The Art of the Home Show: Five Ways to Close Way More Sales

Eric Smith - CEO of Artexpo and Art Market Tools

I’ve taken the art off the wall, I’ve got the clients into the viewing room. So why aren’t they buying? I certainly talked up the art, and they definitely like the piece. I asked for the sale. What do I do next?

I cannot count the number of times this has happened to me. Early on in my career as an art dealer, I learned that if I offered to take pieces to a prospective client’s home, my chances of closing the sale increased exponentially. In fact, most of my clients were a little surprised. “You’ll do that?” they’d ask. “I would be happy to!” I’d reply, “When is a good time for you?” I would book the appointment and show up on time. But showing up’s only half of the story. Coming prepared and handling yourself well can go a long way in helping close a sale.

First, though, lets back up a little and take a hard look at how you get to the point of asking, “Would you like me to bring the art to your home so you can see it in your own environment?” These are just a few pointers before we jump into the finer points of the Home Show.

1. Look Confident While Handling the Art

If you’ve taken the piece off the wall and carried it to another location (hopefully a viewing room) they’ve taken notice. A good salesperson can hoist a piece down comfortably, even if it’s double hung and high on the wall. If you jiggle it and make them flinch, they’ll start thinking, “Don’t bring that to my house; you might break something.” You’ve got to look relaxed and comfortable while handling the art.

2. Establish a Rapport

This is very important. Have you found something in common with the client? You’re not just selling art, you’re building a relationship and creating a collector. If you’re going to invite yourself to his or her home, you should be prepared to add something beyond your initial encounter at the gallery. Let me give you a personal example. I like wine. One of my clients shares the same passion. He especially likes port, he told me over a discussion at the gallery. I secured a date for the home show. Prior to my meeting, I found the port he likes, even the same vintage. He was shocked. Needless to say, I closed the sale and established a new client.

3. Plan Ahead

Clean the glass and frame, wrap the art, treat it with care, act as if they already own it. Bring a hammer, hooks and white gloves. Prepare the Certificate of Authenticity. If the artist has a book, bring a copy.

4. Ready to Go? Not just yet. Think.

You’re making a huge effort, loading the art, driving to the client’s home, unloading the art, educating him or her and hanging the art. But what happens if they don’t like that “exact” piece? Bring more, as backup. Bring 6 if possible. Your efforts will be rewarded! In fact, maybe they’ll buy a couple of pieces.

5. When You Arrive: Put on a show!

This is your time to shine. You’re the expert and the client wants to be entertained. It’s fun to buy art, and everyone loves improving the look of their home. Don’t be shy – be upbeat. This should be an exciting time for everyone. Unload all of the pieces first. Unwrap and stack them face to face, and back to back. Explain why you’re doing this while you’re unwrapping, giving them some insight on how to treat art. This is a good time to talk about the care of art, how to clean the glass or frame, whether or not you can dust an original and so on. Once you’ve finished, start with the piece they last saw in the viewing room.

Hang It on The Wall.

Put a hook in the wall and hang it. But first get permission. An easy way to ask is, “I assume you’re going to buy something soon, so I hope you don’t mind if I put a hook in the wall, at least it’s there, even if we don’t find a piece today.” This sends a message: I’m your salesperson and I will find you a piece that fits this space!

Step back and let your clients admire the piece in their own surroundings.

Read their faces – you’ll see in their eyes if they love it or not. If they like it, simply say, “I’m happy we found the piece for this space.” You’ve just implied two things: 1. They bought it. 2. There are other spaces to fill.

Move on to the next piece.

You should feel comfortable about showing them more. Take a look around their house, ask them for a tour, you’ll be able to pick spots for their next purchase.

My record sale to a client in a single evening was 17 pieces. The clients chose art for many rooms, including their hallway, where a number of fun pieces (James Rizzi) were hung very low so their kids could enjoy them too.

Eric Smith, CEO of Artexpo New York & former Vice President of Summit Business Media. Smith spent 8 years at Martin Lawrence Galleries, managing over 20 locations and 105 employees selling Warhol, Rosenquist, Rauschenberg and more.