Module 2 : Meeting

Clients/Establishing
Requirements for Jobs

In this module you will learn:

Why you should arrange a meeting with potential clients
What you should include in your portfolio
How to find out what your clients’ needs are
How to delve into the details to make sure nothing is
missed
When you should plan to talk again with the client to
finalize details

2:1 Introduction
Meeting with clients is about establishing
your business and your products as the best
choice.

This is where you need to sell you and your products without
overselling yourself. No one likes pushy people, but they do
like professional and organized.

If you come across this way from the beginning, you are off to
a good start. An important note is to set aside at least an
hour for a client meeting and should use that moment well even
if there are other things you could be doing.

It may not take that long, but an hour is a good amount of

time to get all the details you need and make the right
impression. It may be that you have to put yourself out to
allow the meeting to happen but if the orders come through, it
will be time well spent.

2.2 Who are Your Customers?

Despite the simplicity this question, do not
be deceived.

Catering accumulates customers from all kinds of scenarios,

locations, backgrounds and each has their own specifications
and preferences.

To begin, the main source of customers a caterer of cakes and

cupcakes will be providing for will be for people hosting
events. These could be things such as leaving parties,
weddings, birthdays, baby showers, christenings, or any other
celebration.

On the other hand, someone could just want to treat their

partner or family to a professionally made cake as a surprise.

You have to be prepared for any and every situation!

Let’s start with birthdays!

Coming around once a year for the seven billion people on the
planet, birthday requests will come to you many times each
week. Requiring specific designs, messages and details, every
cake will be different and require you to expand your creative
skills. For example, for a child’s 10th birthday they may want
a cake depicting the blue Power Ranger. This requires specific
icing, the image the child wants and a steady hand. This kind
of task will likely be put on your list of jobs several times
a day if you have enough clients and advertise your work.

Next up, weddings!

Unlike birthdays, weddings are often a one off event that the
couple will always want to remember and how better to help
them remember than with a delicious three tier delicacy. With
wedding cakes the norm is as mentioned, a three to five tier
tower of precisely iced cakes that seduces the taste buds and
crumbles with perfection with each bite.

Customers of this kind will not always have a specific cake

design in mind so be sure to have a pre-made selection or
selection of past wedding cake projects for them to choose
from. If, however, they have a preference as to the cakes
specifications, be prepared for a long day’s work and some
serious dedication.

Leaving parties!
Leaving parties are usually simple tasks where customers just
require a tasty Victoria sponge cake, smothered in icing with
jam in the middle. This sounds easy enough but, should the
customer want a particular design, be ready. Perhaps Jim from
the office is leaving and they want him to have a cake with an
icing picture of his face on it. This will require time,
resources, precision and of course, a picture of Jim’s face!

These customers will present trivial tasks or some of the most

fun ones. It will vary.

Baby showers!
Celebrating the creation of life, customers throwing a baby
shower may want a gender-orientated cake. By this I mean pink-
themed for girl and blue-themed for a boy.

Customers hosting a baby shower may want pastel colors as

icing decorating the cake with potentially a few iced on cute
pictures.

For example:
A customer having a baby shower for a baby girl may want a
pastel pink icing outline on a white icing covered sponge cake
with a pastel pink heart and arrow in the middle. Sometimes
simple, sometimes not. The delight of making cakes such as
these will banish the stress and worries that catering
normally begets, by presenting you with a task that is both
admirable and enjoyable.

Religious event cakes!

These could be customers from any kind of religion or faith
that are celebrating their child’s coming of age, or another
reason for family celebration. From Christenings to Hanukkah,
these customers will want cakes with unique yet simple
designs. For example, a gold icing trimmed cake with a special
message iced on that is big enough to be shared among a large
number of people.

This kind of task may be straightforward, but is usually both

time consuming and resource consuming so a trip to your
supplier may be a necessity.

Other celebratory events!

From Valentine’s Day to Mother’s day to Father’s day to St.
Patrick’s Day, cakes are a form of expression that we all use
to show love and care.

Customers could request a heart shaped cake for Valentine’s

Day for their partner or they may want a personalized cake for
a loved one on a special day. Regardless, almost all of these
occasions will come with specified instructions and
preferences for the creation of their perfect cake. For
example, a St. Patrick’s Day order may present you with the
task of baking four-leaf clover shaped cakes covered in neat
green icing to celebrate the Irish holiday.
Not to forget customers requesting cupcakes!

Cupcakes can be used as a snack or treat at all kinds of

parties, celebrations and events. Normally cupcakes are quite
simple to bake and easy to produce in mass, though, some
events require large amounts of cupcakes to provide for
sometimes hundreds of attendees.

To counter these kinds of numbers it is best to bake and make

continuously; whipping up a batch of 24 cupcakes while already
baking 24 in the oven.

