The Worcester Business Journal, out of Massachusetts, has a fantastic article on the lessons business leaders can learn from Girl Scouts as they embark on their annual cookie sale. The paper goes to the scouts themselves, namely Elizabeth Anderson and Hannah Schur for answers! The girls break down the success of the Cookie Program into six categories and expound on them:- Perseverance - “The cookie sale is right in the middle of winter, and it’s cold; I spend hours on it. It takes up all of my weekends for two months.”
- Promotion - “Don’t be afraid to promote your products...I would go door to door and I would be so afraid that people would just kick me out, but if people want a product, they’ll buy it."
- Be Nice - “You should always be nice to any customers... Even if they don’t buy anything, be polite, because they might become future customers.”
- Be Empathetic - “Put yourself in the customer’s shoes... Do everything you can to be convenient to customers.”
- Be Opportunistic - “Even thought I wanted to be home, I went out on Super Bowl Sunday to get more sales. Who doesn’t want Girl Scout Cookies while watching the football game?”
- The Incentives - “Destinations”
Of the Cookie Program as a whole, Richard Kennedy, president and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce goes on to say:
“It shows you that the power of networking is incredible... They engage every
civic organization, every neighbor and friend, and it’s almost embarrassing not
to buy them...”
Definitely check out the article and, as always, send in your best cookie selling advice!