Check out these tips to keep you focused on your goals for the 2018 Cookie Program! From ramping up your selling strategies to shooting for Super Troop status, here are the best ways to achieve Altogether Awesome success!
1. SUPER TROOPS: Any troop that sells a Per Girl Average (PGA) of 160 packages of cookies can earn an exclusive Super Troop T-shirt for each selling girl and one T-shirt for an adult volunteer. Any troop that achieves a PGA of 175 boxes earns an additional 5 cents for every box of cookies sold!
2. GOAL GETTER CARDS: Door-to-door sales don't have to end in January! Make sure girls in your troop are using Goal Getter Order Cards (available for download under "From the Council" at vipetraining.littlebrownie.com). These can be used to take in-person orders after the initial orders are submitted. Additional cookies are available at Cookie Cupboards through March 18 to fulfill customer orders.
3. EXPAND SELLING STRATEGIES: Corporate sales can be a great way for older girl troops to expand their cookie selling methods and sell more cookies in a short amount of time. Working with the council staff and community leaders, girls can identify large companies that might buy large quantities of cookies as customer appreciation and employee recognition. Or, the employees themselves might be interested in stocking up! Consider businesses like car dealerships, service companies (house cleaners, mechanic shops, dry cleaners,etc.), realtors, and hotels or bed and breakfast locations.
4. OPERATION: SWEET APPRECIATION: Girls who participate in Operation: Sweet Appreciation (OSA) or another Gift of Caring program sell an average of 70 more boxes than girls who don't. OSA donations can be made on the Goal Getter Order Card, Digital Cookie and at booth sales, and all donations count toward each girl’s and/or troop’s overall sales. Download these fun printables to use at booth sales to encourage people to donate.
5. PROMOTE 5 FOR FIVE!
Encourage cookie customers to buy five boxes to be eligible to win five CASES of Girl Scout cookies through our 5 for Five! contest. Just give them a 5 for Five! certificate (available for download under "From the Council" at vipetraining.littlebrownie.com), which includes instructions for entering the contest and an exclusive entry code.
6. BOOMING BOOTH SALES: Booth sales will run from Feb. 23-March 18. Start brainstorming now, and go outside the box. Wear T-Shirts with your troop's goal or have a mobile cookie booth (ex. selling from a cart, wagon or sled) or organize a neighborhood blitz with a “Cookie Caravan.” And, don't forget the Bling Your Booth contest! Not only will a bling-ed out booth draw customers and increase sales, but your troop could win either $100, $75, or $50 in GSWPA Shop gift certificates through the Bling Your Booth contest!
Check out our Pinterest board for some bling-y inspiration.
7. SOCIAL MEDIA BUTTERFLY: Social media is a great tool for boosting cookie sales. If a girl is 13 or older, she can post about cookies to social media channels herself, otherwise a parent will have to help. Just be sure to follow the guidelines on the Girl Scouts Internet Safety pledge and Safety Activity Checkpoints.
8. DIGITAL COOKIE: The Digital Cookie platform makes it easier than ever for friends and relatives that live far away to support a girl's cookie sales. Cookies can be ordered online and shipped directly to the customer, wherever they live, through March 18. Just send them an email through your Girl Scout's Digital Cookie site, so they can place their order!
9. NEW SKILLS=NEW BADGES: Girls can take their cookie sales to new levels by earning cookie-related badges and activity pins. Cookie Business badges demonstrate that girls at every level learn specific skills related to running their own business. Sweet!
10. FOLLOW THROUGH WITH A FOLLOW UP: Once the sale is made, don't stop selling! Hand out recipes that use Girl Scout Cookies to customers to encourage them to buy one more box. Make flyers to give to customers that explain each girl’s cookie goals and how they will use their cookie proceeds, along with information on how they can buy more cookies. Near the end of the program, girls can reconnect customers, who may have eaten all their cookies and want to purchase more! Include an adult phone number or email address with initial deliveries in case customers want more cookies. Print out labels with parent/guardian contact information and stick them on each box.
