Should I avoid running sales during economic downturns to protect my pricing?

No - you should actually run MORE sales, but this doesn’t mean slashing your baseline prices. The psychology matters: when people are in ‘getting lean’ mode during tough times, they’re doing their own budget cuts. When they see something at full price, their mental guard goes up and closes the gates. But when an item is on sale, they feel better about purchasing because they’re staying within their budget-conscious mindset. It’s about the wording and psychology, not actually devaluing your work. Items on sale get a second look; full-price items get dismissed. Run more sales to work with buyer psychology without permanently changing your price structure.

---

Asked by artists worried about devaluing their work · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2025-04-24