Real Relationships Equal Revenue

(Transcription)

Ann Rea: (00:01)
Hello everyone! Welcome back to day three of the five-day workshop for Making Art Making Money™. I’m just going to go ahead and link into our private Facebook group. 

Ann Rea: (00:14)
If you haven’t joined, make sure you do. Joie, if you would please just put a link to the Private Art and Money Masterclass Facebook group in case people attending right now, have not joined. You definitely want to join because we are offering complimentary coaching this week inside of the Facebook group. And if you do all the homework, then you could qualify for actually getting a complimentary session with Jina. So you definitely want to do this. Alright.

Ann Rea: (00:48)
We also have Travis and Jina here for the pre-show, which is great because it gives you an opportunity to listen to someone other than me about the Making Art Making Money™, and what kind of transformations they’ve experienced, what kinds of things that they learned that maybe you’re wondering about. And you’re welcome to ask them questions. 

Ann Rea: (01:12)
So, Jina, Travis, Joie. Just accept my invitation. Hey there, Travis! Hey there, Jina! So I have an interesting question to ask you guys. ’cause, and I know like you’re, you guys are both in touch with this. I think, you know, a lot of people will wonder, “Oh, what if I fail? What if it doesn’t work for me?” And I’m curious, what do you– Travis, you’re muted. What do you think when people–what do you think if people fail in the program or if people are struggling in the program, why do you think that is? And I’m asking you this because I think that the answers to why people would struggle in the program are the same reasons they struggle outside of the program. But I’m curious, what do you guys think? What’s the top reason people like–

Jina Kim: (02:21)
In my opinion, people who are struggling–I mean, I’ve got to admit, I was one of the struggling students. And then I succeeded. I’m not lying. Like I struggled. I was one of them. I was. 

Ann Rea: (02:32)
So, okay, this is a great point because the struggle is part of it so don’t worry, like exactly. Alright. 

Jina Kim: (02:38)
I, at that moment, when I was struggling, I had the moment where I’m like, “Am I the case? Am I the failing case in this program?” I had that doubt even in the middle of the program too. But now I’m looking back, I realize the reason why I was struggling was because number one, I tried once or twice, like some, I tried what Ann suggested once or twice, and then I didn’t get the immediate result. I didn’t get that hundred thousand dollars right now. 

Ann Rea: (03:09)
Damn it.

Jina Kim: (03:10)
So I was like I felt like a huge failure. Whoah! This is not happening. Like, in my mind that created even the belief that “This is not happening, this is not happening. I’m the failure. I’m the failure.” So my limiting beliefs that I already had before I joined the program, it got amplified because like, “Oh, I tried once, but it didn’t work, so it’s not going to work.” So that was my one struggling reason. 

Ann Rea: (03:39)
Yes.

Jina Kim: (03:40)
And another one was actually I’m an introvert, so it’s really hard for me to come out and say, “Hey, I need help.” I’m struggling with– this is the areas I’m really, I was really scared about whether, what if the community judges me and and yells at me or something like that. That was hard to actually overcome personally.

Ann Rea: (04:04)
Yes. Yes. So a lot of artists are introverts and the one thing, like even in this five-day workshop, but you have to understand is even if you’re afraid of asking a question, you should ask it because that’s why you’re here. And if you have a question, somebody else probably has the damn question and you’ll be helping them by asking it. So that is one thing. And what Jina said, she tried one or two times and then it didn’t work. Well, of course not. Like, can you imagine learning how to ride a bike one or two times, or learning how to make art one or two times, and then you didn’t completely master it, so you gave up? You have to take that same level of commitment and persistence to learning how to market and sell your art.

Jina Kim: (04:58)
Another thing actually, I remember now is that every process, every each class I take, each step I take, I had to get over myself and I have to come out of a comfort zone. And then it was like every step was the growth. And it is super hard because it’s so like uncomfortable and I feel like, “Oh, I’m doing something wrong.” So that feeling actually made me think that, “Oh, maybe I’m struggling.” There was a part of it too.

Ann Rea: (05:30)
Right. And that struggling is natural. Like if a baby’s learning how to walk, they’re going to struggle. They’re going to fall, bump their head. You know, you wouldn’t yell at the baby and say, “Dammit, how come you haven’t learned to walk yet?” You’ve been at it for five minutes. Five minutes. So yes. So this is, so what’s the moral of the story here? The moral of the story is that learning, there’s some pressure on you when you learn. Right? And if you can’t take any pressure, well, you’re probably just not going to do well in life. I just hate to break it to you, but you know, that’s what it is. You’re trying to do something ambitious, sell your art. But I will tell you, if you do any of the things that we mentioned on the first day, 50 things, you’re not going to make it at all. I can promise you I would actually lay money down that you’re not going to make it if that’s all you’re focused on. And then secondly, it’s natural that if you’re trying all those conventional things that you know, your mindset’s going to be messed up. And that’s why we did the exercise yesterday to start to disassemble those limiting beliefs. So thank you very much for sharing that, Jina! 

Ann Rea: (06:44)
So you’re hearing from someone who’s been through the program. So Travis, you know, you’re coaching people in the program and they’re coming to you, and if they’re stuck or if they’re struggling, what are the common, most common reasons they get stuck or they struggle?

