I was in the middle of doing some research in creative thinking for use in future blog posts when I decided it was time to take a break and watch Dragons Den.
The star prize for creativity went to Guy Portelli who managed to face the dragons and walk away with more money than he was asking for.
The dragons seemed a bit surprised that this proven sculptist would be asking for £70,000 for an almost guaranteed return of £250,000
It became clear, however, that Guy had his own plans. He had put his creative side to work and had thought about how he could launch his collection at the least cost to him and with the most control. Typically, art dealers would ask for 50% commission for the artist to use their premises, experience and marketing to gain access to people willing to pay around £20,000 per sculpture. They remained in control.
Guy had other ideas. His creativity led him to offering the dragons a deal that seemed to be too good to be true. However, he knew what he was doing:
- He gained access to a network of some of the worlds ‘high rolers’ who would be personally invited by the three dragons who invested
- The dragons would have a vested interest in getting as many financially capable ‘buyers’ as they could through recommendation and at little or no cost
- Guy could gain control of his exhibition and put on the “show I always wanted”
Is there something you could do to inject some creativity* into your business life?
Creativity —- “The process of having original ideas that have value” — Sir Ken Robinson
Tags: sales creativity, sales tactics
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August 30th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
thank you for the comment re my Dragons Den pitch which is both concise and informative, as an artist we are always accused of being bad buisness men, which is a bit frustrating as many of the artists I know are very astute. The difference is that we tend to see money in a different way. Money to me is freedom, it allows me to get on with creating, which is what gives me self esteem and quality of life. I am really pleased with the positive responce from not only the general public but also the art industry, but mostly to have the chance to develope a project that i have been fascinated by for many years.
September 13th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Thank You Guy.
You came across very well. You were focused, concise and knew exactly what you wanted. Which you got. I wish you every success with the project. If you have a spare ticket to the launch then you know where to contact me!!
Peter