How to Sell Art to the Affluent Market—Part One

Tips on How to Sell Art to the Affluent Market

Let me tell you about the very rich people. They are different from you and me.

– F. Scott Fitzgerald

There’s a growing wealth divide in the U.S. and elsewhere. The buying power of middle-income consumers has declined, while the top one percent alone now holds more wealth than the middle class. This isn’t a discussion about inequality—it’s about recognizing where the purchasing power lies and how artists can position themselves to sell to people who can afford higher-priced originals.

How You Feel About Money Matters

Your feelings toward money, wealth, and wealthy people can shape your success in this market. A neutral or positive mindset works in your favor; anything less can subtly undermine opportunities. Recognizing and managing these feelings isn’t about pretending—it’s about ensuring your mindset supports, rather than sabotages, your efforts.

Think Like High-End Retailers

Many artists unconsciously aim their marketing toward the middle class because it feels familiar. But if you want to sell to affluent buyers, you need to think more like top retailers who focus on customers with greater discretionary income.

Affluent households—often defined as those earning $100,000 or more annually—represent about 20% of U.S. consumers. Many in this group are HENRYs (High Earners, Not Rich Yet) with incomes between $100,000 and $250,000. They look for value, quality, and meaning—not just status.

Above the HENRYs are High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNWIs)—those with investable assets of $1 million or more. While still a small percentage of the population, they account for a significant share of art purchases, particularly higher-priced originals.

At the very top are Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals (UHNWIs)—those with investable assets of $30 million or more. They make up less than 1% of the population yet hold a staggering portion of global wealth. While your most likely buyers will come from the HENRY and HNWI tiers, understanding the mindset and preferences of the ultra-rich can sharpen your branding and positioning. As noted earlier, wealth in the U.S. is increasingly concentrated at the top—making these upper tiers worth your awareness even if they are not your immediate targets.

Focus on Originals

Stick with originals, especially at first, because affluent buyers are the ones most able—and inclined—to buy such higher-value artworks. Originals carry scarcity, craftsmanship, and emotional presence that align with the way this audience approaches collecting.

Visualize Your Art in Their World

If you can’t imagine your work hanging in a luxurious setting—a penthouse, a private wine cellar, or a modern architectural masterpiece—it will be harder to help potential buyers picture it there. Practice mentally placing your work in more refined spaces than your own. That mindset shift will influence your choices, confidence, and how you present your art to others.

Branding Shapes Perception

Perception of your work and presence is crucial when selling to the affluent. Your brand is the sum of those impressions, from how you present yourself in person to the way your website feels and your packaging looks.

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A strong, consistent brand builds trust and recognition, making it easier for affluent buyers to feel confident in their purchase. If you haven’t read it yet, my post What It Really Means to Be On Brand (and What Happens When You Are) digs deeper into how to develop and maintain that kind of presence.

Branding and Positioning: Evergreen Assets

The higher you aim in the market, the more your branding and positioning become influential, long-term assets. That’s why it pays to work on them now. Being “on brand” isn’t just about a logo, color palette, or typography—though those are important. It’s about a clear, consistent philosophy that runs through everything you do. It means having a vision you can express with confidence, showing you’re committed to it, and enjoying the harmony that comes when your actions, message, and presentation all align. Your brand is an evolving, organic, and dynamic aspect of your life and business that enhances your reputation and boosts your marketing.  

Rub Elbows, Authentically

You don’t need to belong to a country club to navigate affluent circles. Volunteering for or attending cultural events, joining civic or arts organizations, and contributing your time to causes that attract well-connected supporters can open natural paths for introductions. While it’s true that navigating this market can be challenging, it’s not impossible. Artists make connections with wealthy potential patrons in a myriad of ways every day, and so can you. Strive for the first level of conscious connection, where they know your name and associate it with fine art. The next might be a digital communication via email or comments, and then a phone or video chat, or a private message app curated by your gallery or dealer, finally meeting one another in person. Even then, it’s just a nugget of potential. There are many more steps to the progression of being a fan, collector, patron, or benefactor. Understanding the process reveals that you most often start at Level 1, which is easier, less intimidating, and highly possible. 

It’s Time to Discover How to Sell Art to the Affluent Market

In my Guerrilla Marketing for Artists: How 100 Collectors Can Bulletproof Your Career book, I devote much time to building a loyal following of direct-buying collectors. Developing a collector base among the affluent greatly benefits your career. Fortunately, consumer trends, communication tools, and technology make getting the job done not only possible but also easy compared to the art marketing techniques of past generations and, to some degree, how things have evolved in digital marketing in the years since I wrote the book. But the core premise is that a small group of loyal buyers can create a solid support system that is manageable. It’s impossible to develop a unique buyer for every original artwork you make, which makes developing collectors a top priority for savvy marketers. My goal with everything I do is to help you achieve your goals on your terms by being informed and efficient.   

Use these tips to enhance your original art sales in the affluent market:

• Ditch Your Bias: Get rid of your disdain for materialism, conspicuous consumption, or other negative traits towards the spending habits and lifestyle of those wealthier than you are. Learn to relax, be confident, and realize that the richest mogul still puts his pants on one leg at a time.
• Rise to the Challenge: You cannot effectively learn how to sell art to the affluent market if you are self-conscious about your income level or let your circumstances put a chip on your shoulder. To effectively market to those outside your current income status, you must take the necessary steps to understand your customers deeply and profoundly.
• Fine-tune Your Pricing: Design pricing for the optimum sweet spot between class and mass. Think of being elite and accessible as an example.
• Make a Great First Impression and Build on It: From your initial contact, your job is to build long-term, professional relationships. Everyone on your team must buy into this relationship-building principle.
• Make Your Website Work for You: Your website is a significant factor in first impressions and your primary tool for influencing luxury buyers outside of personal contact. Think clean, simple, and elegant.
• Find Ways to Rub Elbows with the Affluent: Research the best group to join that will put you in proximity to the affluent market. Some examples include alum associations, Chambers of Commerce, charities and fundraisers, churches, synagogues, and other religious organizations, civic organizations, antique cars, wine tasting events, economic clubs, fraternal organizations, hospitals, and other major medical organizations.
• Who else sells to rich people? Use the list of occupations that sell to the affluent market to help you spot potential referral partners or collaborators. Some examples include architects, travel agents, financial advisers, real estate agents, luxury automobile dealers, auction houses, wine merchants, high-end boutiques, caterers, specialty chefs, and event planners. The examples provided represent traditional niches, while tech and crypto markets, along with other wealth-generating sectors, serve as notable alternatives for creating wealth. Having an awareness of such things is helpful when marketing to the affluent.
• Word-of-mouth marketing (WOMMA) is the best way to gain quick access and acceptance for a group or a person through an introduction, recommendation, or referral. Networking is where you find new buyers and gain referrals to boost your art career.

How to Sell Art to the Affluent Market, Part Two

Look for the second part of How to Sell Art to the Affluent Market next week. If you are not a subscriber, click here to subscribe. This way, I’ll let you know when it’s ready for publication.

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