How we do our cake consultations/tasting very much depends on our personal business circumstances. If we run our business out of an in-home studio, we sometimes have to travel to a coffee shop to meet our potential clients. If we have an establishment or a room to host at our in-home studio, we can host our consultations in our own space. Whether you are traveling to your consult or hosting in your own establishment, we've got tips, outlines and insights to make it a successful tasting!
In this blog, we have the amazing guest contributor Shannon Bond from Shannon Bond Cake Design! She is an insanely talented cake designer... I can always spot a "Bond" cake from a mile away! In fact, she's kind the WHOLE PACKAGE. She's the one-woman show to her amazing cake studio and she runs it out of her home (completely licensed and above board!)... and..... AND... she does it while homeschooling 6 kids! I know. I know. Lift that jaw up off the floor my friend. But it's got to make you think, if she can do it... so can you!
Without further adieu, I give you, "Successful At-Home Tastings with Shannon Bond"....
With six children, clutter can happen instantaneously! Having a set day of the week for consultations takes some of the pressure off of me to have our home "show ready" at all times. I schedule one-hour consultations by appointment for events ordering over 100 servings of cake. On the rare occasion, a client's work schedule prevents a weekend appointment, I offer alternate days such as a Monday evening.
Before we get to the point of a consultation, the client and I have had a few email exchanges where I've given them my starting prices, copies of my contract, and a Consultation Guide which outlines what to expect during our time together. I try to get as much information from them as possible so I have an idea of style, size and location they are envisioning for their event. I make sure they are aware of my prices to prequalify clients before setting an appointment time. There is nothing more disappointing for a client than to fall in love with a design and a designer, only to have it be out of their price range. It is also disappointing for me to invest my time and samples for a budget that was never even above my minimum. I keep the appointments to a maximum 60 minutes in length with an additional 30 minutes in between appointments to change out sample plates, silverware, water glasses and allow for early arrivals.
After I welcome the clients into our home, we sit at our kitchen table which is stocked with prepared sample plates, silverware, glasses of ice water, a full menu, business cards and brochures. I also have a few of my favorite display cakes with various techniques and sugar flowers to showcase my skills. I choose the flavors for my samples based off of my most popular and requested flavors. I offer 2 basic cake flavors along with 3 separate buttercream flavors for them to mix and match. 3 flavors of gourmet cake and buttercream combinations are prepared in dessert shooter glasses on the sample plates as well. Each plate has a "cake cheat sheet" which maps out the names of each of the flavors on their plate.
I encourage them to make notes on the cheat sheets as they are tasting in case they are not ready to decide on flavors immediately. As they begin sampling, I ask questions to fill in any gaps in the information I may not have received through emails. After I schedule a consultation, I start a secret Pinterest board for each of my clients where I keep all of the inspiration pictures they send me along with any design ideas I believe may fit their style.
If they are still unsure of a design style, we will search through the board I've put together to see what design elements they are drawn towards. If they have given me a good starting point through the emails, I have 1-2 rough sketch ideas worked up to present to them.
Tip: I use these sketching templates to sketch my cakes quickly and professionally before my consultation or right in front of my client!
We amend the designs or start from scratch dependent on their desires and budget. After we have decided on a size, I use styrofoam dummies to stack a replica of the design we discussed so they can see firsthand the size of the tiers they have chosen. It also allows me a chance to talk about cake stand rental and show off the stands I have available.
When we have finalized our design, I excuse myself from the table to work up a quote in a separate room. This allows me to double-check my figures on my itemization form and it gives them a chance to talk in private a few minutes. I return to the table with their quote, if needed, we discuss alternatives that will help stay within a budget and ask about final flavor choices. I remind them their quote is valid for 5 days and their date is open to others until their signed contract and non-refundable retainer are received. The majority of clients will be ready to book the same day, but others leave with a contract to mail back within the week. I fill in the amounts and dates of the retainer and final payments on the contract for them and send a follow-up email within 48 hours to thank them for their consideration and review the breakdown of the order.
It's never lost on me that these potential clients are trusting me with such a special event in their life! I remind them I am always available to answer any questions or concerns they may think of after our meeting and always thank them for considering me to be a part of such a special day. After walking them to the door and goodbyes are exchanged, it's time to re-set for the next appointment!
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Last modified on January 6th, 2023
I'm Avalon -- and I'm not your typical cake decorator. I'm obsessed with fusing the world of ART and CAKE. Sugar is my canvas. If you're down to get messy and dive into a whole new level of cake, take my virtual hand, cause I've got so many secrets I want to show you! learn more>>
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