How to Become an Art Dealer

The Galleriest has a fun but interesting post on 8 steps to becoming an art dealer.
The steps include

1. Getting Started
2. Understanding Why People Buy Art
3. Rapport
4. You Cant Afford Not To
5. The ABCs (Always Be Closing)
6. Listening Power
7. The Secondary Market
8. Tips and Advice 

I have posted the first three steps for your pleasure and amusement, follow the source link for the final 5 steps.

The Galleriest reports

Part One: Getting Started

1. Do you want to know how to sell art?

2. Do you have one foot in the past?

3. Do you have your other foot in the future?

4. Do you consider yourself someone with a point of view and something to say?

If you answered yes to these questions, then this article is for you.

First, surround yourself with like-minded people. Think of them as more intelligent than you.  Keep them interested.

Write down the reasons you like the art you like. Make these ideas clear to yourself so that you can make them clear to others. No one wants to buy art from someone who can’t tell you why he likes the art he likes. Look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself why you are a great art dealer. Make sure to tell everyone around you why you’re a great art dealer; they will like you more and, eventually, they will buy more art from you. Develop a personality. Having a personality is one of three ways in which you will one day have your very own gallery. The other two are:

1. Inheritance

2. An artist you represent whose work you can sell

Part Two: Understanding Why People Buy Art (Shifting the Drift)

“The secret to staying skinny is to pay your taxes.” – Homeless Man

Find a group of artists you like and whose art you want to own.  This is a good starting point. Things are going well for you. Now, ask yourself: Whom do you work for and who are your clients? Sometime around the late 90s the art world started considering the buyer (the collector) the client. This is wrong, so here’s your chance to shift the drift. Your artists are your clients and those who buy from you (your collectors) are just friends.

Having more friends around you will mean more money for you and your clients. When a friend purchases an artwork from you, be sure to remind him that you have done him a favor. This purchase has made your friend look good, feel smart and, most importantly, it has made him money. This is why your friends spend their hard- or not so hard-earned money with you and not someone else.

Understanding why a person buys a work of art is very important to your future as an art dealer.  Consider:

1. Is your friend buying for pleasure?

2. Is he buying for sport?

3. Is he buying for inspiration?

4. Is he buying for prestige?

Every one of your friends will have their particular set of reasons for buying art. Some friends buy what they like, some buy what makes them feel good, but most buy for money. They’re addicted; they can’t stop. These are the funnest friends to have.

In rare cases, a friend will want to buy an artwork because of a strong emotional connection or aesthetic response to that artwork. Seldom does one make such friends in today’s art world, but they still exist.

Here are some art dealer words for you to use when you are selling an artwork:

Medium, Press, CV, Museum Support, Reviews, Insider Trading, Francois Pinault, Style, Art School, Auction Results, European Representation, Integrity.

Part Three: Rapport (Attracting and Keeping Friends)

“Concentration is the secret, but there are others.” – Corporate Gallery Director

As a sales person, the objective is not just to sell to an individual but to continue selling to the same set of individuals. These individuals become your truest friends, your inner circle. If you are good at your job, this inner circle could be with you forever. It is important when trust-building that you do not judge a friend’s intentions too early. Your best friend might turn out to be an art dealer.

Source: The Galleriest