Think outside the gallery to boost sales: many successful gallery owners and publishers have discovered that one of the best ways to score new clients and retain old ones is to take your art on the road to businesses and residences - strategy

Art Business News, July, 2002 by Jessica Lyons

"You can't just sit in the gallery and expect clients to call on you. You have to find a way to get in people's homes and make calls to their offices," said Deljou Art Group's Daniel Deljou, pointing out a fact that successful gallery owners in a slow economy already know.

One of the best ways to boost your client base during rough financial times is to pursue residential and corporate clients on their own turf.

Most customers have more than one empty wall space waiting to be filled, said Kennebeck Edition's Jill Muller. "I don't know why more galleries don't offer to bring framed pieces to people's homes," she said. "When you've got something up on the wall with a frame around it, and you're telling them how beautiful it looks, it's hard for them to say no. Once you get the art in a customer's house or office, chances are really good that you're going to make the sale."

ArtHaus Gallery co-owner James Bacchi added, "It's so important for people to see the work in their home, because then they truly get a sense of what it's like to live with that work."

"For the most part, our clients have very little free time. They are extremely busy people, so the service that we provide is really appreciated by them," he added.

"It's just about offering really good customer service," said Muller. "People are so customer-service oriented these days. Customer's can't just get [a particular artist] in just one place, they can get it in 50 different galleries. If you're not offering good customer service, they will go get it somewhere else."

Muller takes good customer service to the extreme, flying regularly between Boulder, Colo., where her company is based, and California to place art in client's homes. She brings a variety of paintings, framed and unframed pieces and even sculpture, clients can take for a test drive, on their walls and in their homes.

"I don't charge them to come, I don't charge them an hourly fee, and I usually give them a little discount because they are out of state. What they're getting from me is a free service and a good price for the art," Muller said.

On-the-Road Strategies

There are several important things to keep in mind when taking your art on the road. "Speak softly and carry a good portfolio," advised Deljou. Small galleries have limited wall space and therefore a limited number of art pieces hanging on the wall. So it becomes important for galleries and even publishers to travel, make sales calls and "carry a portfolio with a sizeable inventory so you can make presentations to your clients without looking like a small gallery," Deljou said.

In addition, Deljou and other publishers, gallery owners and interior designers said the best way to guarantee a residential or corporate sale is to carry at least one framed piece of art into homes or offices.

"Let the customer hang it on their wall," Deljou said. "Even if they don't like the particular piece, once the art comes down, there's an empty space on the wall that needs to be filled sooner or later."

Gallery owners don't necessarily need to fly out of state to place art in homes and offices, however. It's likely there are houses and buildings in the neighborhood that need an interior face-lift. Muller's has even placed artwork in her next-door neighbor's home.

But first, do the homework, Muller said. "You have to find out what their tastes are. I have never met these people, so the first thing I ask is; `What is the style of your home? Is it very contemporary, very traditional? What are your colors? Are there any artists you like? Are you looking for a fireplace piece? A bedroom piece? How many spaces do you want to fill? Would a horizontal work fit better than a vertical?'"

At ArtHaus, the gallery space is a San Francisco apartment, so customers see real art in real rooms--in context as opposed to seeing art in a commercial gallery.

"We've found that to be a tremendous help, especially for beginning collectors," Bacchi said. "They get a sense of scale and how different types of pieces can fit into their homes, from paintings to works on paper to sculpture and photography."

Bacchi said he maintains these clients by remembering their favorite artists and decorating styles. Sometimes he will see a new work by a particular artist, and a particular client will come to mind.

"We're always doing that--calling existing clients and saying, `this painting came in that would be so great for your dining room, and you've been waiting for a piece for that wall for almost two-years now ... they really enjoy that kind of service," said Bacchi.

For gallery owners considering offering. an art consultation service to residential and corporate clients, Muller said it is amazing what word-of-mouth can get you. You may visit one house and end up with several new buyers.

"The way it started, I had a friend who moved there, bought a new home and needed a few pieces of art," Muller said. "Now, she has friends who are very wealthy, they see her home and say `Wow, where did you get the art?"