DCD Featured on Food Network's "Unwrapped"

Food Network had a segment on their show "Unwrapped" which featured DCD products.  The segment itself showed a little mini-party with the chocolatier making truffles and mixing martinis.  The show really showed off DCD products and introduced DCD to a whole new group of people.  Right now, I know that calls are pouring into the corporate office from potential recruits and hostesses.

When I was watching the show, I just wanted to point out a few things.  First, the chocolatier who was featured was really fantastic and did a wonderful job.  However, the parties do not have to be as intricate as what was featured on TV.  For me, I keep my parties very simple and don't make any reindeer truffles (although, if asked by my hostess, I would be willing to do a special truffle party).  I make a few baked goods and talk about the products.  The products really sell themselves, so there isn't much "showmanship" involved.

Secondly, Betty Palm, the president of DCD, pointed out that there are only about 6,000 chocolatiers across the United States.  This is still a ground floor opportunity.  Many, many people still haven't heard of DCD and the market isn't saturated.

I'm sure as a watch re-runs of the program that more thoughts will occur to me.  I encourage you to watch the show and let me know your thoughts!

DCD Ordering Portal - "How-to" Guide (For chocolatiers)

I've had numerous questions about how to use the new ordering portal. I have created this guide, specifically for chocolatiers, to assist them in placing orders for customers. If you are a customer and are looking to place an order, please go to www.chocolatewithkristine.com or send me an email chocolatewithkristine@gmail.com and I will be in contact with you!

To place a customer order with Dove Chocolate Discoveries, it is necessary to use the ordering portal which is available on their website. The following pages are intended to be a step-by-step guide on placing an order. After consulting this guide, if you still have ordering questions, please contact your sponsor or your team leader to help you!

1. To begin, make sure that your browser can support the DCD system. Your browser should allow pop-ups from DCD. If your system is not allowing the pop-ups to appear, try downloading Firefox. This is available at www.firefox.com. If your browser is allowing pop-ups, skip to step 2.

Tasting Tips for Chocolatiers

The key to Dove Chocolate Discoveries is having a successful tasting party.  The best thing about DCD is that the parties are a snap.  In and of itself, tasting chocolate is fantastic and fun.  As long as you have your samples in order, the party and fun will mostly take care of itself.  So, the question becomes, how can you best present and sample the chocolate at your parties?

First, make sure that you are giving out SAMPLES.  For example, when I taste the Cinnamon Dusted Almonds, each person gets to taste one almond.  There will be plenty of chocolate for everyone to taste.  At the end of the party, nobody will think that they haven’t tasted enough.  For me, I tend to have people taste more items, but smaller portions.  For an example such as cookies, make small cookie balls about half the size that you normally would.  Then after they come out of the oven, cut those cookies in half. 

Second, show some different and easy recipes that can be made with DCD products.  I always sample some chai tea with cool whip.  Everyone loves this.  Buy a container of Cool Whip and let it completely thaw.  After it has thawed, stir in a packet of chai tea and mix it in completely.  I usually bring some teddy grahams for people to dip into the chai tea.

Third, our best selling product is the chocolate martini mix! Show it off.  It’s delicious and a great buy.  When you make the martinis, don’t use the directions on the bottle.  Add some sort of dairy.  At my parties, I use the following recipe:  3 oz mix, 3 oz ½ & ½, and an ounce of vodka.  I usually tell my guests that they can increase the vodka, depending on how bad their day went!

Fourth, have fun and don’t pressure people!!! Everyone messes up.  It’s ok.  Don’t worry about it.  Remember, your parties are about your guests and how you can provide them with a wonderful time.  Don’t worry about how much they buy or how big the party is.  It’s more important to develop a relationship with people.  You don’t know what is going on in a person’s life.  Meaning, even if they don’t buy anything, maybe they will host a party or refer someone to you.  Or, maybe, next time they will come in and place a $200 order!

Holiday Shopping

Looking for holiday gifts that everyone will love? Try chocolate.  Dove Chocolate Discoveries has a wonderful selection of premium chocolates that are fantastic gifts.  Here are some ideas:

1. For the fun and fearless, try our Chocolate Martini Mix.  This is especially delicious, when you add some 1/2 and 1/2 to the mix.
2. For movie lovers, our Choco-Caramel Crunch is addictive.  I will personally admit to eating a whole container while watching a scary movie.
3. For a family, our Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix brings everyone together.  This mix is so easy to prepare and it tastes like you just brought the brownies home from the bakery.
4. For teachers, Cinnamon Dusted Almonds will work perfectly.  
5. If you want to mix and match and make a little bundle for a lot of people, try the Chocolate Covered Pretzels, Chocolate-Covered Graham Crackers, and the Chai Tea Mix.  These are all individually packaged and would make a lovely gift placed together.

