Many students have asked this questions so wanted to offer a short video on what I tend to do when customers come to me for a cake.
While David provides a properly calculated pricing matrix taking things into account such as set-up and running costs, available hours, competitor analysis, timings etc in his Making Profit From Cake Decorating Course I want to outline the best approach to take when customers come into your shop/home to order a cake.
Remember you are selling an experience not a cake and they very probably can not do what you can to make their occasion special. What would you pay to have your brake pads replaced? What would a mechanic pay? You have a skill that you should charge for otherwise it will become a very expensive hobby.
I always offer customers three options 1. Standard (lowest price) 2. Good level of decoration (middle) 3. WOW Factor (top dollar!)
Once you’ve set the scene and explained the options with passion and detail you’re off and running. The customer will most often go for the middle option, but you’d be surprised how often customers go the extra mile for that special occasion. It’s as much about how you explain the cake as the cake itself. Make sure you have delicious samples set aside to add to the customer experience.
This is the first in a weekly series of free tutorials which will compliment the weekly cake decorating tutorials available to members on the Tutorial Library for only £9.95 per month.
Let us know what you think.
