People who buy Girl Scout cookies know the treats taste good, but may not realize all the skills, from digital marketing to managing money to speaking to adults, they are helping to teach the young cookie salesgirls.
Diana Zuver leads two troops in Glenview. One troop, to which Zuver’s older daughter belongs, is for fifth- and sixth-graders. They are classified as Juniors (grades 4-5) and Cadettes (grades 6-8).
The other troop, to which Zuver’s younger daughter belongs, is for fourth-graders, and are classified as Juniors. Her troops, which are going into their seventh and fifth years, have been selling cookies since they were formed.
The Scout salesgirls learn skills which can benefit them in other aspects of their lives.
“Definitely people skills,” Zuver said. “They get confidence to start a conversation with someone they don’t know. They learn about goal-setting and money management.”
She added that they are developing entrepreneurial skills. “The girls get really excited trying to outdo themselves from the previous year,” Zuver noted.
She laughingly reported that one ambitious scout was always “hitting up the parents” at every social event at her school.
Naturally, some of the girls are shy about asking people to buy cookies. “I encourage girls to buddy up,” Zuver said.
To help all of the girls, whether or not they’re shy, they do practice scenarios, Zuver said. During those scenarios, they are coached in what to say to prospective customers and given important pointers.
Zuver said they are told to smile and be courteous. Girls are also told, “It’s okay if they say no,” she indicated. “You can tell them what your favorites are. Tell them how you’re going to use the money.”
The scout leader added that they are also taught the importance of setting goals. “We’ll meet as a troop and we’ll decide what projects we want to focus on this year and how we’re going to use our proceeds,” Zuver said. “We use that as our starting point for setting goals.”
The scouts sell cookies in a variety of locations, including door-to-door and at tables set out at stores and other locations.
“Selling cookies online is a new and very popular way to sell cookies,” Zuver added. “We started our cookie sales in December. Girls set up their digital cookie sites and they sent email blasts to friends and family. Customers can order directly online, pay online, and they’ll deliver the cookies once they get them.”
Zuver said that the girls love cookie season and “enjoy the fruits of the cookie season because we usually do a camping trip in celebration each year.”
Girls earn rewards for their cookie sales. Prizes vary from a stuffed animal to a craft kit.
“Last year, both of my girls were able to earn the 500-package level prize,” Zuver said. “You had a choice to either earn cookie dough—which you can use for either Girl Scout Camp or other Girl Scout Council items—or you could go on a Cookie Cruise. They were each able to bring a parent, so Zuver and her husband both went on the adventure, sailing on Lake Michigan.
“It was awesome,” she declared. “It had a DJ and food.”
Zuver’s troops typically earn a little over $2,000. Their goal for this year is $1,800.
The latest news from the world of Girl Scout cookies is that there’s a new cookie this year, Exploremores. “It is very chocolate-heavy, inspired by Rocky Road ice cream,” Zuver related.
Karen Kohl has been a troop leader in Northbrook for seven years. The troop consists of sixth-graders through high school sophomores. They are Cadettes (grades 6-8) and Seniors (grades 9-10).
Kohl’s troop has been selling cookies every year since it was formed. She noted that, “At this point they’re veterans. Almost all the girls have sold in the past.”
Preparation for selling includes talking about the ways to sell, setting up their digital sites, and doing email marketing, Kohl said.
In terms of where they sell, “Each girl has a different approach,” Kohl said. “Some of them still do door-to-door to neighbors. A lot of them do sharing on social media and sharing their digital site with friends and family through emails.” They also set up booths at local businesses.
Kohl believes the girls earn valuable skills through selling cookies.
“They learn digital marketing, having a presence, and following up with their customers,” Kohl said. “When we do the booths, they’re learning some people skills. They’re learning how to ask and approach people and have those sales conversations. They learn that not everybody wants cookies.”
When people say no, Kohl tells them to “put a smile on their face and move on.”
Kohl works with girls who are shy, teaching them skills to make them more comfortable. In other cases, a shy girl might be given a different role, such as a money handler or inventory tracker, Kohl reported.
Some girls develop entrepreneurial skills, Kohl noted. “Some of them get into it and think about ways that they can sell,” she said. “The girls that do the booths have ideas about how they present their inventory.”
Kohl said that some of the girls did a lot of booths because they wanted to go on the Cookie Cruise. “They spent six-hour shifts selling cookies.”
She added that 10 of the scouts are going to Switzerland this year with one-third to one-half of the cost for a couple of the girls being covered by their cookie sales proceeds.
Kohl’s scouts sold over $15,000 worth of cookies last year. “A portion goes to the Council, a portion goes to the troop, and a portion the girls get into an account that they can use for their activities,” she said.
Both Zuver and Kohl were girl scouts themselves.
Zuver said, “I made it up to my second year of Cadette, until I got involved in sports and other things.” Her mother was a troop leader.
The big change Zuver has seen since her scouting days is the way cookies are sold. She went door-to-door, rather than today’s methods of social media and digital sites.
Kohl, who was a Girl Scout for a couple of years, doesn’t remember selling cookies. She does appreciate the way the programs are structured now for badges and activities.
“There’s a lot of opportunities and ways to go about achieving the requirements of a badge,” Kohl said.
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.