One of the biggest things I’ve had to learn over the years is sales tips for creatives. Even though I now understand business and finance, this wasn’t always the case. I am a creative before I’m anything else, and I had to learn how to think like a business owner – starting with sales.
I also hang out with a lot of creatives. From clothing designers to photographers, I still see the struggle creatives face when turning their art form into a business. While there are lots of moving pieces required to run a business, sales trips to creatives is a good place to start.
Why creatives need to learn sales
Creatives need to learn sales because the ability to close deals is what gets you paid. This is especially true in the beginning when no one really knows who you are yet.
The problem is creatives tend to shy away from sales. One reason is that some creatives have a belief that if they make good money for their work then they are sellouts. In reality, if they make good money for their work it means they can eat.
Drop the starving artist mentality
Before getting into specific tactics for sales tips for creatives, it’s important that creatives drop the starving artist mindset. There’s this notion that being a starving artist is romantic and interesting. In reality, it’s just egotistical. Additionally, like I said, you need to eat.
Focus on the value you provide, not the skill
I don’t care if you think you’re the best at what you do, someone else out there still has a similar skillset. Heck, there are creatives out there with worse skillsets, they are just better salespeople.
That’s why creatives need to realize that they can’t just rely on skill in order to close sales. Instead, they need to focus on the value they are providing for their prospects. Here are some examples:
- Does your graphic design work save them time?
- How does your writing lead to more eyeballs? (I.e. Does it get picked up by media a lot?)
- Does your photography help with their engagement on Instagram?
You’ll notice that all of these questions have one thing in common: they are quantifiable. This is something creatives are definitely not used to doing, which is why this is one of the most important sales tips for creatives.
Take a sales training class
You can sum up all sales tips for creatives with just one piece of advice: invest in your education. Again, I don’t mean your actual creative skillset. In this case, I mean business education.
One of the best things I ever did for my own business was taking a six-week training program that was all about sales. While it didn’t change my business right away (I needed practice), it did provide me with all the sales tips I needed in order to take my business to the next level.
Here are just a few of the techniques you will learn in a sales program:
- How a sales funnel works
- Prospecting for new clients
- How to handle objections in sales
These three things alone will help you in closing more sales and making more money. With time and practice, you will get even better at it and improve your close rate. Before you know it, you’ll have one of the most important business skills you need on lock.
