Old School Is The Best School For Learning Sales Skills

Got your fill of Girl Scout cookies yet? They’re still for sale until March 25!

Maybe you haven’t gotten your annual supply of Thin Mints because a Girl Scout hasn’t come to your door.

My household is still lucky enough to have a loyal Girl Scout brave any weather to make sure our cookie needs are met. She kicks it old school, selling door-to-door. Still a great way for a Girl Scout to .

I’m not interested in getting an email from the parent of a Girl Scout or a Facebook message with redundant blips of follow-up not unlike some annoying email reply-all.

A friend replied to a cookie sale email by promptly calling the Girl Scout to place her order. The parent proceeded to arrange a time to complete the sale. That’s when my friend realized that she was never going to lay eyes on the child. How sad.

What’s next? Ordering cookies online with shipments arriving in our mailbox? Say it isn’t so.

Some say that door-to-door sales are unsafe. That seems silly. We should get to know our neighbors for goodness sakes. Parents must take time to accompany their scout not only for safety. It provides opportunity to coach them on selling and interpersonal skills.

And if there are elderly, less technology minded neighbors, they’ll surely enjoy an in-person sales call from an industrious Girl Scout!

And put your minds at ease. A troop leader informs me that there are clearly outlined rules regarding safety in door-to-door sales. Only girls over a certain age are allowed to sell door to door without a chaperone, and those girls must always have a buddy.

I know money raised seems like the ultimate goal. So parents taking orders at work or online does help accomplish this. But it seems better for the scout if parents make sure to find ways to involve them.

• Let the scout type the email.
• Help scouts devise a script and let them make any necessary follow-up phone calls.
• If they can’t make deliveries themselves, encourage them to include a “thanks for your business” note card with the cookies.

Girl Scout Cookies are tasty. But personalized selling helps buyers feel more connected to supporting a good cause—and better yet, supporting a specific Girl Scout!

Another great way to get a cookie fix is to click on the Girl Scouts Cookie Locator! This provides a calendar of dates and locations for cookie booth sales at local businesses like , , and . The cookie booths kill two birds with one stone. Cookie lovers can stock up on Tagalongs and the Girl Scouts get to practice those life skills like diligence, good manners, customer service and counting back change.

Hopefully a Girl Scout will knock on your door to sell cookies. If not, visit a cookie booth. Because the cookie sales are important! They support Girl Scout community service projects, field trips, camps, financial assistance for girls and volunteers, scouting for disadvantaged girls, awards and training programs.