Artists
and the galleries that represent them both benefit from taking steps to act as
partners with each other.
It just
makes good business sense for artists to work in tandem with galleries by
taking regular actions to promote them and send business their way. Likewise,
there are many incentives for the gallery staff to work closely with the
artists they represent.
Your goals
are both the same; to sell more of your work. Your working relationship starts
with the basics. Trust is the foundational building block in any relationship.
Both the artist and the gallery must act with integrity, and be honest with each
other in their dealings. It means that:
Both parties
honor their written contract and the spirit of that agreement.
The artist
offers consistent pricing and never undercuts the gallery’s prices.
The gallery
always notifies the artist when work is sold and pays them on a timely basis.
The artist
delivers or ships when they say they will.
The gallery
endeavors to promote the artist’s work whenever possible.
The artist
refers customers to the gallery to buy their art whenever possible.
These are
pretty basic principles, and of course they make sense. But there is so much
more to building that strong, beneficial relationship than simply being honest
and transparent. And, whether you consign your work at a traditional art
gallery, or wholesale to any type of retailer, the idea is the same.
When a
gallery or retailer is invested in your concept, and your work, there are quite
a few ways to work together. It’s a two-way street. The artist has much to
offer the gallery, and the gallery has much to offer the artist.
What can
the artist do?
Provide
excellent images of your work for marketing purposes. Let the gallery know you are
willing to send images of your artwork, studio photos, etc. that are
professionally taken. This will enable them to easily create promotional
material.
Provide
selling points to the gallery for staff use. What does the staff need to know to sell your work?
Send them a sheet of “selling points” filled with information they can use when
speaking with customers. This may include the concept behind your work, your
inspiration and technique, care instructions, installation instructions,
suggestions for display, and more.
Provide
display fixtures if appropriate for wholesale accounts. Artists who ship their work to a
store and offer display options make it much easier to merchandise and sell
product. This can even make the difference between closing that wholesale order
or not.
Gain
local press for your galleries. What would a gallery owner say if you solicited press in
their local area to gain exposure for your art and refer readers to the
gallery? Would they be impressed that you have gone above and beyond in your
effort to act as a marketing partner for them?
List
galleries that sell your art on your website. Your art website should have live links to the
galleries that feature your work (and you might want to send readers to the
page on the gallery site that shows your work.) Let the gallery know that you
are referring traffic to them.
Promote
your galleries in your marketing activities. Write a blog post about the gallery, or promote them
in your next email marketing campaign. Follow them on social media, interact
and share their posts with your followers. Introduce your network to them, and
make every referral possible to help them help you sell.
Offer
outstanding customer service. The more responsive you are to the needs of your galleries,
the better you can help them serve their own customers. Do they have questions?
Is there an issue? Does something need repair? Make it a priority to always
provide the best customer service to all of your galleries, collectors and
prospects. It’s not exceptional these days, it’s expected.
Ask how
you can provide assistance. Become a standout to your galleries by offering any type of help they
may need to better represent you. Do they need more materials? An eblast to
your list on their behalf? Think of ways you can be their partner in the
promotion of your work and let them know what you can do. Take a look at this
artist who regularly gets a huge response because she has thought through ways
to build anticipation for her collection and help the gallery present her line.
Make it
easy for them to take commissions for you. Are you willing to take commissions or special
orders? Send the gallery step-by-step instructions on what you need to take
commissions, including terms, deposit, turnaround time and more. If you
wholesale, send the gallery a line sheet without prices, so that they can show
your whole collection to their customers without revealing their costs.
Give them
an “exclusive” (if they earn it). Your gallery may not want local competitors to sell your
art, and that is understandable. Providing galleries exclusivity can be a great
arrangement, if both parties are committed to working together, and if you are
getting sufficient business from the gallery to warrant your turning down other
business. Read more about exclusivity here.
What can
the gallery do?
Offer
co-op advertising to the artist. A gallery that is acting as a true partner, and who has
made a commitment to representing you, may be willing to participate in co-op
advertising. This type of advertisement presents your artwork or your
collection, with your name and the gallery name on the ad. It clearly
reinforces your partnership.
Invite
the artist to appear.
Is the gallery that carries your work planning an opening? Or an artist talk,
social event or trunk show? They can feature you as the artist to meet shoppers
and collectors, and promote your work. Meeting the artist is a big deal to many
people; they are more likely to make a purchase when you are available to speak
with them about yourself, your work and their needs.
Present a
solo show of the artist’s work. Galleries that have made a commitment to an artist and are
experiencing sales success may offer you a solo show to put a focus on selling
your work. Gallery shows are expensive. This type of promotion reflects a good
working relationship, and a profitable one.
Increase
the artist’s presence in the gallery through expanding to other collections. As you work with the gallery to make
sales, and are getting a good response from their customers, it is appropriate
for them to consider expanding your presence in their space. If you wholesale,
you might ask them for a commitment to increase their buy for the year. If you
consign, discuss any other collections that you make, and how they may be
displayed.
Use your
images in advertising their gallery or store. The flip side to providing those excellent
photographs is having your art featured on postcards, in advertisements, online
ads and more. Compelling images grab attention and pull customers in the door.
When your work is used to attract those shoppers, it’s a win/win arrangement.
You can
build a strong, reciprocal relationship with a gallery that pays off for both
of you. Start with that basic trust, and following through by taking
responsibility in helping the gallery sell, you become a very important
partner. Artists who stand back and assume that the gallery will take over all
marketing and promotion do themselves and their galleries a disservice.
The next
time you have an opportunity for representation, or gain that opening order,
consider ways you can step up and increase your importance to the gallery, and
add to the success of both of your businesses.
