Claudia Cort

When Claudia Cort decided to open her agency doors more than eight years ago she admits that she was aware she was facing a daunting task, but “I never knew it was going to be as hard as it was. I had spoken to other reps ahead of time so I thought I knew what was in store for me, but they never told me how really hard it was going to be.”

Despite that beginning, Cort, Cort Marketing Group, LLC, Eden, Maryland, has prevailed and now the agency, which includes her husband Peter and four sub-reps, serves the kitchen and bathroom design and cabinetry markets from New York, the Mid-Atlantic States, and Florida.

Peter Cort

Cort, who had her own design showroom from the mid-90s to mid-2000, can boast of more than 31 years in the industry she serves. Describing her initial attraction to becoming a rep, she says, “We decided to make the move from the design world to the rep world because we wanted to help and mentor dealers. My husband has more than 40 years of sales experience and between the two of us we felt we could help dealers become more profitable.”

Meeting Reality

Reflecting on her agency’s beginnings, she says that in order to get her arms around all that had to be done, “I was putting in 60-70 hours a week. Prior to opening the agency, my perception of the rep profession was that the rep comes in, shows some products, stays on the road and makes their own work hours. After I opened my doors, reality set in and I learned that’s not all they do. There’s so much preparation that has to be completed before hitting the road, not to mention all the work that has to be completed to develop dealers and the product training that has to be done. I’m still working 50-55 hours a week try to do all the paperwork to keep things under control.” She adds that one step she’s taken to assist in keeping up with all that has to be done is searching for the appropriate virtual assistant for both office work and social media activities.

Cort Marketing Group’s representative team (left to right): Ernie Sorensen covers the eastern and central counties of Florida; Karen Betz covers Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, New York; and Victor Libman covers New Jersy, southeastern Pennslyvania, Westchester and Rockland Counties, Bronx, Staten Island and Manhattan, New York.

A major focus of any rep firm is searching for and getting lines, and that’s a task Cort Design has successfully tackled. “We do a good deal of research on the Internet looking at price point products that would fit the other lines that we represent. In addition, we’ve also found appropriate lines by looking in industry publications. Some principals have also found us via our website. Once we make contact with a prospective principal, we vet them by researching their websites, checking their product reviews. We also ask for references from dealers who sell their products. We never jump into a relationship too quickly and are very careful when it comes to making those decisions.”

Existing Business?

When it comes to dealing with prospective principals, Cort explains that one thing she’s learned that’s very important is whether a manufacturer has existing business in the territory. “This has been a part of our learning process and it’s been a bit painful. When we got involved with MANA, our eyes were opened and we realized the importance of shared-territorial development fees or retainers. Our message to principals is that we’re their eyes and ears in the field. When we’re just starting out with no existing business for a product, it’s an expensive proposition to make sales calls with some estimates being as high as $500 a call. If it’s important for you to have new business in the territory, then it’s important to compensate the rep for what he’s doing. We have begun to ask for an extra percentage when we’re starting out.” She adds, “We also help out our sub-reps when it comes to expenses related to missionary work.”

Staying on the subject of relations with principals, Cort explains that her agency is proactive when it comes to communication issues of importance with principals. “While there’s no request or requirement for sales call reports, we’re in constant communication with them, always letting them know what’s going on in the territory.”

Changes in Conducting Business

In the relatively short time that her agency has been in existence, Cort, just as so many other rep firm owners, maintains that she’s seen major changes in how the rep business is conducted. “We were brought up in the business that the way to achieve sales success was to get in front of the dealer, show them products, answer their questions and maintain face time with them. Here’s what’s changed: original dealer/owners like to chit chat and are still anxious to have you come in and show products. Second generation owners, however, are sort of half and half. They like you to come in but not as often as their predecessors. The third generation is a whole different ballgame. They want that initial contact, but after that, it’s all about e-mail and texts, and even video face time. Now, while they still want that initial face time, after that they want a different means of communication.”

Admitting that every effort is made to communicate with dealers the way they want to be communicated with, Cort explains that it’s still fairly easy to achieve that initial face-to-face experience. “We use either simple ‘drop in’ techniques or call ahead for an appointment. Dropping in actually works better of the two approaches because you walk in and have a bit of a soft-touch approach. You read their body language and can fairly easily gauge their interest.”

After that initial approach to a customer, Cort says she keeps in touch with dealers — constantly checking on them, e-mailing and if they have a program in the works, sending them regular updates.

Adding to that level of communication, Cort says the agency makes use of the company web page (www.cortdesigns.com), Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. She adds that she’s also been busy putting together webinar training videos and writing a monthly agency blog. “Initially with the blog we concentrated on describing the products that we provide. We’ve since expanded to other categories and now include information on how to use products in various ways. Also in the future we plan on having interviews with dealers.”

While her agency start is still fairly fresh in her mind, Cort is asked if looking back at her agency beginnings, she would have done anything differently. “Sure, we would have done a few things differently. For instance, I know we would have looked much harder for a rep association. At the beginning the Kitchen and Bath Association was a help but they really weren’t rep-oriented. A couple of years ago, I contacted someone from AIM/R and that contact led me to MANA. Once I was in contact with MANA I learned so much that changed my thinking about the rep profession. That included everything from CRM, how to approach prospective principals, and the importance of keeping principals and customers informed. The association has been a great help to us.”

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