The Six Steps to Closing a Sale - Part IV
The Presentation
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The Six Steps to Closing a Sale - Part IV
This article series is a continuation of a theme that we talk about a lot. In fact, you might call it a key principle and it is this: artists need to think like a business. Artists are not only in the business of making art, but also in the business of selling their art. Many have mastered the creation process, perfected their technique, found their niche, and developed their style, but when it comes to running a business, particularly the business of sales, there are a lot of new skills to master.
Putting on the sales hat requires that you get comfortable engaging in one or more difficult conversations with potential clients. These conversations revolve around budgets, finances, payments and the actual process of closing a sale. We have put together this article series to help artists during these interactions. By following the six steps to closing the sale, artists will be equipped to close more sales confidently.
The six steps outlined below are well researched and are utilized by designers, videographers, and others in creative fields. This series will cover the following topics: We will begin with covering prospecting and qualifying potential clients. We will then talk about the approach, the presentation, overcoming objections, and the close. Then we’ll wrap this up with a little bit of encouragement.
Here are the topics we plan to cover in this series:
Previous Articles in Series:
1. Prospecting
2. Qualifying
3. The Approach
Today’s article:
4. Presentation
Planned for the next few weeks:
5. Objections
6. The Close
On to the update!
STEP 4: The Presentation
The fourth step is the presentation. The presentation and the approach discussed in step 3 often intertwine and take place during the same conversation. If you listened carefully to what your potential collector said, and asked her the right questions, the presentation is where you get to shine. This step allows you to reaffirm what they shared with you, and to present your painting in that light as you then disclose the price, if they don’t already know the price. By reaffirming what they shared with you, it will further solidify how they feel about your work.