Selling Art Prints – What Sort of Qualities Do You Need To Sell Art Prints Online?

At the time of writing I’ve been a print seller for just over 3 years and I can honestly say that it is the most fun, flexible and rewarding job I have ever had. I love being in charge of what I do and when I do it as well as being able to express myself creatively without any boundaries. Are you wondering if this is a job for you? Keep reading to find out…

Top 8 Qualities you need to Sell Art Prints Online

If you are wondering what qualities you need to be able to Sell Art Prints Online? Here are some of the ones I’ve come up with that pretty much encompass most of the jobs I do :

• Creative – you definitely need to be very creative and have your own style
• Initiative and Motivation – You need to be a dedicated self starter, have initiative and motivation – you need to be able to push through even when you are tired or don’t feel like it. You will need to keep going when the going gets tough!
• Tenacity – If something doesn’t work then try something different. You will need to be determined and persistent and keep going when things aren’t working and keep doing more of the things that are.
• Small Business Skills – there is no getting away from it – to be successful you will need some small business skills which are essential to running a small business. Skills such as book keeping, marketing, social media, administration, organisation, sales and customer service are a must though you can develop all of these along the way as you go.
• Customer Service – your business will not work if your customer service skills suck. Remember the customer is king – without them you don’t have a business. So treat them with kindness and make them feel loved and appreciated.
• Organised – you will need to be very organised and keep everything in order – from the artwork to customer details and order information. You will need to set up procedures and methods of working and ensure your working environment is safe and secure (both physically and online). You will need to ensure you have backups and enough supplies at all times so that your business doesn’t come to a halt because you’ve run out of paper or ink.
• Analysis – you will need to do a fair bit of analysis in this job : you will need to see what is/isn’t working, you will need to regularly check your supplies/stats/listings/pictures/marketing and social media and amend them depending on feedback or lack of.
• IT Skills – to sell prints you will undoubtedly need some IT skills. You will need to be able to use an image editor confidently (such as Photoshop), you will most likely have to set up printers and scanners and install drivers and other software you may need. You will need to be confident in using the internet and great skills such as using social media, email, spreadsheets, text editors as well as SEO skills will come in very handy.

Can Everyone Sell Art Prints Online?

On the flip side this job is not suitable for everyone. So who is not suited for this sort of career?

• Disorganised – once you get successful it will be tricky to keep on top of everything if you are not organised and have no procedures in place for the way you work so being organised is very important.
• Can’t work on your own – if you are not able to work alone for long periods of time then this job may not be for you. At times it can be isolating and lonely and can mean you have to make a real effort with the rest of your life to find social interaction.
• If you are just doing it because you can’t think of something better to do – unless you are passionate about your work you may not find success because it can take months for you to see the fruits of your labour! This isn’t an easy job but it can be very rewarding if you love and are passionate about what you do.
• If you don’t like hard work – at times this job can be very hard. There will be times when some customers will be tricky, competitors will copy you, family commitments may get in the way, you may have a very quiet spell when you are not getting a lot of work or alternatively other times you may get so busy you can’t keep up. But if you are happy to work hard and keep going it will be very rewarding in the long run.
• If you are not creative – creativity in this job is key. You will need it for the job itself but also for other parts of the business such as designing your business cards, social media posts, your website and images for your website.

Can I do this job part-time?

Yes you can! When I first started to Sell Art Prints Online I was also working part-time and had two young kids who were 6 and 4 at the time. It’s an ideal job for a mum (like me) as you can fit it around your kids activities and once they are a bit bigger you can even get them involved too. Initially I started small and just did as much as I could and after a couple of years I got to the point where I felt confident that I could make it into a full time job. So if you are a mum, a student or even retired then this may be the ideal job for you 🙂

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