Cookies

Getting the Cookie Plan Together

As we prepare to celebrate the holidays, Girl Scouts throughout the nation are also getting ready for that very busy time of year…Girl Scout cookie season!

Our Girl Scout Motto is to ‘Be Prepared’, and its important to do just that! January can creep up on us quicker than we think. Some of us may already see requests for cookies, so its essential to be prepared.

My troop prepares for the cookie season by attending our annual troop holiday party. We munch on the newest Girl Scout S’mores™ cookie, enjoy homemade hot chocolate and make plans for the first day of cookie sales.

Our troop prepares by getting our uniforms ready, attending troop cookie training and designing cookie booths. As a troop, we go over our cookie checklist. Which looks something like this:

____ Girl Scout vest or sash.

____ Identify a Cookie buddy (adult).

____ Tote, cart, or wagon to load cookies.

____ Cookie order form and pen.

____ Amount of money to have on hand for change.

____ Cookie envelope for payments in a day pack.

Before setting up cookie booths or selling cookies door to door Girl Scouts proudly wear their official uniform. I encourage girls to wear their favorite Girl Scout t-shirt or official Girl Scout polo shirt with vest or sash. Remember presentation is key.

When a Girl Scout wears the uniform, she lets the world know she’s a real-life Cookie Boss! I’ve found that wearing the Girl Scout uniform can also increases cookie sales. Cookie customers look for the blue, brown, green or tan vests and sashes to purchase cookies each year.

During troop meetings practice selling cookies to customers door to door through selling scenarios.

  • Smile and introduce yourself.
  • Practice your cookie “script”
    • Hi, my name is Daisy. I am a Girl Scout in Troop 123. The Girl Scout Cookie Program is teaching me how to run my own business. I have Girl Scout cookies for sale at $4.00 a box. You can also purchase cookies to support our military troops by donating $4.00 for each box.
  • Practice providing change for the cookie purchases.
  • Smile and thank your customers whether they do or do not purchase cookies.

Ask the girls in your troop to select the Cookie Badges they will earn during the cookie season. The 2018 Girl Scout Cookie Activity Pin – Celebrating the 5 Skills with girls can also be earned!

Daisies Count It Up Badge & Talk It Up Badge
Brownies Meet My Customers Badge & Give Back Badge
Juniors Cookie CEO Badge & Customer Insights Badge
Cadettes Think Big Badge, Business Plan Badge & Marketing Badge
Seniors My Portfolio Badge & Customer Loyalty Badge
Ambassadors Profit & Loss Badge and Research & Development Badge

 

Check with council and your community on the different Cookie Rallys and Cookie kickoff events they have going on early in the year. These are great ways to get your girls motivated and excited.

Here are just a few you might want to look into:

January 14, 2018- Sea World Cookie Kickoff

January 20, 2018 – Girl Scout Cookie University at Embry Riddle

 

Cookies

Girl Scout S’mores™ Cookies Are Back!

Our newest cookie offering celebrates over 100 years of Girl Scouts selling cookies. The Girl Scout S’mores™ became instantly popular, and are a delicious, mess-free way to relive summer nights spent around a campfire. The tradition of making and enjoying s’mores in the outdoors was popularized by our early Girl Scout sisters, with the recipe first appearing in 1927 for “some mores” in Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts, a resource book that also taught 12 ways to build a campfire.

In their debut last year, Girl Scout S’mores™ cookies became the most popular flavor to launch in the 100 years of Girl Scouts selling cookies! Now joining legendary classics like Thin Mints® and Caramel deLites®/Samoas®, delicious Girl Scout S’mores are making a triumphant return to the lineup for the 2018 cookie season. This means cookie-lovers in the Central Florida area will again be able to get their hands on these delicious cookies, while powering unique and amazing experiences for girls with each and every cookie purchase.

Girl Scouts of Citrus will offer the crispy graham cookie double-dipped in a crème icing and enrobed in a chocolatey coating. This clever take on the time-honored campfire treat was developed in response to consumer trends. It is vegan and free of artificial colors, preservatives, and partially hydrogenated oils.

Girl Scouts are able to do incredible things thanks to their cookie earnings. Many girl scout troops reinvest in our community by helping to build turtle habitats, providing supplies for homeless shelters and animal shelters, or donating part of the proceeds to a charity.