Travis Krause: (07:01)
So I’m going to rewind it back to what you said a little bit about those conventional things that people do, the 50 ways to not sell your artwork. People have grown up believing that those are the ways to do it. And so when they’re offered something new, it’s really hard for them to take it in. And so that’s what I’ve seen a lot is people don’t trust the process because they thought these other things were going to work and then they didn’t work. So their trust is already broken and compromised. 

Ann Rea: (07:32)
Right. 

Travis Krause: (07:33)
So taking on something new that’s kind of rebellious. It’s not really rebellious, it’s just outside of what you would typically see and it’s actually effective. I think it’s hard for them to trust the process. So that’s where I see people struggle the most, is they don’t trust the process and they don’t trust themselves. 

Ann Rea: (07:53)
Yes. I think they don’t trust the process because they don’t trust themselves. The process is proven. We have close to 300 video case studies of students who have experienced serious transformations and success using the process. So that’s like, you can’t dispute that. Right? But I think that’s what it boils down to. That’s why I keep asking you guys to rate your level of confidence. Because if you have confidence, then you’re willing to say, “Okay, I’ll give this a go. What I’m doing is not working, so why don’t I try this? Because this is apparently working.” It’s working so well that there’s a guaranteed offered. So, why not? Why wouldn’t you try it? What do you– so what do you say? What are– how do you coach people through that? And both of you can chime in. Jina and Travis. How do you coach people through this, like trusting the process or getting out of their own way and not giving up? What do you say to them? 

Travis Krause: (09:01)
I’ve noticed people have a tendency to modify things to what they think and not what is real. And so they take the instructions and they tweak them a little here and take a little away and add a little here. And pretty soon it’s not the same information.

Ann Rea: (09:18)
Right.

Travis Krause: (09:18)
So I just, I really go back and iterate with them the actual instructions, and then they kind of distill it and understand it better. And then they can implement it in a way that’s going to be effective rather than kind of combining the old and the new together. 

Ann Rea: (09:34)
Right.

Travis Krause: (09:35 )
They’re just taking the new stuff and then they can run with it. And I have to tell you, I just, I used one of the strategies you suggested to everybody that joins right away in the very beginning. And that strategy, just this week alone.

Ann Rea: (09:51)
Really? What? Tell us more, Travis. 

Travis Krause: (09:54)
So when people join, you give them a strategy for the Kickstarter before Kickstarter. 

Ann Rea: (10:00)
Yes.

Travis Krause: (10:01)
And I’m implementing that again. I’ve done it before, but you can recycle that or reiterate the same thing. And, it’s a very much largely a matter of just following what works and not changing. 

Ann Rea: (10:15)
Just follow the freaking recipe. Exactly. Don’t screw with the recipe. Don’t put in your old ingredients that are in the back of your refrigerator. Don’t use a different temperature in the oven. Just follow the freaking recipe and it works. And you already made a couple thousand bucks from it.

Travis Krause: (10:35)
Yes, I woke up this morning and had another deposit in my account. So–

Ann Rea: (10:39)
Okay. As Travis just said, he learned these two strategies in the beginning, but now he can rinse and repeat them as he continues on. He is not even in the program anymore. He’s using them now to sell his art. So yeah. And I bet you probably over time as you rinse and repeat, you’re probably more comfortable with it. You’re better at it, you’re getting better results. Right?

Travis Krause: (11:04)
Absolutely. In fact, I got a phone call about it today and the person who called me said how much they appreciate me for letting them in on what I’m doing. So it’s very different than trying to pull somebody. You’re actually attracting them rather than forcing them to do anything. 

Ann Rea: (11:21)
And this supports my point that I’ve made. You know, in the very beginning, people who care about art, care about the artists, they don’t care about the middleman. I can tell you, I know that Travis’ collectors care about him and actually help him develop his business, helped him pay off his mortgage early, helped him become a part-time instead of a full-time teacher. But rather than me bragging about Travis and Jina, which I love to do. Travis, is what I’m saying true?

Travis Krause: (11:55)
From what I–

Ann Rea: (11:56)
What is your experience?

Travis Krause: (11:56)
My experience tells me that it works. It’s true. It’s effective. And if you implement it and trust the process and don’t change it, it works. 

Ann Rea: (12:09)
Yeah. Yeah. And so that also speaks to what I’m teaching you during this five-day workshop. We are giving you homework assignments every day. Just do them. They don’t take a lot of time. Share your homework assignments in the Facebook group because like Jina said, first time you do it, it might not be right. So what? We’ll help you fix it. But if we don’t know what your homework assignment results are, we can’t help you. So I can’t encourage you enough. 

Jina Kim: (12:37)
I want to say one thing, one last thing. The good thing about having a mentor for me, having this program, for me Making Art Making Money was really, I may have done, I may had that attitude before. Like, “Okay, once didn’t work. Okay, I’ll try again. Try again, try again.” But if you do the wrong thing and try it again, again, you just lose money and lose. The great thing about having a mentor and being in the program was that I knew– I know that it’s a right thing, it’s a right move. So even if I made one action and it didn’t work, that doesn’t mean that the action itself was wrong. I just have to do more, or I have to evolve or I have to get comfortable with it, or better at doing the same recipe. So, yeah, that was one good thing about having a mentor actually.

