For 25 years, we’ve been just a small family-run business. (You can read more about our history here.) Mostly, it’s been Janie answering the phone for all that time. David helped a lot in the early days at the retail shop and driving to shows, but really our business was just Janie for a long time. And she only stretches so far!  So, ever since we decided we want to grow the business we’ve been wracking our brains trying to figure out how to clone her. Now, many daughters think their moms are irreplaceable – but Maren finally came up with a way to at least try: Ambassadors!  Janie has built a reputation of trust and quality and excellent customer service. She treats people the way she would want to be treated, and people remember her kindness sometimes even more than the quality harness and good prices. So many of our customers have become friends over the years, and many of you have even offered to help by going to shows for us or talking to new customers on our behalf. Not to mention the hundreds of referrals and word-of-mouth support you’ve given.  This program is formalizing the kind offers so many of you have made; creating a platform and a system to be fair for everyone, while also – hopefully! – taking some of the work load and pressure off Janie as she retires, and now Mindy and the rest of the Team!

Ambassadors help friends/clients/club mates pick the right harness for their animal, measure properly, assist with equipment orders, answer questions, and when the new harness arrives Ambassadors will help unbox, identify parts, and finally adjust the new harness for the best fit, safety, and comfort.  This is a process truly best done in person – which is why we are initiating this Ambassador Program.  Lots of assistance can be given via phone and photo but measuring and fitting/adjusting really do benefit from experienced hands, on site.  Plus, isn’t it lovely to make a connection with a new friend, inspire confidence and a love of driving, and build community?  We sure think so.  Another thing we hope Ambassadors will do is help us generate a great knowledge base on horsedriver.com, such as this post on cleaning your harness, or this one, written by a customer on CDEs.  Also, we’d love it if Ambassadors could help us spread the word about sales or new products, and feedback information to us for product improvements or customer concerns. Of course, we’d always love more videos and photos to share via social media!

Ambassadors will be knowledgeable, experienced HorseDrivers with long ties to Chimacum Tack and deep relationships within their local driving community.  Ambassadors live by the golden rule, and represent our customer service philosophy in all their interactions: We treat others the way we would want to be treated – even if that means we sometimes loose a few dollars on a replacement part, or have to go above and beyond to make someone happy.  If you’re a good fit for becoming an Ambassador, you’ve already experienced Janie’s customer service; We hope Ambassadors will become their local extension of Janie!  Ambassadors will source and shepherd new customers from initial interest through purchase, all the way to final fitting and photos. Sometimes this will mean getting hands dirty or driving a ways away in the process.  Ambassadors will make suggestions for product improvements or additions, and share feedback from customers about their service, the website, etc.  Ambassadors will take photos and/or videos to share online, and will share resources (books, websites, clinics, blog posts) whenever possible.  Ambassadors will make sure Chimacum Tack is aware of local opportunities for visibility, like shows or sponsorships of local clubs.  Ambassadors are kind and friendly; they avoid gossip, give people the benefit of the doubt, and deal honestly with everyone. Just like Goran & Gerda, Ambassadors are nonpolitical, accepting of all faiths, respectful and welcoming of everyone regardless of how they look or live.

We will select Ambassadors based on a number of factors, including: How long we’ve known one another, experience and engagement in the local driving community, how geographically close they are to another ambassador, etc. We want this to be fun, not competitive, so we want to limit this program to just one or two folks in each area.  To become an Ambassador, simply fill out the form on the next page (by clicking the button at the bottom of this page.) We will receive your information and set up a time to speak – either by phone or video call – to talk more.  And, as this is a brand program, we appreciate your creative ideas and your patience as we iron out the kinks!

Nope! While we are going to be careful in selecting people who will represent our business, Ambassadors are neither employees nor even independent contractors.  This is not like a Multi-Level Marketing thing either – nothing for you to buy, nothing to resell.  This isn’t designed to be a part-time business. (We won’t be issuing W2s or 1099s.) Really, we’re keeping all the risk within the business on purpose, and looking for a few good friends who want to share with others about our quality harness.

