide free valuable information and you will eventually see the need to go to the next level, my advance course. The "gift" is the missing ingredient that people forget about.

I have visited hundreds of artists' websites where they have a guestbook with no instructions and with no incentive for someone to sign up. Most people on the internet are surfing around. If they happen to come across your website, you better think of a way to capture their name and e-mail. You can then give additional incentives once they have done that to give you more information, address, phone number, etc. First start with something less confrontational, a name and e-mail. You might want to offer a free e-card of some of your work or some postcards of your work you could send them (this would justify why they would have to give you their address). On my website, www.TheThrivingArtist.com , I start by offering the articles and once the person leaves me that information, I offer a 74 minute audio interview which I did. This captures the other information that I use in my marketing.

Now, don't think everyone who visits your site is going to give you their information. You will have to work on tweaking your offer to increase the conversion. Currently my conversion for people who visit The Thriving Artist is about 32%, which means 32% of the people landing on that page give their name and e-mail. If you are familiar with direct response marketing, that is a great return. Out of those people, 43% give me addresses and phone numbers to get the interview. "Baby step" people to the next level.

As far as art shows, I would recommend doing the same thing. Give people a reason to sign up for your list. At an art show people get to meet you one on one. Always be friendly and helpful. Many artists, believe it or not, sit on a director's chair hidden from their booth and the people visiting them. They miss valuable connecting time with prospective customers. This absolutely does not make sense. Meet and greet is the name of the game. It's so easy to get people to sign up for your mailing list. All you have to do is make them an offer. I would recommend printing out hundreds of greeting or note cards of one of your better pieces. If you are working in a three dimensional medium, take a photo of your work and create the postcard. Put five or so in a pack and offer them to your visitor as a pack of greeting cards that they can get for free for signing up.

In my advance course at www.thethrivingartist.com/vip I cover a whole class in "giving away art freebies" to build your business. This is a great technique to help build a large following of your work. The next part of the puzzle is what to do with the names and information once you collect it. I cover that to in the course. Ok, Ok, that's my sale pitch for you :)

I hope this gets you thinking in terms of "In order to get you first got to give".

Best wishes,
Steve
The Thriving Artist