Ann Rea: (13:29)
And ask, you know, like, you have to have the courage to ask for help. And remember, you know, we want to help you. We’re not doing this. We want actually enjoy this.

Jina Kim: (13:38)
Yes.

Ann Rea: (13:39)
Just so you know, we actually really enjoy seeing people come into the program who’ve got a number of struggles. They’ve failed on a number of those 50 attempts. And then we just get to, we get the joy of seeing them evolve and seeing them win and seeing them sell their art and raise their prices and have more confidence and have more clarity and stop selling themselves and start serving a mission that’s greater than themselves. They’re different. I’m not exaggerating, but my students are different people. There are better versions of themselves once they’ve graduated from this program. But Travis and Jina, what do you guys think? Am I exaggerating? 

Travis Krause: (14:19)
I saw Jina of all a tremendous amount, like an unrecognizable version of Jina. 

Ann Rea: (14:25)
Yeah, for sure. Travis. 

Jina Kim: (14:26)
I bet Travis knows because he’s seen all my struggles, all my questions early in my program, asking all the questions. And Travis was there as a fellow student, so, yeah.

Ann Rea: (14:38)
Yeah. So Travis helped Jina and vice versa. And I’m glad when that Jina was like asking questions and asking for help and saying, “I’m struggling” is the only way I would’ve known because she was going to quit. Okay. During the pandemic. And had she not said that, I was like, “Oh, hell no! You’re not.” And I wouldn’t have known if she wouldn’t have expressed her frustration.There’s nothing wrong with being frustrated, just you have to be willing to do something about it. That’s really it. It’s like Making Art Making Money™ can be frustrating. You don’t give up. You don’t give up. It’s just part of the deal. It’s just part of the process. So thank you both of you for sharing your experience and encouragement.

Ann Rea: (15:22)
I’m going to go ahead and start the class and you know, I would highly recommend that you reach out to both Travis and or Jina and ask for some guidance. Ask them for help. Ask them to share their experience. Jina has a recorded, it’s really inspiring, recording of her experience that you can ask for you. Just send her a message and she will go ahead and share that with you. Travis also has resources. So if you feel like, you know, you want to ask one over the other, that’s fine. Just message them in the private Facebook group. That’s how you get to them. And make sure that you, you know, participate here to the fullest extent. Make– you know, we don’t have a lot of time together and you have the opportunity to learn a lot. All right, so Jina, just put in the chat her direct message to her Facebook group. So go ahead and click on that and I’m sure we can ask Travis to do the same thing.

Ann Rea: (16:36)
Alright, I’m going to get started. Welcome to the Making Art Making Money™ School of Business Five-Day Workshop. We’re on day three, so we’ve already covered on day one. And you can, if you missed it, you can watch the replay. Also, I highly recommend listening to the replays. I’m throwing a lot of information at you at once. So I would listen to the replays at least two or three times, you know, while you’re cleaning up, folding your laundry so that this stuff can start to penetrate your brain. Because truly repetition is the mother of learning. 

Ann Rea: (17:09)
So on day one, I’ve already saved you a ton of time, a ton of money and a ton of heartbreak and spared you needless rejection by reviewing the 50 most common mistakes that most fine artists don’t even know they’re making on day one. And then yesterday we talked about the four steps to eliminating your limiting beliefs, which no surprise you have them because those 50 ways are the conventional advice that we all get, including myself, and then it doesn’t freaking work. And then we think there’s something wrong with us. No, there isn’t. If you’ve already sold your art, then it stands to reason that you could be selling even more. If you had a proven process like Travis was describing, if you had an expert mentor like Jina was describing, and you had an informed, supportive network like Travis and Jina were for one another. 

Ann Rea: (18:05)
Now, today we’re going to talk about how real relationships equal revenue. Okay? So be sure to complete today’s homework and share it in our private Facebook group. If you complete all of it, you could win a private coaching session. Do yourself a favor, shut that phone off because once you’re interrupted by even a ding, it’s going to take you like literally 23 minutes to regain your full attention. And we need your full attention right now.

Ann Rea: (18:35)
So what are we requiring of you? I’m offering this live workshop at no cost. It’s just part of a goodwill marketing effort to help me identify perspective students. The recordings of this class are absolutely no cost during this week. After this week they’re coming down, they’ll be available, but they’ll cost $1,000. So my students are volunteering to help you, Jina and Travis because they’ve benefited from my mission. And so all we’re asking from you, all we’re asking is that you fully participate, you contribute in a constructive, respectful, and positive manner, which is what you got to be when you’re connecting with affluent collectors. So it’s good practice. I want to give you a warning. If you choose to be unprofessional, we will remove you without notice and you will be permanently banned. 

Ann Rea: (19:28)
So my promise to you today is to help you see how you can start connecting with people who are 82% more likely to buy your art and spend more money. That’s my promise today. And that’s so that you can start making a better living as a fine artist by saving money and time increasing your art sales, making more money and doing it with more dignity. Are you ready? If you’re ready, type into the chat or the comments in Facebook that “I’m ready.”

Ann Rea: (20:00)
You want to do this bcause when you engage your mind and your body by typing, you’re going to get a hell of a lot more out of this. It’s going to stick. So make sure you actually type. 

