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Originally Posted by Joan Breckwoldt
Melanie,
When they have no other way of measuring, they'll use price.
... your prices just may be too low to attract the kind of clientele you're looking for.
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Hi Joan and Chris,
Agh-h-h. I could tear my hair out over pricing. I still have NO official price list. Every now and then I try to come up with a price list. I email it to artist-friends and friends in general to get opinions. They range from not high enough to start out lower and go up as work increases. Years ago I got some advice from old Mr. Sanders who once had owned a drug store in Oklahoma City. He's long gone now but his advice left a mark. He said he had put some ladies compacts on the counter at $1.00 and they had been therer for a year. So on a lark he marked them up to $2.99 and they all sold within a month. He said people believe they get what they pay for.
Although I know this is true, I keep thinking if I can't get commissions for $400 why would doubling or tripling the price get commissions? But according to Mr. Sanders, it's exactly what I should do. My arduous years and years of work, study, training, devotion, should pay at least what I would make as a plumber. I have to keep giving myself this pep-talk again and again.
Chris, a Comparative Pricing notebook is a great idea! Not only for the clients but most importantly for my own perspective. And I'll check out the software. I tend to do better with physical notebooks, paper and ink. But the software might help me track better. I can print out the pages and put them in the notebook.
_Melanie
P.S. Another of my serious (sad?) portraits. A free-bee, but mayber there are people who would commission one like it.