8 Tips for Selling Girl Scout Cookies — I have such a love/hate relationship with Girl Scout cookies. I love them, my thighs hate them. But love always wins, right? So keep on keepin on little Girl Scouts. Sell those cookies, because I’ll keep buying them {lots of them!}.
Because let’s be honest, the world without Girl Scout cookies is a sad, dark place. So to help those tasty little treats filter through the world, I’ve come up with some great ideas to help any eager Girl Scout sell the heck out of those cookies this year!
Set Goals:
Decide how many boxes of cookies you want to sell and tell everyone. Let your customers know you are working towards selling X amount of cookies this year and why.
Make a poster to keep track of your progress. Having a goal and a visual will help you on your way to achieving it.
Sell Online:
We are lucky to be living in such a digital age, and that digital age can help you peddle cookies online. You can now sell using your specific online link, so email it out to all your friends and family and have your parents post it on social media.
And don’t just do it once. Sometimes people get distracted and forget, so email them again with a followup link or encourage them to order a second batch!
Set up Booths:
I know many troops will sit outside grocery stores or in highly trafficked areas once cookies have come in. Obviously, this is a great idea and will benefit your entire troop.
But you might also see some great success setting up a booth like a lemonade stand right in your very own neighborhood. Find a busy street corner and sell, sell, sell.
Offer Samples:
Statistics prove that if someone has a chance to sample a product, they are much more likely to buy. I suspect that is never more true than when it concerns Girl Scout cookies.
So take a box of your favorite cookie type, cut them up into bite size pieces and encourage sampling. I suspect one little taste will equate to bigger orders. Those little cookies are so hard to resist.
Sell by the Case:
A big mistake made when selling is to sell small. Those cookies come in cases and freeze well. Take a bigger is better approach and push cases instead of boxes.
Ask Again:
It doesn’t hurt to follow up with customers who pre-ordered after their orders come in. Perhaps they under ordered or they have decided they need a few more boxes in their lives.
Remember Your Customers:
Keep all of the customer info from the year before and then call your entire list to ask if they’d like to purchase this year. Repeat customers are the best! You can then expand your selling to new customers, but swinging back to your old ones are a great way to start!
Create Cookie Bundles:
People are visual creatures. Take a few boxes and wrap them up together with some fancy ribbon. Or have theme packs, like a Chocolate bundle or a Peanut Butter Bundle. You might just convince those one box buyers to buy 3 if they are packed together and finished with a bow.
Those are my 8 tips for selling Girl Scout Cookies. Good luck!
~Mavis
erin says
My daughter is doing quite well this year with her selling because it’s actually warm enough to go door to door. Last year was single digits so we are taking full advantage of the 40s and 50s this year!!! Gs cookies make great end of the year gifts to the teachers too! We always give thanks a lots to them!
Mavis says
That totally makes sense that nice weather makes it easier for the girls to hit the streets!
Sandra says
“Retired” Girl Scout leader chiming in. These are great ideas. Here are some we used with success:
1. If your customer is buying 3 or 4 boxes, and your council’s price is $4 / box, say something like “It’s only $20 for 5 boxes.” That one true statement helped our sales quite a bit.
2. We had a table poster of the things we used our cookie money for. Our girls liked to do big things, like putting on a camporee for 300 Girl Scouts, and producing a video on best cookie-selling practices (which won them their Silver award). People like to know where the money goes.
3. We also had handouts of what part of the price of each box of cookies went where. I don’t recall the exact numbers, but it showed how much went to the local council, how much to the baker, how much to the troop, etc. We also had handouts for nutrition facts, whatever the current rumor about GS cookies was, etc. The girls gave the handouts out as needed.
4. This is more for the adults helping at the sales. You also represent the organization. Booth locations are assigned in most areas. Show up when and where you are supposed to, don’t try to set up earlier than your assigned time, be physically and mentally present with the girls, let the girls do the selling as much as possible, and for the girls’ sakes don’t get in fights with other cookie parents! (Yes, it happens!)
Have a successful sale, and remember my husband’s motto: Thin Mints come in a handy two-serving box.
Mavis says
Great tips! Thanks for sharing them.
Ashley says
We are also emphasizing the $20 for 5 boxes. I think when people hear that they tend to feel like they’re donating $20 and getting 5 boxes in return as opposed to paying $4 per box of cookies (even though it’s the same thing).
Also, it’s probably regional, but in our area customers are entered into a drawing for a free case of cookies if they order 5 or more boxes. That seems to have helped, I didn’t have anyone who bought 4 boxes.
Carrie says
I am more inclined to buy directly from my cute neighborhood Girl Scouts who pull their wagon of cookies around door to door than their mom’s asking me at work. I like to share the love and will buy one or two boxes from multiple scouts. Last weekend there was booth at my neighborhood’s farmer’s market. I love cookie season!
Mavis says
I agree. They are so hard to resist when they come to your doorstep.
Rachel says
Don’t forget Thin Mints are vegan. This was an amazing find when I was dairy-free and nursing.
Tracy says
Thin Mints got me through college. Somehow local girl scouts got access inside the dorms and they would knock on dorm room doors at about 8-9 at night. They sold out very, very quickly and would come back time and time again. We loved those kids and would race down the hall when we heard them coming.
Mavis says
Ha! Genius! I bet those girls were top-performers in their area.
Tracy says
I know, wasn’t that smart of them??
Becky Agne says
Thanks for the bundling tip and I was thinking of the samples, I am a leader this year and we have a selling weekend this weekend and booths, People don’t realize that they can’t take orders door to door any more, see you at the booth!!!
Lisa King says
I have been selling girlscout cookies for over 20 years! I was never a girlscout as a girl. I got custody of my two granddaughter and that started my girlscout adventures! Now their children my great-granddaughters are in scouts!! Our biggest hit on selling cookies is Drive-thru booths! We survived Covid-19’s season selling cookies and our troop is on top! I love cookie season.