Ann Rea: (20:11)
Does any part of this feel real for you? “I wish I could receive more validation as a fine artist.” Anybody here, anybody wanting more validation as a fine artist? Type it into the chat. “I feel like I’m just throwing things up against the wall and only hoping that something will stick.” Is that you? “I can’t work any harder as a fine artist. I’m tired.” Is that you? “The years are slipping away. If I don’t figure out how to sell more of my art, I’m going to give up.” Does that sound like you? “If I give up on my art, a part of my soul will die.” Does that sound like you? It’s not uncommon. “When is my dedication and passion for my art going to pay off?” Does that sound like you? “Why do other artists with less talent sell their art? It’s just not fair.” How is that work selling and mine’s not. Does this sound like you? If you keep feeling this way, what’s at stake for you? Are you ready to make a positive change? If so, type into the chat here in Zoom or in the Facebook comments, “I am ready.” 

Ann Rea: (21:19)
So I want to give you a warning. I’m going to tell you what’s at stake for you if you don’t learn how to effectively market and sell your art. Now, some of you are going to say, “Oh, I can’t believe she’s saying this to me. She’s just trying to scare me. Oh no! I’m not.” I’m trying to warn you. This is very, very real. If you’re not producing a consistent profit from the sale of your art, you’re taxing authority could classify your artistic endeavors as a hobby. Why is that a big deal if this happens? If your taxing authority deems your artistic endeavors a hobby, then your income tax deductions will be disallowed. Disallowed. Why does that matter? Without income tax deductions, you’ll be unable to ever make a decent living as a fine artist. Don’t make this avoidable mistake. Check with your tax advisor and see where you stand. So if you’re nerve-wracked with worry that your taxing authority will deem your artistic endeavors a hobby preventing you from making a living as a fine artist, are you, then all you need to do is check with your tax advisor immediately and see where you stand. That’s all you need to do. And then this problem is solved.

Ann Rea: (22:35)
Okay? Then the next step is to learn how to generate consistent profits. But see where you stand today. If you lose the opportunity to make a good living as a fine artist, what’s at stake for you? Type that into the chat. Let’s keep this real type your answer into the chat or into the comment section in Facebook. 

Ann Rea: (22:53)
So now just, just imagine you can tell the scarcity and permission-based art establishment to shove it. This broken system is prioritizing their control over the art market. Creativity and talent, right? They don’t care about you. Like listen to what Travis said during the pre-show collectors care about you. Maybe you’re at a place now where you’re refusing to play a game that you’re never going to win, where you’re going to refuse to play a game, where the odds are deliberately stacked against you. It’s like going to Las Vegas, putting all your money and time down and hoping that that’ll work, that’ll make you rich. Not a good plan. That’s what it’s like to play the art establishments game. It’s losing game. The house wins, not you. Take your power back.  Imagine now you’ve got a supportive group of collectors who believe in your talent, and are willing to invest in your success. Listen to what Travis said during the pre-show. You’re selling your art through.

Ann Rea: (24:11)
Imagine you’re selling your art through a stronger network than you’ve ever had before. Because we’ve taught you how to build it and that ensures that your work is going to be purchased by people who truly appreciate it. And it’s allowing you to form deeper meaningful connections, which the middleman isn’t going to let you have. They’re going to keep you the hell away from your own collectors. And I’m going to show you today the real cost of that that’s going to blow your mind.

Ann Rea: (24:46)
Imagine you’re no longer alone. You’re not trying to figure this out all by yourself anymore. You got a little bit of guidance and support and you’re regaining your confidence, you’re avoiding unnecessary expenses and you’re achieving your goals. Imagine this, what would it feel like to take your power back from the scarcity and permission-based art establishment? Type your answer into the chat or into the comment section.

Ann Rea: (25:12)
My name is Ann Rea. I’m a fine artist just like you. And I’ve been an advocate and a mentor to thousands of other fine artists, photographers and craftsmen from 23 countries and counting since 2005. The scarcity and permission-based art establishment is preventing you from making a better living as a fine artist. They’re not helping. If something isn’t working, you need to go in the other direction. Zig where everyone else is zagging. You absolutely can’t keep doing something that’s not working, can you? I’m on a mission to help other fine artists just like you. Take your power back and today is the day to start making a better living as a fine artist. You don’t have to feel pushy. You don’t have to pay anyone a damn dime in sales commissions or referral fees. You do not need an expensive, complicated e-commerce site, even if it’s made for artists that you don’t even freaking own the URL when you can go to Instagram shops for free and you’ll get more traffic there than you will ever get with these lame ass e-commerce sites. Trust me. And you never have to write a cringey artist statement again, ever.

Ann Rea: (26:59)
So as I mentioned, when the Great Recession hit in 2007-2008. My art sales stalled despite all my previous success. That’s what happened. And then I was fortunate, I was flown to Toronto to meet Bob Proctor, host of the movie, “The Secret” and a personal development guru to do a painting for his 70th birthday. And he was on the phone with Ellen DeGeneres while I was there. I was at his house. He was on the phone with her talking to her about how to beat Oprah Winfrey’s daytime show ratings, which she did. And I witnessed how we can manifest our goals by seeing and feeling them as if they already existed. I mean, I’d watched “The Secret.” It sounded interesting, but then I saw it like I freaking saw it in real life unfold before me. Here’s the real secret though, that’s not revealed in the movie, okay? Success is 80% psychology, right? And it’s 20% strategy. If you don’t have a strategy, it doesn’t matter how optimistic you are, it’s not going to work. You need both. 

