Beginners Blueprint For Conducting Your Annual Art Show At Home…..Part 7 Frank Talk About Your Role And Your Staff During The Art Show.

Help.

We all need help to run an Art Show from home. I’ve put together a few that I think are important.

But let’s first talk about you and your role during the Art Show.

You’re the artist, organizer, promoter and person-in-charge. Don’t delicate away your decisions. Once the Art Show begins, you’re only the sales rep. So your enlistment of help is extremely important

You’re only job during the Art Show is to sell those 18-24 paintings that day.

The people came to your home to meet you, to talk to you, to make a personal connection with you. Understand that your connection and your story is what will sell your paintings. Now I know the thought of selling, of being a sales rep will shoot instant fear into many. And I’ll address this fear in Part 8, but for right now, let’s define what it means to be a sales rep.

A sales person, a salesman, a saleswoman’s sole job is to make it easier for a potential customer to buy from you. There are no magic words that will make anyone buy your paintings. Share your love for painting and share your love for the painting the customer is viewing. If you don’t like a painting, don’t sell it. In fact, I would go so far as to say that you can’t sell it.

So what are the ways you can help someone buy your paintings from you?

You must be nice. You must listen. You must answer their questions truthfully, enthusiastically.

Take a lesson from auto dealers and never, ever, ever approach customers with their questions…….

Hi there, which of these paintings were you interested in?
Hi, my name is Joe Cool and if I can make you the right deal on the right painting, are you ready to buy?
Hi, my name is Joe Cool and what’s your budget for a painting?

Those are the instant death questions. They will kill more potential sales than a deliberate statement, don’t buy from me.

You’d be better off just introducing yourself.

Hi, I’m Darrell Crow and I’m so glad you’ve come to see my exhibition. Do take your time looking through. I’ve got 18 paintings on exhibit and ready for sale today, so please enjoy yourself, there’s refreshment and let me know what you think of my exhibit. I’ll be back to see which paintings you like.

The conversations will then be under the command of the guests. Now the guest will buy and not be sold.

One of the best helpers you’ll need is someone I call, The Charmer. The Charmer brings new people to talk to you and gets you out of long conversations going no where. As much as we love our friends, the Art show is not the venue for you to catch up on all the latest. So arrange signals between you and the Charmer for at least actions

A Signal that alerts the Charmer to rescue you from your current conversation. Thus the Charmer would come over to your conversations and say, Excuse me for interrupting Mr. Cool however Mr. Johnson would like to have a photograph with you and him holding the painting he is buying from you.
A Signal that alerts the Charmer that you’ve just made a sale and she should come over to write up the bill of sale, issue the COA and collect the monies.
A Signal where the Charmer is alerting you to the fact you must talk to someone who is ready to purchase a painting and they need you to ‘close’ the sale.

The Charmer’s job (man or woman) is to circulate among the guests, join their conversations and if those conversations and redirect them if necessary to the exhibit, peoples opinions, likes, dislikes, desires, etc… It’s called prospecting. When the Charmer is positive he/she has someone who is ready to buy, asks the prospect if they’ve met you yet? Offer to take a photo of the customer with the artist and the painting.

You’ll also need a refreshment volunteer who will oversee that the refreshment station is set-up and kept replenished throughout the Art Show. The artist must not become involved in managing or distributing the refreshments. Often you will want to ‘hand-off” a prospect to this manager, when you forsee they’re not yet ready to make a decision, or you’ve concluded they’re not going to buy.

You’ll need a clean-up volunteer to move in just after closing the doors and either supervise the clean-up or conduct the clean-up themselves. This leaves you free to continue the sales process with any lingering ‘buyers.”

I would suggest that you leave up all sold paintings until the show has closed. Your customers can then pick-up the paintings, or you’ll arrange for delivery.

You are your best sales rep.

Its your job to make it easy for people to buy your art from you.

Here is my list of Helpers I like to have

The Charmer
Identifies ready buyers
Redirects guests’ conversations to the exhibit
Ready for ‘Alerts’ from you.
Refreshment Manager
Food storage
Refreshment Set-Up
Refreshment Distribution
Refreshment Clean-up
Greeter
Everyone attending/leaving is warmly greeted
Distributors Art Show Venue materials, if any.
Parking Attendant
Directs Parking
Valet Parking, if necessary
Gives Direction to exiting guests that asks
Implied security
Clean-up Manager
Clean Facilities
Re-arranges room(s) back to normal
General Assistant
Ready for Alerts from you
Writes up Bill-of-Sale, COA
Processes Financial Transactions
After Show closes ,supervises and arranges delivery of artwork