Good Evening Chaps and Chapettes,
I've been to a business seminar / Marketing day today with the very charismatic Steve Clarke. I went with my mum mainly because she went to a talk by him a few months ago and said he was really interesting, really motivating (which I suppose is why he's a motivational speaker).
I found the day quite tricky to relate to, everyone in the room was a business owner and I wasn't. I felt like a bit of an impostor sitting there. A student, not an employee and certainly not an entrepreneur.
He used a lot of acronyms which I found a little daunting, he even inceptioned the acronyms so that the T (Tonality) in P.I.T.C.H. had to be explained by the acronym A.V.K. (auditory, visual, kinesthetic).
But I had my own light bulb moment (or eureka moment, which he also turned into an acronym by the way). I do have a business. Or at least a product.
I'm an art student, an art maker, an art seller. My business is art and the selling point I'm trying to push isn't that my art is the artsiest or the most colourfulest; it is the content and meaning behind my work. It is my materials and it is the quality of their physical aesthetics.
I'm a business owner.
In a way.
Moving on, this blog post isn't about what a clever sausage I am, it's about passing on advice and it starts with a little list of acronyms followed up by my personal take on why they help artists. Be aware they kind of repeat the same advice, but you can Tailor them to make them useful to you.
I'm also going to break down some of the more complex subjects into other blog posts, but I will still write briefly about them in this. If I write something that seems a little "easier said than done" the likelihood is I'm writing a more in depth post about it. I'm going to rely on bold text to highlight key points since this is quite a substancial chunk of text.
Starting with his EUREKA acronym
E - Engage a Hungry Audience. If you find someone (gallery or person) know how to promote your work rather than turn them off. They're "hungry" for information and are interested, don't blast them with knowledge, have a short business pitch prepared that sums up your work and your interests in a short, snappy minute or so. I'm going to talk about this a bit later.
U - Uncover the Pain. I was a little baffled by this one, but basically find a need that you can fill with your business and your product. Admittedly this one works better in a business where the reason for buying a product of practical, why people buy art is a matter of taste rather than necessity, and the reason people buy your above anyone else's specifically is an abstract and hard to pin down concept. I might write a post about why people buy art later.
R - Reach and Rapport. This is where you make sure you reach the right audience, if your art is about a particular subject find an enthusiast about the subject. Or if you use a particular medium find collectors and galleries who want your medium, and once you do establish a common interest and try to make them like you and listen to you.
E - Establish Credibility. Find your unique selling point, what makes you special and sell it in quite sparing numbers. Make your product a coveted product that is easy to access but also don't under price your work. Make your product exclusive and unique.
K - Key Elements of Every Sale. This is explained quite simply when I say that you need to hit certain targets when you try to sell, but the dynamics and balance are tricky. It is better explained by Clarkes 6 Step Sale Cycle which I will talk about in another post shortly.
A - Attitude and Action. Have the right positive, winning attitude, believe in your work and also follow up business leads. If someone has said that they want to talk to you about your work, or that they simply must see the latest pieces of your work call them or email them and make it happen.
The next acronym is shorter, but a little more complex. I found it very tricky to relate to my art, so I will explain it in terms of another business. The wonderful Care at home summarized it very well. Firstly the acronym is F.A.B. which stands for Features, Advantages and Benefits. This little acronym is perfect for knowing how to explain your art work to someone without over doing it.
Feature - This is essentially what you sell as a service or a product. Mine would be either "Art using textiles from the funeral trade" or the shorter option of "Art about Death", since these are features of my work.
Advantage - This is the advantage for the customer. Mine was regarding my university project, that the work about death comes from a "Knowledgeable source, because of my family background". I not only have an interest in death, I have very extensive knowledge in the matter from a privileged vantage point.
Benefit - This was the hardest of the three to answer, how does my work or products benefit my buyer? Again it comes back to the tricky question of why people buy art. For me I thought about the reason my art would be bought, that they have an interest in my chosen subjects and topics. So the benefit would be that buying my product gives the client "A way of looking at Death that is removed from the reality of it, but also deals with is in a very direct but staged manor." It isn't snappy or short, but my work is quite honest and blunt, but the soft edge of art gives it a comfortable platform for people to view it from. It allows topics to be personal without being hurtful.
The man from Care at Home had a much cooler F.A.B., so I'll tell you his too for comparisons sake.
F - Fully trained Carers.
A - Your loved one gets the best care possible.
B - Peace of mind for everyone involved.
I think this is a great example. It makes it so clear to see, this is the type of thing you would say to someone who is commenting on your work and you are struck with the urge to spew truckloads of information at them. It makes you clean and concise as well as professional. It will help you build rapport with people, if you know why your product or art work is so desirable.
I'm going to write a few other posts in the next few days.
- Explaining Clarkes 6 Step Sale Cycle. But to pitch to people about your product without preaching at them.
- How do you advertise?
- How to sell by listening.
- 10 conversation starters that may get you business.
- Elevator (One minute) Pitch and develop a headline to impress gallery owners. This includes advice on how to know what kind of audience you're talking to.
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