OneCoast's Cyndi Smith

It speaks volumes when a professional stays with the same company for the duration of a career. For one thing, it means the professional enjoys the work; for another, it builds relationships; and for yet another, the longevity attracts attention — especially when the professional is passionate about the job at hand, and often goes that proverbial extra mile.

For Cyndi Smith, this year's Outstanding Manufacturer's Representative, all three hold true. And it is her tenure with OneCoast that inspired the retailers she serves to stand up and take notice.

Kathy Carruth, owner of King Hardware & Fancy, Shreveport, LA, for example, has worked with Smith for almost seven years, and credits her with being “the most organized person we know.” The retailer says Smith visits her store at least once a month and knows each of her employees by name. In addition, Carruth receives weekly e-mails from Smith, detailing updates on particular lines and noting specials the retailer may want to take advantage of. But even more than her resourcefulness, Carruth acknowledges Smith's sincerity in their business relationship. “I feel that she never tries to talk me into buying a line that will not work for us,” she tells Gifts & Decorative Accessories.

Rather, Smith is better known for tapping into her customer's niche market and helping to develop inventories that will sell well in a particular region. For instance, at King Hardware, a section of the store is dedicated to fleur-de-lis products; Smith has worked with vendors like Wellspring and Barlow to create related items because they generate more sales.

Knowing a line well comes in handy, especially when a retailer is opening another location. Says Carruth, “When we opened our second location in Minden, LA, Cyndi came in beforehand and taught our employees to sell Upper Canada's personal care lines, showing them what each product could do and suggesting items that would complement each other for gifts.” Smith even devised a chart that sales personnel could refer to with these selling points.

Just as important as knowing what will perform well for a retailer, is knowing what won't — a quality Smith also possesses. When Carruth was having difficulty selling Danielson Designs' Walligraphy vinyl lettering, Smith suggested they merchandise the line by mounting words on the wall — “to show our customers examples of how they could use the product in their homes” — and sales suddenly took off. And when the Happy Everything Platter from Coton Colors initially failed to generate sales, it was Smith who contacted the company, along with other sales reps, to glean advice on how to merchandise the product. “The first day after changing our display, we sold three of them,” enthuses Carruth.

While the average rep might take these successful vendor relationships and spread them across the industry, Smith is recognized for tailoring her clientele to create personalized retail establishments. “The most important thing that sets Cyndi apart is that she does not flood a market with her lines,” says Carruth. “She is very conscientious about who is carrying what, so that we feel our store can be unique from the one down the street.”

This approach gels with Smith's own business philosophy which, she says, is “work smarter, not harder.” Having inherited a territory from a rep who had been well-respected, Smith had big shoes to fill. “Gaining my customers' trust was my first challenge,” she recalls. Today, this goal's fulfillment is evidenced by the fact that she helps create retail displays and is invited to special store events to help increase her own sales. “The icing on the cake? I've truly made good friends,” she notes.

With all the volatility in the gift market over the last several years, it is these very relationships that sustain Smith's drive and spirit. “I truly care about the success of my customers,” she says. “They know they can rely on me. When things are slow, they still want to do business with me because they know I will take care of them. And that is a rewarding feeling.”