Several weeks ago I struck up a conversation with a gentleman who was visiting the gallery and was fascinated with the art gallery business. He is a business owner himself and was curious about the mechanics of the art business. He asked a lot of questions about how I decided what art to show, how the relationship with artists worked, and about the challenges of the business.
Any of you who know me know that I love talking about art and the art business and he probably ended up learning more than he ever would have wanted to know. As he was leaving the gallery he said, “This seems like a really interesting business, and it seems to me that the art would just sell itself!”
I just smiled . . . if only that were true! While there are those times that exactly the right buyer appears and finds exactly the right art, it is much more frequently a significant amount of effort to close a sale.
If you’ve followed my writing here at reddotblog, or attended one of my webinars or seminars, you probably already know that I take the art sales process very seriously. I consider sales a craft, and as such I have become a student of salesmanship (I should probably call it “salespersonship” to be more accurate).
Very early on in my gallery career I picked up a copy of Zig Ziglar’s classic sales book “Secrets of Closing the Sale.” Even though Ziglar wasn’t in the art business, his timeless advice about how to close a sale has helped me countless times over the years. Some of his advice has to be adapted to fit our business, but his core outlook on the sales process applies to any sales opportunity.
While much of what I learned in the book makes its way into my daily sales life at a subconscious level, there is one page in “Secrets of Closing the Sale” that I consciously think about quite frequently. In chapter 22, Ziglar talks about words that help sell. He provides a list of 24 words that should be used when attempting to sell. The first word he mentions is your client’s name – and if you’ve read my book “How to Sell Art” you know I am a big fan of using a client’s name repeatedly throughout a contact.
Not all of the other words apply to our business, but the ones I find particularly apropos are:
Understand
Easy
New
Love
Discovery
Deserve
Happy
Value
Fun
These words help create a positive atmosphere around you and your art.
Even more helpful to me are the words he recommends avoiding. Again, not all apply, but words to vigilantly avoid include:
Deal
Cost
Pay
Contract
Worry
Loss
Lose
Hurt
Buy
Bad
Sell
Sold
Price
Decision
Hard
Difficult
Obligation
Liable
Fail
You’ll notice I bolded several of the words – these are the words I find I have to make the most effort to avoid (and are all closely related to the question of $). I recommend that you avoid talking about the “cost” or “price” of your art, and instead talk about the “value”.
Even though we might think of those words as synonyms, there is a world of difference between a sculpture that has a cost or price of $3,000, and one that has a value of $3,000. Take a moment and look these three words up in your dictionary and you will see that the first two have a negative connotation (you’re losing or giving up something), while value is positive.
Ziglar also discourages the use of any profanity when conversing with a client. Vulgarity won’t necessarily kill a sale (though it might), but it’s never going to help make one.
Making a conscious effort to select the right words is particularly important when working on any marketing or advertising copy, when speaking with a client or a gallery that might want to represent you, and when you find yourself negotiating to close a sale.
If you don’t believe that word selection is important, I would encourage you to experiment with your word usage and see what impact it has on your sales.
Have the right words made a difference in your sales? Are there particular words you try to use or avoid when interacting with a customer? Have the wrong words ever cost you an art sale? Share your experience and thoughts in the comments below.
About Jason Horejs
Jason Horejs is the Owner of Xanadu Gallery, author of best selling books "Starving" to Successful & How to Sell Art , publisher of reddotblog.com, and founder of ARTsala. Jason has helped thousands of artists prepare themselves to more effectively market their work, build relationships with galleries and collectors, and turn their artistic passion into a viable business.
{ 45 comments… read them below or add one }
I completely agree about what to do when you are the artist and talking to someone about your art. But what if you are an artist and you are not at the gallery or even coffee shop or restaurant at the time of the sale? I’ve had my work shown in several places, several at place that do not sell art for their own commission and it seems like you have to always leave it up to someone else to sell your art for you. The question is how can you get your art to sell for you when you are not there? Because even if it is a beautiful piece of work it normally takes a person a long time and several views before they will buy a piece of art. Is there anything that artist can do to make their art more sell-able? Or is it simply the luck of the right person coming in who happens to have the money to spend and loves your particular art?
Thank you very much for this blog article by the way.
Very helpful…..and I did read “how to sell art” and that was very helpful too. I even brought the book to my art group. Thanks for all your helpful advice…. Anne
“Happy” is on your list of good words, but it can be made negative by prefacing it with “not.” Twice recently I remember blurting out to a customer who expressed a lot of interest in a painting that I was not happy with a certain area of it, and once it killed the sale. I did thank them for their compliments first, but my following words were about the worst possible things I could have said. I hope I’ve learned from this!
I’d also caution about being too specific about the artwork’s content. I once identified the subject of a painting as a young girl, while the buyer saw it as a young boy (his son.) I lost the sale. Now I let the buyer interpret the art and read into it what he/she wants to see. Fewer words bigger sales.
i sell most of my work on-line or through gallery shows…so i haven’t directly seen this in play. but it was like an aha moment when you compared the definitions of cost, price & value…i will be using “value” from now on!