Having seen these kinds of customer examples, it may already

be clear to you that as a cake and cupcake caterer, your job
will never be the same two days in a row. You will be tasked
with making a particular five tier wedding cake one day to
then making an undemanding sponge cake and iced cupcake combo
the next day.

The work of a cake caterer is a roller-coaster, but if you

love what you do, the crafting and precision required will
only add to the fun!

2.3 Arrange the Client Meeting

If you have a local bricks and mortar
business, it will be easier to arrange the
meeting at your location which will also give
the client the chance to see what is
available.

They will also be able to see what a professional organization

you run. However, if you do not have a proper location and you
bake, legally, out of your home kitchen, you might want to
meet the client at their home.
Alternatively, you may set up your dining room. You need to
retain professionalism in order to show off your goods. Part
of professionalism is also being convenient for the client,
without putting yourself out in the process. You may be
running a business from home, but you need to have some
distance between work and distractions.

2.4 Bring Your Portfolio, Samples,

and Prices
Before you can establish anything from the client, you need to
be organized for the meeting.

There are three things your clients need to know:

Projects you have successfully completed – if possible,

references from happy previous customers should be
provided.
How your cupcakes and cakes taste – a small sample for
the client to try will give a good impression and also
give them the option to make a more informed choice.
Prices – do not push this part, but the client will want
to know that they are likely to be spending even if you
are not able to tell them there and then.

Creating a portfolio with images of the different flavors of

cupcakes and cakes you make is essential. Consider your
portfolio as a list of ingredients, images and prices. It will
help if you list the ingredients as it will make the clients
choice easier.

If they know in advance that there is something they are

allergic to, it will help them avoid making a poor choice. It
can also show case the work you have done for other clients.
If you are using other clients, make sure you have permission
or omit their name from the information you supply. Referrals
are great as long as you have proper permission. The main part
of your portfolio is to ensure that a client can see what you
have to offer, how it looks as a finished product, and
eventually the prices.

Have samples baked that day, as even if they are slightly less
fresh than normal, it could worry the client into thinking
that is what they will get. You do not need to have more than
one flavor at this point, but something common that most of
your clientele like. Another option is to bring a basic
chocolate or vanilla cake for the client to taste, and then
tell them what can be added to your basic recipe. Food can
often speak for itself and can be a great way to make the sale
without being too pushy.

Prices should be on a separate sheet for individual, half a

dozen, a dozen, and upwards. They should be basic prices for
the fundamental cupcakes and cakes that you offer. This sheet
should include surcharges and typical price points for
fillings. As a take home, it gives your client something to
think about.

2.5 Let Your Client Talk

You can learn a lot by allowing your client
to talk.

It will ease them into the process as well as provide you with
details on venue, how many, their price point, and the overall
requirements of the job. You can steer the discussion or just
listen to the client for the first few minutes of your
meeting. After the first few minutes, start to delve more into
the pertinent details.

The more you chat, the more you can find out about the event
and if you make a good connection, it could lead to a bigger
order, or at least some repeat ones.

FACT

When it comes to favorite cake flavors…chocolate just wins.

Source: lovefood.com – 2015

2.6 Delve Into the Details

Make sure you leave your client meeting with a clear
understanding of the project at hand.

Here is what you need to know before you leave:

Is it a casual or formal event being hosted?

Is there a specific venue you need to deliver to or will
the client pick up the order themselves?
Are they ordering a cake or cupcakes, and if it is
cupcakes how many?
Are they looking for basic or more in-depth flavors that
 will require an actual sample tasting?
What is the time-line for the finished product? Is the
client looking six months ahead or in need of five dozen
cupcakes in just one week?

Plan to Meet Again When you have an Estimate

If your client is uncertain of the flavors they may want in

the layers of a cake, or as the filling in the cupcakes, you
may need to set up a sample tasting of the flavors they are
interested in.

Tell your client that you will take a specific amount of time
to get an estimate based on the discussion. Never give an
estimate during that first meeting – clients will understand
that you want to be sure about the price you give.

DO not want to miss details as you try to whip up a quick

estimate; they might try to hold you to it, even if it means
losing out. Even when you become more experienced, there is
the risk that you may miss something and risk either
overcharging or undercharging.

Undercharging will be annoying, but overcharging could cause a

great deal of damages to the business.

Module Summary
You should feel confident with meeting clients now that you
have an organizational base for your get-together.

Confidence comes in knowing your product, you and your

capabilities, as well as being able to listen to the client.
Being organized and professional ensures confidence is shown.

You learned how to prepare for the meeting, how to let the
client talk before you get into the details.

You have also learned about the importance of sharing a proper

estimate versus an on the spot estimate.

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