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Creative Commons Image by Andrew Steele
Creative Commons Image by Andrew Steele

One Simple Trick to Get More Customers

10/8/2013 1:44:51 PM by Clint Watson
 

Vincent Cassar writes:

"After a completed sale, send a personalized thank you card to each of your customers and mention that you are growing your business and would welcome referrals."

This is a big, huge, "duh".  You already know this is a good idea.

However, look in the mirror and ask yourself honestly: Do you do it after every single, completed sale? [1]

If you don't, you're leaving money on the table especially in art marketing since, unlike many industries, finding customers interested in a particular artist is like panning for gold.  When your "gold panning" rewards you with a customer, treat her well and send those thank you notes.

Remember, Sharing Art Enriches Life.

Clint Watson

FASO Founder, Software Craftsman and Art Fanatic

**********

Footnotes:

[1]  And I mean, every single sale you make.  When I was in the gallery business, one of my daily tasks was to go through the previous day's sales and write such hand-written notes to my customers, and it made a huge difference.

Image used under Creative Commons license from Andrew Steele


 

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Comments

 

Thanks for this 'poke' Clint. I needed it. Your message is simple but powerful. Excuse me, I have to go write some thank you notes. Lesley

Posted by Lesley White · via faso.com · 152 months ago

I send a thank you whenever I can. sometimes people don;t want to leave an address or e-mail. when that happens i have a stack of greeting cards or small prints made up in my 'treasure box' and tell them not to leave until they have chosen their thank you gift for buying my paintings. While they are selecting their gift, I gab about my e-newsletter and ask if they want to subscribe. They often sign on.

Posted by Sheila Psaledas · via faso.com · 152 months ago

Clint,

Excellent advice.

The secret of Mikki's success is our communication with collectors. We start with the hand written thank you and follow up with other mailings. This week we sold a commission to a client that first purchased 19 years ago. We have stayed in contact all these years.

Her last show was an amazing success. All the sales went to collectors. Or as we call them Members of Team Senkarik. We locked the front doors so only collectors could take part. We took 25 originals and sold 34 pieces. We ended up selling blank canvases. We had folks fly in from NY, CA, FL and NC.

Sadly many art galleries will not give the client information to their artists. They can't send thank you notes. Both the gallery and artist miss out on a great opportunity for future sales.

jack

Posted by jack white · via faso.com · 152 months ago

This is absolutely 100 percent true! Expressing thanks--via a handwritten, personalized thank you note--to those who make the continuation of the artist's journey possible is the single most important thing an artist does following a sale.

Posted by Mary Aslin · via faso.com · 152 months ago

You are absolutely right, Clint! When I was teaching marketing strategies to small business owners, I discussed this vital point often. As artist entrepreneurs we need to look at marketing industry strategies that can help us to market our art.

Tom Hopkins, noted sales expert and author, had 98 percent of his business come from referrals within 3 years simply by writing thank you notes.

I wrote about it, and provided resources quite a few years ago on one of my websites: http://www.homeschooling-freedom.com/thank-you-notes.html
Thanks for all the great tips and strategies you share to help artists.

Posted by Wendy Malowany · via faso.com · 152 months ago

When a customer buys art from you, they've made a connection with you. That's a relationship, a dialogue. What better way to acknowledge and appreciate this connection than to send a handwritten note. Kudos to all for this appreciation, and to you, Clint, for sharing this.

Terza Ekholm
The Gratitude Coach

Posted by Terza Ekholm · via faso.com · 152 months ago

Love the Advise. It is the 1st thing we read when reading any good marketing column.

Love your works!!

Posted by Cheryl · via faso.com · 152 months ago

Write another comment . . .

Posted by Cheryl · via faso.com · 152 months ago

Yep, it works well, been doing it ever since I started my unusual Guitar artworks !

Posted by John Hoyt · via faso.com · 152 months ago

Tanks for helping artist and great tips

Posted by Joe Lukacs · via faso.com · 152 months ago

I am ashamed to say I have not done this. I should have known to do this. I will start writing tonight! Thank you.

Posted by Linda Ellen Price · via faso.com · 149 months ago

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