Thanks Jason for the great information you relay to us. Salesmanship is truly an art form.
I have always tried to find an alternative to the word “cheap” when discussing comparative costs. I wouldn’t dream of using this to refer to any art, but other sales fields beg a cost comparison from time to time. Alternatives might be “lower cost” or “better value”, but I am looking for other suggestions. I’ve heard art colleagues use the term “very reasonably priced” for lower-cost art, but this isn’t the perfect description either.
I am really glad that you’re writing this blog, sharing your ideas. How very generous a gesture this is. I am learning how to sell art. For many years I devoted myself to learning how to make art, how to motivate myself to try new things, how to improve the kinds of things I was already doing. Along the way, I find that I was also learning to learn. So now I’ve shifted some of my focus toward learning about selling. And for me I think the key factor, the one most consistent with my personality, will be sharing the enthusiasm that I feel about visual things. I see that as being the common ground I can have with the spectator. It’s not the whole of selling, of course, but it’s a first step.
Excellent point, Jason…something I definitely need to pay more attention to. Words that seem to have often helped me in closing a sale are “inspiring”, “unique”, and “wilderness”, all words that stimulate positive feelings in most anyone that looks at my photography. Buyers also love to hear the story about a piece of artwork. Another book I would highly recommend is “Selling ASAP; Science, Art, Agility, Performance”. It encourages building long-lasting partnerships.
I sell my work in exhibits and one on one personally. If the viewer/buyer likes the art, they will buy it, if not, they won’t.
I think that art is worth more than what someone pays for it.
As always, your advice is helpful and practical.
@Claire – How about “Exceptional Value” instead of “Cheap”? This is what I use in many instances when negotiating.
ALL of these comments have been very helpful — I seem to get tongue-tied when talking to potential clients. What’s the best “opener” when you see someone studying one of your art pieces??
Great post, Jason! While I’ve been a fan of Zig Ziglar’s work, I have never read “Secrets of Closing the Sale”. I’ll have to look into it.
Prior to reading your books, I made the mistake of using the words “cost” and “price”. While I can’t say for sure that I lost any sales as a result, later experiences emphasizing the word “value” were more successful. Being on the receiving end of these words, I can say that I am energized when salespeople use “value”. I appreciate the list of words to use and words to avoid.
Your work is always helpful and insightful. You have my gratitude!
Thanks for your valuable article. That’s the fun part of growing older. Things we used to know are like a new discovery to us all over again. I’m happy you reminded me of these words. It’s so easy to forget the importance of the words we speak. Now that art is often sold online, do you think the same rules apply to written words?
Advertisers extract the power of words daily, why not allow them to work their magic for we artists? Thanks for providing another tool and a forum for discussion and comments.
The power of the words. Very true! Thanks for sharing your wise advices, Jason!
Some great advice I got from a business seminar is never tell a client/collector “No.”
Instead, say “Here’s what I can do for you.” (Again, the idea of a positive interaction vs. negative.)
I loved “exceptional value”. I re-read all the notes from your seminar this week and became re-energized. I now have four of my works taken for a gallery show. It’s not representation, but it’s better than having them sitting wrapped up in my closet. I am anxious to try your “words” at the reception. Thanks buckets, Jason.
I freeze when someone shows interest in buying my work. It is so personal, its like putting a value on ME. As much as I enjoy that people are willing to exchange money for ownership, I’m really thrilled when they respond to what I do, even if they don’t like it. They are recognizing its existence. That is a value. I probably could sell more if I adopted your advice, Jason.
I love reading your articles.
Due to a 10 year bout with cancer I had to stop being a smith and find a new field. My work is now a top NICHE fiber artist. Consumer reports called me “the Andy Warhol of Dryer lint.” I am in Ripley’s museums all over the world. However, My medium is dryer lint. Just saying it is a turn off. I have had galleries tell me if it was in paint they would take me and I would easily sell. They can’t sell something so unusual. This makes just getting a foot in the door almost impossible. I have my work in AMANO craft gallery in New Hope, Pennsylvania and have been in other galleries all over the country.
Good morning! I’ve been selling my clay sculpture since the mid seventies in many different venues. I could probably write a book! One of the frequent questions asked is “How long did it take you to make that?’ Now instead of rolling my eyes, I know it is an invitation to begin a conversation about the particular piece. And I never tell them exactly how long. Sometimes it’s just intuition.
Claire — a fellow artist once referred to my prices as being “generous”. Descriptive and positive, I think.
Very helpful, thank you!!!
Specially when I have an open studio and I have to deal myself with the sell in comparison with the Gallery that represents my artwork.
Great advice. Making our art I think is the most fun and easier than selling it. Spoken like a true artist! That is why finding good galleries and people like you to sell our art is worth it’s weight in gold!
