The formula was simple, and her method precise: Cheeky smile, polite spiel and the allure of sugar.

A killer combination.

And a lucrative one, too, it turns out.

Marching doorstep-to-doorstep between school and homework for about a month, and relying on the pathos of a good cause and forbidden treats, Alexis Rhea Hart wrangled yet another record.

The third-grade salesperson was dubbed the top cookie peddler of Mullan Trail Elementary for the third consecutive year on Friday, when it was announced she brought in $1,084 for the Post Falls school's annual fundraiser.

"She's done it since first grade, she won out of the whole school," said her father John, adding that her school includes first through fifth grade. "She's pretty persistent."

Her success doesn't just provide a self-esteem boost and a $100 prize for the 8-year-old, who spent several hours a week on her cookie crusade.

It also augments a fiscal injection for a school that, like most institutions these days, are hungry for funds.

"There's definitely a need, as things get cut," said Sandy Snow, the school's fundraiser chair. "Our overall sales have been lower than in the last couple years, although we still did get a significant amount. We're happy with what we have, given the economy."

About 50 percent of the school's roughly 410 students participated, Snow added, which brought in a total of about $10,000.

Teachers will be allowed to dip into the funds for expenditures that would otherwise be hard for the school to cover, she said, like field trips or extra learning materials.

Alexis barely grabbed the top spot, Snow said, adding that another student was only a few points behind her.

"It was a very close race," Snow said.

Alexis, who thinks she might want to be an artist some day, wasn't sure what prompted folks to give in to her pitch this year, or in previous years when she raked in $1,000 and $700 in sales.

"I was polite, maybe," she mused.

Although a passionate sales technique might seem rare for an elementary student, Alexis said she just enjoys chatting folks up. She's in it more for the friendly banter and affable exchanges than for the top prize.

"It was fun going door to door and meeting new people," Alexis said.

She doesn't take no for an answer, her father added.

"We'd had people say 'We're leaving out of town,' and she'd say, 'That's all right, we'll keep the cookies in our freezer and when you get back we'll deliver them,'" said John, who does general work at Knudsten Chevrolet, but emphasized he's no salesman. "She's pretty persistent."

Alexis' favorite subject is math, she said. She plans to spend her prize money on her birthday next month.

"It feels pretty good," she said of her success. "But If I didn't win, it would still be fine. I still had fun."