Uncover Buyer Concerns
Ask the Right Questions

Lj Bury is an art business adviser to galleries, art dealers and artists. She is the Executive Director of Art Business Advisory located in the Washington, D.C. area. Ms. Bury can be reached at LjCon@aol.com or (703) 430-8167.
A woman walks into your art studio and stands entranced in front of acharming watercolor. You approach and ask, "may I help you?" All right, all together now, what do we respond? "NO THANKS, JUST LOOKING." What's wrong with this approach? It is a dead end. There's no productive response? The most likely reply would be, "Okay, but if you have any questions, don't
hesitate to ask." This puts the ball in the prospect's court. Not a good idea. Now she has to come to you, and for many people, this is an uncomfortable position. A better approach is to ask open questions. That is, questions that encourage a discussion. Open questions typically:

-- cannot be answered by a simple yes or no
-- have a what, how, why, or tell me in it
-- do not lead in a specific direction
-- increase dialogue by drawing out feelings and opinions
-- are used to encourage elaboration on objectives, needs, wants, problems and current situations.

Instead of "Can I help you?" you might say, "I see you are studying one of my garden pieces. What in particular caught your eye?" Or, "Southampton Gardens was the inspiration for this piece. Tell me what you see." The answers to these questions allow you to probe further. They invite an
expanded answer giving the client the opportunity to describe a situation or explain a need; and during the discussion, they give you critical information about the client's interests, special plans, lifestyle, and personality.

In the above scenario the client may say, "I just moved into a new home and I'm looking for landscape pieces. This one reminds me of a garden my grandmother had." Now you know why she is there, what her plan is, what she sees in the piece, and that you might make more than one sale. But you need to explore more. In this give and take situation, you need to find out what the client wants and what problem she is trying to solve. Is she changing her decor? Is she planning to redo all or just some of the rooms? Does she collect particular pieces? Would she like you to help plan her art display? Is there a specific image that she's trying to create in her home? And, what her estimated budget is for purchasing the art?

Your probing is an attempt to spot problems and offer solutions that will benefit the client. As you uncover them, objections and concerns are likely to occur. Here are a few you might encounter and some suggestions on how to handle them.

"I need more time to think about it"
This objection is vague. It may be just an excuse, or a need to discuss it with someone else, or it may be a need for more information. You won't know unless you ask a question to help define the objection. "May I ask what are some of your concerns?" or, "Tell me, are there any items I can clarify for you?" The answers to these questions usually reveal a more concrete objection. One that hopefully you can resolve.

"It's more than I wanted to spend."
When a client mentions cost as an obstacle, the first thing you want to do is determine the client's budget by asking, "May I ask what price range you had in mind?" Then work within that budget. You don't want to haggle over price. Instead, stress the value and benefits she will receive. Most people buy art because of the way it makes them feel. It may arouse a passion, elicit an emotion, or remind them of a pleasant memory. Sometimes the issue isn't the cost at all, but rather a temporary lack of funds. In that case offering a time-payment plan or accepting a credit card might solve the problem.

"I'm not sure it will fit in."
Assuming the piece(s) are easily transportable, here's your opportunity to put the artwork in its planned location. You might ask, "Why don't we bring the art into your home and let you live with it for a while. Then in a week I'll call you and see what you think. Would today or tomorrow be
convenient?" This creates a comfort zone. She doesn't have to make a buying decision immediately, and it allows her to show it to others. She might also discover that a companion piece(s) is needed. Often a client will find it difficult to return the art.

"I'm not ready right now to buy, I'm just looking."
Sooner or later you will hear the just looking phrase. But it needn't be a dead end. If you were already engaged in a discussion, you should have gained some insight into this client's needs, and what problem she is trying to solve. Consider the woman who walked into your studio. From your questions you learned that she is in a new home and her problem is that she needs artwork. In this case it may be useful to ask questions that would lead her to see the possible consequences of a delay. For instance, her need for art in the new home won't simply go away, and by planning for it now, she won't have to stare at bare walls. One approach might be, "Are you planning to have visitors or a house warming soon? The reason I ask is that no matter how lovely your decor is, it might appear unfinished until the artwork is up." If you have done a good job of uncovering the real objections, and you discover the client truly wants to wait, then show your honest interest in her by asking when she might be ready to make her selections. Then tell her you will call at that time to set up another meeting. And do it. Never expect the client to call you.

Meeting clients' needs is the essence of your art business. Often it is necessary to go beyond the surface to uncover the real needs so that you can provide real solutions. And by asking the right questions and listening carefully to the answers, the more effective you will be as a creative problem-solver. Clients will appreciate your honest interest in them. If they trust you, they'll depend on you again and again.