Just Say No

Yup. Just because someone wants something doesn't mean you have to give it to them.


"Thank you for your request, I am very busy at the moment helping paying customers..."

I spent $500.00 on a plane ticket. I spent over 2 grand on the camera and the lens. I spent $300 on a hotel room and $300 on a rental car. I don't know how much I spent on food. That's over $3,000.00 I spent to get a good shot of some saguaro cactus. What makes you think I would be willing to give that image away for free?

This is the only income I have at the moment. And if I do not start 'selling my artwork' again I will be homeless. I wish I could help you as I understand your need for a large discount due to your budget but unless I am able to pay for my housing and other necessities like food and fuel etc I will not be able to help you out at present.

ANDEE

Dear _____,

Thank you for your interest in my artwork. I am not offering any discounts at the present time. Please sign up for my newsletter or follow my blog to be informed of any possible discounts I may be offering in the future.

Sincerely,

They won't even get a respond from me, how's that for NO?

The most effective way of saying no is saying just that one word.....whatever follows, waters down the meaning and opens it up for discussion.

Many years ago, a former acquaintance mistakenly 'thought' I gave her 4 paintings to decorate her home. In fact, she was having a big family reunion and her walls were bare. I lent them to her for the week, as a favor. When she called me an Indian giver ( as if the slur wasn't bad enough), I told her the following:
My regular clients pay retail.
My friends get nice discounts.
Nobody gets a painting for free.
Clearly, you are neither.

Very good, David Gordon! Excellent response!

I promise everything and pull through with nothing...well most of the time. Those that pay me and get me out of bed, bring me coffee and a pastry get something.

When you go to work, would you expect to be paid half the minimum wage? No, and nor do I.

As a wedding photographer a bridal couple I once interviewed,....repeatedly insisted on knowing my exact costs for film, processing and prints
so the could negotiate what they would offer me to do their wedding.

Simply put,.....I just told them I thought they were looking for another photographer.

Could not imagine what they must have been like to work for that day????

Whenever someone asks me if I give discounts I use what I learned from another artist:

I explain that I do not give discounts because, I feel, it would be unfair to collectors who have already bought one or more of my paintings at full price.

If I discount a painting to you then I have, in effect, reduced the value of a similar painting already purchased at full price by another buyer and that simply is not fair to him or her.

Likewise, if I sell you a painting today and give a larger discount to someone next week on a similar painting, then I will have effectively reduced the value of your painting and I would not want to do that either.

I have only had to use this explaination a few times but it does seem to answer the question and the sale has gone thru.

Bill Tomsa

http://billtomsa.blogspot.com/

No can do.

"While I love to haggle, I can't do free or next to free...so I'll tell you what I can do...(blah,blah,blah) and that's the best I can do. Let me know if you're still interested, at that price."

" If you visist my website and read the testimonials from my customers you will see the value from my artwork. I'm not talking about value-add or added-value. I'm talking about the value that is perceived by my customer in order to move forward - value that differentiates and sets me apart from my competition. If, however, you are one who will always just buy lowest price, I recommend you buy from my competitor in order that they may make no profit. "

I said "no" to one person by putting the pictures up here and telling them they could go and order whatever prints they liked. They never did, of course.

David Gordon -- great response you've posted. Concise -- professional invitation.



carmenhathaway.com

Hmmm!

Maybe.....

"I only give discounts to repeat customers."

My favorite response is David Gordons. He says "no" gently and then asks them to sign up for his newsletter. Brilliant!

I'd ask them some questions:

To a Doctor: Would you do heart surgery for free?
To a Dentist: Can you do my root canal for free?
To a Plumber: Will you replace my faucets for free please? Oh, and buy the faucets yourself first?
To a Barber: Can I have a free haircut? And some free shampoo?
To an Accountant: Will you do my taxes for free....and all the legwork that needs to be done first?