DCD has also created a holiday gift flyer.  These are special bundles specifically for the holidays! They are beautiful and tasty!

Earning an Incentive Trip

As the days and weeks pass, I get closer and closer to earning a trip to Punta Cana.  I'm really excited about this incentive trip for a lot of different reasons.  For me, it's about earning a trip and a vacation.  One of the things that I like most about DCD is the recognition that I receive for my efforts.

I wanted to pass along this link from Milspouse.com regarding earning incentive tips.  I thought it had some good tips and wanted to share!  I hope this helps inspire you to join me in Punta Cana!  If you haven't started working towards your trip or haven't joined DCD yet, please let me know.  I would love to help you reach your goals.

Here is the website -- http://www.milspouse.com/will-work-for-free-travel.aspx

Tips for a Successful Craft Show

Event provided table and table cloth

             Attending a craft show or vendor event is a great way to get some exposure for your DCD business.  However, there are some details to consider, before reserving your spot.  Most of these tips I have discovered the hard way.  Hopefully, this will save you some headaches.

              First, ask the event sponsor how much money it will be to reserve the spot.  Craft fairs can range from free to hundreds of dollars.  Many events are hosted for a charitable reason.  These events will generally ask for a donation for a raffle or a door prize.  When you consider your cost for the event, remember to consider this extra cost. 

              When speaking to the event coordinator, ask how the event will be advertised.  Your success will depend on the amount of foot traffic that comes through the door.  A poorly advertised event will bring poor attendance.  Along these same lines, ask how many years the event has been done.  An event that has occurred for years will naturally have greater attendance due to word of mouth.  Beware of craft shows that have never been conducted before.   Besides having some kinks, these shows will most likely not have as much foot traffic.

              After you have chosen your show, discuss with the event planner whether there will be tables provided or if you have to provide your own table.  Also, inquire as to whether chairs will be available.  If you want to have an electronic presentation available, find out if there is electricity.  You will also want to know how big your spot will be.  Generally, your place will hold either an 8 foot table or a 10 foot table.

              If you have never attended a show, it is a good idea to plan out your table before the day of the show.  Make sure that you have business cards, flyers with this month’s promotion, a tablecloth (DCD sells a very pretty brown tablecloth with the DCD logo.  I found that it was fairly comparatively priced to buying a plain tablecloth.), and some empty boxes for your display.  Additionally, if you choose to have tasting samples, make sure you contact your local health department about the rules for food items.  

              A note on samples:  I no longer use tasting samples at most of my shows.  This was recommended to me by one of the managers at DCD conference.  I have not found any difference in the number of people interested in the product, if I use samples or not.  If you do choose to use samples, consider starting with the DCD baking bits.  These are fairly small and you can get a LOT of samples out of one bag, without a high cost to you.

Easy Recipes, Cooking with Kristine

DCD chocolate is fantastic by itself, but it's also good when used in combination with other products or other items.  Dove Chocolate Discoveries puts out an entertaining guide which includes several different types of recipes each season.  With the help of my husband, I made two of the recipes.  One with chicken and the other veggies.  The chicken recipe is straight from the entertaining guide.  The second recipe morphed into my own chocolate creation.  I chose both of these recipes, because they were simple and easy to make.  I hope that you enjoy both recipes and if there's something that you would like to see, please send me an email and let me know! 

My Chocolate Story

In March 2011, I was completely stressed out by my job as an attorney and wishing for greener pastures.  I had a million and four things to do and definitely not enough time to do them.  Also, at this time, my husband was also deployed.  I'm an army wife and that tends to add a whole new layer of stress to my life.  I needed a way to have fun and meet people.  For me, the answer was Dove Chocolate Discoveries.

When I became a chocolatier, I had never been to a chocolate party.  I had never tasted their products.  I didn't even have a sponsor when I signed up.  I just did it spur of the moment, because it looked like a whole lot more fun than writing another brief.  I called one of my best friends and asked her if she thought it was a good idea.  She said, "Chocolate? Yes." Then, I signed up and had no idea what to expect!

