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Forum nameStartup Stew
Topic subjectRE: Pricing question - opinions please!
Topic URLhttps://www.businessownersideacafe.com/forums/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=119&topic_id=1556&mesg_id=1577
1577, RE: Pricing question - opinions please!
Posted by nightsky, Fri Dec-05-08 08:25 PM
Nice website. It comes across professional and it shows your cookies well. As I was looking at your site, I was wishing I had some of your cookies here right now.

Here are a couple of ideas to add to what others have already mentioned.

First - if you have the best cookie around your area... then don't drop the price. If you want to be known as gourmet... then you have to price them as such, and then back the price up with a killer cookie. At first, hen I was reading your posting, I thought that you could make them a little larger, but, if it has a taste explosion in a persons mouth... then maybe the size is OK where it is.

Second - I am not so sure that a deli or cafe is known for gourmet items... so I might look for more upscale places to get them. I would look for more upscale businesses to place your cookies.

Third - Are there any gift basket businesses in your area? If so... then I would contact the best ones and try to get them to trythem out.

Fourth - Try like crazy to get well known people to try them and then give you testimonials.

Fifth - Have you contacted the TV stations and Newspapers in your area to do a story about you? They are always looking for story ideas and a story about you is much better than an ad that you run. I never advertise in newspapers or anywhere really.... but I have had national magazines and cable TV networks want to do stories about my murals. No, it takes a lot of work, but if you will constantly work at it... you an get some great press about your cookies. Just try to always over-deliver on your product.

Sixth - Be patient... and grow your business at whatver speed it takes. Don't try to force it. And, if a lower-end deli (I'm using deli as an example... it ould be anything)calls you and wants to start offering your cookies in all 10 of their stores... don't do it. Or, if you just need the money that a deal like that would bring in... then sell to them under a different name. You want "Cookies by Cathy" to mean high-end, gourmet cookies.

When I started out doing my Night Sky Murals, I was charging only a couple of dollars a square foot. I went into an Interior Decorators store to talk to them about my murals... and one lady was really nice nd gave me some great advice. She said that the people that she deals with would not even give me the time of day at the prices that I was charging. They would automatically assume that they were low quality. Well, at the time, I was probably doing murals about as good as other simila companies. So, I decided that I wanted to work with the type of client that that Interior Decorator was dealing with... because everyone else was marketing to everyone, and losing the upper-end customer. So, I really worked on my product and over the years I perfected the techniques that I use and I am now probably the most expensive company in my business. But, I also back up the prices I charge with awesome murals.

Now, I get calls from around the country and even out of it... because I worked at it and let things just unfold as they would. Now, I mention that about the murals to show you an example of what I was suggesting to you. I have done what it seems you want to do too. I still haven't arrived at where I want to be... but I am further than I ever expected.

And, if your cookies are half as tasty as they look... then you will get to where you want to be too. I may just order a dozen cookies when I return from the 6 state painting trip that I am about to start on next week.

Good luck.... and sorry for the looooong post. I am always making short answers into long ones.



Jeff S.
Night Sky Murals
Award Winning Murals

www.NightSkyMurals.com (Product)
www.DarkSkyMurals.biz (Business Opportunity)

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