Why Add a Personal Touch to Your Sales?

Debra Keirce

Mar 19, 2024

The following article was written by Debra Keirce, a regular contributing author to The BoldBrush Letter.

If you don’t regularly sell your artwork, you’ll try anything to increase sales. But if you are a mid career artist, you may feel like your collectors will find and buy your art no matter what, and your efforts are best spent delivering the best art you can. Now, if you have a team of people working to sell your art so you don’t have to worry about it, you will leave these thoughts to them.

Whoever you are, and whatever you do, you will want to make sure your buyers have an experience that keeps them coming back to you. You want them to remember you and seek you out when they want what you provide. One way to do this is to make each of your sales more personal. What does that mean?

Go ahead and brainstorm some more, but here are some ideas that I have used in the past, that made my transactions feel more personal. Every sale is unique for me. But, this is my toolbox. Some of these I haven’t employed in years. Others I dust off occasionally. Some I use every time. All of them provide ways to help collectors remember me.

Like begets like.

Your best shot at a sale is the person who likes what you like. Understanding this, I always try to find something my collector and I have in common to communicate about. It can be anything. Maybe we both lived in New England. Maybe we love vintage Valentines. Right away, this creates a connection between us.

What is unique and memorable about this sale?

If you can put something personal front and center in your emails and phone calls, you both have a subject to refer to when you remember the experience. For example, I did a commission for a family with Irish ancestry. I happen to love Celtic music and mentioned that I listened to instrumentals while I painted their piece.

Good customer service can make use of creative presentations.

By wrapping your art like a present, your collector will enjoy your work that much more their first time seeing it. Maybe you have a knack for creating stunning reusable gift tags and you can attach one. A hand written thank you note with each purchase leave a lasting impression.

What can you do that leaves an emotional impact on your interaction?

If I am painting a posthumous portrait, I would be remiss if I forgot to offer my condolences at some point. For commissions, sometimes I will tape a brush that got used up during the painting process to the back of the painting, and add a little note about how it served me well. This usually elicits a smile.

What special services or experiences can you provide?

I include work in progress physical printed photographs with each commission. I tuck them into an envelope with a thank you note attached to the back of the painting. Some artists attach certificates of authenticity to their paintings. Especially if I know my client does not enjoy being on screens, I will communicate via phone calls and accept cash or check instead of digital money transfers. I will do whatever I can to create a sense of ease in our transaction.

Convenience is valuable.

Discounts and monetary rewards are okay but not very memorable in my humble opinion. Instead, or in addition, consider conveniences. For example, I offer free shipping, taxes included, free frame and framing.

Guarantee delivery of your art.

Always provide tracking info when you ship, and follow up with a call or email to make sure it was delivered. This shows you care.

Always try to deliver more, faster and better than the customer expects.

I am careful to fudge my delivery dates in case there are any glitches. If you think it would be appreciated, you could do next day shipping even though you promised standard. Follow your buyer on socials. If your collector shares their purchase on social media, be sure to like and share their posts.

Be accessible.

This is something you may not feel comfortable doing - My phone number and email are on every page on my website. I have no annoying captcha gauntlets for people to go through. I would wager I don’t get any more spam emails, texts or calls than you do. Yet people don’t expect this level of accessibility. Anyone can google my name and have three ways to contact me in seconds. And if someone asks for my contact info, I cheerfully provide it, and mention that they can always find it on my website if they need it in the future. Then, if they lose my card they may remember to look me up. So far I have seen only positive results from this practice. Truth be told, for artists who don't make their contact information convenient to find - I can usually find it with a simple internet search, and the spammers are way better detectives than me.

Refer clients to your colleagues.

Here’s a personal touch that may sound counterproductive. When I have a student or collector who is looking for artwork or services I can’t provide, I explain to them exactly what I offer and why. Then, I refer them to art centers and other artists in my area who I think can meet their needs. I am trying to build a longterm relationship with each of my customers. Providing them with resources that don’t come from me means they remember me AND have a better understanding of what I offer. Also, my peers remember my referrals and it starts a pay it forward cycle I am very proud of.

How personal are your connections with your buyers? Do you see any value in deepening them? Or, would you rather remain aloof, with strong business boundaries in place? Either strategy works. I can only speak about the former one that works for me.

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