Need Experienced Cake Sellers Sorry Long : (
Business By notjustcake Updated 13 Jun 2007 , 12:47pm by notjustcake
Gosh I don't know where to start , I have been decorating cakes for almost a year well since my first class. Anyways when I give away my cakes from classes everyone raves about them I have gotten some orders but lately nothing what has happened is there something wrong with my cakes? Why do they seem to taste good when they are free?
One person didn't order a cake from me ater all after I named the price of the cake. Most of my orders are or small cakes. I think it's a nice phrase people use to say they don't want to spend money. I made a wedding shower cake once but was not asked to make the wedding cake, why, why, why, I don't understand... I know a bakery in the same city I live that sells this cakes at what I think are reasonable prices she uses alot of fondant she has hundreds of picture on her website and I want to know where she finds people that don't mind paying for a cake that feeds 24 for $90. Either there is something wrong with my cakes and people lie about it or they just can't afford it? How do I figure that out.
Also I do not want to sound like I'm too good for their business but I hate to have a minumum order of like $35 but it is neccessary and you all know why. I don't want to run my oven and everything else for a $15 cake. I also don't want to under charge just because I am beginning because I know once I want to charge what is really fair the transitions might loose some customers because they will see my prices go up. So how do I price at my skill level without hurting me later as I get better and get a license? If it's not my cakes the problem how do I target a larger clientele that would not think twice at a price for a custom made cake. Please give your expertise do not be nice be brutally honest in hopes it will help me improve my cakes and my business. Where can I donate my cakes I still have 8 more classes to go to = 8 free cakes. to attract a possible upper class clientele?
Slow down. You're getting very anxious and you've only just begun trying to sell. You don't have to donate cakes. The most important thing you need is a web-site with highquality pictures of your work on it. Have a link to your web-site at the bottom of your emails. I'd decorate dummies rather than cakes so you can keep them and use them in village shows etc. Village shows don't cost anything like as much as wedding shows and they give you good local exposure. You can't 'target' a high class clientele - you need to make a high class product and get good photos of it. Stick to your guns about pricing, my cakes are expensive and I don't apologise for that and I don't feel any sense of failure or pressure when someone won't pay for my cakes - fine, not everyone can afford them - not my problem. If you must give cakes away give them to friends and family who work, have a wide social circle - they'll spread the word for you. Get business cards printed with an image of your best cake on and give them out with your cakes. Calm yourself down. If you are making wonderful cakes they will sell, but it takes time to buildup a reputation.
I agree with Emma
1 it takes a while to build up a reputation. I've been decoration for more than a year now and only about a month ago started getting orders for almost every weekend, before that I had a cake every month or so.
2 get a website. I link my popularity directly to my site. It was up for only a week when the orders started rolling in.
3 DONT compromise on your pricing. You said yourself there is a bakery thats cutting it, so could you, it shows that there are people in your area that prepared to pay reasonble prices, you just need to find them.
HTH and good luck!
I agree with Emma too. Even i took a while to get known. Get in touch with ppl who have big social circles as Emma said. Initially i sent out samples to whom i thought were perspective clients and it did help. I also send out emails to my clients with my cake pictures and add a line saying " do pass it to your family and friends". I charge a little more than the local bakers but ppl are ready to pay for it coz its another form of art. Just relax a bit. It will work out for u.
All the best
It does take time to build up a client base and reputation, it took me about 2 years before I was getting regular orders, before that, I'd get one order every 4-6 weeks if I was lucky! The best thing I ever did was to pinpoint my target market, and then put up flyers where they congregate. The minute I did that the orders started arriving, I also send business cards with every cake I do so that they can be passed out to the other guests. Through doing this, I have now got at least 6 orders a month, and I had 22 orders in May - and I'm not cheap either, my starting price for any cake is $3 a serving, with my average birthday cake (20-24 servings), being sold for $80! It will happen, but it may take time, hang in there!
thank you all so much I guess I started worrying about my work. I know a few people that work, I think I will start there, I tried the website thing but the free ones are too much, and cost more if you ad a domain. I can't afford to be paying for a website right now so it's been a waiting process.
thanks again
Agree with all of the above. Giving away free cakes is a good way to get started, but be careful that you are not giving them away left and right .... causing people to get the mindset of "why should I buy one....she donates them all the time". Also, if you are sending messages of insecurity, like in your post, then you may be giving people the impression that you are not confident in your work/price. If you can't sell it to you, how can you sell it to them.
Re: Pricing ..... "It is what it is". If you want a Cadillac, you're paying $30K for it. If you don't want to pay $30K, then you go to the Saturn dealership and spend less for less car.
It's not so much that people don't want to pay that price .... it's that they are uneducated on how much a "real" cake costs, so when reality hits them in the face, they have a little sticker shock. My husband, 18 years ago, thought a 3-tier wedding cake to serve 100 should cost about thirty bucks! no rhyme or reason .... he "just decided". He wasn't educated about what a "Real" wedding cake cost!
Well the reason why I give cakes away all the time it's becasue I've had cake classes forever. I took all three Wilton course back to back then I took a classes at local akery and cake supply store for 4 months and have two more months to go I cannot possibly eat all those cakes so I let my husband take them to work
This is my opinion, so take it for what it's worth! A big reason that people will pay more at a Bakery than someone doing it out of their home, is image. When you are "just Joe's wife" who like to bake, they think they should get something for nothing. When they walk into a storefront bakery, they know they are going to pay for what they want. For some people it's even the prestige of telling someone they got a cake from _______Bakery, since everyone will know they paid a lot. Why do you think most people drive a Cadillac, they aren't necessarily better than a Honda, but everyone sees that you have something that cost $50K. Don't get discouraged and don't worry if someone declines to order from you, if you take everything so personally you will never be able to keep ahead. This is business and business is not a popularity contest! Good Luck and keep your head up!
-Lori
If you want to sell expensive cakes... you need to make your cakes look expensive. You will get the higher price when you take the time to consistently create masterpieces.
mpc
www.mypastrychef.com
I don't have to sell expensive cakes I just think people have a hard paying what they are for a $35 cake is an expensive cake for a lot of people I know but for my kids parties when I used to buy cakes, I had no problem dropping $80 on a cake a big and pretty cake. I know my cakes don't look expensive and they are far from professional but I also think something like this cake is not worth $15 dollars. but I am also not consistent.
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