The council also reinvests these funds to further develop girl programming and provide financial aid opportunities for girls to participate in Girl Scouts. Each and every purchase of Girl Scout Cookies—100 percent of the net revenue of which stays local—is an investment in girls and their leadership capabilities, both now and in the future.

Cookie customers can get the S’mores hook-up from a Girl Scout near you, starting January 10, 2018

Cookies

Cookies: Business Ethics

Our cookies are on a mission: to help girls learn five skills that are essential to leadership, to success, and to life.

Skill #1—Goal Setting
Skill #2—Decision Making
Skill #3—Money Management
Skill #4—People Skills
Skill #5—Business Ethics

When girls have mastered the business ethics skill, they’ll be saying:
“Selling cookies is more than just business.”
“The other day at the cookie booth I made my friend’s mom laugh really hard and she totally forgot her change. I made sure she got it back. She was so impressed she bought another box of cookies. Now I’m even closer to reaching my goal for robotics camp.”

Girls act honestly and responsibly during every step of the cookie sale. This matters because employers want to hire ethical employees—and the world needs ethical leaders in every field.

Go-getter troops are preparing for cookie season now by role playing sticky situations that might come up throughout the cookie program. Families sign and submit a cookie program permission slip, that outlines the families commitments and responsibilities for accurately managing inventory and finances.

Pro tip: Experienced cookie business leaders should share advice and expertise with younger Girl Scout troops by collaborating for booth sales or helping a troop earn their Cookie Activity Pin.

Because your Girl Scout is honest and responsible at every step of the cookie sale…

  • Her friends, classmates, and teachers count on her and think of her as trustworthy.
  • She’ll develop excellent references for when she looks for her first job or applies for college.

What do you hope your Girl Scout is honest with you about?

Cookies

Cookies: People Skills

Our cookies are on a mission: to help girls learn five skills that are essential to leadership, to success, and to life.

Skill #1—Goal Setting
Skill #2—Decision Making
Skill #3—Money Management
Skill #4—People Skills
Skill #5—Business Ethics

When girls have mastered people skills, they’ll be saying:
“I get a lifetime supply of confidence in every box.”
“I’ve met so many new people at our cookie booth. And I’ve gotten really good at chatting with them about how we are doing more than just selling Girl Scout Cookies. We’re earning money to achieve our cookie-season goals and do great things.”

Girls learn how to talk (and listen!) to their customers, as well as learning how to work as a team with other girls. This matters because it helps them do better in school (on group projects, on sports teams, and on the playground) and, later, at work.

Go-getter troops are preparing for cookie season now by role playing a variety of cookie selling scenarios. Girls should practice being both the seller and the customer. Spend some time brainstorming the types of questions customers might ask, and be prepared with the correct answers. Practice manners like “please” and “thank you.” Know how to articulate individual and troop goals to describe how each customer’s purchase will support Girl Scouts. Don’t forget to prepare for unhappy customers and awkward conversations, too.

Pro tip: Experienced cookie business leaders should practice the no-pressure up-sell. It’s a fine line between offering just one more box (or rounding it up to a full case!) and coming across as a pushy salesperson. Practice confidently and politely making the ask.

Because your Girl Scout learns how to talk and listen to all kinds of people while selling cookies…

  • She can ask a teacher for help or navigate the school cafeteria more easily.
  • She can work well with others on school projects or as part of a sports team.

How do you want your Girl Scout to influence others?

Cookies

Cookies: Money Management

Our cookies are on a mission: to help girls learn five skills that are essential to leadership, to success, and to life.

Skill #1—Goal Setting
Skill #2—Decision Making
Skill #3—Money Management
Skill #4—People Skills
Skill #5—Business Ethics

When girls have mastered the money management skill, they’ll be saying:
“I make change happen!”
“It’s cool that I get to make change when someone buys cookies. I’m really careful about it. I count it out twice, so I know it’s totally right. And I know each box sold gets us one step closer to our goal.”

Girls develop a budget, take cookie orders, and handle customers’ money. This matters because girls need to know how to handle money—from their lunch money to their allowance to (someday) their paycheck.

