Dealing With Customers Budgets
Business By Jackie80 Updated 15 Jul 2014 , 12:44pm by LoveMeSomeCake615
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A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders the day I realized that not everyone can afford my cakes and that's OK. I can simplify or scale down my design to fit into a clients budget, but sometimes that's not enough. Ferrari doesn't sit around worried and coming up with thousands of ideas on how to get their car in my driveway!
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This is something that really does take practice for a lot of people, including me. I am doing cakes just cause I'm playing...but do have a service type business. Once we come to realize there are a gazillion people in this world and some can and will pay for our service, it shifts a mindset to allow those people to come to us as opposed to us thinking we have to take whatever it is we can get.
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I promise you Mimi I thought of this this morning...we know that business and family don't mix. Well my cousin is getting married next month and (I'm so serious I played this out in my head) I arrived to the venue with cake, set up, then asking who has my final payment. When no one fess's up to having my money I simply remove a few tiers put them in the truck, come back and sit to enjoy the ceremony lol. It's not funny but it's funny...
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You know, I never thought about customers in turn going to the supermarket giving the employees a hard time to create extravagant cakes... thanx -embersmom!
Not that I ever thought it's beyond them to do that but generally when you go to the supermarket they advertise sheet cakes, ice cream cakes, cupcakes...so I'm thinking the average customer wouldn't expect anything more than just that. Guess they're not so average.
Well...yeah. As somebody said later on in this thread, sometimes the bulk of the money is budgeted elsewhere so whatever is left over is for the cake because "it's just cake". We get a lot of family-type customers where they have to feed a truckload of teenagers (think graduation parties) who aren't looking for cake-as-art, so, yeah, in that case one of our full sheet cakes fills the bill.
We also have a lot of "keeping up with the Joneses" types, though, and I've found that it's those particular customers who want the bells and whistles but don't want to pay for them, like the woman wanting the baby shower cake I spoke about upthread.
Just as an aside (and no, I have no idea why I suddenly thought of this) -- back when one of my nieces graduated from high school, my SIL/BIL had a huge party for her -- it was catered, very classy, the whole bit. My SIL got a tiered topsy-turvy brightly colored cake from the local retail bakery which is known in the area for their playful cakes. Really, it was one of the nicest cakes I'd seen up to that point. It was scrumptious too. I only know this because I was one of the very few people there who had a slice of it. Everyone else oohed and aahed over it so much, including my niece, that they didn't want to cut into it. Finally my SIL said something like, "Oh for crying out loud, it's a CAKE and it's meant to be EATEN and I'm not going to say I wasted my money on it, so EAT IT!"
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Just as an aside (and no, I have no idea why I suddenly thought of this) -- back when one of my nieces graduated from high school, my SIL/BIL had a huge party for her -- it was catered, very classy, the whole bit. My SIL got a tiered topsy-turvy brightly colored cake from the local retail bakery which is known in the area for their playful cakes. Really, it was one of the nicest cakes I'd seen up to that point. It was scrumptious too. I only know this because I was one of the very few people there who had a slice of it. Everyone else oohed and aahed over it so much, including my niece, that they didn't want to cut into it. Finally my SIL said something like, "Oh for crying out loud, it's a CAKE and it's meant to be EATEN and I'm not going to say I wasted my money on it, so EAT IT!"
Hahaha, I have been there! We brought a cake to a friend's housewarming party once (shaped to look like their new home) and literally NO ONE would cut it! I had to take a knife to it myself, and by that time the party was almost over and some people had already left! I'm like why didn't we just make a dummy then?!
Oh my goodness, that is really discouraging. It is very difficult to price cakes anyway, at least for me.
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That is probably what they told their spouse the cake cost . . . maybe the rest will be paid in cash in a few days.
Liz
That is a time honoured route to a happy marriage, I've lost count of the times I've done that. As long as the men (the wee lambs) can look at a very reasonable cheque stub they can sleep happy and I pay the rest in cash.
Its right up there with "this old thing?" for the gown at the back of the wardrobe?
This is exactly why when people ask me if I sell my cakes I say "No Way"! It really takes the joy out of making special cakes when people are unrealistic and down right rude. I only make cakes I want to make, mostly for my children although i have made some for nieces and nephews in the past.
I've done sales in the past, both consumer and business and one thing holds true: Most people can afford what they WANT to afford.
We all know there are truly people who have financial hardships, but someone who refuses to pay what a custom cake costs doesn't REALLY want a custom cake.
