Entire Issue - Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania

tales of a
top cookie seller
by Erin M.
sold 3,400 boxes of cookies this
I year (during the 2012 Cookie
Program), and was GSEP‘s top seller.
That doesn’t just suddenly happen;
I have been working my way up,
setting new goals and not stopping
until I got there. It started in 3rd
grade when I sold 700 boxes. My goal
had been 450 boxes but my mom
knew I could make it to 700 and the
bigger challenge was fun! After that
I was hooked. Selling cookies was
what I looked forward to. For me it
was a lifestyle, not just something
to do. It was the excitement of
beating my past scores and making
my goals. Selling to someone new,
or in a different way, makes my
day better. It was everything.
How do you sell so
many cookies?
Well, it comes down to the basics. Be
friendly, confident, courteous, and
don‘t stop asking! While younger girls
can take advantage of being cute,
for older girls it is so much more!
Everyone likes to be treated well.
I look them in the eye whenever I
speak and I make sure that I am very
clear, so they understand what I am
asking. When you take care like that,
people will take the time to purchase.
People appreciate a professional
young lady, and whether I am in my
uniform or a chicken suit, it is always
clear I’m selling cookies. No one will
accidentally think I am just leaning
on a table or playing around. I am
always courteous, everyone could
be a customer, even if they said no
this time. Numerous times people
come back later and bought from
me because they have seen me
again and again. Don’t be shy. I have
seen lots of Girl Scouts start to work
out of their comfort zone and then
they start to enjoy themselves. I am
a pretty outgoing person, so asking
others to buy Girl Scout Cookies--
including classmates and friends--is
easy for me. I have found that even
if people think you are acting funny,
they appreciate that you are trying.
My classmates are some of my
best customers for smaller sales.
Everyone knows I’m a Girl Scout so
they donate money to Operation
Cookies from Home, and their parents
buy from me because I am in their
class. They will even seek me out
because they feel bad buying from
others. I love that they support me.
Where did you sell
so many cookies?
I guess it would be easier to say where
I didn’t sell all of those cookies! I sign
up for as many cookie booths as I
can fit into my schedule. I do four to
six every weekend and two or three
during the week. That’s why I say it’s
a lifestyle; it’s my hobby for five to six
weeks a year. I also try to stop at a few
businesses every day that I don’t have
a booth. I actively look for donations to
Operation Cookies from Home. I ask
with every sale, I send letters to all the
military organizations in my town, and I
ask my relatives all over the country to
send money. I just feel like Operation
Cookies from Home is great, for both
the USO and the Girl Scouts.
Why do you sell so
many cookies?
That’s simple, I get so much back! I
have fun, I get money for traveling with
my troop, I get to give to the USO, and
I get to say I did it! I am proud of my
accomplishments and I think it will
help me in the future. I have gained so
many skills and met so many people;
it can’t do anything but help me!
So, whether you are a leader, a
scout, or a parent reading this, it
only takes one thing to sell so many
cookies- It takes a REAL Girl Scout!
Courage, Confidence, and Character
are the tools- any girl can do it! I
welcome more competition!
gsep.org • spark • fall/winter 2012 9