Carolina Baby Co. Hits the Road with Southern Hospitality

Jim and Marlo Poole started Carolina Baby Company in November, 2007 after relocating from Southern California to the Southeast. They represent some of the finest baby and children’s gifts, gear, apparel, toys and accessories. They are well-known for “Poole-ing” their many resources and sharing their experiences to help their customers succeed.

Here, Marlo shares her insights on what makes for a good rep/manufacturer/retailer relationship, and what Carolina Baby Company does to build strong, and personal, business relationships.

How long have you been manufacturers’ sales representatives and how did you get started in the children’s business?

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We opened the sales rep showroom, Carolina Baby Company, in November, 2007, after relocating from Southern California to the Southeast. We owned a children’s and maternity specialty store in California (which was sold and still exists) and after arriving in the Southeast, noted that many of the modern brands that we were accustomed to were not well represented in the Southeast. At that point, we contacted our first brands, inquiring about the possibility of partnering for Southeast sales and service. We’re proud that many of our very first brands are still with us today.

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What was your experience prior to becoming a children’s sales rep?

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In addition to owning and operating our own children’s store, both of us have significant experience in retail management (independent and big box) as well as previous experience as a manufacturer’s rep in another industry. Above all, Jim and I are parents, which makes us well versed in all things “baby and kid.”

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How many reps are in your organization and what territory do you cover?

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There are two of us on the road and in day-to-day operations. In addition, we have a fantastic showroom staff for the Atlanta markets at AmericasMart! Siobhan Alvarez and Lia Nelson have been an enormous asset to our company, and they really take pride in the brands we represent and treat each buyer as a friend in the business. Jim and I travel to the stores ourselves between markets to offer our assistance and build stronger relationships. We successfully cover a large territory that includes Maryland, Washington DC, Delaware, Virginia, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. We are very honored to currently work with over 2,700 retailers!

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How would you describe the “look” or style that defines your showroom and the lines you represent?

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Carolina Baby Company is definitely focused on more modern products. In an area of the country that has been typically very traditional, we have made a huge effort to stand out and offer a bit of a different mix from everyone else.

Our showroom reflects the same personality that we strive to present for our entire business –– fun, down to earth, personable service in a casual atmosphere. We have a large screen TV, upbeat music, and sleek design that makes viewing new products easy. Meeting each buyer is treated like the most important part of our day. It’s difficult to build a relationship out of a showroom, so we let buyers know that they can count on their first showroom visit to be only the beginning of a long-term partnership. We are proud to have won the “Best of Show” award earlier this year for excellence in design, display, and merchandising for permanent showrooms.

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How do you evaluate prospective collections presented to you?

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Our new brands are chosen not only for marketability, design, unique style, and price, but also for the long-term potential of a mutually-beneficial relationship. I know I keep using the word, but our entire business is based on strong “relationships” both with our manufacturers and our retailers.

The most satisfying part of what we do is being able to play a part in seeing something grow and succeed as a partial result of our efforts. When we partner with a new company and help it become a well recognized brand, or if we join an established company and open doors into new stores and markets, it’s extremely gratifying.

We want to make sure that the companies we represent have the same business values and focus on excellent service as we do. The type of product that a manufacturer has is secondary, but certainly something we take into consideration. Will it be well received by the majority of our buyers? Is the price point reasonable? Is the packaging attractive and easy to merchandise for independent retailers with limited space? We have dozens of brands submitted to us for consideration every month and many, many questions are involved in the initial process, but ultimately we end up with some really great brands!

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What line have you represented the longest?

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Preggie Pops! Seriously, we were a retailer for this product in California and they were the first company I contacted when we decided to start repping! I’ll never forget my first $44 order! (Yep, that’s around $5 in my pocket!) A month later we joined with Boon, Inc., Baby Bistro, and Bink Link, all of whom are still with us today!

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What are the last two lines you’ve picked up and why?

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We actually just signed with these four new lines at the same time last month as we head into our summer markets:

Baby JaR – Fun, bright, funky and an easy pick up for a baby shower gift. Retailers and consumers love a line that you can combine different products to make a gift set. Baby JaR has blankets, hooded towels, bibs, and the most fantastic burpies ever!

Mimi the Sardine – it lives up to it’s unusual name! Fun, funky, wild, and crazy! 100% organic products coated with an eco-friendly water-based acrylic for easy clean up. Mimi the Sardine has placemats, aprons, messy baby bibs, splash mats, and so much more!