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This is exactly why when people ask me if I sell my cakes I say "No Way"! It really takes the joy out of making special cakes when people are unrealistic and down right rude. I only make cakes I want to make, mostly for my children although i have made some for nieces and nephews in the past.
I understand that! It does take the fun out of it...
A
Original message sent by Jackie80
I promise you Mimi I thought of this this morning...we know that business and family don't mix. Well my cousin is getting married next month and (I'm so serious I played this out in my head) I arrived to the venue with cake, set up, then asking who has my final payment. When no one fess's up to having my money I simply remove a few tiers put them in the truck, come back and sit to enjoy the ceremony lol. It's not funny but it's funny...
This made me crack up. Folks really thought they were going to pull one over on you had a huge surprise.
I learnt along time ago to ask 3 important questions before I even get into with them...
What is the date of your event?
How many people are you wanting to feed
What is your budget?
Once I hear back from them and they tell me I then offer/suggest what I have in their price range...9 times out of 10 they are unrealistic about pricing and it soon ends...I have people who try and say...."What will you do for me for x amount of dollars" or what if I offered you 50 bucks...what I really want to say is shove my foot up your A$$ but I don't...LOL
I simply tell them what their money will get and they either up their budget or order something less expensive...most order..others don't email back..It's all good but at least I am not spending times sending pictures of cakes they have no intentions of spending the money on...
lolol Yes! mzteaze. In real life, I literally just hung up the phone from speaking to the caterer...the wedding is in 2 weeks, 2 weeks! Neither of us have gotten a deposit even. So scratch being at the wedding, I'll be booking another order....well, it is my first cousin, I may bring them a 4" round 
Fortunately, where I work, I don't have to deal with the customers and their orders. Our wedding coordinator books everything and handles the tastings and cake orders. The only time I sit down with the bride is if the cake is something that I need to get specifics on.
But, there is one couple that are getting married in October. So, she sent in a picture of a very ornate cake, ruffled bottom, double barrel middle tier with brush embroidery, gold accents, large peonies, etc. So I priced the cake out to be $650 for the amount of people they had.
She said we only have $200 budgeted for the cake. So, she's getting a much smaller and less elaborate version of what she sent it. And, just getting dessert as part of the banquet menu.
Another one sent in a picture of a 3-tier fondant cake, fondant lace border (which I have a mold for), and large gumpaste roses. So, I priced out the cake, plus a $100 for all the roses. She decided against the fondant and lace and just went with buttercream and the roses. She may have saved $100. With what they have to spend to have a wedding where I work, is $100 that much of a difference to getting exactly what you wanted? I don't get people sometimes.
I'm disappointed sometimes because I do so many basic cakes for weddings that when I get something cool that will be different, they always cheap out on me when I give them the price.
I thought of this thread when a customer came in today. She was very specific about what her 10 year old son wanted for his birthday cake, 2 tier fondant including sizing and yes her son designed the cake! I quoted her $550.00, her answer "But it's only for 6 kids". We discussed doing a single tier and keeping some of the design elements. No, it has to be 2 tier, but only for 6 kids. I brought it down from what she wanted to the smallest 2 tier we do and simplified the deco leaving off figurines $350.00. Her answer "The most I'm prepared to go to is $200.00"......crickets chirping......I just looked at her - the woman was haggling with me, or trying to. I couldn't get angry because I was too busy trying not to burst out laughing. Needless to say I didn't get the order
I thought of this thread when a customer came in today. She was very specific about what her 10 year old son wanted for his birthday cake, 2 tier fondant including sizing and yes her son designed the cake! I quoted her $550.00, her answer "But it's only for 6 kids". We discussed doing a single tier and keeping some of the design elements. No, it has to be 2 tier, but only for 6 kids. I brought it down from what she wanted to the smallest 2 tier we do and simplified the deco leaving off figurines $350.00. Her answer "The most I'm prepared to go to is $200.00"......crickets chirping......I just looked at her - the woman was haggling with me, or trying to. I couldn't get angry because I was too busy trying not to burst out laughing. Needless to say I didn't get the order
It's always funny to me when people can't get it through their heads that it doesn't matter how many people you plan to feed with this cake, it has a certain amount of servings that the price is based off of, and that doesn't change just because "it's only 6 kids"! I always feel like saying, "Well, you are welcome to cut it into 6 pieces, but it will be the same price regardless of whether you cut 6 or 60!" :)
Good for you for sticking to your price!
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