Art marketing demands sacrifice. Try sleeping with the enemy. What!!? Here is a secret from an abundance perspective that has been a huge benefit in many different business niches. The world of art is no different. Part of marketing art is awareness, internal and external. When we see a threat or view a “competitor” as a threat we clam up, shut up, bare our teeth and generally attack or run. Right? Why is that ? I am not big on Darwin’s gig so I don’t want to open that can of wrigglers but… in most cases I think it is a knee jerk reaction. What else would we do? We survive with art marketing. That is what we always have done. We go into “protection mode” and become single-minded in avoidance or defeat of our perceived enemy.

I have seen this first hand and in fact have been the brunt of some seriously low, below-the-belt tactics from folks who view me as a competitor. Sad. I am a big boy so I know there really is competition out there and marketing our art is tough. If you have read me long enough you will know that I am a hardcore, old-school capitalist. A free enterprise guy to the core. But here is a thought. Lets do the ol’ compare and contrast thingy. What happens when we manage to run across anyone or anything that we perceive can help build our business, improve profitability, expand our market? We begin to salivate like one of Pavlov’s dogs and instinctively begin to think of ways to leverage that to our advantage. Yep. I know that is true. So do you.

Lets change our way of thinking about this just for a moment. Humor me here. In most cases we become protective because of FEAR. Really. What I mean is we view a competitor as someone who can potentially steal from us. Take away, make less that which we believe is ours. Market share is really what I am talking about. If we were not fearful of a “competitor” taking some of our business, we may have a different outlook. I submit to you that the fear in this case is coming from a bad attitude. Stinkin thinking. It stems from a core issue, a believe in scarcity instead of abundance.

The belief is that there are 1000 customers and I have 800 of them. If you take one now I am down to 799 and so on. The proverbial pie is only so big and you need the largest piece possible so 3 year old Johnny can have the newest zipideedooda in every color so he can be entertained when not playing his Nintendo Wii on his 42” plasma. (another rant for another time) The fangs come out, hackles raise and kitty cat becomes a lioness.

Why don’t we try a different method to market our artwork? Wouldn’t it be the coolest thing ever if you could milk your competitors, figure out how to make money from them…how about with them? Awww…. run Forest run. I am only saying, stop trying to divide the same freakin pie. Stir the pot, (I love that …it’s what I live for) combine, collude, and compliment. Then make a new pie. Joint venture or become an affiliate.

Heresy, I know. Just check it out for a minute though. What would happen if you transformed the pickled grey matter into fostering an ethos of abundance instead of perpetuating the lie of scarcity? Don’t ya think there may be a tad of wisdom in utilizing our competition, leveraging that relationship into a positive instead of the same ole thing. I know it hurts. But consider this, if you can figure out how to compliment what they do, how much nicer and less stressful and more profitable would things be? And further …keep your eye on the prize. What are you in business for anyway? To earn capital to fund the dream, I would guess. I hope you have the why figured out already, if not go to “starting with the end in mind”, and come back here later.

If you are just in business to compete I would suggest another arena, maybe WWF or UFC, there are a ton of places to get your butt kicked. In business you can still compete and I submit we always will, it’s a good thing. If however,  we can begin to work in a synergistic nature with a perceived competitor a few things will happen.

First you will definitely become a contrarian. That is a good place to be because we all know that what most people do, i.e. the masses, doesn’t work. Doing what everyone else does is a sure ticket to the mindsuckin-dreamstealin-state of mind and way of being… average. Cream of the crap. Mediocre. So step out, receive the tomato or egg in the face and become a contrarian. I promise it will positively affect your bottom line.

Next, you will find a breath of fresh air in your business life, your art will reflect it, your home life will be transformed and you might even smile…and on occasion accidentally forget to stifle a earth shattering belly laugh. Be sure to have your cell phone with you always because your family could in fact mistake this new (real) you for a dissociative identity disorder and ship you off.

Another serendipitous change from all of this blather is you could re-create your business, find new direction, or even find the air speed indicator edging closer and closer to redline. Sweet!

So instead of listening to chicken little and tuckin’ your horns in, I suggest opening yourself up to sleeping with the enemy and finding out what’s under the sheets that may be mutually beneficial.

