I had a couple of appointments with the owners of bridal shops today. I wanted to share with you what I did and brought because he said that he was throwing away the business cards of the other 2 cake makers he has been referring people to after this meeting.
*First, I called several days ahead of time and made an appointment to meet with the owner at a time that was most convenient for him. I let him know why I wanted to meet with him and that I would bring samples.
*Here is what I brought with me, according to what he said he'd like: plenty of business cards (like 25 or 30), brochures with pictures & info, a small 'brag book' sized photo album with pictures of my work, 2 small sample cakes, plastic forks and knives, paper plates & napkins.
*I arrived right on time, dressed appropriately (not a suit, but not jeans!), shook his hand and smiled A LOT. I let him know what flavors were in the cakes, gave him the cards & brochures, and asked if he had any questions for me.
*After I answered his questions, I shook his hand again, told him to enjoy the cakes and thanked him for his time.

The cakes were each 1/4 of a 9x13 cake. I had 4 appointments, so I made (2) 2-layer cakes and cut them in quarters before frosting them. In hind sight, next time I will cut them in half again, making 8 cakes. Each layer of the cakes was a different flavor, so I could let them try 4 flavors of cake. I made chocolate/white caramel cake with custard filling and lemon/white cake with strawberry filling. The decoration on each cake was simple, but enough that they could see a little of my skill level.

The owner was so impressed with all of this! He said that the other 2 cake people he normally refers people to showed up, gave him 1 business card and 4-5 brochures. That was it, no photos, no cake. He said that if this was the level of customer service that I provide, I was the one he wants his store name associated with. He threw away the other 2 business cards in front of me! And that was without even tasting my cakes.

*My next step will be to send him a thank you card for taking the time to meet with me and any future referals he sends my way.

I got such a great response that I wanted to share what I did with you all, in case you will be doing the same thing anytime soon.

(I'm pretty sure I smiled the whole rest of the day after such a glowing review! )

wow congratulations!!! I'm sure it will be a great experience, and many new customers!!! have fun, you deserve it!!!

That is GREAT!!!! Congratulations!! and thank you for sharing your tips with the rest of us.

So professional! Sounds like you really made an impression and it's so cool that you've shared this with everyone here. I bet you're going to have a pretty booming business very soon!

Thanks so much for sharing!! Hope it brings you lots of great business!

congratulations on a sucessful start!

Your preparation and presentation put you miles ahead of other bakers! May I suggest you hobnob with some florists also? They provide me with about half of my referrals.

Good luck with your future business!

Oh, my gosh....yes! Good job! I am so thankful to hear that information....I want to try to do the same in my area!

Thanks so much everyone! Karensjustdesserts, thanks for the tip on florists- I will start making some calls tomorrow! I have 3 more appointments this weekend, so maybe I can add them to the list too.

Congratulations! You will be quite successful!

Congrats!

Thanks for the tip!

Good luck with absolutely everything...you sound very motivated! And ready!
Also, if you know of bridal planners in the area, it's good to contact them too. I did a cake tasting with one a few months ago, and it's worked out well for me. Basically, get to know the people who make the referrals!