Go-getter troops are preparing for cookie season now by practicing identifying bills and coins, counting out correct change, and knowing the amount due for various quantities of cookies purchased. Girls should know who a check should be written to, and how customers can pay with a credit card.

Pro tip: Experienced cookie business leaders should design a creative thank you card/receipt to be given to every cookie customer, as a record of their purchase and sign of appreciation.

Because your Girl Scout takes cookie orders and handles customers’ money…

  • She’ll be less likely to lose her lunch money or field trip fees.
  • She can handle a checking account, help with the grocery shopping, and even stay on top of her cell phone bill!

What’s the most important thing you’d like your Girl Scout to learn about earning and managing money?

Cookies

Cookies: Decision Making

Our cookies are on a mission: to help girls learn five skills that are essential to leadership, to success, and to life.

Skill #1—Goal Setting
Skill #2—Decision Making
Skill #3—Money Management
Skill #4—People Skills
Skill #5—Business Ethics

When girls have mastered the decision making skill, they’ll be saying:
“I make smarter decisions.”
“When I sell cookies with my Girl Scout forever friends, we make our own decisions, like how many boxes we want to sell. We all have to agree on what we’ll do with the money, which means talking it out and being okay not getting our way sometimes. And we have to figure out how to solve problems, like what to do when one of the girls is sick and can’t help out. Our decisions matter.”

Girls decide where and when to sell cookies, how to market their sale, and what to do with their earnings. This matters because girls must make many decisions, big and small, in their lives. Learning this skill helps them make good ones.

Go-getter troops are preparing for cookie season now by making decisions about when, where, and how they’ll market and sell their products. Will she do door-to-door sales (“walkabouts”) and sell to family and friends? Will she utilize the Digital Cookie platform to reach her goals even faster? And will she set up cookie booths to explode her sales and exceed her goals?

Pro tip: Experienced cookie business leaders should start reaching out to cookie customers now to let them know that cookies are coming, the different ways and times she’ll be selling them, and get an idea of how many they’d like to buy.

Because your Girl Scout helps decide how her team will spend their cookie money…

  • She can decide how to use her babysitting money—spend some, save some, give some to those in need.
  • As she grows up, she’ll know when and how to give back to her community.

What important decisions do you want your Girl Scout to be prepared to make, now and in the future?

Cookies

Preparing for Cookie Season

Take a deep breath, roll up your sleeves and get ready for COOKIE SEASON! It’s time to get the girls EXCITED to sell cookies!

My first troop cookie sale was January 6, 2010. My daughter learned how to speak to her customers, take cookie orders, deliver cookies and receive payments.

These learned life skills make the largest girl-led business in the world extraordinary. As an adult volunteer you provide the girls with training, sale strategies and safety guidelines for successful cookie sales.

Be sure to ASK your service community, troop and Citrus Council for support or assistance throughout the cookie sale. Experienced Cadette/Senior/Ambassador Girl Scouts can attend your troop meetings to help teach the girls cookie basics.

We need to teach our girls to be safe and prepared during cookie season. It’s a good idea to discuss why the Girl Scout Cookie Program Safety Guidelines are important during your troop meeting…and believe me they are.

Have the girls read, accept and sign the Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge and Girl Scout Digital Cookie Pledge.

Then, be sure to…

  • Buddy Up
  • Partner with Adults
  • Sell in the Daytime
  • Have a plan to Safeguard the funds generated
  • Girls Wear Uniform, its all about presentation

And always remember to…

  • Protect the Girl’s Privacy
  • Be Safe on the Road
  • Be weary of “Do Not Enter” signs
  • Be Streetwise- corners give you access to two lanes of traffic flow

Setting Goals

Before the cookie sale begins the girls need to set cookie sales goals. Girls need to know how to set and reach goals, not only for the cookie season but to succeed in school, in jobs and in life.

Setting individual girl cookie goals are important to reach your troop goals. When girls set an individual cookie goal you typically see an increase in the number of packages your troop sells overall.

Set goals that are realistic to achieve (they have to learn how to set and keep their own goals). Set mini cookie deadlines on the girls calendar to make regular progress on her goals.

Leverage Resources

Leverage the cookie incentives (patches, stuffed animal, tickets, electronics, etc) to set goals. This will give them something to work towards. You could also select the number of boxes or cases to sell. Have each girl determine their individual cookie sale goals during a troop meeting.

