Building Trust at Art Shows Requires New Skills and New Words
Mckenna Hallett of MygoldenWords.com - Article source ArtsyShark.com
In other words, you need your prospective buyer to know -beyond a shadow of a doubt- that you are interested in what they are interested in. To be crystal clear: they are, we ALL are, mostly interested in ourselves. If you appear to be more interested in YOURself, you lose THEIR interest.
"But wait!" you say. "How can I create interest if I don't talk about me and my process and me and my background and me and my thoughts about my art? They need to get to know me, don't they? How will they know I am valued, what my art represents, and that it is worth consideration?"
Well, sure…they need to understand your value as an artist, but they want to know about the things THEY care about. (Read that again and really drink it in!)
Today, the average attention span is about eight seconds. This is especially true during the early phase of first-time engagement. Those first eight seconds need nurturing to expand into ten, fifteen and more. The way to sustain interest in your art is to turn the conversation into whatever subjects interest them – the quicker, the better!
The Four Dirty Little Words
The easiest way (although it takes some practice!) to make sure you are keeping it more about them and less about you is to get rid of the Four Dirty Little Words: I, Me, My, Mine, as much as possible.
Find ways to convey your information by increasing the use of You and Yours and use third party references like owners, collectors, or patrons. For example:
- Collectors of large work are thrilled to have so many choices for their big spaces. Do you have a space that can handle this size?
- Have you collected______________? (Fill in the blank with your medium and/or genre.)
- What most art patrons love about this collection/series/piece is _______________.
- Did you notice ______________?
- Is there a certain room you have in mind for your next piece of art?
- While many serious collectors start with a small original, there are some wonderful limited-edition prints you might want to consider, also.
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