We will definitely be discussing your post at our next partners meeting. We are a small town that is becoming a day trip destination, and many of our visitors have never been in a gallery before, let alone bought a painting. Most passers by cast a glance at the window, and hurry on. We will be thinking about your words as we deploy our new sandwich board.
helpful I owned a jewelry store for 30 years so I’m good at sales but you made me aware of price. I mention it soon Too soon.
I love many comments here and your word list I intuitively recognize. I am pretty good at selling the art of others as I can go on and on how marvelous it is…but then approaching my own, not so good. How does one get around sounding like a braggart? My work seems to sell best when I’m ignoring the customer or out of the picture totally! I need to find more galleries….
Words are part of the presentation. They help frame the value of the art. A cheap frame= cheap art.
My work is photography. I never refer to it as a picture or a photo not even a print.
Instead I would use words like the image, the art work or the canvas. They set the tone for value.
Also the word investment can replace cost or price.
Jana…I love your comment..”This is what I can do for you”. It’s perfect. We have a show in Baltimore next week. I’m excited to use this. Glad to have some new information. Now all I need is the courage to DO IT!
Thanks for this blog, Jason; it’s very helpful as are all your postings.
I’m currently working on a website and at the bottom of each Works page I write “To purchase or commission an original painting or open edition print, please contact the artist.” “Purchase” is not on your words to avoid list, but “buy” is, which is pretty close. What would you recommend instead of this sentence?
Harikleia – I like “acquire” better than “purchase” or “buy”
Emily – Just the fact that you are worried about sounding too proud means that you naturally won’t. I suggest telling stories about the inspiration for the art and the process. In otherwords, “let me tell you about how I created this piece” instead of “let me tell you about how amazing I am”.
Interesting, food for thought. And this is why I am most happy to leave the selling to a gallery, when I can. I do sell privately, usually to people who’ve become familiar with my work, and sometimes familiar with me at least in a social media way. But I will be thinking of the words on your lists, and considering whether a ‘happier’ word choice would do better.
thank you Jason for this timely advice; I am currently planning an Open Studio/ Exhibition at my home and have been thinking of ways I can better communicate with my collectors and visitors to my studio.
Your article has given me some very helpful info,
Cheers
Olivia A
Me, hard working artist to a potential art collector: ” I noticed you viewing my paintings. Help me to understand what draws you to them. It is a happy discovery for me when someone can tell me what they love most in a painting of mine. You deserve a painting you will always want to look at. I’ve set the value for this piece at $00000. How can I make the acquisition easy for you? let’s finalize everything and get to the fun of seeing it in your home (place of business). Do you live close? I can deliver…..” How did I do, Jason? Used all the good words.
Pretty good Suzanne. I’m using your sentences for the next time I approach a potential sale. Love the word list and I think I’ll apply it to life in general. I note that during my last sale, I used deal, and now I’ll use “excellent value”.
Thanks, Maggie, and I wish you a very profitable and creative 2013. It was fun practicing with all the good words.
Thank you Jason and everyone who has participated in this blog. Excellent advice.
Thanks for the advice. I just commented to my husband that I have had numerous people contact me about my art and then disappear when I respond. Immediately I see I have used some of the “Avoid” words in my initial emails. Yes, I think it cost me sales. I was wondering if it was a case of me giving too much information or not enough. Now I think it may be I used the wrong words and turned them off. I will definitely be trying the better words from now on!
Hi Jason,
After reading this article, I ordered your and Zig Ziglar’s book. I’ve read yours and am now working through his. I just bought a partnership in a gallery of eight artists (Jordan Art Gallery in Jordan, Ontario, Canada) and work several days a month. I can see how inadequate I’ve been up to this point and am eager to close my first big sale.
Somewhere, if I got it right you said one of your artists wrote a paragraph or two about each of his pieces to be shared with prospective collectors and I think I would like to do this too. How was this information presented to the public (on the wall along with the title and price, behind the sales counter……)?
I haven’t shown my work in a little over a year, but what I enjoyed most in speaking with people about my work was telling them about the inspiration for the work and the process, that often leads to surprising developments and choices. I sculpt in public places often, a botanical garden, it allows for some relaxed conversation about my work; but actually selling something could help a lot. I appreciate your advise, Jason. Some of the other comments touch close to home also. Thanks.
If you have artwork, on display or exhibit, and you are not there, I recommend you attached a merchandise card, with
title of artwork, date, price, medium, with 3 key points about the work, contact info and your social media information.
You may want to few lines about style of work, then provide a copy to the establishments that are displaying your work, and check in with them on a weekly basis. I have increase my sales and exposure using this method.
thanks for this post
Great post. Curious, I notice that Price is one of the words to avoid yet most web sites use “Price” rather than “Value”. Would you recommend changing the language online, or is this really limited to the we talk about the art?