How to Follow Up When Someone Wants to Buy Your Art
Following Up Later Y'all've Sold a Piece of Art
- October 10, 2019
- by Alyson Stanfield
People who buy from y'all once are more likely to buy from you again than people who accept never bought from y'all.
And … It's less effort to nurture relationships with people who already know, like, and trust yous than to find new people to share your art with. Acquiring customers, in marketing terms, is a long and costly procedure.
Therefore, it makes sense to take care of the people who have purchased from y'all. Show them you appreciate them at present instead of contacting them later but when you want something from them.
One of the biggest mistakes creative person-entrepreneurs brand is not following upwardly with people who accept given them money.
If you've been lax in this area, y'all might be leaving money on the table.
If you sell fine art from your studio, rather than through a gallery, you have no excuses for not following upward accordingly. Yous have the name and contact information of your collectors.
Here's a program to awe your collectors–not but once, but over the course of your relationship.
Within ane Calendar week of Sale: Limited Gratitude
Transport a thank-you notation in the mail. Use notecards with images of your art on them for all of your handwritten notes.
This is even so another opportunity to put your fine art in front of people who appreciate it. The cards, of grade, take your contact info or website on the back.
Don't exploit this equally an opportunity to ask for annihilation else. Thank-you notes are for expressing gratitude simply, not for additional sales or requests.
Two Weeks Later: Inquire to Connect
In this email, propose to your collector that you lot would similar to stay in touch through social media, if y'all haven't already connected there.
Explicate, likewise, that yous send a regular e-mail with updates about your art and inquire if they would similar to receive information technology. If they are added to the list, y'all tin can continue the relationship warm through your planned emails.
If they don't go on that list, they should receive a personalized sequence of email and regular postal service to ensure they are not forgotten.
After 3 or 4 Months: Use Existent Postal service
Earlier, yous sent a thank-yous notation in the mail. At this point, it's your choice. It doesn't matter what you ship or say every bit long as it's from the heart.
You might send a postcard, a photocopy of an article that was written about your work, or an invitation to an exhibition.
If the purchase was substantial, you lot might consider a small gift, such as a set of notecards with your art on them.
Twice a Year: Choose Your Action
After you lot have followed up with email and regular postal service communications within three or four months, your collectors tin can graduate to your VIP list.
You'll want to make sure you are in bear upon with your VIPs at to the lowest degree twice a twelvemonth.
Your collectors might receive a special mailing on an off-holiday (Arbor Twenty-four hour period, anyone?) or their birthdays. Or perhaps they'd like a telephone bulletin or brusque video recording in which you share only that you're thinking of them and are hoping they're happy and well.
Don't overthink this considering that could lead to procrastination. It's the thought that counts! Your collectors will be impressed past an unexpected contact from an artist they admire.
Set to create a detailed follow-up plan that might lead to more sales? Check out Collector Relationship Essentials, which volition give y'all an in-depth system for staying in touch with your top prospects.
This post was originally published on June two, 2016, and has been updated with the original comments intact.
37 thoughts on "Following Up Later You've Sold a Piece of Art"
Source: https://artbizsuccess.com/after-the-sale/
Not bad commodity, Alyson, Thanks then much!
🙂
Fantabulous communication. It is easy to forget this (or lose the info) when the sale is done. Buyers accept to exist treated consistently and so I'one thousand experimenting with Zoho CRM to do regular follow ups. At that place is a costless version to experiment with.
Cool, Malcolm. Let us know how you like it. Artists need a good CRM.
Give thanks yous for this article! When a buyer pays you lot with a check (and so you accept their mailing address), but does NOT sign upwards for your newsletter, is it OK to mail service postcards, etc. to that person? After an fine art show last year I did send a thank you lot annotation to that heir-apparent. But since and so I haven't been sure about sending event postcards because I didn't accept express permission to *go along* her address and do so. Non sure if there are whatsoever legalities or just conventions about this situation.
Lisa: I recall it might exist iffy in Canada for some reason – some laws around that. But it's perfectly fine in the Us.
Technically, you already have a human relationship with them. About people would add together to the e-mail list, but I call up that's iffier than postcards.