Parents or co-leaders can help the girl set reasonable goals by setting deadlines, “I’m going to send 25 emails to my family and friends by the end of the first week of cookie sales.” Track the goals on a spreadsheet or cookie goal chart.

Whether this is your first cookie sale or you are a cookie expert prepare your girls for the best cookie sale in Citrus Council history!

Online Cookie Resources

 

Cookies

Cookies: Goal Setting

Our cookies are on a mission: to help girls learn five skills that are essential to leadership, to success, and to life.

Skill #1—Goal Setting
Skill #2—Decision Making
Skill #3—Money Management
Skill #4—People Skills
Skill #5—Business Ethics

When girls have mastered the goal setting skill, they’ll be saying:
“I know I can do it!”
“We’re all about trying new things and having fun. Selling cookies is about both. My friends and I work together to set our team goal for the season; maybe we’ll donate to our local animal hospital or go on an adventure. Sure, selling the cookies is great. But what we do with the money we earn is even greater.”

Girls set cookie sales goals and, with their team, create a plan to reach them. This matters because girls need to know how to set and reach goals to succeed in school, on the job, and in life.

Go-Getter troops are preparing for cookie season now by discussing goals for the upcoming program, and determining how many boxes/cases they’d like to sell – individually, as a troop total, and at booth sales. Set the stage by encouraging girls to brainstorm what they’d like to do with their proceeds: take a trip, go to camp, pursue a community service project. A basic budget will help determine how many boxes of cookies the team needs to sell to reach their goal.

Pro tip: Experienced cookie business leaders should set a weekly or daily goal for how many boxes they intend to sell, or how many customers they will ask to purchase. By reaching small goals, they’ll be on their way to achieving BIG ones.

Because your Girl Scout sets cookie sales goals and develops a plan to reach them…

  • She won’t tell you on Sunday night that her science fair project is due tomorrow.
  • When the time comes, she’ll be ready to create a well-thought-out plan for researching colleges and applying for scholarships.

What important goals do you want your Girl Scout to set for herself, now and in the future?

 

Girl Scouts of the USA’s Cookie Pro 2018 Contest

Are you a barrier breakin,’ challenge crushin,’ lead takin’ cookie entrepreneur?

This cookie season, let’s show ‘em how the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world prepares girls to lead, learn, succeed, and shine—not only for today but also for the future—by entering our national Girl Scouts of the USA’s Cookie Pro 2018 Contest from January 2 through April 30, 2018.

Learn more at www.girlscouts.org/cookiepro

 

Cookies

Prepping for Cookies: Value of the 5 Skills

When girls participate in the cookie program, they “earn and learn”—they earn funds for their Girl Scout activities while learning key skills that will help them in business and life.
All they need to do to develop the 5 Skills is sell cookies with coaching from adults who
understand the 5 Skills! Here’s your how-to guide to getting started:

What are the 5 Skills and why do they matter?

1) Goal Setting: Girls set cookie sales goals and, with their team, create a plan to reach them. This matters because girls need to know how to set and reach goals to succeed in school, on the job, and in life.

2) Decision Making: Girls decide where and when to sell cookies, how to market their sale, and what to do with their earnings. This matters because girls must make many decisions, big and small, in their lives. Learning this skill helps them make good ones.

3) Money Management: Girls develop a budget, take cookie orders, and handle customers’ money. This matters because girls need to know how to handle money—from their lunch money to their allowance to (someday) their paycheck.

4) People Skills: Girls learn how to talk (and listen!) to their customers, as well as learning how to work as a team with other girls. This matters because it helps them do better in school (on group projects, on sports teams, and on the playground) and, later, at work.

5) Business Ethics: Girls act honestly and responsibly during every step of the cookie sale. This matters because employers want to hire ethical employees—and the world needs ethical leaders in every field.

Why do we focus on the 5 Skills?

Because when your Girl Scout has learned these skills, she’ll be poised for success in her
career. Think about it: When employers interview job candidates, they all look for the same things. This is true whether the employer is a bank, high-tech company, university, hospital, publishing house, car dealership, accounting firm—or even the local pet store! They want:

Someone who can set goals and meet deadlines.
Blowing a deadline can mean blowing a deal!

