When i was nineteen, fivteen years ago, i started selling paintings door to door, just wanted to share my experiences in sales and how i still try apply the same strategies today to make money on the internet! So to further explain these paintings were chinese replicas. We just rang the bell in new built neighbourhoods, asking if they wanted to see our new selfmade paintings, playing the art student. So in those days people didn't have the information to find out easely that it was all fake(people didn't say google that yet).So as you can expect most people said no, but once in a while when i presented myself with my best smile:) eventually somebody let me in and it was game on...
So when i entered a house, there were a couple of key rules for the first five minutes. I needed to get those people to like me more and further tickle their curiosity towards my art. So after introducing myself, explain to them that i came to their place to promote young artist from the artschool of amsterdam trying to save up for their own gallery/exposition room, and a quick look around, the things i like about their place the most got a little compliment and iff they allready have art we would have a talk about that first. After these people feel like i am a welcome guest that likes them too, and appreciates their decoration and art(which a painting is a part of) its time for phase two.
So when i got settled with my coffee it was storytime... Most times i carried around twenty paintings with me everytime so thats about twenty small storys...Mainly these storys where about the inspiration sources of the paintings and their makers, which could be anything from travel and culture to spiritual mumbo jumbo. Also important for me, was to give these peope a nice show. So instead flipping over the painting one by one, i took one out while telling a little story about the idea behind the work and who made it, while doing that looking at response of the potential buyers, so when a positive reaction was visible that was allways a good time to throw in something extra. Obviously when people liked a piece it was my favourite too and if i hadn't told them yet perfect time to tell them i made it myself:). Next question was mostly wht do they cost?iff that wasn't asked earyer allready. First response was allways do you know what an oil painting this size cost in a real art gallery? which was allso a set up to my next selling point:) and then i would come up with a rediculous number lik a thousand euro's. So that was a lot of money and after a short pause, but our price is hundredsixty euro's;) And as you know, we are saving up for our own gallery, and everyone who bought a painting of us during our collecting investment period, is invited for the grand opening in hopefully so an so much time... And if that is not enough if you have doubts about the painting(s) you chose you are allowed to change it for any same priced painting at the exposition... So you will have something you like soon even if you discover later you're not totally content with this one.
Most people had never been to an exposition opening, so just the invitation was a good selling point, but it was allso an argument for people that still had doubts.
So after putting twenty paintings on display which averages 30 minutes or more it was selection time. Most times it was obvious what people liked so my strategy was to pitch at least three different style paintings, then take the people all around the house holding the paintings against the wall for them while they were looking if they liked it on that particular spot. Then gave them my personal opinion, which was allways, looks good actually;)
So after agreeing on which painting(s) they would like to take they would allso give me their contact information, that we told them was to send them the invite to our exposition but really was so we could locate where we had been selling allready:) so we didn't come back in the same place twice...
So what does this have to do with making money on the internet?
If you read this story you understand that just like the people i sold those paintings to, you were curious about the story and thats all there is to it. Everyone likes stories so a good story will allways make money if it is well presented:)
Thanks for reading
(And excuse my pour english:)