PPB April 2017

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“Lori is as creative as she is supportive,” says client and
nominator Rachael Wahlgreen at Boundless Network. “She’s
always proactive and looking for ways to better serve our
account—and you would think that each line is her only one.”
That personal touch, honed through years of customer
relations experience in the wholesale apparel business and
then within the promotional products industry since 2001,
is what attracts and keeps her clients happy. From her home
base in Trophy Club, Texas (located in the Dallas-Fort Worth
area), she covers the state as well as Oklahoma for several
apparel and hard goods lines and racks up more than 35,000
miles every year to call on customers.
Eaton started her career with a company that developed
and produced private-label apparel for distribution primarily
to middle-tier retailers. The company, seeing a decline in their
overseas sourcing business due to acquisitions, moved into the
promotional space as an alternate outlet for their golf shirts.
“I got the job of calling on promotional products distributors
directly and immediately fell in love with the customers,” she
says, adding that she didn’t know at the time how perfect a
match the job was for her skill set. “I spent years honing the
craft of communicating about all aspects of developing product
with customers and the overseas factories.”
That dependable and clear communication is one
characteristic that won over client and nominator Julie James,
corporate branding rep at HALO Branded Solutions. “Lori is
top-notch in customer service and follow-through. You can
take her word to the bank,” she says. “Lori truly cares about her
customers and will go out of her way to get what we need—
after hours, weekends, you name it. She offers suggestions too.”
James says she often asks Eaton for customer ideas—and
gets plenty, plus virtual proofs. “Lori works hard to give us
good, quality offers that have a good value for potential sales,
and she will even go to the client with me if needed to help
close a deal. She’s friendly, professional, easy to work with
and I think she rocks!”
One On One With Lori Eaton
On what she likes most about being a
multi-line rep: Generally, I like getting to
help people; specifically, I like the variety
of solutions and resources I have when
my customers have a need.
On the challenges: There is the
two-pronged challenge of keeping
my sample line pristine, fresh and
up to date with current specials and
removing out of stocks, and keeping
all the printed materials organized
and accessible. There are also the
little nuances to each supplier’s often-
changing go-to-market strategy that
can also take time to master.
This has also made me very
empathetic to the distributors’
hardships and, I think, made me
understand what I need to do to
keep things simple. I know that my
suppliers hear from me a lot about
how to improve our customers’
experiences. I’m very fortunate to
work with suppliers who are open to
feedback and really want to improve
the customer experience.
On how she manages her lines:
I have lines that have products in the
same category but they fit a different
customer profile (either by price or
design) and I tailor my presentations
or product solutions to the audience.
For the most part, my meetings
will cover each supplier’s best and
trending best sellers, as well as that
supplier’s strengths. I do not think the
information I provide should only be
about product.
On the future of multi-line reps: To
remain relevant, I utilize my vantage
point to observe market trends, and I
have positioned myself as a consultant.
The lines I represent offer alternative
solutions to the mainstream, and I tend
to attract and be attracted to customers
who are also trying to be different and/
or ahead of the curve. I have also hired
my son, Mike, a Millennial, to help me
and my clients with ideas to reach a
younger audience.
On how her customers can help her
serve them better: Let me assist you
with product ideas. This is my favorite
part of my job and too often, the
only time when I get to develop case
history experience. Also, please let me
know about problems you have with
products or procedures. Please don’t
assume someone from the factory told
me about the problem you had or are
having. I may be able to see a solution
that the people in the middle of the
problem don’t see, or I may at least be
able to address it so it doesn’t happen
again to you or someone else.
LORI EATON
Owner /
50 | APRIL 2017 |
FEATURE | Best Multi-Line Reps