Eamon, your flyer certainly catches all the important points.
In my experience there is a pattern and it is applicable to just about everyone, a series of questions that I am sure everyone has heard. The response is not always black and white, there is no perfect answer so your ability to clarify the common issues will set you apart perhaps and leave people walking away wishing they found you years ago.
When I was sharpening at the Market, I found it a little stressful because I was out of my comfort zone, making the knives sharp was not the problem, doing it with people watching, questioning, correcting and telling me about the old oil stone they have in their garage that does the same thing I’m doing. Meanwhile, I’m focusing on raising a burr, removing the burr, all that cool stuff we do.
Back to the pattern, over the years the questions remain the same.
- What is the best knife?;
- How long will the knife stay sharp?;
- How much does it cost to sharpen it?;
- My husband says he can just sharpen it at home just as good as you, can you do any better?
(It seems to me that mostly women bring me their knives, they have given up on the husband who is reluctant to let someone else touch the their knife and do no better than he can do and charge for it. I saw this repeated countless times and I’m often presented with knives that look as if they were dragged behind the car for a few miles)
Your ability to answer the questions that cannot all be answered may be an important step for you.
My answers to the questions that still come daily are:
- A sharp knife. ( I talk them out of knife blocks and tell them to purchase one good knife and a good Steel)
- This is THE question and all they need to know is that it won’t be dull tomorrow. Many will interpret your explanation of Steel, angle, what is being cut, how it is being stored and if it is being maintained as avoiding the question. Even though in all cases they have used a dull knife for months/years they want assurance that the knife will stay sharp for a while. I usually tell them 2-3 months with normal use and no maintenance. (This is stretching it but I keep in mind they have used the dull knife for 20 years in many cases). I never tell them what they want to hear, “an eternity”
- $1.25 an inch for kitchen knives - 10-15 for others.
- “Please tell your husband that I admire anyone who has an interest in sharpening knives. Does your husband have any other interests besides knife sharpening, cars, golf, TV, fishing ? I DON’T. If your husband doesn’t think this is the sharpest knife he has ever seen, I will refund the money. I appreciate you bringing it to me, I know it likely wasn’t easy and I don’t take it for granted”
When the opportunity presents itself, I will always talk about a sharp knife making the person a better cook for the reasons Leo mentions. “A dull knife is a continuous source of frustration, it’s a barrier between yourself and the joy you could get from cooking. It’s holding you back because you hate that knife. Experience what a truly sharp knife feels like and unleash the skilled chef inside of you that is waiting, all it takes is the sensation you will experience from slicing food with a sharp knife”
Every now and then the right person will take that to heart.
Bottom Line - Your passion for knife sharpening will be the key element that leads people to trust you with their beloved knives. Comfort them by telling them their knives are important to you, you love their knives.