First Things First

New Designers often have questions, and we're here to help! Work your way through this course and you will finish with answers to a few of our most frequently asked questions, and a clear path to all the learning resources that are available to you as a Chalk Couture™ Designer.

WELCOME TO THE CHALK FAMILY

We’re so glad to have you! With us you can build a successful Designership that fits your life and your lifestyle. We know that new Designers often have a few questions when they’re first getting started. Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. This course is designed to answer some of the most frequently asked questions for Designers just getting started, like you!

BONJOUR

First things first, we recommend that you check out our welcome program, Bonjour; a series of emails that you, as a new Designer, will receive right in your inbox every week for the first six weeks you’re with Chalk Couture. Look to these messages for quick and easy tips on where to find information about products and all the ways you can sell them, how the Compensation Plan works, and much more. Bonjour will catch you up to speed faster than you can name all seven Chalk Couture squeegees—but don’t worry, you’ll learn!

WAYS TO SELL

Now that you’re officially in business, you may be wondering what’s the very best way to get all those amazing Chalk products into your customers’ hands. Let’s look at three basic ways to sell and promote Chalk Couture: person-to-person sales, creative events, and finished goods. 

Person-to-person product sales
This is the foundation of your Designership and is based on selling our gorgeous lineup of exclusive products, exactly as they are. You can do this by placing inventory orders in your Designer Office at your Designer price, then selling those items person-to-person, at advertised retail prices.

Successful Designers also sell products online through their social media, or at workshops and other creative events, including pop-up shops at their homes, local craft fairs, farmers markets, and expo events! When you purchase products at your Designer price and then sell them at retail price, you get to keep the 40% difference as instant commission. But keep in mind that with this option, you choose to purchase products up front and then earn your commission later, once you’ve sold those items to your customers at retail price.

Another option is to refer customers to your personalized Chalk Site to place orders themselves. Your website is at work for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week! In this scenario, Chalk Central manages the inventory and ships the orders for you. When you sell products through your Chalk Site, you earn 25% deferred commissions on all those online orders. We call this commission “deferred” because rather than you collecting commissions at the time a product is sold, Chalk Couture awards you your commissions for online sales once a month, typically by the 15th of the month following the sale. The 25% commission on Chalk Site orders is still a very safe and lucrative way to sell products. You never have to worry about investing in products up front, carrying inventory, or spending time and money shipping products out!

Creative events, workshops, and online classes
These provide a fun and hands-on way to diversify what you offer and to attract new customers. In addition to selling customers the supplies they’ll need to make projects on site with you, you can also upsell other products to them so they can make even more beautiful projects at home. Don't forget the value of your space, time, and expertise. For more information on teaching and holding workshops, check out our Workshops course.

Finished goods
While you’re promoting and selling Chalk Couture products, we know that you’re also flexing your creative skills on projects you’ve created personally. You can create and sell your own completed pieces at boutiques, expos, craft fairs, and online.

For ideas, inspiration, and pricing guidance on artwork and finished project ideas, spend some time in our Designer Studio Facebook group and look for additional information in Learn. For specific guidelines on what's allowed, check out the Policy document located in your Designer Office.

15% OFF COUPON

As a new Designer, one of your many perks is the opportunity to save an additional 15% off your Designer pricing. You can apply this awesome benefit to one order of your choice within 60 days of your enrollment date with Chalk Couture. This gives you plenty of time to think about how you’d like to invest in your Designership. 

We’re guessing you have a personal wish list of items you’d like to buy—and it’s perfectly fine to use your 15% off benefit on personal-use products—but we recommend that you also think about what you could buy for your inventory to help jumpstart your sales.

One of the best ways to use your discount is to invest in product samples that you can share with customers, and on basic tools you will need to support workshops and product demonstrations. Everyday use items like the Multi-Tool, Fuzzing Cloth, Mini Squeegees, Quick Dry Tool, and Board Erasers are always good to have on hand.

You may also want to purchase a selection of Chalkology® Paste or Ink to use on personal projects or at workshops and project demos. We recommend ordering Bright White and several neutral colors, or invest in a few core colors that will coordinate with whatever you’ll create for the upcoming season. Transfers are, of course, another great item that you’ll want to purchase. To help you determine which sizes you’ll want to have first, we’ve put together a couple of “getting started” shopping lists to use as reference. You’ll find those in the Resources Library.

It may seem a little overwhelming to decide what to invest in first, but there's really no wrong way to go about it. You will sell what you show, so buy the things you like and that you know your friends and family will enjoy as well.

To use your 15% off coupon, simply apply the code “DESIGNER15” during checkout. Remember: this offer is only valid on one order within your first 60 days. For more information about your coupon, review the 15% Off One-Time Discount FAQ. Happy shopping! 

DESIGN DOLLARS

Design Dollars (DD) are product credits awarded to you when you reach certain monthly PV thresholds in your Designership, and just like your 15% off coupon, the choice is yours for how you choose to shop with them.

You can use your DD to reward yourself with the new products you’re looking forward to trying, or to purchase tools to help grow your Designership. Use those products as “thank you” gifts for people who host workshops or creative classes for you, giveaways for your best customers, or rewards for new Team members who achieve certain accomplishments. 

Design Dollars can be earned in the following ways:

• Each month, you earn 10DD for your first 100PV, 10DD for your second 100PV, and 20DD for every 200PV thereafter.
• Design Dollars are earned as part of the Designer Début program and Compensation Plan.
• Occasionally Design Dollars may be gifted as part of a promotion, event giveaway, as additional incentives, or for other purposes as deemed appropriate by Chalk Central.

Design Dollars are redeemed at Designer pricing, so even 20 Design Dollars can go a long way. For example, 20 Design Dollars is equivalent to $33 USD/$55 CAD retail!

To make using your Design Dollars super simple, you'll have the option to instantly apply them to an order when you check out. Be sure to take note that Design Dollars expire 30 or 60 days after they are issued, so make sure you are using them up! Learn more in the Design Dollars FAQ.

DESIGNER DÉBUT

The last (but not least) important thing you’ll want to take advantage of as you get started is Designer Début. The program rewards you for getting over your nerves, diving into your fears, and getting started right away! Designers who complete all three tiers of Designer Début are more likely to reach the title of Mentor or above.

There are three tiers in the Designer Début program, and there are benefits to achieving each of the tiers individually. The sales rewards and requirements are as follows:

*Design Dollars (DD). Product credit redeemable only with Chalk Couture. Non-transferrable, expire 60 days after issuance, issued online. Design Dollars are a form of compensation and are issued at each country’s currency to their dollar.

For more information about the program, check out our Designer Début FAQ.

YOU’VE GOT THIS!

We hope it helped to learn more about Bonjour, ways to sell, Design Dollars, and Designer Début today. There are so many incredible ways to find success on your journey with Chalk Couture and this is just the beginning. We’re here to help you every step of the way, and don’t be afraid to reach out to your fellow Designers! Our creative community is an incredible resource, and they are happy to support, inspire, and encourage one another. 

Design. Love. Repeat.™