So Easy an Eight-Year-Old Girl Can Do It

The beginning of each new year often brings cold, chilling winds, hailing the promise of another long dreary winter. And just when that wintry depression threatens to take hold, we often find ourselves temporarily saved by that army of precocious females: the Girl Scouts and their annual cookie sale. 

Originally a money-making scheme for a single troop during World War I, Girl Scout Cookies have become a much-anticipated institution for girls and customers alike. According to Wikipedia, sales of these cookies average 200 million boxes per year.

How can you use the Girl Scouts and their cookie sales as a marketing model? 

First and foremost, let's take a look at those little girls eagerly approaching you on the sidewalk of your local shopping center. Despite freckles, missing teeth, baby fat, and/or preteen gangly awkwardness, you’re still charmed by their confidence and enthusiasm. If a little girl can deliver a sales pitch, why can't you? 

Those cookie sale booths on the sidewalk are genius as well. Store owners respect the reputation and tradition of the Girl Scouts and want to help out. And the girls know where to find their best customers— outside the grocery store. These customers already have food on their mind and are ready to spend money. 

Girl Scout troops typically take pre-orders, ensuring that they have ordered enough cookies and don't have too much surplus (the surplus is where the cookie booth comes in). Once again scouts have pre-orders down to a fine art, usually dividing this chore into two parts: door-to-door sales and networking. 

We’re all familiar with seeing TV shows featuring the adorable little girls selling cookies door-to-door, cracking one-liners, etc., but it's often the networking sales that we see in real life. This is where the girls approach their parents, relatives and neighbors and ask them to take a cookie order form along with them. This method often reaps great success, because many times the aforementioned parent, relative or neighbor is in a position of authority. How many times have you been roped into buying from your boss when one of their kids is selling something? It’s business networking at its finest.

Girl Scouts and their cookies have a long tradition (did you know that three of their cookies— Thin Mints, Trefoils, and Peanut Butter Sandwiches— have been in their selection since 1966?), yet they are always evolving and looking to the future. New recipes are used, often reflecting nutritional trends.  A cookie ordering app is being introduced, allowing cookie-lovers to buy their treats from their favorite troop.

If you find yourself looking for some inspiration in goal-setting and marketing ideas, you can visit the Girl Scout Cookie site. Or, if you’re hankering for some cookies, why not stop by one of the sales booths, pick up a box and see for yourself?