Ask a Gallery Owner | Getting Back in Touch with a Client Who Missed out on a Sale – RedDotBlog

Missed sale

It’s not uncommon to have clients who are slow to make a decision. You follow up and express willingness to help them acquire the art. However, while they may still be interested, they just aren’t pulling the trigger. So what do you do if someone else comes along and purchases the piece?

After a past broadcast, I received the following email:

Hello Jason,

I was taking down notes furiously during your presentation. Thanks for the encouragement to be persistent in follow up and for the helpful schedule of client contacts. I plan on putting this into effect.

I had a situation not long ago in which a local a woman (Flagstaff) expressed moderately serious interest over a sweet little Grand Canyon painting I’d done. I sent her images, featured it on my homepage, described how the inspiration came about, etc., but couldn’t move her off the dime. A short time ago, someone else came along and bought the painting. I’ve noted it “sold” on my website. How do you handle communication with clients who may “snooze and lose”. I’m thinking of letting her know the piece she’d admired has indeed sold, but I have several related pieces she might wish to consider.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Dawn S.

My Response:

Thanks for attending the broadcast. You want to be careful not to rub it in the client’s face. Try something like this:

“I wanted to touch base with images of a couple of new pieces for your consideration. The piece you were initially interested in has sold to a client from Phoenix, but I am just as excited about these new pieces as I was about that one. The Grand Canyon subject matter is always my most popular and these pieces are sure to go quickly as well, so do let me know at your earliest convenience if I can assist you in adding one of these great pieces to your collection.”

You would want to customize based on your relationship with the client – but something along these lines will give you a good shot at rekindling the interest.

Jason

Do you agree? How would you handle this situation?

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