Hi Lisa,
like Alyson said Canada has some very strict rules. If your client has not opted in for your email list you can simply send them emails for two years afterward their purchase. If you lot are in Canada exercise not add them yourself to your e-mail listing. Canada has some hefty fines for that. But there is no restriction on snail post in Canada. Your postcards will be fine for e'er. (smiling)
I've had the same experience as Lisa. I also have collectors I reply to on Facebook who oasis't bought once more in more than 3 or 4 years. I don't have their physical addresses. They're already on my newsletter list but I tin can't seem to achieve them across the occasional similar they send on a facebook post.
Theresa: Try more than personal touches than a bulk email.
Just 3-four years between purchases from ane artist doesn't seem out of line to me.
Thank sooo much for this…I am non the best at this and I have to be. I connect with most on FB or thru my newsletter. I do send out personal cards at Christmas fourth dimension. The offset year I digitally enhance my art/their commissioned slice to make it personal and festive . After that it's a carte with my art on it with a personal message inside. I will follow your advice tho and make this a priority….thanks!
Kathryn: What a fun idea! I dear it! Do you have examples you tin share? I'd love to see them. Can e-mail me.
Nice and elementary, this program. I similar it!
You know how I similar unproblematic.
Alyson your suggestions are excellent. Simply hither's something a picayune different. My collector bought one of my paintings in 2014. I thanked her and the gallery owner who did not charge any committee. In January of this year she joined a gallery as a curator for all exhibits. She invited me and a few other artists to evidence in Evanston (about 30 miles from Chicago). Didn't sell anything. In the meantime I finished a painting that I had not worked on for years. I was influenced by the news of the Zika virus. This painting has mosquitoes swarming in it with a bluish bird ready to pounce. Although it has humor in it, like many of my other works, it doesn't include Brenda Starr who is almost in
all my paintings. Practise I transport a jpg of this to her even though it's not the usual work? Too she has just curated another show called "Swarm." I would like to share it with her but am not sure since information technology is different in the sense of the images. It's too belatedly to become into the opening. Please give me your feedback. Thanks so much!
Fantastic article, thanks! I've saved it to my calculator. I accept a list for people to sign up to receive update e-mails and usually a few days later someone purchases my art I ship out a cheers notation. I make notecards featuring my art (blank inside) and sell them at my shows and utilise these as cheers notes. I similar the thought of postcards, I've been thinking of maybe making some to apply as invitations to exhibits, announcements of new paintings, etc.
Thank you, Alyson! I'd never accept thought of it…
Thank you, Alyson!
I take a particular line of jewelry that is designed effectually antique Victorian/Edwardian Meerschaum pipes (pipedreamer.cyberspace) This is my serial that has attracted the virtually collectors. I have about ten collectors in that grouping now, some of whom ain 14 and 15 pieces of my work. I've created 164 necklaces in that serial and then far. A few years ago, I hosted a Thanks political party for these special customers. In that location was no selling of jewelry that day, just thanks and lots of fun for all of the states. They each wore one of their pipe necklaces.
Since they didn't know each other at that time, I made special name tags for each person in the shape of a Meerschaum hand shaped piping. We enjoyed a Victorian Tea with accurate treats from the era. I also arranged for us to visit a world class collector of Meerschaum pipes in the Chicago surface area and we drove past caravan to view his collection of over 2000 pipes. He regaled us with great stories well-nigh collecting, and wonderful histories of particular treasures. Everyone loved it. It was my favorite political party of all time.
Hello, I would worry that I might come across every bit vying for some other commission, particularly as in that location are so many artists doing my field of study of pets and creature fine art – how exercise you evidence you care, you're interested in them and not just hoping for more than work? (No surprise I am just about keeping my bills in the black!!)
Give thanks yous!
Best wishes all.
This had lots of helpful ideas in information technology. I practise many of these things…but hadn't considered using my ain work as the thank you notes to send..now information technology's on my listing to create them.
I printed this web log postal service out to make myself a plan!
