10 art buying decisions every artist should know

When it comes down to buying an art piece, buyers usually go through a lot of decisions in their mind. At this point, it’s up to you to tell your story and sell the artwork with keeping the conversation going. In this article, I’ll list ten common decisions buyers are making when they express interest in your work, and give you some advice on how to get a ‘yes!’ on the majority of these list items.

1. Is it my personal taste?
This is the one decision you can’t really influence as a seller. The most important thing in buying art remains the personal taste and the first spark of interest when seeing your work for the first time.

2. Do I emotionally connect with your story?
This is where you come in. With telling your story, you give your potential buyer the opportunity to relate to it and understand why you do what you do. If the message you are sending out with this particular piece is something this person has an emotional connection with, you are more likely to sell it to them.

3. Was it made with great care?
People value good craftsmanship. Artwork doesn’t always have to be very complex or reflect years of work, but human beings have the gift of recognizing things that were made with great care, and they’re easily turned off by ‘easy’ work made just for getting a quick sell. Be sincere and put all your energy in every single piece; your audience will reward you for it.

4. Do I have sympathy for you, the artist?
Part of telling the story about the piece and yourself is likeability. People are more likely to buy your art when they have great sympathy for you, so when you get the chance to speak to them, just be your friendly self and show interest in their life and their story as well.

5. Would my spouse also love this?
Most buying decisions are made by or in agreement with spouses, so when you talk to someone who’s in a relationship, give them the opportunity to come back with their spouse later and have the chance to talk to them both.

6. Will it work well with other pieces I own?
People are often worried if the new piece will work well together with the rest of their collection or if it even fits in their interior. Sometimes they have a specific area in the house in mind when looking for art, so help them imagine this when they are thinking about buying your art.

7. Is it fairly priced?
For most buyers, pricing will also be a big art buying decision. Since art usually is something that relates to ‘wanting’ more than ‘needing’, it is more important to focus on how much the potential buyer ‘wants’ your piece. You’ll notice that money becomes a less important factor when the ‘wanting’ emotion increases.

8. Is it an investment?
Some art buyers will want to make an investment, so give them a heads up on how your work is doing, what parties have expressed interest in you and what your ambitions are for the coming years. Investors usually love work by unknown artists and they definitely want to discover you before everybody else does.

9. Can I become a collector?
When someone expresses interest in a particular piece, give them an overview of the rest of your collection as well. If they feel a connection with all of your work, they will more likely want to become a collector and will love the feeling of starting this collection with the one piece you’re discussing with them.

10. Will I still like it years from now?
Because buying art can be a big expense to some, they will also make the decision based on whether they would still like it a couple of years from now. If you see them hesitating about this, ensure them that it is not a “trend” object and that it is made to last.