Many years ago I owned an art gallery. One particular night, a young couple came into the gallery. I greeted them as them walked in and made sure they felt welcome. They acted surprised. I questioned them about their reaction. It turns out they had been to several other galleries that evening and had been ignored. They told me up front that they had no money to spend on art, they just wanted to have an enjoyable evening looking at art.
So, I gave them the tour. It didn’t matter to me if they could afford any of the artwork in my gallery. They still deserved to be treated with respect. They were so appreciative of the attention that I gave them that they actually did end up buying a note card. Okay, so it wasn’t a major purchase, but they were so grateful that I treated them in the way that they wanted to be treated that they spent what little money they had to buy something from me.
The point is, you can’t judge someone based on their looks. I didn’t know if this couple had money or not. Nor did I know if they wanted to purchase a piece of art. However, they walked into my gallery space and that in and of itself qualified them to get my attention.
I have heard stories of artists at shows who ignored or mistreated a customer based on their looks. For example, the scruffy looking customer in the ragged jeans who turned out to be a famous rock star.
So, next time you are at a show selling your work, be sure you talk to everyone, even the kids. You never know if the next person you talk to could lead to your next sale.
So, I gave them the tour. It didn’t matter to me if they could afford any of the artwork in my gallery. They still deserved to be treated with respect. They were so appreciative of the attention that I gave them that they actually did end up buying a note card. Okay, so it wasn’t a major purchase, but they were so grateful that I treated them in the way that they wanted to be treated that they spent what little money they had to buy something from me.
The point is, you can’t judge someone based on their looks. I didn’t know if this couple had money or not. Nor did I know if they wanted to purchase a piece of art. However, they walked into my gallery space and that in and of itself qualified them to get my attention.
I have heard stories of artists at shows who ignored or mistreated a customer based on their looks. For example, the scruffy looking customer in the ragged jeans who turned out to be a famous rock star.
So, next time you are at a show selling your work, be sure you talk to everyone, even the kids. You never know if the next person you talk to could lead to your next sale.
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