The Curator's Eye, (www.CuratorsEye.com), the distinctive online platform for the finest art and antiques from distinguished dealers across the globe, recently spoke with Michael DiRuggiero, co-owner of the Manhattan Rare Book Company in New York about technology, marketing strategy, and the value of increased online reach. Of The Curator's Eye, DiRuggiero said, "My expectations were met - and then exceeded - very quickly." In a brief question-and-answer session, DiRuggiero further detailed his experience with the membership-based client development site. The transcript of the conversation follows:

TCE: How has The Curator's Eye met your expectations for client development?

MDR: When I was first approached by The Curator's Eye, I was quick to dismiss them as another internet portal that just listed items and knew little about their market.

As I spoke more with their representatives, however, I began to understand that this was something different. The Curator's Eye is not about randomly selling individual items to one-time customers, but about creating important relationships between dealers and collectors.

My expectations were met - and then exceeded - very quickly not only by the number of clients, but by the quality of the clients. It seems that the clients are serious about their collecting interests.

TCE: What is the quality of client being delivered by The Curator's Eye?

MDR: With other internet sites and with internet advertising in general, I feel we waste a lot of time and money casting a big net when what we are really dealing with is a niche market. The Curator's Eye has done an excellent job in reaching out to the high-end collector directly.

This works well for collectors as well. Since The Curator's Eye has carefully selected and vetted their featured dealers, collectors can save time and avoid costly mistakes by dealing only with trusted vendors and quality merchandise.

TCE: Have you made contact with any new clients as a result of The Curator's Eye?

MDR: Yes, many new clients. And I’ve been particularly impressed by number of international clients I’ve met. These are people it would have been extremely difficult to meet through our own website or marketing efforts.

TCE: How quickly did you experience positive results with The Curator's Eye?

MDR: I received positive responses and met new clients and potential new clients immediately after The Curator's Eye sent out the first email blast featuring some of our items.

TCE: How does The Curator's Eye deliver value as a client intelligence platform, compared to a simple Internet site?

MDR: Most other internet sites that pool together inventory from different dealers seem to be looking for the quick sale and often actively discourage or even prohibit direct dealer to client interactions. I think this does a disservice to both the collector and the dealer.

In my business, the most fruitful relationships are those where the client and I are working together over a long period of time building a collection and learning from each other. The Curator’s Eye allows me to develop these relationships.

TCE: What is your most popular object on The Curator's Eye, and why do you think it is getting such a response?

MDR: I think our most popular items on The Curator's Eye have been our fine art books - books with original art specific to the book and signed by the artist. I think there is a nice crossover appeal in these books for the art collector as well as the book collector.

TCE: How do you think dealers can use technology to supplement their business practices?

MDR: Technology has become increasingly important in my business and companies that are slow to react do so at their own risk. Customers expect to be able to conduct business with dealers easily from around the world and technology allows us to do this.

The global reach that technology allows presents an incredible opportunity for dealers. I find I am much more concerned about my online presence than my gallery space. In terms of marketing, companies such as The Curator’s Eye, that truly have a world-wide audience, are invaluable in expanding our customer base.

The Curatoris Eye offers personalized services for dealers to find a larger international audience, and has a global team of regional and specialist dealer representatives. The site presents connoisseurs with a highly selective array of art, antiques and historic objects from the most distinguished dealers and galleries around the globe. Today, collectors from Monaco, India, Italy, and Russia are among the registered members from over eighty countries. To view outstanding items available from the top dealers across the world, visit http://www.CuratorsEye.com/.