Hi Everyone,
I'm still a bit new to the whole wedding cakes scene and this one bride I had recently met with has just e-mailed me after "meeting up with other bakers" as she said. She wants to order her cake through me but wants to negociate the price. How does everyone handle this without being rude?
I think I'm giving her a good deal already.
"I'm sorry but I can not lower the price, nor do I price match other bakers."
Keep it simple and sweet.
Give her the WalMart example!! "If you take $200 of stuff to the checkout, you aren't allowed to say 'I'd like to only pay $125 for all this stuff!'"
haha just kidding. I would simply tell her that because the increased cost of labor and materials, you aren't able to lower the price. If you're already giving her a great deal, maybe mention what you would charge for retail so she can see the cost difference.
I use that same trick every time I buy a car. Always saves me .5% - 1% off my interest rate when I tell the dealership that my credit union will finance me for __% 
I'm just sayin....
If she wants to negotiate the price, that's fine, just offer her a product that's within her price range. For example, you could suggest a simpler design, a smaller cake, less expensive fillings, etc.
That is strange. Do you NEED her business? Are you hurting for business? Odds are she will not go with you if you tell her no but you might be surprised. I agree though that was a pretty cheap shot saying "after meeting with other bakers". I like what Texas Sugar said to say. Its not rude but its just to the point. You could also say if she is interested in a lower costing cake maybe she could make the cake more simple. Leave the ball in her court. Let us know how it turns out! Good luck!
Yeah, anytime you say something short and sweet, just leave it at that. It's really hard to NOT fill the awkward silence by continuing to talk, but you have to fight the urge!
Yeah, anytime you say something short and sweet, just leave it at that. It's really hard to NOT fill the awkward silence by continuing to talk, but you have to fight the urge!
YES! I can't count the number of times I've seen Person A start out with the right answer. But for some reason they can't stop talking there and Person B watches in silence as Person A gradually works their way from the right answer to the wishy-washy wrong answer all by themselves. It's fascinating to watch. People can be their own worst enemies.
Short and sweet, then STOP!
The problem with just saying no, full stop, is that if there really is a budget issue then you've just lost her business. By offering to work with the customer to switch to a less expensive product, you can preserve the sale. If there is no budget issue, once the customer realizes she has to give up some premium options to lower the price, she will usually end up paying the original price anyway.
Now if the customer continues to insist on paying a lower price but doesn't want to compromise on features, that's when you stand firm.
I don't understand. If she has meet with other bakers, but comes back to you to get a lower price....why? Did she try to same with the 'other' bakers? Why come back to you? Were there really 'other' bakers? It seems like adjusting the product to fit what her budget is, is not what she is after in this case. Pitting one baker against another is a bargaining card played by consumers. If she is looking for a cake to fit her budget, I would guess that budget and what she could get for it was already discussed.
Does this baker allow different pricing for different designs, though?
I don't typically do that, my price is my price, the only upcharge is fondant or sculpting.
I've had that issue where my price per serving is higher than some of the other bakers in the area and brides have tried to talk me down.
I simply say
"I understand that budgeting for a wedding can be a challenge. However, my pricing reflects the large amount of time and skill it takes to design and execute a delicious work of art. I stand firm on my prices for that reason, and while I can suggest a smaller serving count or less gumpaste flowers (or whatever) to help with the cost issues, I cannot lower my price per serving. Thanks for your understanding and good luck with your planning."
In other words: "WHAAA? You want me to lower my price just because you threaten to go elsewhere? And YOU don't want to change your expectations to fit your budget? Are you NUTS woman?"
Does this baker allow different pricing for different designs, though?
I don't typically do that, my price is my price, the only upcharge is fondant or sculpting.
That's where my thoughts are.
I can totally understand if she expressed concerns with meeting the OP about a budget. At that point it would have been a great time for her to say, "I can't do this cake for that price, but I can give you a smaller cake (or what ever option she can do) for this price."
When someone comes out at you with a "well I priced around, which is what meeting with other people is all about, and I want you to lower your prices," that doesn't sit well with me. To me that says I want a Grand cake, but I don't want to pay for it.
Even if a baker is hurting for money, I don't really see how lowering the price to get an order helps them. The price should be what it is to cover everything and allow for profit. If you are not making profit on the cake, then that doesn't help a situation where money is needed.
OP could feel her out to see if she would be willing to reduce the size of the order to match the price she wants to pay. But I don't feel that OP should have to drop the price just to make a sell.
She was very specific on what she wanted before we met. I went and priced evyerthing out, we met up and I was still firm on my price.From the begining she wanted a three tier cake (12,10 & 6). We left it off that she was going to meet with others bakers and I gave her 1 week to get back to me or I will not be able to save the date for her and to top it off her wedding is in 1 month!!!
to top it off her wedding is in 1 month!!!
No chance I'd lower prices for her then - chances are the other bakers all told her no or were way higher for such a short timescale. Stick with what Texas said in her first post and make sure you get at least 50% deposit immediately!
I would not lower the price either. I think she will pay the price you asked her for the cake. Some people just naturally think they can "see if you will take less" for example at a car dealer and a yard sale you might haggle the price and the fun is in thinking you got a bargain. Well, this is not a garage sale so stick to your price and if she doesn't want to pay you then good luck to her finding a cake in a month's time that meets her specifications.
The wedding is a month away? I'm going with she can't find anybody else who is either available or within her budget.
Stick with your original price. She can take it or leave it.
Let us know how it goes.
Does this baker allow different pricing for different designs, though?
I don't typically do that, my price is my price, the only upcharge is fondant or sculpting.
I've had that issue where my price per serving is higher than some of the other bakers in the area and brides have tried to talk me down.
I simply say
"I understand that budgeting for a wedding can be a challenge. However, my pricing reflects the large amount of time and skill it takes to design and execute a delicious work of art. I stand firm on my prices for that reason, and while I can suggest a smaller serving count or less gumpaste flowers (or whatever) to help with the cost issues, I cannot lower my price per serving. Thanks for your understanding and good luck with your planning."
In other words: "WHAAA? You want me to lower my price just because you threaten to go elsewhere? And YOU don't want to change your expectations to fit your budget? Are you NUTS woman?"
Love that.
I just say: " I'm sorry. I will not lower the quality of my product so I can match other baker's price. I wish you the best with you wedding plans. If you need my services in the future, feel free to contact me. Thank you for taking an interest on my cakes."
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