Ann Rea: (27:45)
Yesterday we covered part of that 80%, right? We’re starting to eliminate the limiting beliefs. Today we’re getting into some strategy. So after I became a student of luxury marketing, So after I became a student of luxury marketing, I started increasing my average sale price by 400%. I was in a short amount of time. That is outrageous for any business to be able to do that, really. And I never felt pushy. I never paid anyone a dime in sales commissions or referral fees. I never wrote a cringey artist statement again. And I started by generating 80% more sales on average. This increased a lot. And you’re going to see how much it increased today. And I kept 100% of my money and I only focused on one proven luxury marketing strategy, not 51. One. And how much did that one strategy cost me?  Nothing. Zero. Unlike all the other BS that we covered on day one- sales commissions, art show, booth fees, art fair fees, submission fees. Oh, I don’t think so. No! This is free. It’s free. So let me ask you if you can identify with any part of my journey. If so, what part answer into the Zoom chat or into the Facebook group. 

Ann Rea: (29:10)
So again, I’m going to ask you to make five shifts in your perspective today. And the first shift is that you need to take a moral stand. You need to recognize that real relationships equal revenue. People buy from people who they know they like and trust. It’s not complicated. You know this from firsthand experience. That simple. That’s the first thing. You have to understand. Recognize that real relationships equal revenue, healthy and respectful relationships are based upon honesty. That means that honesty is the best marketing strategy. Caring is the best sales strategy. I think everybody here can do these two things. Be respectful, be honest, and be caring. I think you probably can type into the chat if you can do those three things. because that I’m not kidding you, that’s what it takes. That’s it right there. That’s the formula. Pushy sales tactics will not fly with savvy, affluent collectors. It’s not going to work. So this includes social media or email blasts. Bad idea. So a lot of people are working really hard on trying to develop an email list before they know their niche. Big mistake, big mistake. Or they’re blasting people on social media with a painting a day or some other BS or art or a contest to join my email list. You’re annoying the s**t out of anybody who’s an affluent collector with this. Don’t do it. Save your energy. So let me ask you this. Are you ready to take a stand for your relationships, the relationships you have now, and the relationships you’re going to have with collectors in the future? Type your answer in into the Zoom chat or into Facebook group, “I’m ready to take a stand.” 

Ann Rea: (31:23)
Now, the next shift you got to take is you got to change your behavior. And it’s real simple. You just got to eliminate the middleman. And I’m going to give you the exact breakdown of how much it’s costing you, not just this year, but for the rest of your life as an artist. If you don’t eliminate the middleman along with your taxing authority.

Ann Rea: (31:47)
We’ve both– we’ve established you don’t have a fine art career and you’re never going to have one ever, because there are no jobs for fine artists. There’s only a few jobs for commercial artists, but that’s not who you are. As soon as you sell your art, then you have to file a profit and loss statement for your business, your art business. You have to pay sales tax for your fine art business. But if you’re approaching this like you’re updating your resume, like you’re looking for a job when you really own a business, when you’re proud of your list of exhibitions and showing your art, instead of focusing on a list of perspective collectors, you’re going to suffer. But it’s really not difficult to make this mental emotional shift. Let me just ask you this, you this. What if you had an employee who has taken 50-70% of your entire business revenue before you even got paid just taking it. What if you had that situation, what would you do? What if you had an employee preventing you from earning 80% more revenue on an average and keeping 100% of your money? What would you do with that employee? What if your employee had an employee who was driving you out of business? What would you do with that employee? Wouldn’t you fire them? I sure would. So guess who’s doing this? Your representatives. And I’m going to show you exactly how and why. So if you have representation right now, that’s who you have working for you. And it’s worse than you can imagine. On the upside, the opportunity is pretty unlimited. So even if they sell enough of your art, your representatives, and they pay you on time, the odds are very high right now that they’re going to go out of business because art galleries are struggling or another artist whose work sells better than yours is going to displace you. One of these two things is going to eventually happen. So you can’t rely on this. And I just don’t know. I haven’t met an artist who says, “Yes, my representatives sell plenty of my art. I’m just so pleased.” It doesn’t happen. Remember this, people who care about art, care about the artist. People who care about art, do not care about the middleman. They care about you. And if you don’t take charge of your business, what’s at stake for you? Type your answer into the chat.

Ann Rea: (34:36)
So the third shift is to use a secret strategy and leverage the exponential power of referral sales. I’m going to share with you my story of Carol and I. Carol was a collector of mine, an early collector. And we were sitting on the lawn at her house in Davis, California sitting on her white Adirondack chairs, sipping Arnold Palmer’s, which is iced tea and lemonade. And she said, “Why aren’t you a full artist? Full-time. You’re so talented.” And I said, “I don’t know.” I just don’t even know. I don’t even know. I don’t know. I didn’t know. So here’s the big favor that Carol did for me, and I’ll pass along to you. She just asked me a really simple question. 

Ann Rea: (35:27)
“How much art do you need to sell in 12 months to make a living?” Huh? I never thought about it. Why? Because I still thought I had a career and I didn’t remember I had a business. So write that number down everybody. How much art do you need to sell in a year to make a living? Write that number down right now. Put that in the chat. 