Someone who works well with others.
Who wants to deal with strife and complaining in the workplace? Not the boss!

Someone who understands customers.
It doesn’t matter whether the “customers” are hospital patients, TV viewers, or other companies—every business has to know its customers and what they want.

Someone who can influence others.
This doesn’t just mean selling a product. Employers want people who can sell ideas, pitch
projects, and make deals.

Someone who is honest, trustworthy, and reliable.
This kind of goes without saying—or it should!

Sound like anyone you know?
That’s your Girl Scout, using the 5 Skills she learned in the Girl Scout Cookie Program.

Cookies

Sell like a Girl Scout Top Cookie Seller!

Many girls often wonder what it takes to be a top seller in Girl Scouts. Are there girls who just have extraordinary selling skills or some kind of edge? We thought we’d ask our 2017 Top Cookie Sellers to see what kind of things go through their minds when they sold, and if there are any tips they could share with some other up-in-coming top sellers.  Here’s what they had to say…

What are three important qualities a Girl Scout needs if she wants to sell the most cookies?

The 3 important qualities a Girl Scout needs to have to sell the most cookies are determination, motivation and people skills. She has to be determined to reach her goal; whatever it may be. She must be constantly motivated to work hard every day to reach that goal. Selling cookies also requires some good people skills. She must be willing to speak up and be friendly to everyone.

 

At the beginning of the cookie season, did you plan on selling this many cookies or did it just happen?

At the beginning of the season, I set a goal for myself. I planned to sell 3,000 boxes of cookies when I started. After I reached my goal I decided to keep going. As I kept selling, I thought it might be possible to be the top cookie seller. That became my new goal.

What advice could you give younger girls who are trying to become one of the top sellers?

I would tell them to set a goal and figure out how many boxes per day you’ll need to sell to stay on track for that goal. It’s important to work hard. Which means you might need to sacrifice after school activities and hobbies along the way. But it will be worth it in the end. I would also tell them it is helpful to invest in your business. I had cookie business cards made for my business. Customers would text my Mom and I would get the orders ready and deliver them. Lastly, it’s important to remember your previous customers. You can sell cookies to them and have repeat business.

 

What are some of the business skills you learned while selling Girl Scout cookies?

There were several business skills I learned throughout my time selling Girl Scout cookies. Setting goals before the season was always a starting point for me. Building and maintaining a customer base was also very important for a successful selling season. Lastly, being visible through signage and vocal was key…after all you need to advertise some way.

 

Why did you want to become one of the top seller of Girl Scout cookies?

I wanted to do the most in my Girl Scout career. I set that personal goal. Also, talking to people has always come naturally to me. Through the cookie sales I was able to do that every day and leverage my skills.

What advice can you give girls who want to accomplish the same thing?

Make small goals, like selling at least 100 boxes of cookies a day each week. Some days you might go over that goal, and some days you might fall a little short. If you stay on top of these small goals, they’ll add up quickly. Before you know it, you will have numbers in the thousands.

 

Do you think selling Girl Scout cookies is an important experience for younger girls who want to learn about the business world? If so, why?

Yes, I think it’s a great experience, because they will learn a lot of important skills about setting and achieving goals, handling money, being honest, and working hard. You meet lots of new people by selling cookies. I did a lot of door-to-door sales. You can’t be afraid to walk up and knock on a door.

At cookie booths you meet hundreds of new people and you can’t be shy and not talk to them or you won’t sell many cookies. I know when I get older and am in the business world, all of these things I have learned selling cookies will be very helpful. I’m not scared of new situations and I will be a good employee or boss!

What does being one of the top sellers of Girl Scout cookies mean to you?

I was a little surprised. It means a lot to have reached that level. It makes me feel very happy and excited! I worked very hard and spent every day after school and on the weekends going door-to-door, even in the rain. During cookie booth time, my troop and I were at booths every weekend, sometimes several in one day.

For next year, do you want to exceed the amount of cookies you sold this year? If so, why?

I’m going to try! I set a big goal for myself this year and I didn’t know if I was going to make it. It took a lot of hard work, planning and lots of hours to get there. I was also working on my Silver Award project and homework too, so I was very busy. It would be cool to be top seller more than one year!