I got a call this morning from a planner I have worked with once before. Planners aren't very popular in this area, so it is my first experience with working with one.
They have a couple who wants to book me, and wonders if I can lower my red velvet cake pricing to the same as my other prices (its a specialty flavor for me.) 
, as they only want it in their top tier.
I say, well, sure, if it is a larger budget wedding, then fine.
She emails 10 minutes later and their cake budget is $200. 
AND THEN, they wanted the red velvet reduced?
This one call just convinced me to do a $400 min for June-August.
She should SO know better. Isn't that why we hire planners? Because they know better than us how to PLAN!??
As a planner I know that there are times I get put in the middle. I'll have a client ask about a certain vendors pricing, I'll tell them what I know and that their budget can't afford that vendor but they will insist I find out if I can get a discounted rate so I'll have to call the vendor and find out for them just so I can say that I called the vendor and yup, sure enough, they are too high for the budget. Sometimes it's just not good enough coming from the planner for the Bride and Groom. Also add in there that with the economy right now there are a lot of articles saying that just about everything is negotiable..including your wedding vendors...so go ahead and ask...it won't hurt anything! LOL! Ok, right.
Cat
You're absolutely right. As a sales professional, you the planner can only do what the couple says you can. However, the planner's assistant called acting like this was all squared away, just when do they send me the deposit. No, "this is their budget, can you do it?"
And then they wanted a discount. Well, even in this economy, you can't negotiate things down to almost nill.
This was no "put you in the middle situation," although I do grant that it must happen in your business quite often.
Whoa! I just had a (so called) planner call me about an hour ago and ask me if I can do a cake feeding 200 for $200 on Aug 7, 2010, My birthday. Ugh... El No! I was thinking she has got to know better than this. Besides $200 ain't worth me changing my plans.
It may be just a case of calling the planner and inviting her to share a coffee with you at Starbucks or at your shop and talk cake. Share your experience and know-how with her; educate her on what you do and why it's done that way and the costs involved. I'd bet the farm she would LUV a chance to become a planner with cake-expertise. It makes her look super knowledgeable to her clients and adds value to her service.
Make a date! 
Planners aren't very popular in this area,
And they wonder why? haha, I'd tell her a flat-out no, and ask if she'd like you to send her your price list for future reference. Or even better, save yourself some time and just email her the link to your website so that she can do some homework before trying to haggle with you.
It may be just a case of calling the planner and inviting her to share a coffee with you at Starbucks or at your shop and talk cake. Share your experience and know-how with her; educate her on what you do and why it's done that way and the costs involved. I'd bet the farm she would LUV a chance to become a planner with cake-expertise. It makes her look super knowledgeable to her clients and adds value to her service.
Make a date!
I think this is excellent advice.
I have had coffee so-to-speak with this gal. Although a visit to her office bringing more cake has been hinted at. It would probably behoove me to do that since I just turned one of her clients down.
She knows my website, and we're working together on another wedding coming up here. I felt bad having to turn her down, but the last lady only had a budget of $300, and I had to work her up to $550, because that's the cake she wanted. This seems to be a trend. I guess as a planner, I would think you would be able to guide people to an appropriate budget.
This last call was for over 100 people. I know for a FACT that this lady charges a lot for her services. How would she like it if I asked for a discount and then wanted her cheapest package? AND on the busiest day of next year (June 18th).
I have had coffee so-to-speak with this gal. Although a visit to her office bringing more cake has been hinted at. It would probably behoove me to do that since I just turned one of her clients down.
She knows my website, and we're working together on another wedding coming up here. I felt bad having to turn her down, but the last lady only had a budget of $300, and I had to work her up to $550, because that's the cake she wanted. This seems to be a trend. I guess as a planner, I would think you would be able to guide people to an appropriate budget.
This last call was for over 100 people. I know for a FACT that this lady charges a lot for her services. How would she like it if I asked for a discount and then wanted her cheapest package? AND on the busiest day of next year (June 18th).
It sounds like this is a planner that you DON'T want to work with. If she's trying to nickel and dime you, and wants you to bring her free cake, I don't think she sounds like she's worth it. Not all planners are good planners, and not all business connections are good business connections.
This is slightly off topic, but doesn't it just drive you nuts that one of the things they "budget" the most is the cake!!?? It baffles me when I've been nickled and dimed to death over a cake only to learn upon delivery that they've spent thousands on flowers and the "pretty" like chair bows, etc.
For some reason it's more important that you get the most expensive flowers (which get walked away from at the end of the night), but it's okay to have a mediocre cake (which people actually eat!!!)
And I haven't met a wedding guest yet that brags about how pretty the chair bows were or the napkins that were printed with the names on it, etc.
Ugghhh!!
And I haven't met a wedding guest yet that brags about how pretty the chair bows were or the napkins that were printed with the names on it, etc.
Ugghhh!!
YEP!!! Part of my schpeal was "No one lines up to take photos of the centerpieces ..... but I ALWAYS have a line of people waiting to take a picture of my cake!"
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