Sally Stilley was in a mall with her 2 1/2-year-old son Jordan one day when a woman walked up and handed her a business card.

“She said Jordan would make the perfect model,” says Stilley, of Boca Raton. “What mother doesn’t want to believe that?”

The next day, Stilley took Jordan to the Fort Lauderdale address printed on the business card to have his photo taken — for $250.

The next week, she got a call saying Jordan had been selected to be in a Gerber Baby Food commercial.

“I thought that was strange,” Stilley says. “Jordan was very big for his age and certainly didn’t look like a Gerber baby.”

When she called Gerber to confirm the news, the company said it had never heard of Jordan — or of the “modeling agency” in Fort Lauderdale.

Stilley’s children, Justin, 10, Jordan, now 8, and Jamin, 6, have had many modeling jobs since that day six years ago. But she has never forgotten that first lesson of modeling: Don’t be too quick to hand over your money.

To help parents avoid similar scams, Stilley and Sami Davidson, a Boca Raton mother of her own child models, have written Big Bucks, Little Kids: A Parents’ Handbook for the Child Modeling and Talent Industry in South Florida, ($19.95).

There is money to be made in modeling here, they say. South Florida has become the fourth most popular locale (behind New York, Los Angeles and Chicago) for child modeling.

“It’s not unusual to hear about South Florida kids making over $100,000 a year with a couple of commercials and a lot of print work,” Stilley says. “Of course, it requires the right look, the right temperament — and knowing the ropes.”

If you don’t know the ropes, says Davidson, the mother of Jaime, 14, and Jon, 12, you’re likely to fall prey to scam artists.

By the time Davidson and Stilley met two years ago, their five kids had had hundreds of modeling jobs — everything from McDonalds print ads to Tums television commercials. But both moms started out as victims of modeling scams.

Each was promised bookings in exchange for registration and photo fees.

“I’ve heard of parents paying as much as $600 for totally unnecessary photographs,” says Susan Applegate, children’s booker for Green and Green Talent and Model Agency in North Miami and South Beach.

Ellen Kimmel, co-owner of Management and Company in Coral Springs, tells parents, “If anyone is asking for any up-front money, it’s a scam.”

But once you know how to avoid scams, how do you know if your child can make the grade?

Agents like Applegate and Karen Greer, who is with the children’s division at Michele Pommier in South Beach, receive hundreds of unsolicited photographs of wannabe child models each week. Greer says she chooses anywhere from zero to five, then calls to set up an interview with the parent and child. Applegate says the number she picks depends on her needs at the moment. But, she says, “I’m always looking for boys.”

First, she says, she goes through the pile and discards the “No’s.” “There’s no way that agents can return photos,” she explains. “That’s why I tell parents to send in just a snapshot, something that shows their child full-length without a lot of distractions in the background.”

Many parents start out with management companies. Davidson thinks it’s a good idea for neophytes. “Managers are more willing to take risks and spend more time with kids just starting out,” Kimmell says. “Unless your child really stands out, a talent agency will probably not take him or her.”

And while management companies charge 10 percent for any job they get for a child, they serve as the liaison between the parent and the talent agency. Often, in fact, talent agencies will call management companies to provide models.

Of course, even if your child has the looks, he may not have the temperament. When Applegate interviews a child, she looks for someone who has nice manners and seems easy to work with. She also looks for clean nails and brushed hair.

“I also assess the parent’s behavior,” she says. “Is the parent patient, easy-going, pleasant? This is someone I’m going to have to be dealing with on an ongoing basis. It’s a very close relationship. There are times when I might be talking to the parent three to five times a day. That’s more than I talk to my own family.”

Parents also need to know what characteristics children should have if they’re going to do print modeling or commercials — and stress those characteristics to an agent or manager.

Children who do commercials need to be animated. “No one wants a stick-in- the-mud for a television commercial,” Stilley says. “But you wouldn’t mention it for print. An agent will read that as ‘too active.’ Print modeling requires children who can stand still for long periods of time.”

Because much of the South Florida market consists of European clients, there’s a wide range of popular “looks.” According to Applegate, Germans look for blond, blue-eyed kids. The Dutch like redheads. And American clients want the “all-American” look — but that’s not what it was 14 years ago, Greer says. It has changed from the “blond, blue-eyed Breck (shampoo) look” to a more eclectic, melting-pot look.

“Brown-haired kids with olive complexions and freckles are very popular these days,” she says.

There are also popular sizes for kids’ fashion catalog jobs, says Applegate. These are 3T for toddlers, size 5, 8-10, and 10-12.

“Clothes are precut in these sizes,” Applegate says.

Because kids who have never modeled before are competing with established child models, the experts do recommend investing in professional photographs and composites, but only after a manager or talent agent has indicated an interest in the child and only if the child is over age 3. (Babies’ and toddlers’ appearances change too quickly.)

“Reputable agents will recommend reputable photographers and places to have composites made,” Kimmell says. Parents should spend no more than $50 for a roll of 24 exposures.

The one big investment parents do need to be prepared to make is in time.

Greer says she sees too many parents who view child modeling as an activity rather than a commitment. “They’re in for a rude awakening,” she points out. “If their child has what it takes, this can quickly become a full-time responsibility with lots of frustrations and disappointments.”

Sometimes, even what seems like a success can become a disappointment.

Stilley recalls how she dreamed about big houses and fancy cars after Jordan did a major toy commercial. Just when the commercial was about to air, the manufacturer found a defect in the toy and it was taken off the market.

“There went those residuals,” she says.

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR PARENTS

–Is my child really interested in modeling, or am I?

–Does my child really have the temperament for modeling?

–Will modeling fit in with my lifestyle? (Do I have the time? Do I like to drive for hours on end? Am I flexible, organized?)

–Will it have a bad effect on other family members?

–Can I afford it financially?

BOOK INFORMATION

Sally Stilley and Sami Davidson’s Big Bucks, Little Kids: A Parents’ Handbook for the Child Modeling and Talent Industry in South Florida sells for $19.95, and is available by calling 1-407-241-0316.