Three steps to profitability

Craig Alexander explains how to beat your competition and generate high volumes of print sales with just a little market research

- Craig Alexander

You’re reading this because you are willing to learn, willing to unlock a brand new field that’s probably never been available to you. Why? Because no one is teaching it. We’re going to change that. The first rule to successfully selling your photography as art is that you have to learn to take off your artist hat and put on the art marketer hat. It’s tough love, but to sell your own photography, you have to shift from creating art that merely fulfils you, to reverse engineering what the customer wants to buy and is willing to pay for.

So, what does this mean in the real world? Let’s explore how to make your photographic art work for you.

Understand the market

When I was in my late teens, I worked professionally in interior design. A customer walked in who had just purchased a new house. His home was completely unfurnished and he was confused about his next step. He asked me for my opinion, so I gave it to him. He thanked me, told me he’d think about it and left. My mentor pulled me aside and asked “Why did you do that?” I was puzzled. “He asked for my opinion, and I gave it to him. What else was I supposed to do?” My mentor smiled. “How about finding out what he wanted, what his interests were? Look into his mind, see what he truly desired and then show that to him.”