Until next time…live, love, laugh.

tim

How can we bring some of the passion and energy to the marketing of our art that we bring to creating our art. Both skill sets are creative. Although art marketing may be considered by some to be mundane, it does require some right brain thinking to be efective. This article hit my desktop courtesy of google reader (which we will be covering very soon). It was a hit from one of the over thirty marketing newsletters and blogs that I follow while I am growing as an Art Marketer. Followng is the article, the attribution stementis at the end.
————————————
Is There One Skill That Earns You
More Than Others?
Fellow Business-Builder,
Is there truly a single secret to small business success?
Or is the idea that there is one single secret a joke?
Having worked with some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, I think I found it.
There are many secrets to growing a business and remaining profitable and sane throughout the process.
Why are they secrets?
Because if they were well known, more entrepreneurs would be more successful … earning more and working less.
Here is the most valuable skill you can master …
… Massive implementation mode
The ability to make many things happen simultaneously sounds good in theory … but is it feasible? And if it is, what can the average business owner do?
SIMULTANEOUS vs. SEQUENTIAL EXECUTION
Many people fall for the systematic planning idea that is taught in many circles. While it is very important to use templates and formulas to make this happen as they should, it can also severely limit the results you get.
Unless …
You can find ways to make things happen in a sequence, but systematically making multiple projects and initiatives happen all at once.
A rapidly growing business requires an owner who can hold it all together, while riding the momentum they have already built.
This is where many people fall down – they get a winning marketing campaign put together – and they ride the wave, loving every single deposit in their bank account. But they typically forget to continue to grow it – while it is already growing like gangbusters in other areas.
When the momentum slows or dies (which it always will, unless you have other things going simultaneously) … they are lost and completely confused as to where their money and success went.
Here are some of the most important tools I have found for building massive implementation into my business:
• Constant motivation. This best comes from a combination of external and internal sources. First, you MUST have a big vision on what you will do – and how it will feel when it’s done. If you don’t know where you are going – you will never get there! External motivation comes from mastermind groups, coaches and mentors. I personally belong to 3 mastermind groups – each one provides me different areas of support, ideas, and expertise. You can swap ideas, problems and discussions. If you do this right, this will push and stretch you to highly uncomfortable levels in very short periods of time.
• You are better to do 10 ideas than 1 [I do not mean 10 different business ideas here – I mean 10 different marketing efforts]. Do not put all your eggs in one basket. It will be much harder for the average small business owner to get 1 idea that makes you $100,000 than to get 10 ideas that make you $10,000 each … right?
• You MUST do the things you read here in The Total Package newsletters! It is not about amassing this great storehouse of knowledge – it IS about implementing what you learn on a massive scale.
• Get other people working for you – for free. Who in the heck wants to work for free? As I showed people at the Wild West Wealth Summit, LOTS OF PEOPLE WILL WORK FOR FREE … if you position it properly so there is an upside. Think about it: Joint ventures (free until they sell something), commissioned sales reps, affiliates, volunteers, interns, barter, etc. The list is long, and gives ample proof that there are those who will work for free up front. Having multiple parties helping you grow your business, without upfront capital, can provide you with immense leverage and momentum.
• Get one key assistant to help you manage everything you have on the go. This may take time to find – but they are out there. The best thing you can do is figure out the hourly income you SHOULD be making. Then factor in what you can hire an assistant for … the difference is the profit margin you make from having them do the little things for you, while you focus on your most effective and profitable tasks.
• Keep track of what works so that you can do them again, and again, and again. Use the numbers to push you. Constantly be looking for new and more creative marketing ideas. Track and measure everything – how it worked, how many people, how much they spent, what they said, who they referred.
• List out 10 things you would love to get done in the next month. These are 10 MAJOR projects. How can you ‘re-purpose’ the time, effort, and content you put into each project? If you lay it all out on paper, there will be areas that duplicate efforts – THOSE are key areas for massive implementation. Do the projects that have a common tie-in all at once. Stick to a timer and set aside at least one hour of uninterrupted time (see the point below for more information on this). Work on just one project per hour.
• Shut yourself off from distractions! Last week I wrote about my one and a half day hideout in a remote location. Are you interested in what I got done?
Rather than checking e-mail 27 times and answering the phone 14 times … I did:
• 2 newsletters from start to finish …
• 3 blog posts – written and posted when I got back to “The Internet Zone” …
• 3 speeches written, polished and rehearsed …
• New product written for Wild West Wealth Summit …
• New coaching and mentoring program designed, written and released …
• Quiet time to relax and visualize my success at the summit …
• A lot of little things – more micro-managing rather than macro …
• Steal other ideas from those who ARE doing what you want to do …
You know what’s really interesting? While I did all of this – I had a team of people making sure the day to day stuff was still happening. AND I AM HOOKED! I am not needed doing the things I was doing – I can be much more productive (and profitable) when I do what I am good at, and what I enjoy doing).
This is not going to happen overnight – you will not master this tomorrow. It can take months to find the right system that works for you … but when you find it, you will get more done in an average day than you used to in a month.
Learn how to become
a massive implementation expert.
Get those projects done and out there – without worrying about them being perfect every time (you think shoddy products, full of bugs, are a concern of Microsoft? You know as well as I do – they are the model of massive implementation without concern for trying to be perfect each time.)
THAT is one of the greatest secrets of those who reach the top of their game and industry.
This is a rare skill
– but one that anyone can master with practice.
Aim for a new sales party once a month – all leads from existing clients who wants to learn more about a continuity program are invited to a party, teleseminar, etc. to learn more about the program.
To your success,

