They appreciate your unique style, your experience, personality, your connection to them, and that’s a big part of why they will buy from you. People will purchase art from you, because they know, like and trust you. It may be helpful to see what other artists are charging to gauge what you might be able to charge, but don’t make the mistake of thinking you have to beat other artists’ prices. Then you can always point people to your price list and let it do the selling for you.Ĥ. Never charge people more because you think they are rich, or less because you think they are poor. Just charge what you charge. But I like 25, because it’s a little less risk for the client to take on, and it also gives me more incentive to finish the project. How much should you ask for a deposit? I ask for 25% up front. That way you can get to their portrait faster.Ī deposit is also very important because, with it, the client has “skin in the game.” They’re not as likely to back out of the project. You can tell them you need the deposit so that you’ll have them booked. Most of the time, however, they’ll be ready to make a decision if they indeed want a portrait, and not just merely curious. But get their phone number or email address so you can follow up with them. Of course, if they need to discuss it with another decision maker, that’s fine. If you just give them a business card and let them walk away, chances are, you’ll lose the commission. Then, once you have the client locked in on a price, encourage them to pay a down deposit on the spot. She took the lower price but looked at me strangely and the whole situation was awkward. I offered my client a price that was lower than what I originally quoted. Interestingly, I do remember a time when I negotiated my own price down. I can’t recall a time that’s ever happened to me. Because the client sees you have a precise criterion for what you charge-it makes sense-they will not quibble with your price. You simply show them the chart and say, “an 16 x 20 with two subjects will be this much, and a 24 x 30 will be this.” You point to the prices and let the chart do the work. You should know how many people will be in the portrait. With a price chart all you need to do is ask your client what size they would like–roughly–and then show them a couple of options. Going to a client meeting to discuss a portrait without a price chart in hand is like going to a smorgasbord buffet line without a plate in hand. First of all, create a price chart as I did. Raise your prices over time as you build up your clientele.ġ. Charge a fair price for your work, be patient, keep doing portraits, don’t give up when it’s tough, and you will see the results. So, then, should you charge more at the onset and just watch the sales roll in? I have been raising them slowly, about 10-20% every year. I was scared to, but it didn’t hurt my business at all. My wife encouraged me to raise my prices. That was foolish, because we aren’t painting 100% of the time and we have materials and marketing costs. When I first started I thought I was going well to make minimum wage. The point I’m trying to make is that charging less for your work does not equate to more sales. God did provide one eventually, but I need to learn to trust in Him and be patient. And amazingly, at that time, I was struggling to get even one commission! I remember praying every day for a month for a commission, after doing all I knew to do to bring in some work. You can see my prices have almost doubled since 2014.
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