A recent plea for help…I NEED HELP!! Despite all my efforts at selling my art, I am not selling except for small 2- and 3-figure pieces occasionally. What am I doing wrong?
Let me ask you a few things first…
How do you feel about sales? How comfortable are you selling you art? How ready are you to part with your creations? Most of the artists I coach have some problem either valuing their art, parting with their art or a combination of the two. By valuing your art I do not mean the monetary price…I mean believing that it has a monetary value!!!
With all the talk about manifesting your destiny, I know one thing to be most true…it’s one thing to ask the Universe for something, it’s a whole different thing entirely to ask a human being for something!
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The Surprising Secret of Sales
You must learn to ask for the money!!!
Chances are, if you are creating good art and you are not able to sell, the problem lies within your own self worth and ability to ask for what you want. I understand this completely…as I have suffered from the inability to ask for what I need. If I can’t do it myself, well…I will just do it myself anyway!!! See Recovering Super Woman for more about this.
What is your emotional response when someone tells you, “No.” ? Really try to answer this question as therein lies the root of your problem.
Most people with this problem have some sort of underlying belief or fear about sales or money. You may hold some inherited beliefs about money from your parents, and worse, you may have tied it to your own self worth…the foundation to fear of selling!!
What does this have to do with marketing? Everything…because your beliefs can cause you to sell massive amounts of art or sell little or none!
A very successful artist I know (and you probably know her too) recently told me when she finishes a piece, she actually invites the person who is supposed to own it to come get it…thus energetically releasing the work to be sold. I you think this is too airy fairy for you…she has sold EVERY piece of art she has created in the past four years!!!
God/Spirit/the Universe is your source, but the money must flow THROUGH people to get to you. What are you resisting that is keeping the money from coming to you?
And when in doubt, ask for help from someone who is where you want to be. Very few things will help you more than a good mentor.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Rebecca E. Parsons and Debra Disman, Rebecca E. Parsons. Rebecca E. Parsons said: Monday Marketing Minute #8…How Do You Feel About Selling Your Art? Fear of Selling you art!!! http://bit.ly/bbx0Au […]