Hiring a rep?
 

I was asked by an acquaintance in a neighboring town if I would consider having a sales rep or two. These women are basically stay at home moms, but well connected.

The basic plan is they would get a percentage for every sale they make and I either pay them, or apply it toward their own portrait.

My question is, what do you think a fair percentage would be, and just exactly what would you suggest they be responsible for?

At the conference in D.C. Galvin Goodman (art marketing guru) answered a similar question. He suggested that they should get 10% to 20% for sending you people they encounter who are interested in commissioning you. (The official portrait agents get a higher percent because they handle the entire business transaction.)

Hi,
That question about getting reps for myself, came to me quite a few times recently, and i did gave it some thought about what they should do for us and how much percentage commission they should receive.

I actually thought a 20% would be fair enough, because they help us spread by word of mouth and sending interested people directly to us. On the other hand, i thought about buffers like, rewarding commissions to these people ONLY FOR CONFIRMED CLIENTS, and how they pitch sales. So i reckon while it's a good idea to have them, it's an equally good idea to plan how to manage these reps.

I have no experience to base my opinion but, (there's always a 'but') I feel that a full representation is a beneficial relationship, especially for the emerging portrait artist. It would seem to be a viable way to help get work and extend your reach.

The trade offs are, you must share your commision to the tune of 40% and you are mixed in with other and very talented artists, not a bad thing. Rather like finding similar retail shops congregating in one area where shoppers are found in greater numbers.

In addition, while attending the conference in Reston I learned of several successful artists represented by several brokers.

A 10 to 20% commission is steep for someone who just sends you a potential client. Galleries get 40 to 50% for doing all of the sales work and spending the overhead money to put your art on their walls for months at a time. A sales rep is one who is actively and full time pursuing sales and commissions for you and other artists. They might earn at the 10 to 20% rate if they are good and handle the entire sale. Anyone else is simply a sales agent and should get only a 3 to 5% commission for a confirmed sale.