AustralianSilkworm t i p s #2

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Selling your artwork

What documents should you have?

When you receive an Order (Purchase Order), it's a great idea to keep a record of it in a database or a spreadsheet or in a book (if you're not a computer user) ... as long as you keep a record of some kind. Here are a few things for you to consider keeping track of:

What details do you need to track?

Date of order
Order number (if provided)
Customer Name, Address, Phone, email details
Order type (email, fax, letter etc)
Items ordered (size, colour, style etc)
Price + tax if applicable
Due date (very important!)
Date shipped, handed over

Did you confirm the purchase/commission in writing, by email or note, to avoid confusion and sort out misinformation at the outset? If not, perhaps you should consider doing this in future.

How did you receive payment?

online purchase - paid in advance?
commission - 50% in advance, 50% on completion?
will you accept cheques/checks?
which credit cards will you accept?

Invoice for amounts not yet received

If you haven't received full payment in advance, you will need to invoice your customer for the remainder - consider the following and make sure your policies are clearly marked on the invoice.

do you expect payment in full on delivery?
are you happy with 7, 14, or 30 day payment AFTER you've handed over the item?
does your Invoice show payment options [cash, credit cards, etc]?
did you clarify your terms & conditions with your customer from day 1? if not, you should do so in future to avoid any difficulties along the way, and put it in writing.

TO AVOID ALL CONFUSION,
CLEARLY ITEMISE ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
OF COMMISSIONS AND SALES.

Terms & Conditions of Sales

Receipt

Make sure you give a receipt when you receive final payment.
A handwritten "thank you" on the receipt is a nice gesture.

Refund/Return Policy
You need to give plenty of thought to this one ...

will you refund to an unhappy customer?
will you replace a scarf or any other item if someone doesn't like the colour after they've taken it home?
if you were commissioned to paint, and the customer isn't happy with the final product, how will you handle it?
will you allow a "refund within 7 days of purchase"?
will you replace any product after it has been purchased?
if a customer is not 100% happy, perhaps there is a solution - you could offer them a discount of 5-10% on their next order
is there something else you could offer, like another product which is a small cost to you but which the customer might be happy with?

Commissions :: Refunds :: Returns

Q: What can you do to avoid difficulties with Commissions?

A: You can make sure you explain all your terms and conditions of sale up front with your customer, and you can provide them with this information in writing. The clearer you make it, the less likelihood there will be of problems with the sale.

I recently heard of a customer who commissioned an item as a gift for her cousin. She was very happy with the result and paid for it. Two weeks later the customer contacted the artist and advised that her cousin "didn't like the colour" and wanted to replace it with another one.

What would you do in this situation? There are several ways of dealing with this, but to avoid the uncomfortable situation you need to let the customer know in advance what your Return Policy is. Once you decide what you're willing to agree to, put it in writing and hand a copy out with each new Commission.

Suggested response: If you have a policy of "no refunds, no exchanges", stick to it. Tell your customer you understand her problem, but as it was a Commissioned artwork, it cannot be refunded or exchanged. You could also offer a 5-10% discount off their NEXT purchase, as a sign of goodwill. Realistically you don't need to offer anything, but judge it on a case by case basis. Always be kind, but firm, and if even if it is a friend, remember that you are an artist AND a business person trying to make a living. If you had a pair of shoes handmade, took delivery of them and paid in full, would you go back two weeks later and say you'd changed your mind about the colour? No, of course not.

