Sell Art to Companies

When I worked for a big finance company I noticed that the walls were decorated with paintings who I later discovered were the works of artists known in the art industry. Expensive art pieces such as figurines and statues also decorate our company’s boardrooms, showroom and other major rooms in our building.

They Can Be Investments

I later learned that the company did not just purchase these art pieces just for show. They were also investments by the company which have supposedly already increased in value and can be considered as another of the company’s products which can be sold. Many companies are actually doing this if they have spare capital.

In fact when the finance company I worked for ceased operating one of the last items to be sold were the art pieces of the company. I did not know if the company suffered losses in selling the art items when they were desperate and in need to liquidate as much of the company assets as they can.

One thing is for sure though these items must be treated as investments and not as just expensive decorations and must be sold once profit can be made. Often many people whether individual or companies develop emotional bonds or ownership pride with their decorative possessions that they do not even dispose these items even though they are losing money for them.

Of course companies do not need only to have expensive decorations in the premises. They can also decorate their premises with affordable and even cheap decorations. What you need as a seller of decorative art items to companies is to find out which items complement a company. For example an expensive piece of art will look out of place in a company that mostly hires low paid workers.

Photography Art

If I were to sell to companies art I would start with photography art. They can be produced cheaply and since art is considered subjective in value I would just need to find buyers who appreciates my photography art. I can sell any subject about the company I can think of. I can take pictures of the company’s buildings, properties, products and so on.

I can document the company as time passes by. I can photograph worker portraits, workers doing their everyday tasks, important events in the company and sell these as multiyear photography products. I can document a company’s growth or demise and with digital storage so cheap these days I can afford to take as many photographs as I want.

The reason for this is most companies do not have a dedicated person who records the progression of a company as time passes by. You can be that person. You can extend your services to creating annual calendars and other print materials for the company. Normal people might not consider such materials as art but to repeat: art is subjective.

You can even give companies free samples of your photography work. When you have developed good relations with the company then you can start selling them other kinds of decorative art such as paintings, sculptures, statues and so on. What you need to concentrate on is presenting these products as investments which can be sold at a higher price later.

Sell Ancillary Products as Well

You can also sell ancillary products like glass protective coverings for statues and lighting fixtures which highlight the art. The company I used to work for initially did not install protective glass on their expensive art items but later when it was damaged decided to do so. The seller of these items could have made more money if they had also sold the protective glasses in the first place.

You should also sell insurance to the art items you are selling especially if they are expensive and delicate. You can emphasise that they can be damaged and even destroyed by careless or even bad people. Show articles and even photographs of art items vandalised or destroyed by vandals. There are many online examples such as by Googling “art destroyed by vandals”.

Expand and Network

You should also study the industry you are targeting to sell for. You could target the company’s competitors and other related companies who might become interested in your art products especially when you show pictures of your art products in the premises of your current company client. Do not forget to ask for referrals from your current clients.

Once you have sold your art products to a company do not forget about them. You should monitor their valuations regularly and inform the company as necessary. This would give you a reason to maintain your connection with the company. You can then present yourself as broker and find buyers of the art items in exchange for a commission.

Monitor also the performance of the company especially if they posted growth which means they have more cash to spend. You can make companies buy more art pieces from you to make their collection of certain art items more complete. You can persuade companies to do this everytime they have a financial windfall to commemorate the special event.

Lastly, try to get your company clients totally immersed in the art world by regularly informing them of any art financial developments. You can also introduce these companies to other companies which appreciate a similar artist or art item. This way you help them grow their business connections and you might benefit from their relationship.

Conclusion

Selling art to companies is just like selling other products where you can also sell aftermarket products and services. Many salespeople just concentrate on the big initial sale and totally neglect the bigger sales that could follow once a product is sold.