Lesson four. Gratitude

The Attitude of Gratitude

Nothing will make you stand out more from other artists than consistently and repeated saying,
"Thank you."

• Say it in person
• Say it in an email
• Say it in a handwritten note. 
• Say thank you when you make a sale

Say thank you to your buyers.

Want your thank you to have even more power and make the receiver think, "Wow! that was really nice"?  Add personal details.  Don't just say, Thank you for buying my painting. 

Say something like this;
Dear Mary/ Hi Mary/ Hello Mary  - give a salutation with the buyers name

It was great to see you in the studio/ talk to you on the phone/ meet you at the art show.  And I'm so glad you choose "Rose in Bloom" to add to your collection.  It's one of my favorite pieces and it means so much to me that I got to meet the owner.  By the way you described your powder room I know it will look great there. (or any kind of details from your encounter, something that let's the buyer know that there was a connection and they mean something to you)

Enjoy the painting,
Thanks again,
your name

I like to send buyers an email as soon as they purchase, or a shout out on Facebook, and then a written thank you about a week later.

Make your buyers feel important, special and loved.

Say thank you to art organizations and show sponsors

Email is probably better for organizations.  It can be short.

Send it to the director. Say something like,

Dear {Name},
thank you for hosting The 3rd Annual Art in the Park, I was honored to participate and everyone had a great time.
sincerely,
your name

Thank your fellow artists;

A shout out on Facebook is fine,  "Thank you @Susan for inviting me to paint with the plein air painters this week.  It was fun, loved your painting."

This last one is hard

Say thank you even when you are rejected or don't get a positive answer.

This can be very brief. 

"Thank you for taking the time to look at my application. I'm disappointed I wasn't accepted, but I look forward to applying again." (or whatever)

Always say thank you if you've made a personal outreach to someone for a favor or attention.

True story

An artist saw my Facebook video about the sales class and my thoughts on artistic growth.  She sent me a personal message with a tale of woe and how Guild Hall (a local co-op gallery) was too expensive.  She said she was going to come by and chat with me. 

I replied that she hadn't said what see wanted to chat about

 If it was about showing her art in my gallery, regrets I'm not excepting new artists. If it was about help selling her work, I couldn't do that because it wouldn't be fair to the artists who had paid for the class.  She could join the class or schedule a private coaching session.

I never heard a word back. Nothing-Nada-Zilch.
  
A simple thank you would have given me the feeling that she appreciated my feedback.  Instead I was left with the feeling that I wasted my time. And now I have a very negative opinion about a person I've never  met. That's a shame, it's possible she's very nice, but clueless.

Moral of the story, Don't be clueless. Say thank you as much and as often as you can.

In Closing

You now have a step by step blue print for being seen as an artist whose work is for sale. You are no longer clueless. 

Go forth and prosper!

Wishing you every possible success, you deserve it!
Maggie

P.S thank you so much for being part of this class.  It has been a pleasure to learn more about you, your work and your artistic journey. 


P.P.S.  are you ready for a few "next level" steps?
If you are I've got a bonus lesson for you.

Make sure you have the first four lessons working before you start Lesson Five.

If you're ready, head on over to Lesson Five