LifeFactory – Glass baby bottles that have a silicone sleeve. They are bright (of course) and so much fun! On top of that, they are eco-friendly and free of all those nasty plastic chemicals.

Oh Plah – It’s is a teething bracelet/cuff that is just so fun and unusual we couldn’t help ourselves! Modern moms are going to love this item and I’m sure it’ll be on many baby shower registries! Oh Plah even pays to have the bracelet sent back for recycling when the customer is done with it !

What fees, if any, do you charge the manufacturers you represent?

Carolina Baby Company is paid a commission for the territory sales. We also have a showroom fee that helps manage the expenses of having a gorgeous award-winning showroom in one of the best locations, and one of the best markets in the country.

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How do you interact with the brands you carry regarding their future product development?

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Communication is always a top priority! We are the eyes and ears of the manufacturers we represent. It’s our job to take buyer feedback to the manufacturer and assist them in the betterment of their product, whether through product changes, product expansion, pricing, minimums, or improved service.

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What methods do you use to interact with buyers?

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At the tradeshows, frankly, we just want to have fun! It’s a fantastic environment for meeting new people, networking, and introducing new products. We do giveaways and offer great show incentives for each brand. Between markets, Jim and I visit retailers, which allows us to learn even more about their business, their customer base, their employees and operations.

We consistently follow up with our buyers to find out how a product line is doing for them and we send out over 10,000 e-mails per month letting retailers know about specials, events and new products. We pride ourselves on offering excellent service and I think the true test of service comes on the rare occasion when things go wrong. We respond to our retailers’ needs immediately.

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Do you provide other services such as merchandising or consulting to your buyers?

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We do not offer other “paid” services like merchandising and consulting, however, I think both of these are a standard part of being a good rep and communicating well with our buyers. We will absolutely let them know which type of merchandising seems to work best for any particular product, as that helps them to be more successful in moving the item in their store. We don’t consult, but we’re definitely full of opinions when asked!

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What do you feel makes your sales firm is unique?

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While we take our business very seriously and professionally, we are a very casual and personable rep group. We don’t pretend to know the retailers’ business better than they do, and we certainly never have the desire to place a product in their store that we don’t believe will be a success. Our showroom is a NO PRESSURE ZONE! Buyers are free to wander and browse and we simply let them know that they can approach us with questions about the products. We don’t want to be seen as your typical “sales” people – we prefer our accounts to think of us as a partner and a friend working toward a common goal of continued growth and success.

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What is one thing you would like manufacturers to understand better about their relationship with sales reps?

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We are fortunate to work with fantastic companies who understand the benefit of a strong, independent sales team. As we partner with our retailers, manufacturers should also view and treat their reps as their business partners. If you are seeking representation, ask your colleagues who does an excellent job and works hard, honestly, and ethically. Better yet, ask your retailers. The best compliment we receive is a recommendation from our accounts.

While reps may be an independent business, manufacturers should recognize the value that a strong sales force has, and make a commitment to respond quickly, supply us with the tools and support we need, and send commission checks on time … all of which builds loyalty and strong partnerships.

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What is one thing you would you like buyers to understand better about their relationship with sales reps?

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We care about your business. Your success is also our success. A manufacturer’s rep is there for many reasons, but mostly to take care of you. Having one contact for 30 brands can definitely make running the retail business easier and more manageable. We aren’t here to sell retailers stuff that’ll sit on a shelf for months. If a retailer does bring in something that doesn’t work, let us know. Maybe we can help!

If a retailer is receiving excellent service, let the manufacturer know that you have a great rep. We like kudos, too! Place your orders with your rep whenever possible. This helps them to manage the territory and to avoid selling your neighbor the same brand. Above all, take advantage of all that a rep has to offer. We are deeply involved in maintaining the integrity of the industry and are dedicated to the growth and success of the independent retailer. We love to hear from our accounts about a great new product they’ve discovered and we have such close relationships, that we can also approach our retailers to ask their opinion on a new brand.
We want to share our experience and we want to learn from the retailers’ as well. We work with stores from 500 square feet to 80,000 square feet, those that have one store and those that have many locations – each of these is valuable to our company and are treated as such.

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For more information about Carolina Baby Company and the lines they represent, visit www.carolinababyco.com

Rep Wrapup is a new feature on The Giggle Guide. Sales representatives throughout the country will share with us their answers about what’s special about their services, and tips about improving communications, sales, service and teamwork between reps, manufacturers and buyers in the children’s business. What sales rep or rep organization would you like to know more about? Let us know,