Do You Respond To These Emails?
Business By Bridgette1129 Updated 26 Mar 2012 , 6:35pm by Bridgette1129
When you have someone who is kind enough to reply to your quote and say that you are out of their budget but they'll keep you in mind or thank you for your time, do you reply?
What do you say?
Yes I always reply. I usually say something like: "Thanks for your reply. Good luck with your plans. "
I also usually counter with a more basic product that would fit in to their budget, e.g. if they ask for an elaborate multi-tier cake for 30 people and can only spend $100, I might offer a sheet cake with a more simple custom design instead. You would be surprised how often this results in an order.
Of course if they want a cake for 100 people and can only spend $100, I don't bother with a counter.
Yes, I usually say "Okay, thank you for letting us know! We look forward to working with you in the future!" Or something to that effect. Because I really am thankful when someone takes the time to respond instead of just never hearing from them again! 
Yes, I usually say "Okay, thank you for letting us know! We look forward to working with you in the future!" Or something to that effect. Because I really am thankful when someone takes the time to respond instead of just never hearing from them again!
This.
They may have a larger budget for a later event, or may refer to a friend. A+ customer service is always worth your time
I always reply thanking them for considering our company and hope that we may be of service in the future. I also ask if they need a referral to another bakery that may be more suited to their needs. We have a little network and helping the customer with a referral will go a long way in the goodwill department.
I noticed that if it's a lot over their budget, they usually don't bother to reply to the quote. If they bother to reply and say it's over, usually offer 2 possibilities: to reduce per serving weight (e.g. instead of 30 x 100 g serv. 60 x 50 g servings) and still keep the same design or simplify the design (2D instead of 3D). Surprisingly they almost always change their mind and go for the first one when they really want that particular design.
(Bakeries use weight per serving here. So I know Wilton wedding/party serving weight for the most requested flavours).
I would say I do 99% of the time. I did a sock monkey cake recently that was sent to me for a quote in a topsy turvy style. When I quoted them a price, they weren't interested in paying that much. So I replied indeed, it is quite an intensive project, but if you would be interested in regular shaped tiers, here's how much it would be. They were happy with that idea, and I got the order. I'll admit, there are some emails I don't reply to. ALWAYS the very first initial request no matter what, but there are some I let drop.
These are all very good suggestions. Unfortunately for this order my base price per serving was too high. 
But she was very polite and I stayed professional and caring so hopefully she refers me or has a bigger budget in the future!
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