What makes up the finished product? Finish off your Wearable Art
You've planned your design, painted your silk with skill and love, steamed and washed and have a beautiful piece of handpainted silk to sell. So go ahead and sell it ... right? Well, if you want to present a professional product, you might want to consider some of these options: did you sign your silk? do you have sew-on labels? (hand woven look very elegant) do you have sew-on Care/Washing info? do you have sew-on "100% silk" labels? do you have swing tags with your logo, name, product info on them? do you want to present your silk in some kind of packaging, whether it be tissue wrapping paper, clear cellophane boxes, special carrybags or any other kind of presentation? do you have stick-on labels for any wrapping or packaging? have you put your website name, or email name, on all your marketing bits and pieces? What else could you provide the store with? A lot of customers like to know something about the artist, so when they find a scarf or other item has been handpainted, they like to read about how it was done, or what inspired the artist. Think about a short bio [perhaps even 4 printed per page], then cut them up so you can provide the store with one for each product they are willing to sell on your behalf, plus a handfull for customers who might want to read about you but not buy the silk right away. This doesn't have to be your life history, just a brief explanation of how the silk is painted and finished, and perhaps something about your inspiration for this particular design. Also think about: a business card with your website and email name, as well as your phone number do you have a price list? if you have a brochure that would be great to leave as well. Do you have any suggestions for other artists? Do you work in a store and have some tips for our artists? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at info@australiansilkworm.com		Samples of silk When you go to a store to show them your beautiful silk, it might be a good idea to have a small sample pack. One idea is a "flipchart" of silk samples, which is easy to make. A piece of white or black cardboard can be used as a backing, and you can staple square pieces of hemmed silk across one end of the cardboard in order to flip the silk pieces over when showing the samples. Silk habotai handkerchiefs are a great idea to use, as they already have handrolled edges. You can get them in womens' and mens' sizes. If hankies are 11" square, make the cardboard slightly larger, approximately half inch wider on each side, half inch longer at the bottom, and approximately 1.5 inches at the top (so you have room to put your logo or a sticky label, or to staple your business card. Your samples could show different styles of painting, colour combinations, etc. Give it some thought and create a great presentation. Good luck! It can be time consuming to to fold and unfold a dozen scarves in each location where you wish to try for representation. If you already have a great way of showing your samples, let us know and we'll share it with our members. Portfolio When you go to a store or gallery to show them your silk, you can't take all your beautiful artwork with you, so you'll need some quality photos. Present the photos professionally in a portfolio which is easy to carry with you. 35mm Slides Many galleries like to see slides of your artwork, especially if there is a jury process to participate in. It is worth getting slides professionally done if you are keen to have your work considered by a Jury. Remember ... Leave the "artist" you at home, become the marketing "you" when you leave your Studio. Psyche yourself up and say that if one in 10 or 20 stores stocks your silk, then you've been successful. Tell the stores you understand if they don't normally stock silk, but that you're willing to give it a go if they are (find out about consignment in advance so you understand how it works, just in case they ask). Offer to paint colours to suit their theme (if you want to). Above all else, be honest and kind and full of life, and you'll be successful before you even leave home!

Framing ideas Check out this website www.pictureframes.com. Wouldn't it be great to be able to look at a photo of your artwork before you frame it, and try it out with different frames? Wooden, coloured, etc - a whole range of great framing ideas is yours online! If you're in the US or Canada, you can actually purchase good quality frames at pretty good prices from this site as well as choose what suits your artwork. If you're not in the US or Canada, at least you can see your artwork framed in a variety of ways so that you can see what suits, then you can contact your local framer. Framing - click here to see easy as 1, 2, 3! Art Conservation Anna Diakowska-Czarnota & Michelle Wassall Paintings Conservators Iternational Conservation Services Sydney, Australia 02-9417-3311 Anna and Michelle have years of conservation experience between them and are happy to work within the customer budget, especially if the cost of restoration is more than expected. The work can be carried out in sections over a period of time. Displaying your artwork :: Do's and Don'ts (complete list can be found in Issue 28 of Australian Artist's Palette Magazine, Nov 2003) DO -be aware of the effect of glass over your painting, and the possibility of mould - glass can also "flatten" texture of painting - make sure hooks are stong enough to hold the painting - make sure there is good air circulating around the painting DON'T - ever put painting in direct sunlight, even artificial - put candles near paintings - use feather duster - instead use soft decorator's brush		Join an online art group - you'll be surprised at the wealth of information you'll receive! I have joined several online groups, and the benefits are many - learn new techniques, understand old techniques, hear about ideas in other countries, share your ideas with others, nut out problems with people who can help, ask artistic advice, and - an added bonus - make new friends along the way. Several groups you could consider are: Yahoo Groups :: go to http://www.yahoo.com, search for and join the following: silkpainting silkpainters While you're there, have a look at the amazing amount of Yahoo groups there are - you might find others which suit your needs. Dyers List :: go to https://list.emich.edu/mailman/listinfo/dyerslist Wearable art group :: http://lyris.quiltropolis.com - select Sewing, then Wearable Art Art2Wear :: go to http://lyris.quiltropolis.com - select Fashion, then art2wear To see the list of possible groups, go to http://lyris.quiltropolis.com, click on topics and search for suitable lists. Some groups send emails each day (posts) for you to read, others like Yahoo can be read online OR received as a daily digest with all email for that day. Choose which options suit you best.

xxx		yyy

Selling your artwork

Terms & Conditions of Sales

Commissions :: Refunds :: Returns

What makes up the finished product? Finish off your Wearable Art

Samples of silk

Framing ideas

Art Conservation

Displaying your artwork :: Do's and Don'ts

DO

DON'T

Join an online art group - you'll be surprised at the wealth of information you'll receive!

What makes up the finished product?
Finish off your Wearable Art