The list could go on!

i've taught many people to say no. all those people were totally stressed because they were doing things they didn't want to do. but at the same time felt really guilty that if they said no they would be mad at them. and it's pretty simple to teach. pay very close attention to what you get out of a friendship. people are quick to say your a friend, but why are you a friend? do you pay for their lunch? are you a talking buddy? have they done anything for you. anything at all? did they know you were in the hospital? did they know you had problems? did they care? if they were helping other people, did they help you?

if the answer is no - then they don't really need you. if you say no, they will stop asking or go someplace else. they may be your friend only because you do things for them. and that's not a friendship. best to pull out the weeds every now and then. if this person does help you, then you can help them back. while it might make you look sour weeding out the duds like this, sometimes it has to be done to maintain your own happiness. it might make you a little more sinister, but who cares. its best not to be used. i give to those that give in return.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

betchya that after they sign up for that newsletter, they will want to know why they didn't get one. and then where the discount is in there.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Thank you so much everyone so far!

I will be adding these tonight or tomorrow!

Many people asked for them. So I have included them years ago. That is the reason why my prices are so low.

It depends who is asking. If it's a real friend or close family then they get a discount or perhaps get one as a gift. Otherwise no I don't do discounts unless you want to buy a LOT of work one go. Never be afraid of offending someone who offends you first. With the exception of houses and car purchases no one bargains anymore so shy should my work be subjected to this practice?

If you purchase three framed images having dimensions of at least 60 inches on a side, I'll offer a free card of your choice.

" No" is a perfectly legitimate answer, however bartering can be quite satisfactory too.

It has been about two months now, but on Twitter someone asked me to donate to their charity.

Really? Out of the blue I have to work for someone else's charity? Am I supposed to ask
what is your salary? Or where does the money go?

Or better yet who are you? I have never heard of your cause at all what are you doing?

I said go ask a doctor or lawyer for free services. I dont have any time for this.

I never lost a sale because of this. And I would not have gained a sale if I said yes. I would
have spent time on someone else's business.

Now if I were asked to volunteer for a charity and it was my thing, I probably would have said yes,
where do I show up and what can I do? Why not?

Dave

Simple, I just say "No". I sometimes make a provision for customers who've bought from and thus supported me in the past, but that's on a case by case basis.

people are looking to buy art some may buy it outright full price some may request a discount there prints no need to look at this like your getting cheated all sales allow artists to continue doing what they love " art "...on a side note how many people went running for the new interior designer program there is no difference really taking what 30 % to 60 % off.i will do discounts...charity/donations...work with other artists to create new works." at least there asking ".congrats on your sale beautiful image

I've only been asked for a discount once on an original and gave it as I knew I would get return business. She never did pay lol

However I'm happy to discount certain pieces....originals

NO! You see, I have this terrible habit and it is called eating! I really need to make money to satisfy that habit!!!

David,
This is how I handle charities that are not my own....suggest that the solicitor have one of their big donors purchase your art. Then you get paid, the donor turns it over to the charity and can deduct it on their taxes and the charity can then sell it and turn it into cash...win...win...win...

Not so long ago I "gave away" an original to an acquaintance in return for some repair work her husband did on our home central heating system. She got the painting she loved, he got a happy wife, and I got my heating fixed - everybody happy!!

Anyone else ever used the "barter" system?

i've used it once on something. she wanted a small image for the use of a lotion she wanted, i didn't know from contracts%

i've used it once on something. she wanted a small image for the use of a lotion she wanted, i didn't know from contracts, so we traded. i doubt she ever got off the ground with it though, as i filled her head with things she has to keep an eye for like allergies to the ingredients. she gave it to me in a glass bottle, to this day i cant' get the last bit of the lotion out (i cut them open usually).

if someone asks for a discount i may give it to them, and often get the sale because of it. but that's all the charity i'll really do.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

I usually say no - but at art fairs I will often give a discount if someone buys more than 1 - especially if I see them wavering between 2 or 3 choices. Yesterday, a couple were interested in a couple of pieces - going with matted prints, but I told them if they bought 2 framed I would give them $20 off each (just under 20%); they did and I had $200 in sales rather than $120.

As a freelance translator, I (and my colleagues) have encountered similar things, and this is reminiscent of the uproar a few years back when LinkedIn was asking people to translate their website for free.

Whether I'm being asked as a translator or an artist, my thought to the person is this, "If you appreciated someone's talent/service, you wouldn't ask for a discount or freebie. When you appreciate someone's talent/service, you just might receive that discount or freebie."

When it comes to saying "no" I have no problem. I find the easiest, firmest way to say it is just simply "no".

