What are some things you always hear from clients that you find a little annoying?
I will be honest, I HATE working with buttercream when it comes to tiered cakes. HATE IT! I find fondant so easy to work with and it's so much more forgiving, if your finger accidentally rakes across the fondant it's an easy fix...With buttercream, it's kind of a pain to fix once you've already made your buttercream look flawless.
I keep hearing people say, "eww I hate fondant, no fondant." and the only thing I hear is, "I've only had that nasty pre-made fondant that's been sitting on the shelf at Hobby Lobby for God knows how long."
I almost want to charge more for buttercream tiered cakes than fondant covered cakes. That's how much a I hate buttercream, lol.
Another is when someone tries to play, "lets make a deal" with me...I'm not trying to sell you a car, so save it lady, is what I'm really wanting to say...Recently a bride came to me, she was like, "OMG best tasting cupcakes!" She wanted 250 cupcakes each with a gumpaste butterfly that had been hand painted. HA! Her jaw hit the floor when I quoted her a price.
I haven't been in business long enough, so this will be a lesson for me. Hoping for lots of responses!
Some people charge the same for "smooth" buttercream as they do for fondant. I get why, it's almost as much work. Although I find I smooth my buttercream just as much when I add fondant, so for me fondant is still more work.
My biggest pet peeve is the "For a cake!!" response. So I have begun charging a lower per slice price for the cake- iced not decorated, and charge a per decorating hour for specialty cakes. Wedding cakes are still priced by the slice. Their minds seems to wrap around it a lot better. I also don't offer undecorated cakes, just don't.
I also mention that, yes while I can whip up a cake in a couple of hours, it's not a custom work of art, it's a bundt cake with a glaze. But generally my bundt cake is not why people seek me out.
Custom specialty cakes take a ton of time, they are a luxury item, much like ordering an ice sculpture, it's the skill and labor that are costly.
tinygoose...totally agree w/the ice sculpture analogy.
For those who cringe at the cost of one-of-a-kind cake art ('just cake') think about how much one would pay for 'frozen water'
I agree with paperfishies. I hate trying to ice a perfect buttercream cake. I will only do fondant on wedding cakes - and tell the bride upfront. Fortunately, I only do it as a hobby and only for friends. I use Jennifer Dontz' white chocolate fondant - so it has a great taste. I always give the bride a 6" cake with buttercream and white chocolate fondant to sample during the consult. I had a bride walk into a consult and say she hated fondant. I told her that she needed to find a different decorator. She settled down and we finished the consult. (I ended up cancelling the cake anyway but I still had received any money three weeks before the wedding!! Hope she enjoyed her Walmart cake.)
ok, on the buttercream thing, since I've done it for years and years, I can do a BC cake way faster than a fondant cake. BUT ..... ! When I ventured into fondant, I was amazed at how easy it was! What I've observed is that those who start in fondant seem to have trouble transitioning to BC .... but those who start in BC can easily transition to fondant.
Back on topic......
The phrase that made my a$$ tired was "We're on a budget ....." (Just like all the magazines TELL them to say!).
Well, good! That makes you no different than any other bride and groom who walked thru my door!
Pretty much any phrase I recognized as one the magazines tell them to ask would make me give out a "big sigh!" especially when I knew they had NO idea why they were asking it and had no idea if what I was telling them was a good answer or not. I could just tell.
some of mine:
"I know this is a little short notice but....." and then they get mad when I say no, because apparently recognizing its short notice should lengthens the week quite nicely.
"Just do whatever." Give me SOMETHING to run with, people!
"I'm not a huge cake person." Ok.... why'd you call me then? (I do have a schpeel about this, but still...)
"Nobody really eats the cake at a wedding anyway." Thanks for the compliment. (again, I have a schpeel about this too, but really...)
"Hi, this is so and so wedding planner. I have a client here who wants to come in for an appt this afternoon..." Yep, because that's going to happen.
Can't think of any more, but most of the ones lately are those that leave me walking around the house saying "YOU called ME!" As if they're doing me a favor and need not be bothered with details.
I DO love my customers, and most I can win over with some honey, but on a grouchy day (during busy season those are frequent) I don't have a lot of patience. Luckily, I can fake it really well!
Them:
"Nobody really eats the cake at a wedding anyway."
Me (in a hoity toity snobby voice): Oh, obviously they've never eaten MY cake, then!"
Them:
"Nobody really eats the cake at a wedding anyway."
Me (in a hoity toity snobby voice): Oh, obviously they've never eaten MY cake, then!"
Yep, that's kind of my thing too!
Them:
"Nobody really eats the cake at a wedding anyway."
Me (in a hoity toity snobby voice): Oh, obviously they've never eaten MY cake, then!"