Yes! Our beta-testers have unanimously agreed that they were more interested in store credit than cash, and that works great for us!  You will receive a store credit for each completed order of full harness set/s. This credit will be issued through our website quarterly, and will be available for you to apply to any future order. We’ll be transparent about how that store credit gets calculated and, when in doubt, will always err on the side of generosity toward our Ambassadors.

This is not a reseller arrangement.  Ambassadors are not distributors – so if you have a website, saying that you’re an Ambassador and linking to Chimacum Tack’s website is great; encouraged, in fact.  If you have your own website, you would not be able to list our products for sale and represent that you are a dealer/reseller; we don’t have capacity for that, and there isn’t room in this arrangement for the kind of mark-up necessary for that sort of business.

We can’t pay you cash: Working across so many jurisdictions, we’ve been careful to sort out a way to do this program legally.  We don’t have capacity to manage dozens of independent contractor relationships nor is there a reason for us or you to risk employment issues.  This is simply a referral program – a way to thank our friends who already say nice things about us for your time with a small gesture.

Simple: You’ll have your very own code to provide to each purchaser that they will enter at check out!  The code gives them a store credit of $10 for purchases including any harness set.  This incentivizes customers to use your code, helping you and us track qualifying sales.

Option A: Preferred. The customer can place their own order on the website. When they get to check out, they’ll add your code and this will let us know that the person purchasing used your help. They could also put a note in the comments box at check out, too – or email kirsty@chimacumtack.com. Of course, you will certainly be welcome to follow up with us to check and be sure we received and recorded orders you’re expecting. We figure we’ll have plenty of emails that say “Hey, look out for a new order from so-and-so! I just was out measuring her pony/draft/mini!”

Option B: Some customers are uncomfortable on the website. You can easily create a new username/password and place the order on their behalf.  At which point, you’d enter the same code to let us know you helped.

When in doubt, do as you always have done: Call the Harness Hotline or Email Kirsty directly!  Kirsty@chimacumtack.com will help you sort out how best to resolve whatever the problem is. Whatever it is.  If an order doesn’t arrive, and they call you – just let us know! You probably already know that we aren’t likely to have a tracking number, but we’ll do our best to get ahold of the shop to see where it is and when it might arrive. It’s also helpful to give people reasonable expectations upfront about when to expect a custom, handmade, complex item from Amish people in the middle of no-where… 6-8 weeks is usually reasonable. We’re not Amazon.com!  If an order arrives and it’s the wrong size/shape/color/whatever, we’ll fix it.  It might be that the best solution is for you to take the item home for another customer or your own use; or it might be that you can help the customer return the item to us.  If something arrives missing parts, same goes: just let us know and will do our best to ship out a replacement immediately.  If a customer is rude, (unlikely, but it does happen) do your best to ignore it and feel free to pass them along directly to us. Even if you’re standing in their barn, feel free to just ring us up and we’ll try to help on the spot. (Thank goodness for cell phones!)  Finally, it’s good for you and customers to take a look at our FAQ page, here: FAQs & Policies | Chimacum Tack.

We want to give you everything you need to feel confident and have loads of fun and success with this effort. We have put together a whole slate of things to help you, and Maren would love to help with specific requests.  All Ambassadors will receive a beautiful fleece jacket or vest to wear as our gift to you, and a harness measuring kit as well as several additional resources, including:

• Banners and Signage
• Postcards and Stickers
• Measuring Charts
• Order Forms

Benefit to the Customer: Individualized customer service from a local reputable expert, and an intro to their driving community.
Benefit to the Animals: More knowledgeable drivers and more comfortable, properly fitted harness means safer, more enjoyable sporting for all!
Benefit to Ambassadors: 10% store credit on sales you make, plus new friends and a more connected, vibrant driving community! We will also recognize you on both Chimacum Tack and horsedriver.com. with links to your own website, if desired. And, finally we’ll give you all the tools you need to be successful: measuring, flyers, order forms, etc.
Benefits for our business: We finally figured out how to clone Janie! She says, “Yay! Thank you, Thank you!”