“It’s five times more expensive to sell to a new customer than it is to sell to an existing one.” We’ve all heard the cliché hundreds of times, right? And yet, most entrepreneurs would rather spend time and money chasing after new customers. Getting us to focus on conversion and…
What are your goals for your art business this year? Did you break them down into quarterly, monthly, weekly, even daily milestones? If not, why? How will you know you're on track if you don't have a way to measure your progress -- even an informal method? I don't bring…
Listen up, because I'm about to explain one of the most critical, most fundamentally misunderstood realities of economics. This simple truth could change the way you see everything. The essential reality is that making art and creating a successful art business is alchemy. Remember the alchemists from the middle ages?…
I was consulting with a client, Michael, recently and he made this comment... "Gary, I've been applying the Smart Art Marketing Pro principles to my life and business for the last year or so, and now I have a very odd problem. I don't know what to do with all…
Have you ever thought about what was at the heart of a successful art blog? Have you ever wondered about the real essence of an art blog, what are the guiding and underlying principles that will make it a true success? A lot of artists out there trying to start…
"Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." - Francis of Assisi There is an old story about Quaker relief workers in Europe after World War II. After receiving help from the workers, a refugee asked what Quakers believe. When a few of the Quakers explained that they…
Would you like to get and keep more art blog readers? Have you ever been too busy to do good follow-up? Ever had health problems, or family emergencies, or just times when you were too busy to keep everything going the way you wanted to? Has your project ever suffered…
“Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world." - Tennyson There is revolution in the air. Unless you have spent the last few months or so on Mars you can’t have missed the restless loss of direction of the western world as it has struggled to…
"Do not be afraid of moving slowly. Be only afraid of standing still." - Chinese Proverb Have you ever thought about the importance of the small, steady actions you take every day toward your artistic goals? You can't imagine how important these really are. Most of us have a very…
"Truth is always on the side of the more difficult." - Friedrich Nietzche Not too far from the small town where I grew up in northwest Louisiana, there is a long stretch of swamplands called, graphically enough, "Black Lake Swamp." There is a paved highway with bridges that runs right…
