If you don't have your own bakery, where do you hold consultations for potential clients?

Most of my clients have small children and I do too, so I usually meet after dinner time at the local Starbucks. We can talk in quiet and we get a chance to get away for an hour or so.

Coffee shops are a very popular meeting place for my customers, as well as the park, for those with kids. I love meeting someone at the park because I can take my kids with me, too, which sometimes is a big help...not having to find a sitter. I will go to their home, if it's what's most convenient for them. Met a client once at the bookstore, too.

Thanks for the ideas.

If we're not meeting at the client's house, I ALWAYS meet them at Starbucks. It's perfect!

I go to their home, the library, or a restaurant. I like the idea of the park!

I only meet at my house. The only clients who come are wedding clients. I then have a small cake for tasting, have my photo albums, all my wedding stands & then I can run off copies of the contract if need be.

puppyloveconfections....SOUL PATROL all the way!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the additional input.

I'm thinking of posting an add to do a wedding cake. I plan to do dummy cakes to build up my portfolio but I feel I need a real challenge. Plus, it would be great to have a reference (if it turns out well).

Jenn123, I had thought about the library so I'm glad to hear someone else uses it as a consult location.

I have the come to my house. All my books, stands, pillars, etc are here. If I had a shop they would have to come i to the shop. My house is my "shop". This also helps them see what my kitchen looks like. I always make sure that it is nice an clean & smells wonderful. I'll bake a cake or make frosting right before they come in. So it smells like a bakery.

We've been in this house for 10 years and there are times that we have people come visit (not cake clients) and when they walk in they ask what I'm baking cause it smells so good. Must be all the flour & powered sugar in the air!

I'd have them come here to the house if they asked to see the kitchen, etc., but so far I've done 2 cakes for strangers, and both have been completely over the phone and by email, amazingly enough. I've never seen or met either bride. I did meet the bride's mother last night at the reception where I was setting up...

My state doesn't license home kitchens at ALL, so I'm up against the fact that people want to order cakes, but I feel like I'm doing something illegal if I take the orders and do it from here...I want to do cakes more, can't afford a shop, can't find a place to work or rent yet, and I'm STUCK. SO frustrating!!!

We never use our dining room, except for Christmas and Thanksgiving, so I have made it into my bride room, as well as my holding area for cakes waiting to be picked up. I put together a bridal package for my consultations and they do tastings, look at my books, etc etc. Never had any problems.

Great idea Loriemoms. My cake stuff is in my dining room because it hasn't been used for eating since last xmas. It would be a great place to use for a cake consult. Thanks for sharing!

Oh yeah, another good place to meet is at the reception site or church.

I have yet to get to the point of selling cakes, but my two cents:

When we were planning our wedding and lived about 40 minutes from our cake decorator, we met at my in-law's house which was halfway between. She had to bring her youngest which was fine since we already had one of our own, who was about four-years old at the time. It was very comfortable to meet at a home since her baby could play and she didn't have to worry about him. We had discussed cake flavors and she brought three small cakes for samples. It made the whole process so comfortable and easy.

Michelle

I can not have customers come to my home unless I have two offstreet parkng spaces. I do not so I go to them. I either meet at their home or the food court of one of the local malls.
I feel going to them makes it easier and less stressful and I can claim the mileage on my taxes.

I agree, people love the homey aspect! They feel like they are having coffee and cake with friends! haha! (although I always server a big pitcher of cold water with my tastings)

I only do tastings on sundays, and book them back to back so that I can do all my samples at once (I make cupcakes and give them some to take home for mom and dad to try).

My biggest problem with consultations is that I don't like to pressure anyone, and I ask them to go home and look over the contract and such. Although 90 percent of the time, the contract arrives in the mail 2 days later. I guess I don't like it when someone says to me "Ok, sign the contract now!" so I hate to do that to people. But that is the only part I hate...is talking money! hahaha

I do all my wedding consultations at my house and I only do them on Friday nights or Saturdays so that my hubby can take the kids out of the house. I put out samples and have a laptop so they can see my website. It gives me an extra excuse to get them out to my website.

Right now I do my consultations at my kitchen table. We are in teh process of building a new house and I'll have my own office to do consultations and display my cakes in for my clients. I'm very excited. I've found that alot of brides are not scared of the fact that I work out of my home. I was worried about that in the beginning.

Good luck!

~Erica

Did you know that it is actually "in vogue" to use a Home based baker for your wedding? I have read it in several brides magazines and articles on selecting your wedding cake. I have even seen it stated "if you are lucky enough to find a home based baker". The reason behind it is no suprised. We care more about how the cake looks, tastes and presents then a big bakery...I think a little of us goes into all our babies!

Excellent, reception site or church!

I feel the same, loriemoms. I'd go that route and provide samples and let them contact me later if they chose to give me the job.

My state doesn't license home kitchens at ALL, so I'm up against the fact that people want to order cakes, but I feel like I'm doing something illegal if I take the orders and do it from here...I want to do cakes more, can't afford a shop, can't find a place to work or rent yet, and I'm STUCK. SO frustrating!!![/quote]

I totally feel you there! I am in the same boat, and it's very frustrating.