The most recent one that I had that I found rather obnoxious was a woman wanting two different types of cake , three different fillings and tow different frostings , tried to tell me she just wanted a simple cake . When I gave her a quote per serve she gasped and then tried to tell me she was a chef and could quite easily do the cake if she had access to a kitchen. I used to work as a chef so that statement doesn't fill me with awe ) She then went on to tell me Michel's ( a local chain store ) will do it for such and such a price ( about half of what I had quoted ) but they won't do the flavours or the fillings . Helllllooooo what makes you think I will
after a few more minutes of her trying to negotiate my price down unsuccessfully , I told her she would be best to go with the Michel's cake .
also if the conversation starts off with , I have talked to so many decorators today , I have lost count and no one could fit me in, you just know that you don't want to do that cake.
People who don't understand that if you order one dozen cupcakes and request 4 different flavors, I have to bake 100 cupcakes to get those 12.
Other than that, if they show me the money, I put up with their nonsense.
Them: "I need a wedding cake to serve 150 and my budget is $200."
Me: "Does not compute."
Another one:
Them: "I need a cake that looks like a 1979 Corvette."
Me: "Ok, we can do that! When do you need this cake?"
Them: "Tomorrow."
Me:
One more:
"I need a [insert any sculpted or shaped cake here] and I only want it to serve 2 people."
I have to say that find other decorators' comments and attitudes more offensive than anything I've encountered from customers or potential customers.
I have to say that find other decorators' comments and attitudes more offensive than anything I've encountered from customers or potential customers.
I agree with you 100%.
Them: "I need a wedding cake to serve 150 and my budget is $200."
Me: "Does not compute."
Another one:
Them: "I need a cake that looks like a 1979 Corvette."
Me: "Ok, we can do that! When do you need this cake?"
Them: "Tomorrow."
Me:
One more:
"I need a [insert any sculpted or shaped cake here] and I only want it to serve 2 people."
Oh those are all so funny, and true.
" I have to say that find other decorators' comments and attitudes more offensive than anything I've encountered from customers or potential customers."
That is why it is so neat to have a board like this, with like minded people that UNDERSTAND the frustrations that we go through...... we can VENT here....... LAUGH here...... say things that we could never say to our customers........ lighten up .........
" I have to say that find other decorators' comments and attitudes more offensive than anything I've encountered from customers or potential customers."
That is why it is so neat to have a board like this, with like minded people that UNDERSTAND the frustrations that we go through...... we can VENT here....... LAUGH here...... say things that we could never say to our customers........ lighten up .........
Gosh, I wish I COULD lighten up! I've been trying to lose the last 15 lb. of baby weight for MONTHS now.
wykdgud......... It will happen ......... hang in there..... and quit eating that icing !!
I too am like Indydebi....I can ice a cake in 10 minutes with BC ..but fondant...I hate...I can never get it super smooth and sometimes it wrinkles like an elephant.Grrrr
I too just shake my head at some customers...
"I'd like a cake for 40 people..How does $50.00 sound?"Ummm...Nope..How does the sound of my foot up your keester sound? Thinking out loud of course....
or..this is a good one..."Love your cakes...Not the Prices"..Really?? Too bad! You emailed me...Idiot
"I would like a 3D cake for 5 people" okay but it will still be $200.00 but I only need it for 5...Really??
Cake Muggles...
"Nobody really eats the cake at a wedding anyway." Thanks for the compliment. (again, I have a schpeel about this too, but really...)
I think I was at that wedding!...
Any sentence that begins with "Can't you JUST...." is going to be annoying. Or funny. Or both.
LOL I was just reading all of your responses to my boyfriend, and when he didn't laugh I said "You don't think that's funny?!" and he said "I do... but I hear it all day long" lol that cracked me up!!
I am sitting here laughing at the responses and can't tell you how I enjoy this topic.
There are way to many obnoxious people that come in and sit for 4 hrs and still dont know what cake that they want. Or the one that picks out the cake and then doesn't remember what it looks like when she comes to pay the final payment and you have to argue with her at the last minute that yes that is the cake that you picked out.
I am glad that I make a copy of any cake that she picks out of a book or magazine and then attach it to the order and mail one to the client as well.. but they still forget!
thank you so much everyone for such a fun topic and answers.
tinygoose...totally agree w/the ice sculpture analogy.
For those who cringe at the cost of one-of-a-kind cake art ('just cake') think about how much one would pay for 'frozen water'
ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hate when I have cakes sitting out for pickup and people ask "How much would a cake like that cost?" I tell them it depends on the type of cake and the number of servings needed. Then they say "Well, how much did they pay for that cake?" It confuses them when I tell them "I'm sorry, that's not information I share."
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