No, I have no relation to this agency but the owner and Auburn mom Lillian Smith could be my second mom. She has given me so much guidance in the apparel industry and I couldn’t be more thankful.
So what is The Smith Agency? It is a premier temporary staffing agency established in 2008 that hires bright, local, sales professionals interested in the apparel industry. The "SA ladies” (Smith Agency Ladies) work various apparel and gift markets across the United States but Lillian’s hub is Atlanta, Georgia and she primarily provides sales support during markets at AmericasMart. She is a mom to 4 sons but the SA ladies are like her "daughters."
Lillian was born and raised in North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Marketing and Communication. Her interest in fashion began around the same time mine started to develop in high school. Both of us worked for a high-end children’s boutique during our high school years. After college Lillian worked retail in both New York and London continuing to develop her passion for fashion. Her careers have included being a meeting planner, a wholesale representative, fashion merchandiser, and marketing manager, but her favorite job is being a mother to her four sons.
The process to become an "SA lady" begins during your training. Lillian makes trips to various colleges around the southeast. There her campus ambassadors (I am one for Auburn) has previously reserved a classroom where the training sessions are held. During the training session the girls learn the ropes of working in a showroom or booth during the busy market week. She explains what the showroom owners and exhibitors expect of the “SA ladies” during their time on the sales floor. Lillian goes over everything you need to know to work market, including her expectations on how to dress and conduct yourself professionally. She really prepares her SA ladies to be market ready!
Once you have successfully completed the training you are now officially an “SA Lady!” Your next step is to check your calendar and see when you can work a show and Lillian will let you know if she has a booking match. She books girls in Dallas, Atlanta and New York City. Before committing to working market you need to make sure you can commit to the days you said you’re available, have a confirmed place to stay and know how you will get to market (uber, Marta, drive- parking is expensive). During market week you are expected to arrive early in time to register and find your showroom and work the full show day from 9:00-6:00, with 30 minutes for lunch. Lillian really looks out for her SA ladies. If you want a variety of market experiences, she can book you with different lines or you may be booked with your dream client and stay with them for multiple markets.
Now how did I became associated with this fabulous company! I am an apparel merchandising major at Auburn, and I happen to be friends with one of her sons’ girlfriend. She introduced me to Lillian around the same time that I had gotten the job as an Atlanta Apparel Brand Ambassador aka “The Peaches.” I also had been to one of Lillian’s training sessions in Auburn when I was a freshman. At the time, I was a busy, studious freshman and it was toward the end of the year, so she was looking for people who could work summer markets. I had already solidified my plans for that summer in Dallas so wasn’t available. Fast forward to now and my job as an AmericasMart Peach. I am unable to work for Lillian during markets because I am tied to a contract for the apparel market year of 2019. Even thought I couldn’t work markets, Lillian still made me her Auburn campus ambassador for The Smith Agency.
As a Smith Agency campus ambassador, my job covers everything from recruiting possible “SA ladies,” to scheduling and attending the training sessions and to answer any questions girls may have before and after training sessions. Lillian had fun contests with prizes for all of her campus ambassadors for recruiting the most people from their schools. Currently, she is working on building her 7 month old Instagram and social media presence. If you want to work market, you can DM @the_smithagency with your name and that you’re interested in info. for the next training session.
Before the June 2019 market Lillian hosted a Pre-Market Pink Pamper Party at her home in Atlanta. Everyone attending was asked to wear shades of pink. She invited all her ambassadors and ladies who were planning to work the upcoming market for the agency or girls that had previously worked market. There were various giveaways and prizes throughout the party along with a makeup stylist and photo booth. I attended and met many of her other ambassadors and "SA Ladies" that I had never had the pleasure of meeting. I also had the pleasure of meeting Lillian’s assistant, Amy Herriot who managed the Fashion Office for the Atlanta Apparel Market for 20 years. My boss at The Mart, who is in charge of The Peaches, was hired to replace Amy when she left to be home with her kids and work for The Smith Agency. It was very interesting to hear about how things had changed. (Fun fact - Amy is still hired to be the voice during all the fashion shows). Everyone socialized and enjoyed “pink ladies”, desserts and yummy food. It was a fun party and a great way to kickoff the market season!
As an SA ,Ambassador we are part of the leadership team and helping to promote the company. So liking and commenting on the Instagram posts is a big part of my job. Lastly, there are an endless number of perks of being an ambassador. First, you get paid for each person you recruit, who ends up working and for assisting with the training session and ambassadors are paid the highest pay level for working markets. Not to mention Lillian has an endless number of connections in the fashion industry.
I have hosted and scheduled a training session at Auburn this past spring semester. I reserved a room in the main library with a computer and projector for her PowerPoint presentation. I recruited girls who I thought would make good “SA ladies” during the weeks prior to the session. The attendees went through the entire training process, had headshots taken and participated in fun “real life” market exercise. The session was a huge success, and one of my good friends ended up getting booked the next week for market with The Smith Agency!
This upcoming fall semester I hope to have Lillian come to an Apparel Merchandising and Design Association meeting to either speak or possibly host a training session. We will see what I can make happen for The Smith Agency this upcoming school year!
Another great perk of being an “SA lady” is not only the work experiences you gain but it looks amazing on your resume! Not to worry if your resume isn’t job interview ready. Lillian often helps SA ladies edit their resumes to best reflect their career path. I took advantage of this perk before an important interview at Auburn that I had for a trip to New York. Now, I am confident that my resume is professional, clear and job interview ready!
One of the unique things I have done as an ambassador and the only one not from Atlanta, was to go to the Dallas Market Center when I got home for the summer. Lillian has asked me about recruiting in Dallas, and we came up with an idea to make a flyer that I would distribute to potential clients at the Dallas market. Unfortunately, I was not able to go during the market week in Dallas so I went the week after and felt accomplished that I was able to pass out all fifty flyers even though not many showrooms were open. The reason I could get into the market center was, because of my grandmothers’ longtime friend Cindy Britz who owns the children’s showroom Martha Foster Kids. They have been friends since my grandmother owned her own children’s clothing line, Cindy was so helpful, understanding and nice about getting me into the market center. She had a badge printed for me as a guest of her showroom, showed me around the building, and took a few of my flyers to pass along to potential clients that she thought would be interested! I could not have done this without Cindy! It was so interesting to hear her background and process of getting where she is today. She is another great connection I have had the opportunity to meet!
I am so humble and thankful for this opportunity to work for The Smith Agency, and meet such great people in the apparel business such as Lillian and Cindy! I cannot wait to see what happens next because I took advantage of this amazing opportunity with The Smith Agency!
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