My kit came in about 2 days.  I was shocked.  They also assigned me my sponsor who has been a life saver.  I invited my friend over to open the kit with me, we tried everything!  She booked a party.  It was awesome, I didn't even ask her.  With the help from my upline, I booked my first party.  I had no idea what to say really, so I just passed out the chocolate...and we ate.  I ended up having a $500 party and booking two more parties from it. 

From then, I've put a lot of time and effort into my Dove Chocolate Discoveries business.  It's really paid off.  At National Conference, I was recognized on stage for my hard work.  For me, recognition and a thank you are other things that I don't receive in my regular job.  To be recognized for my hard work and to have people believe in me is an amazing thing.  I had chocolatiers that I had never met, approaching me and telling me that I was doing a great job.

Right now, my goal is to go on the incentive trip in the Spring to Punta Cana.  I have my weekly and monthly goals laid out.  For me, becoming involved in Dove Chocolate Discoveries was something that I never, ever thought I would do, but I am so thankful that I have. 

Everyone has their own story and their own reason to sign up. What is yours?

Benefits of hosting a chocolate tasting party

Chocolate tasting parties are very similar to the old-school Tupperware party, EXCEPT instead of looking at Tupperware, you get to taste premium Dove chocolate that cannot be purchased anywhere else.  When you host a party, you get several benefits.

1) A great reason to gather your friends and have a fun time!  Who doesn't like chocolate?  Invite your friends, sit back and relax.  Other than providing a few items, DCD parties are very low key.

2) DCD products are delicious and everyone will enjoy tasting them.  My favorite is our chocolate martinis...or maybe our truffle fudge brownies...umm..possibly our new choco-caramel crunch...can't forget the cinnamon dusted milk chocolate almonds...  What will yours be?

3) FREE CHOCOLATE.  That's right, free chocolate.  Our hostesses can earn up to 20% of their party sales in free chocolate.  Plus, every month DCD has a new hostess special.

4) Recipes.  DCD puts out an entertainment guide which has all kinds of recipes that can be made with our products.  It's really just a starting point with the desserts that you can create.

5) Our new catalog has an item that can only be purchased by hosts!  New artisan butter almond toffee.  It's worth it to host a party, just to get this item.

6) Depending on the amount of sales, hosts can receive free shipping & handling, 1/2 price items, and other exclusive host packages.

7) If our hosts are interested in the DCD opportunity, they can apply their host dollars towards the purchase of a kit.  This means that the initial investment is even lower!

Incentive trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Dove Chocolate Discoveries (DCD) announced their first ever incentive trip at National Conference.  Where is it? An all-inclusive paid trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  Close your eyes.  Imagine laying on the beach in the carribbean with a drink with a tiny, flowered umbrella in it.  Ahhh.....now imagine that it's free!  I'm pretty sure that there isn't anything better than that.

The best thing about this trip is that DCD made it so that EVERY chocolatier has the ability to go.  It's a point system and points are awarded for sales, promotions and sharing the opportunity with others.  If this sounds like something that you could get behind, let me know.  You have 8 months to earn it and it just started.  I would love to help you receive this reward.

A fantastic opportunity!

Dove Chocolate Discoveries (DCD) is a fairly new direct sales business that specializes in premium chocolates.  These chocolates are only available through independent chocolatiers, like myself.  DCD works on a party system, which means chocolatiers go to people's homes with chocolate tasting samples (!) in order to sell the product. 

Like most direct sales companies, an initial small investment is required to get started.  Right now, to get the smaller kit, the investment is $159 (plus $20 S&H). This kit has all the marketing materials, catalogs, and chocolate that you need for 4-6 parties. There is a larger kit available as well, however, I would recommend starting with the small kit to make sure that this opportunity is for you. 

All chocolatiers start with an initial commission of 25%, however, EVERY chocolatier has the ability to make up to 40% of their sales.  Additionally, DCD allows its chocolatiers to take Visa and Mastercard payments AT NO CHARGE through its website.  This is a huge perk. Also, all chocolatiers have the support of their sponsors and the home office is very receptive.

If you would like to learn more about the opportunity, please visit my website at http://www.chocolatewithkristine.com/ or send me an email at chocolatewithkristine@gmail.com.  I would love to talk to you and answer any questions that you may have.