Also, the final suggestion…have to think virtually that one. Feels a little self involved/intrusive to me? But that feeling often gets in the manner of me promoting myself and my work more effectively! Going to think on that one.
Thank yous…as always.
I've had a trouble collecting snail mail addresses from people who buy in person at an art testify. Etsy buyers are easy but how do you entice folks to give you their mail address – seems hard enough to go e-mail addresses from some folks 🙂
If people purchase something significant from me, especially an original painting, I find one easy way to go a snail mail address is to say, "May I take your address? I like to transport cheers notes." I doubtable that a real thank you annotation is such a rarity anymore – most people freely give me their snail mail address. One-half the time, I recall they are just curious to encounter if I actually will send one! I also think that for most of us, getting something via snail mail that isn't a beak (or junk) is a wonderful surprise. Also, nigh people who I send postcards to tell me how much they dearest them. A postcard with a colorful prototype of art on it? I see them on refrigerators! 🙂 Hope this helps.
I love this communication and article. Route map action plans Stone! Thanks for this really not bad breakup, Alyson <3 I am bookmarking this folio for future reference!
Alyson, cheers for the great commodity. Lately I've sold a few paintings that were purchased to be given as gifts. Should I send thank you's and followups to the purchaser, giftee, or both? Thanks!
Only the purchaser.
What if the sale is through a gallery and you don't accept contact info. I asked for information almost the purchasers and was simply given an email address. No name. Should I button for more from the gallery? I tin can understand why some people would not desire their data given out.
Connie: I'm glad you lot can sympathise. Galleries, simply like artists, have privacy policies. That'due south very prissy that they even gave you an email address! You could email the person and inquire if they'd like to hear from y'all (mentioning, of course, your privacy policy and your commitment to staying in expert graces with the gallery). Then ask if they'd like to share their names. You could even inquire if they'd similar to exist on your VIP list (and describe what that ways).
Thank you, Alison, for your advice.
Great mail service! I'm going to follow through better on my besties!
Thanks!
😍
Alyson, as always, great communication!
During an exhibit, I notate everyone I know or see in my iphone. Information technology's easy to forget who came when it gets crowded and days go by. After the exhibit, I immediately take 5×7 postcards fabricated of one of the works that received the greatest response from visitors. My local printer can make prissy digital post cards within a twenty-four hour period or two at a reasonable toll such as $38 for 50. I bring the painting to her (if it did non sell off the wall) and she scans equally a dainty full drain image or fits a detail full drain of the painting on the front end. She has the back of the card on file. It includes my logo on the top and name, size, medium, along with contact info on the bottom, so all she has to practice is change the name, medium and size to match the new painting. I write my thanks love note in the open space of the postcard. So I impress labels (from Mac contact groups, you can add an image of some other artwork detail on the address label). I besides put an image of my logo on a return label. And then I mail service them within a week after the show, in envelopes. Virtually of my collectors buy more than than once. Plus they refer me to other prospective clients. They often save the postcards.
Christine: I love this! And … I hope that the image is ever one that didn't sell — so that you can observe a new home for it.
I love Jill Soukup'south work! I follow her on Instagram and remember she's absolutely brilliant. And so happy to see her work here on your newsletter.
That she is! I'm blessed to count her as a friend and client, Sandra.
Peachy advice, Alyson. I always send a cheers note but tend to send it with the slice that was purchased. Merely now I'g thinking I should send some other snail postal service notation a couple of weeks later. I find it's a lot more than hard to know what to send someone who buys from you regularly and who is also a friend. Information technology's easy to be besides informal and non give those people the same attention you give to new buyers. Do y'all accept whatever advice about that?
Alison: I understand why you'd do this if you're shipping the slice. If y'all aren't shipping, definitely transport the TY note in the mail later. Perchance three-iv days later.
If you transport the note with the piece, why not follow up with an email in a couple of weeks – ask for a photograph of the piece installed. Then snail mail a few months after that.
For your repeat buyer-friends, why not offering a free service like installation or framing? Many artists (and galleries!) offer small discounts to echo buyers and that's probably enough. If they're nearby, yous could host a VIP party for them 1x a yr.
Thanks Alyson – a great idea!