Ann Rea: (35:53)
Now, at the time, my corporate salary was $72,000. These are rough numbers, but it’s going to give you a pretty clear idea. My average PR sale price was at the time $2,000. Sometimes I sold things for more, some less, but the average was $2,000. So that meant if I sold 36 pieces at $2,000, I would replace my corporate salary of a corporate job. I couldn’t stand for $72,000. 36 divided by 12 months equals three three a month. If I just sold three pieces a month, I could quit my job. Cause three times 2000 is $6,000. $6,000 times 12 equals $72,000. Do you guys see this? So take your number that you need to live off of. Divide it by your average sale price and that’s how many pieces you need to sell a year. Divide that total number by 12. And that’s how many pieces on average you need to sell a month. That’s it. Take all this fear and all this noise, “I don’t know if I can. I don’t want to be pushy” like all that head trash and just look at the math. When I did this, I was like, “Damn! I could do this!” I mean, not this second, but I can see myself getting to three sales a month.

Ann Rea: (37:27)
I could see myself increasing my price so that I would have to sell even less, right?  So for example, $72,000. Let’s pretend I raised my price to $3,000. That means 24 pieces. 24 divided by 12 meant I’d only have to sell two pieces a month. Do you see how this is? So making a living as a fine art just boils down to math. Everybody, it really does. It’s not about critical acclaim, it’s not about mass exposure, it’s not about any of that. It’s just math. So Carol was an interior designer by trade. She didn’t use any of my art in her design projects by the way, because interior designers use art consultants. They’re typically not the best resources for selling your fine art. She just bought it small painting for her own personal enjoyment for $1,000. Okay? Then over the course of a year, she bought more pieces and she spent a total of $8,500. Then I used the secret strategy and I asked for a referral and I asked for a referral of the Making Art Making Money™ program. 

Ann Rea: (38:49)
And she introduced me to her boyfriend Fred. He owned a design firm. He’d remodeled his conference room and he wanted some art for it. So he purchased a piece for $2,000. Then Carol introduced me to Steve, an architect who she worked with. Steve had just remodeled his kitchen. So he bought a piece for $3,000.

Ann Rea: (39:11)
Then Carol introduced me to her very best friend, Barbara, who is a graphic designer, pretty successful one. She purchased a piece for $2,000. Then Carol and Kathy met each other. They didn’t know each other, but they talked about my work and me. So that inspired Kathy, a winemaker to purchase two small pieces for $1,800. 

Ann Rea: (39:37)
Kathy then referred me to Sandra, a winery owner, who over the course of a year purchased work totaling $9,800. Then Kathy introduced me to her friend and executive director at a nonprofit organization. And that friend of hers, Melissa, purchased a piece for $3,000. So within one year, using one strategy from one person, I generated $30,100 in sales and I kept all the money. 

Ann Rea: (40:14)
So referrals are the foundation of luxury marketing and sales and luxury marketing and sales is what you must master. There are many components to it, but this is the first primary foundational aspect to it. In order to sell your art, because art is a luxury, it’s not a necessity. You can have a philosophical debate about that all damn day. If it’s between paying for your kids’ new shoes because they’ve outgrown the other pair, or replacing that broken refrigerator or buying your art, what’s going to win? Right? If it’s got to be, it’s got to be someone who’s got the dough. Someone who’s affluent. You are not your customer. 

Ann Rea: (41:02)
And the great thing about referrals, as I mentioned earlier, is they don’t cost anything and they’re not that hard to get. And when you get a referral, the person who’s referred to you is 82% more likely to buy your art and spend more money on your art. Collectors prefer to buy directly from the artist. This is what the middleman does not want you to know. They’re desperate for you not to know this. That’s why they desperately try to keep you away from your own collectors. They even break the law in many jurisdictions by not disclosing your collector’s contact information, which they have no damn business doing because they never buy the inventory or it’s rare. They only can sign it. So it’s not their customer. Collectors want to know the artists. They want to know you. Like Travis said, during a pre-show, knowing you generates what’s called in luxury marketing terms “Conversational Currency. Okay? 

Ann Rea: (42:05)
Conversational currency generates more referrals and generates more sales. So you need to know your collectors. So what would’ve happened to me if the Pence Gallery in Davis, California had sold that painting to Carol? Because originally it was consigned in a group show at the Pence Gallery. Thank God they didn’t sell it, or I would’ve never discovered any of this. Do you ever notice, like sometimes you have this crushing disappointment turns out to be the best thing that could have ever happened to you. This was the best thing that could have ever happened to me and all the artists I tell about it. So here’s what would’ve happened, Carol would’ve purchased the piece for $1,000 because I always maintain the integrity of my prices. But the gallery would’ve taken their customary 50% sales commission of 500 bucks. And then because Carol was a first time buyer, they would’ve given her a customary 10% first time collector discount, taken another hundred bucks out of my pocket, leaving me with 400 bucks. So $400 in net art sales that year, or $30,100. There’s the math. Everybody making a living as a fine artist is just freaking math. It’s not as complicated as a lot of people want to make it. It’s not. If you don’t implement a sound referral strategy, what’s at stake for you? Well, here’s what was would’ve been at stake for me. Now what I don’t show you, because you probably wouldn’t believe it, is the exponential referrals that came from all those people that Carol introduced me to. So do you see this? 

