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Do This! |
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| Current Issue: August 9, 2004 | ||
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IN
THIS ISSUE
What's Going On:
Announcements /Classes |
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WHAT'S GOING ON : : BIZ
TOOL: MARKETING PLAN : : : : WORKSHOP:
SELF-PROMOTION ESSENTIALS : : : : LOOKING
FOR EXAMPLES : : See the menu in the upper left of this page to view popular topics from past issues. |
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DO THIS:
PLAN FOR SUCCESS
Those of us in the States are being bombarded by political advertising and the worst is yet to come. Some of you will be disgusted by the obscene amount of money being spent along with the parade of promises and platforms. Others will be energized by democracy at work.
In confess: I am a political junkie. Not as much as some people I know, but it all started after I graduated from college. Not sure quite what to do with my art history degree at that point, I decided to put it to use by working in the U.S. Senate on Capitol Hill. I understood they were hiring lots of art history majors. :) My boss was former Senator David L. Boren (now president of the University of Oklahoma). I had always voted, but hadn't followed politics closely. In fact, I might go as far as to say I couldn't have told you the difference between the Capitol Building (where Congress holds session) and the White House (where the President lives). I was in sad shape. But I went to Washington for the same reason I do much in my life: adventure! Little did I know it would be the best professional training I will ever have. Back in those days (1985-88), the parties were becoming somewhat polarized, but there were numerous Senators who genuinely wanted to work together in the spirit of bipartisanship. I'm lucky my boss was one of them. Sadly, there are few of them left on the Hill as more retire each election and we are left with angry, bitter rivalries. Oh, those were the days! So, what did I learn in the middle of Washington politics? Why was it the best training I will ever have? Above all, I found out the old Latin saying is true: I can catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar. Senator Boren won reelection twice--once with over 75% of the vote. He had a lot of friends because he listened to people and genuinely cared about their concerns. And he has more and more every day. I've never seen anyone write so many thank-you notes! He must purchase them by the thousands. And, to this day, as busy as he is, I still get handwritten notes from him on his stationery. I contribute nothing to the University except my support, but he shows he cares about my well being in numerous ways. Good politicians know their constituency. They keep all kinds of information on the people they serve and, particularly, those who contribute to their campaigns. They say "thank you" in every form imaginable and don't forget a birthday or milestone in a donor's life. If you want to work with people in peace or if you want to attract their business, you must be able to listen to their needs and show you care about them. You also have to admit when you're wrong and say, "I'm sorry." If you want to catch more flies, address concerns immediately with answers that demonstrate your concern. What does this have to do with being an artist? Read on. |
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| KNOW THIS | You can catch a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar. | |
| THINK ABOUT THIS | In my ten years working in art museums, I had nine different directors (bosses). The good ones understood the importance of honey. Those who didn't understand were doomed from the start. It is impossible to stay at the top of your field without playing the game well. | |
| DO THIS |
 Hopefully
you have all of your contacts in a neat database that you can access
instantly. In your database, create a field called "Info."
This is where you will keep extraneous, but very important, information
about your patrons. If you don't already have a field for their
birthdays, you can put it here, too, but I highly suggest making it a
separate field so you can sort and keep track of birthdays each month.
You'll also add their spouse's name, children, and other interests they
might have. You never know when you'll need it and they'll be astounded
by your professionalism and organization.
Find out more about contact lists and databases in my e-book Effective Newsletters & Mailing Lists at http://www.artbizcoach.com/books/nm.shtml |
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TIP / FIND OF THE WEEK: Winning Friends
Read more about this gem
at Amazon: Note: See the menu in the upper left of this page to view popular topics from past issues. |
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Copyright © 2004 Alyson B. Stanfield, Stanfield Art Associates. All rights reserved. I encourage you to forward all or part of this
newsletter as long as you include the above copyright information and
this link: http://www.artbizcoach.com
Please forward this to your artist-friends. Click here to subscribe to, unsubscribe from or change your email address for the Do This! newsletter. |
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Dale
Carnegie's 1936 classic "How to Win Friends and Influence
People" is still a standard business text for cultivating
professional relationships. Its sections include Fundamental Techniques
in Handling People; Six Ways to Make People Like You; How to Win People
to Your Way of Thinking: and Be a Leader: How to Change People Without
Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment. Sound advice that applies to
every situation I can think of.
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ALYSON
B. STANFIELD STANFIELD ART ASSOCIATES,
INC. |