Mike Petilli and MVP Insurance

This blog has nothing to do with cakes but about a great business acquaintance and someone who has helped me tremendously.  When I first came to Mike and MVP insurance it wasn’t for my business, it was for my personal insurance needs.  In one phone call and a few emails Mike was able to analyze our home and auto insurance needs showing us where we were lacking and what we needed.  He was also able to save us money while improving our coverage.  In the span of a few short days (if that long) we were newly covered and seeing a difference in our monthly budget.

 When I  needed immediate extra coverage, I immediately panicked.  Then I called Mike and explained my situation.  He personally handled my need for coverage with the same urgency that I felt.  He was able to get the insurance that met my needs, stayed within my budget and he did it in less than 24 hours.  The paperwork I needed was available to me the same day and I was able to move forward with the needs of my client.  This level of service is almost unheard of in this day and time.

Rrecently I was able to visit Mike and his staff at their office in Apex, NC.  I had spoken with many of them on the telephone from time to time and they were just as welcoming in person as they were on the telephone.  Mike took the time to sit down and talk with me about some of my future projects and even gave me a little counseling on running a small business.    I cannot thank Mike and his team at MVP Insurance enough for what they have done for my personal insurance needs and my business needs.  I have recommended and will continue to recommend MVP Insurance to anyone who is looking to compare their rates on any type  they may need. 

You can find Mike and his team on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/MVP-Insurance-Group/100925366615158?sk=info#!/pages/MVP-Insurance-Group/108676249189973  You can even see some great work they did for me at this link  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KgwIvOsVKA&feature=youtu.be.  I see a YouTube channel in my future.

Anyway, if you have needs large or small for insurance, whether you are looking to compare rates, add coverage or whatever your specific needs may be, give him a call or visit their website

	http://www.MVPinsurancegroup.com or call 919-387-2048.

What flavors do you have? (a sort of random thought process)

**I give disclaimer now that this particular blog seems to ramble a bit, seems disjointed and is possibly a list of random thoughts...some days that's just how it is.**

What flavors do you have?   Hmmm...I've worked very hard to put together a starter list of flavors on the website to get interested clients started.  I'm going to read that same list to you when we talk. and know that there are as many cake flavors as there possibilities. 
I've come to understand after a few minutes of conversation that many clients have been in the "it's standard" and "everybody does it this way" category.  They are given to believe that they can only have one cake flavor or they will get a ton of extra charges thrown at them (see my friend Kara's post on this and other cake lies at http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/06/cake-lies-that-liars-tell.html ).  Digressing....

So what cake flavors do I have?  A quick browsing of the website will show at least a half a dozen flavors that classic starters.  Chocolate, vanilla, yellow, carrot, red velvet (a staple), strawberry...but just like a box of 96 colors of crayons there are that many and more flavors of cake you can create.  There are combinations that can create a whole new taste.  There just isn't an easy way to answer this question.  I thought by asking, "what are your favorite flavors" I would get a more narrow path to pursue.  Sadly, I was met with, "I don't know." 

My short version for today, I suppose, would be this:  remember that not everyone in the cake business is going to "do it this way."  Rather than ask what cake flavors (frosting, filling, etc.) I have, think about what you like and ask instead ask, "Do you make (insert flavor choice here)?"  Chances are that even if it's not listed it is completely doable and can lead us to other flavors you may not have thought about or a combination you might like to try. 

So remember, ask not what flavors do I have but with your flavor choice in mind, what flavor can I make for you!

Oh, it's a wedding cake...

My husband sent me a video clip a couple of years ago that makes fun of the wedding cake industry.  I've included the clip so you can watch for yourself here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gimiDBAK2wA.  I will warn that at the very end the man does use a very description word for the cake.  It starts with "s" and ends with "t" so use headphones - otherwise it's clean.

I use this opener to illustrate a recent meeting I had with a new client.  The young lady had called for pricing a couple of times and it's pretty clear that a) English is her second language and b) she's inexperienced with sales people.  We finally decided to meet for a tasting and she brought her neighbor with her to help her.  First I found this a very wise decision on her part because she was a wonderful older lady who you could tell looked after this girl like her own.  It was such a great meeting.  Anyway....

As we went through the tasting and decision making she kept asking me, "How much more does that cost?'  My reply was almost always, "It's included; no extra charge."  This kept replaying itself and she was beside herself when she realized that she could get the exact cake she wanted in the price that she could afford.  It was best summed up by the friend when she said, "See, you just have to keep looking until you find the right baker." 

I didn't intrude in their moment and ask her what she meant but this is what I took away from this meeting from my own observations; her emotional responses, sheer delight at finding a cake and relief at the price all told me she'd been getting the "wedding cake" treatment.  Had she really been told that every little thing she asked me about was extra?  Had she really been told that this is the way everybody does it?  This is the feeling that I got.  And I've looked at other bakery websites in the surrounding areas and I can see it right there in black and white.  In some cases it goes back to starting with a smaller per slice price but "slightly smaller charger" for other items in the wedding cake package.  Some items charged for are essential to the success of the cake not fallling over (happy to answer questions through email on this).  Let's just say I am stunned at not only the brass used in charging for some of these things but the excellent wording used to describe these items is obviously intentional. 

Yes, I bake wedding cakes.  Yes, I am part of the weddig industry.  But, no, I don't fit into their "wedding cake" price mold.