Ann Rea: (44:05)
Not so crazy, but the fourth shift in your perspective, you got to get that glue that holds it all together. You got to implement a sound referral strategy. How can you make each of these four critical shifts that you can succeed? Shift number one is you got to recognize that real relationships really do equal revenue. You got to eliminate the middleman, because the middleman is costing you a hell of a lot more than just sales commissions. Way to hell more as we’ve established. And you got to leverage the exponential power of referral sales and you got to implement a sound referral strategy.

Ann Rea: (44:43)
And all of this is possible if you invest in a mentor who can encourage you to take the next step, like Jinna was talking about during the pre-Show. Anyone who’s committed to growth, you’ve got to invest in a mentor. Having a business mentor can provide several statistical benefits for entrepreneurs. According to one study, 70% of mentored businesses survive more than five years compared to the national average of only 30%, 70% odds or 30% odds. What would you rather have? Doesn’t it pay to invest in a mentor if that’s the statistical difference of the odds of you succeeding? Probably. Right?

Ann Rea: (45:29)
Another study by score, which is the senior core of retired executives found that 91% of mentored businesses report an increase in revenue. So it pays for itself as an investment, not an expense. A survey conducted by Micro Mentor found that 83% of entrepreneurs who received mentorship felt more confident in their business decisions. Is anybody here suffering from a lack of confidence? Probably you wouldn’t be here if you were a 100% confident. And it’s not your fault. 86% of mentored businesses report that their mentor helped them avoid costly mistakes. If making a better living as a fine artist is so important to you, if you’re seriously dedicated, if you’re a serious fine artist, why wouldn’t you stack the odds in your favor? No one succeeds alone. 

Ann Rea: (46:30)
Find the right mentor for your objective. If you need a hammer, don’t use a screwdriver. When I wanted to accomplish my goals, I worked with a coach from the Tony Robbins organization, Debra Russell. That’s what I needed at the time. Could Debra help help me sell fine art? Hell no! I shouldn’t know anything about it. So you can’t just go pick any mentor willy-nilly. You got to have, find someone who’s accomplished with what you want to accomplish and has helped other artists and can prove it and has a guarantee. PS there isn’t anybody else. But anyway, you get the point. You can’t do this by yourself. And if you could, you would’ve done it by now. So type into the chat. If you keep trying to figure this out by yourself without a mentor, what’s at stake for you? Just type into the chat.

Ann Rea: (47:31)
So when Rebecca joined, she said, “I was challenged with knowing my audience. So I felt like I needed to discount my fine art.” Big, big mistake. We covered this on day one because I caught her before she did this. She was about to spend $4,900 on vanity press. And I said, “Don’t do it!” And let me explain why she didn’t do it. She saved a ton of money. 

Ann Rea: (47:58)
So before Ivo joined the program, his average sale price was $250 USD. Now the average price is close to $2,000 for the same size. That’s a 700% increase in his price. 

Ann Rea: (48:14)
You can see the smile on his face when Gerberg joined. She said, “I never ever got really serious about my art in terms of building my own business.” Then she said, “Last week I sold three paintings. I’ve had many referrals. This has happened every single week. The strategy works.” So do you identify with any of the case studies I mentioned? If so, who do you identify with and why? Or maybe you identify with Jina or or Travis. Type into the chat. 

Ann Rea: (48:45)
So my promise to you today was to help you see how you can start connecting with people who are 82% more likely to buy your art and spend more money so that you can make a better living as a fine artist by increasing your sales, making more money and doing it with more dignity. I never felt like I needed to sell myself. All those people did it for me. 

Ann Rea: (49:07)
So did I keep my promise that I show you how it’s possible? Type your answer into the comment section. So what do you need to start making a better living as a fine artist? So you’ve got to recognize that real relationships equal revenue. You’ve got to eliminate the middleman. You’ve got to leverage the exponential of referral sales, right? You’ve got to implement a sound referral strategy, and you’ve got to invest in a mentor. So you got a choice. Isn’t that the good news? At least you, now, you know, you do have a choice. So how can we help? I can start helping you make a better living as a fine artist without ever feeling pushy, without ever paying sales commissions or an expensive elaborate e-commerce site ever, ever, ever. You don’t need any of it. And you’ll never have to write a cringey artist statement again.

Ann Rea: (49:57)
A lot of people say, “Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this?” Because I refuse to tolerate a longstanding grave injustice when I have the experience and the will to help solve it. My mission is to help other fine artists take their power. I mean, if you knew how to help someone, wouldn’t you damn well do it right? It’s simple. It’s fun too.

Ann Rea: (50:22)
So I’m accomplishing my mission, which is also another reason why I keep going. Alright. Does anybody have any questions? Lakshmi says, “Very helpful info, although it seems that many artists are more introverted and don’t have a large wealthy friend base. Any suggestions for these people?” Lakshmi, this is an excellent question. Jina, as she explained during the pre-show, was incredibly introverted and she didn’t know anybody. She just moved to this country from Korea and she didn’t speak English. So what we teach inside of the program is exactly how to sell. If you’re introverted or if you don’t know anybody, it’s a process to build those relationships. It’s a process to build those networks. There’s no like one answer, it’s a process. Just like, it’s kind of like asking, “Well, how do I make better art?” I mean I can give you some tips and tricks, but I can’t explain it really in a useful way with a one-sentence reply. It’s a process. But Lakshmi, it’s absolutely possible. 100% possible. What did Ivo attribute his huge increase to the program? If you listen to that interview, Lakshmi, it’s because of what I taught him. Most of my students are grossly undercharging when they come into the program. Typically, my students triple their prices, their average sale price, not just triple their price, but actually the price they get within six months. That is game-changing. That increases your revenue. That increases your profit, which you need to stay safe and you need in order to make a living. So that’s what we teach. 

