Ok so I had a tasting recently, and I thought I did pretty well. We had a great consultation, the couple and myself I thought hit it off immediately.

The design we came up with was unique something I haven't seen anywhere else. I spent over two hours with them. I sent them the quote and honestly didn't think I was out of line with what I was asking. I got the rejection letter today

They loved the tasting - she goes on to say it's the best tasting they have been to by far but they are on a very tight budget. etc etc etc.


What do you do when presented with this. I'm at work right now and don't have the contract to give any information on servings and what I quoted, I can provide that tonight if needed.

Do I say ok and move on and forget about it - or do you then approach them with a lower price (which is something I'm not sure is really justified I really don't feel I was asking too much.).

I'm just at a loss I guess. Telling me the cakes and fillings were delicious and it was the best tasting by far but then telling me I'm not getting the job well plainly sucks!

Maybe I'm just too used to booking my tastings, don't know but what I do know is for some reason this one really has bummed me out!

DON'T lower!!!! No No No....

Just because people can't afford you doesn't mean you are over-priced. They simply can't afford you.

Just move on. Somebody else will pay your price when you fit into their budget.

C'mon over here and let me slap you up!! How can you even contemplate lowering your price? Their budget is not your concern here. Getting paid is. Close the door on them. The next customer is right around the corner.

A great big Thank you Ladies!

Yeah I know I've been on CC long enough however this would have been one step closer to part time or even quitting the full time job.

I guess it was a case of the bummies taking over my brain, I really wanted to do the cake - came up some really cool ideas on my own that I'm sure they will take to someone else to do which ticks me off.

How do you keep your ideas from someone else's portfolio?


I really wanted this one!! Grrrrr..... frustration, that is what it is!

I know some decorators will put on their designs: Property of SoandSOBakery

Not that it would stop them from showing it to another cake designer, but the cake designer might think twice

Ask their budget in advance
never give them any drawings or details until you have a deposit.

better luck, next time.

well i am glad you are not going to lower your prices after all.....your next cake order will come...plus you don't know if that is really their final answer....if you are the best they have had...perhaps the remaining tastings will not go well either and they will somehow manage to fit you into their budget!!!!!!! you know??? well good luck....and way to go on sticking to your guns!!!!!!!

I offer them an alternate suggestion (a verbal description, take this off, do this instead). Some way to make it lower price, but not give out your drawing.

Julia

Sassy, do they have the drawing? I'm sorry to hear about this.
terri

Personally, if I heard that same story time and time again, I would rethink my pricing...but for this ONE, no way! Hold to your price. You might explain in the future that you can do kitchen cakes to ease the budget somewhat....

Jen

Like a PPer suggested, possibly offer a lower priced alternative by taking off some of the details that upped the price....but, I wouldn't lower the price of the original design...if they want the original design as is, they should pay the original price as quoted.

If they really like you and your cake, they will find a way to fit it into their budget.

If you want to avoid this happening again, charge for the tasting. I charge $50... that way, even if they don't order from me (they usually do), I'm not out anything for my time - and they can keep the design if they want. I never go into very much detail in the drawing anyway. Just the basics - the rest is in my head. Does any design ever look like the drawing anyway?

Brandi, that's a great idea and I've actually contemplated charging for tastings however there are many cake decorators in my area and 9 out of 10 of them don't charge. So unfortunately I don't see that being an option.

I typically have the design or layout on the contract that I type up for them. I put it together while they are finishing up their tasting so they can walk out with it in their hand. This actually has worked to my benefit as I've had several now see the price like the cake and design and put the deposit down right then and there.

Oh well you win some and you lose some right?!

I got a call tonight asking if I wanted to be a guest speaker on a wedding radio talk show - so hey why not. Moving on to bigger and better weddings right?!

I'm thinking that from now on if I put a sketch on the contract I'm going to put across it property of .... and see what happens.

I encourage them to take the sketch with the details to other decorators/bakeries. I don't know that I would do that if I didn't know what the competition was able to offer.

So happy to hear about the radio venue! That's great!

Perhaps changing your contract to "Detailed drawing to be given to client upon receipt of booking deposit." Then it's not floating around out there until it's booked.

It doesn't bother me if a bride comparison shops, though. I encourage it. Because when they come back to me, it has an almost zero chance of being canc'd due to buyer's remorse. And if they find someone who can do a better job than me, I encourage them to book with that cake creator. It's their wedding .... if I'm not the best fit, then they shouldn't pick me.

And that's ok.

Never, ever let them walk out with your sketch. It is your intellectual property.

Always find out FIRST what kind of budget they are working with, and go from there. There's no point in spending the time designing a $500 cake when their budget is an inflexible $200 - instead, help them design a $200 cake.

If you know what number they have in mind in the first place, you know better if you can meet what they want, or if you have to send them elsewhere.

Wow a radio spot how very cool for you.

And actually it's not so bad at all to be the high priced designer a bit. I mean like Jennifer said you have to balance that against the reality of booking cakes but that's not an uncomfortable spot to be in. I mean most decorators are in the opposite space, "O-oh no-o did I charge too much?" spoken in a high whiney voice as if in perilous danger clutching their heart looking upward before fainting dead away. And they just charged 33 cents a serving for a revolving 7 tier Lady Windemere or something delivered 100 miles away.

Maybe get some dummies and do that design for a competititon or for a display while the juices are flowing.

LMAO K8. You hit the nail on the head there. You're my new favorite.

It could be a bargining tactic. I would not lower my price, Unless I REALLY liked them and found out they were realted to me some how. Or maybe you could discount if you could advertise at the wedding. I had a friend that let some people do that at her wedding, they place nice signs next to what they did, food, cake, etc. a few on the back of the program.