Not just with people wanting crazy discounts on my work, but all aspects of my life.

A few others have stated the same thing in this thread, and I think it's the most professional way to proceed. You can't leave any grey areas. If you answer or act with uncertainty, some people will think the issue is still up for discussion...and they may feel if they press it they can wear you down. "No" shuts that door completely.

Very well said, Andrew-- "If you answer or act with uncertainty, some people will think the issue is still up for discussion...and they may feel if they press it they can wear you down. "No" shuts that door completely."

Andrew, we agree completely.

re; bartering you betcha! I was able to trade 5 years of free dental work for my entire family.

I feel that if someone asks me to donate or give them something of mine, it opens the door for me to put on the charm and talk about myself. Just kidding, Its a good marketing tool if you think of it as just that. My last donation call was a fews days ago asking me to donate to their charity. I said no, but really want to help.

I said, "How about if you raffle off some of my photography tour workshops? I will give them a discount coupon". She wants to do that.

Way to go with the bartering, Marlene!!

" Re: bartering you betcha! I was able to trade 5 years of free dental work for my entire family."

@Marlene and Kevin, yes, when you have someone willing to work with you, then those are all great options, and I would likely make similar offers. It's those who obviously don't value someone's talent/work and are just looking to get something cheaper/free that irks me. I guess it's all about 'client education' and getting them to see the value of what we do/offer.

Good ideas all around!

Similar to Alfred Ng's reply,

If the request comes in writing or a phone call, then give no response - this is the best form of "NO" in existence.

If the request comes in person, then just say the one two-letter word, and say no more, unless the person asks, "Why?", ... and then simply be truthful.

... or maybe something like this: "I only give away my blunders, and lately, I have not made any." or "I only give extreme price reductions on pieces that I would otherwise throw away, and lately I have not produced any of these or I gave them to such-and-such charity already."

Or find out what the person making a request does for a living, and ask for an extreme price reduction on the product or service of this person's employ.

Marlene,

That was very helpful, thanks.

So suggest their solicitor have one of their big donors buy the image to give to the charity to resell it so the donor can
claim the gift, the charity can collect the money....win win win.....

Sometimes experience is worth its weight in gold. Thanks.

I will need to polish how I state this if I need to say it in the future.

Dave

Since art is not a necessity like food, shelter or alcohol (just kidding about the last one), I don't feel obligated to anyone, friend or foe, to do free art. They won't go hungry, naked or thirsty if they don't get any of my art.

Dave,
It's easy....they know who their big donors are....and many collect art...so many that it is worth their while to run an auction annually.
With that fact in mind, suggest that they send your website to their collectors and you'll give a donation to the charity as well ( so you can write that off)
At very least, they become familiar with your art and may buy a piece for themselves to keep as well.

Marlene,

This is getting better by the moment.

As mi dear old Irish mum would say, "as the worm turns".

Seriously thanks!!

Dave

You are very welcome, Dave.
I have been around the art block more than a few times in the last 40 years....you tend to pick up stuff....I like to pass it along.
At worst, sometimes i have to brush off those who are intimidated by the old professionals on this site.

Everyone here is saying 'no" to requests for free art.
That's a perfectly valid answer.

But... there are lots of people in the world who volunteer their services. Lawyers do pro bono work -- some bar associations require their members to perform a certain number of pro bono hours per year to remain bar certified. Medical doctors sometimes volunteer - Doctors Without Borders comes to mind. People volunteer, will even pay to run in marathons to support various causes There is nothing novel about being asked to volunteer... give money... run marathons... join church groups that volunteer to help the needy... watch the neighbor's kids... it happens all the time.

It's not insulting to be asked to volunteer your art or your services as an artist, it's just a question. You can say no. The truth is, sometimes artists say yes... or people wouldn't ask.

Gordon's response I liked best! ~ but yeah, all the time you spend creating, uploading & working behind the scenes doing the work & energy to produce a product should never equate to someone else receiving that product for free (or steep discount), especially if it took a nano-second for receiving individual to push a button and buy it online! ~ Good Grief.

I would just say "I'm sorry, but just like a baker or a carpenter, I do what I do to earn a living, and I work hard on it. I can't just give it away. But thank you for your interest."