Do you ask for the sale/opportunity? Every time? Or do you think, “That’s too much trouble and they’ll say ‘no’ anyway.” These last 10 days I’ve chosen to ask for the sale since I don’t want to be saddled with 15 cartons of Girl Scout cookies. You see, my third grade daughter, Erin, chose a cookie goal of 500 cookies this year—that’s $2,000 in cookie sales at $4/box. If you want to reach that goal you HAVE to ask everyone you know to buy cookies and take your cookies everywhere you travel. Even if you feel uncomfortable.
I’ve been modeling good selling behavior to her by filling up a large red canvas bag with a variety of cookies: Thin Mints, the new S’mores, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Thanks-A-Lots, etc., and taking them to the Subaru dealership, the dermatologist, the hairdresser, the Wake Living photo shoot, my guitar/violin teacher, Irish dance, the parking lot at Irish dance and the NC Poetry Society winter meeting at Weymouth in Southern Pines. You get the idea. Erin is doing a great job of asking everyone she knows to buy her cookies, but she’s still a little shy asking total strangers for the sale, so I keep telling her 1) that no one will be rude to her and 2) you don’t want to leave money (or cookies!) on the table. Erin sees me bringing our red bag everywhere and most times she’s not too self-conscious. She’s getting it and she can also tell you about all of the different cookies features. S’mores are her favorite due to their crispy, chocolatey crunch.
My hope is that we’re going to sell out of our cookie stock this weekend, but Erin will still be manning several troop booths around Raleigh.
If you’re interested in getting some cookies and live within 10 miles of North Raleigh, let me know and we’ll be your supplier—cash/check or charge!
And remember to ask for the sale, even if it’s uncomfortable (especially for us introverts!)—because that person you ask may be missing out on something wonderful you’re asking them!