Attribution Statement: This article was first published in The Total Package. To sign-up to receive your own FREE subscription to The Total Package and claim four FREE money making e-books go to www.makepeacetotalpackage.com.

Check out this article by Deanna Isaacs from the business section of Chicago Reader. This is AWESOME! I love this guy. I found this in my inbox this morning. Here ya go.

So You Wanna Be an Artist?
Sculptor Bob Emser says embrace your inner businessman.
By Deanna Isaacs

December 4, 2008

Bob Emser
Sculptor Bob Emser switched his college major from business to art 35 years ago but never left commerce behind. If you’re an artist, you are in business, Emser says, and your success is likely to depend as much on your management and marketing skills as your talent.

Take the glossy, hardcover coffee-table book, Bob Emser American Sculptor. Published by Emser this fall with 60 full-color photographs, an interview, and an appreciative essay by art journalist Jeff Huebner, the book is available at local stores and on Amazon.com. But Emser’s not thinking of it as a source of revenue. “I look at it as a very comprehensive, very expensive business card,” he says.

It’s hard to imagine anybody doing it today—the people I know who have jobs are desperately trying to hang on to them—but 13 years ago, with two kids to support, Emser walked away from a tenured professorship at Eureka College to become a full-time artist. The economy was friendlier then, Emser’s wife was supportive, and, he says, he’d surmised that a faculty job was not the leg up on an art career that it had been: “With the explosion in how we communicate now in all the arts, the university connection is not that important.”

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Emser says he entered a lot of competitions and participated in a lot of outdoor art fairs. He also had a couple of major part-time gigs: he cofounded the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria and headed it for five years, then got himself a studio in Chicago and spent 18 months running the Pier Walk sculpture show, back when it was the biggest outdoor exhibit of its kind in the world. But it’s easier to land commissions when that’s your single focus, he says. These days most of his assignments are coming from colleges and museums, which have an appetite for his big, streamlined abstractions and “don’t tell you what to do.”

A consummate networker, Emser says he tells aspiring artists, “If there’s someone you want to meet, call them. Ask for their advice.” With people who can be helpful, he says, “I count the touches”—the number of interactions. “It’s like a courtship.” But the real secret of his success may be the series of life coaches he’s hired, starting with the one who prompted his move to Chicago by telling him to “find your purpose and live up to your values.” Since then Emser’s had a coach who specializes in artists, another who’s a marketing maven, and, most recently, a “visibility coach.”

Emser follows a business plan and has analyzed the amount of time he spends on things like administration and marketing. The right balance for a full-time artist, he says, is 75 percent on managing the career, 25 percent on making the art. Does that sound inside-out? Emser says it’s not. But “Inside Out” is the title of a show featuring his work and the rubber-tire sculptures of Chakaia Booker, running through January 11 at the Elmhurst Art Museum.