Ann Rea: (52:12)
We teach how to create value above and beyond the art, which I will cover tomorrow, so that you can increase your prices. Rachel says, “Never getting my art career off the ground.” Rachel, you don’t have an art career and you never ever will. You’re never going to have an art career. But what you could have is a successful fine art business. Language really does matter because the language you’re using is reflecting what you think or what your knowledge is. So I’m pointing this out to you. Not to pick on you, Rachel, but to show everyone here, stop saying you have an art career when you don’t and you won’t. You, by legal definition, don’t have a career because you’re not getting a paycheck. What you have when you sell your art is a business. Someone who shows up to work and takes their lunch break at the appointed time and receives a regular paycheck, that’s someone who has a career. That’s not who you are. That’s not who you’re ever going to be as a fine artist, right? So you have to take on this entrepreneurial mindset, and it’s something that’s learned over time. It’s not going to happen overnight. 

Ann Rea: (53:40)
Jeff says, “I need more confidence.” Let–okay, Jeff. I you want more confidence, then absolutely do the homework. That’s the best place to start. 

Ann Rea: (53:50)
Ann says, “I won the Curator’s Choice award at the show at the Pence Gallery last year that night, and bought my art piece and made $280.” Okay, great! How much did they take? And how much did you pay to submit? Wow! Jeff says, “Wow! The math makes sense, but I need networking with people who have got  that luxury money.” Jeff, you’d start where you are with who you know now. That’s what all of my students did. That’s what Jina did, and Travis did. When I, and Jeff, I didn’t know anybody. I knew Carol.That’s all I knew. One person. One person. That’s it.

Ann Rea: (54:48)
Lori says, “What do you suggest if a person is very antisocial? I have no friends to then sell one painting.” You being antisocial, Lori, is frankly outside of the scope of the program that I offer. If you have antisocial behavior, that’s not something that I can realistically help you with. But if you are antisocial, you’re not going to do well in life, period. So I would work on that. I get therapy or read books and work on that because it’s something that you can absolutely overcome, Lori. You don’t have to live with that. The good news is you recognize it. That’s the first step. The second step is do something about it because life’s much more enjoyable and you know, more meaningful when you connect with people who you care about and who care about you. It’s really important and your art is an incredible vehicle to do this. 

Ann Rea: (55:59)
Ann says, “It seems like you had great connections already. The woman who bought quite a bit from you also had great connections.” Not really. No, it’s not true. Carol did not have a huge network. But it sounds like you’re really skeptical, Ann. And you can be that if you want. That’s fine. But remember what I just said, Ann. Jina came here, and didn’t speak a word of English. Very little and didn’t know anyone. She used the same process. She went from selling her paintings for an average of $250 to $12,000. She has millionaire clients. She has a billionaire client. So you can doubt this. It’s fine. I’m not going to try to sell you. I’m just showing you, here’s what worked for me. Here’s what worked for so many of my students. It’s up to you. When I moved to San Francisco, I didn’t know anyone. So I didn’t have great connections. I didn’t know anyone. No one. Carol was back in Davis. That didn’t help me. Okay? So it’s up to you. You could be super skeptical if you want to. works. But if you’re too skeptical, what happens next is you become cynical and you shoot yourself in the foot. So staying skeptical about this information that I’m giving you is actually preventing you from benefiting from it. I wouldn’t do it. It absolutely, it’s a– it’s not just my personal experience or Jina or Travis or all of my other students. It’s a common statistical reality. That relation, that revenue comes for small businesses, especially micro businesses, by and large, by way of referrals. Now, if you don’t know how to handle a referral skillfully, it won’t be as productive, right? But look it up. It’s not just my opinion, not just my strategy, okay? It’s just common knowledge. It wasn’t common knowledge to me when I first started. I’m afraid of being pushy. Okay? Well, you shouldn’t be pushy. I’m confused selling myself with exposure and exposing myself through context. And you don’t ever sell yourself. If you try to sell yourself, you’re going to be feeling really conflicted. I don’t recommend that at all. Not at all. Anyway, I’ve gone way over time. But I want to address some of these things and hopefully this was helpful. And you can see, look, it’s possible. It absolutely is possible. But if you’re going about it the conventional way, you already know it doesn’t freaking work or you wouldn’t be here, right? So please avail yourself to the resources that are available to you by doing the homework. Trust the process. It works. And go and join the Facebook group and ask Jina and ask. Send them a direct message. They’re actually willing and able to help you. 

Ann Rea: (59:38)
Jay Lester said, “This was super helpful. Thank you for your time!” You’re welcome. Alright, we’ll see you tomorrow. Tomorrow is an incredibly important lesson. It’s going to be all about how famous artistsand artists just like you determine their niche and it is so powerful. So we’ll see you tomorrow.