Tags
competitor, cookie booth, cookie selling, fundraising, Girl Scout, Girl Scout Cookies, Led Zeppelin, marketing, selling, teenage boy
competitor, cookie booth, cookie selling, fundraising, Girl Scout, Girl Scout Cookies, Led Zeppelin, marketing, selling, teenage boy
I’m a salesman at heart.
It’s in my blood.
From an early age, I watched my uncle help customers in his men’s store and I longed to do the same. I cherished every school fundraiser and sold my way through wrapping paper, jewelry, spaghetti supper tickets and candy bars with gusto. The prizes were great but the act of selling better.
I’ve been marketing myself since I was a young child. Whatever they wanted, I could be. Smart, funny, devious, able to talk to adults like an adult although I tended to fail at talking to children like a child. I figured out early how the world worked and was always formulating ideas to best capitalize on opportunities.
It’s no wonder that I have a super Girl-Scout-cookie-selling daughter and that my reward for years of my own selling excellence, is six weeks of standing outside your neighborhood Wal-Mart or Walgreen’s in all kinds of weather. E loves cookies so much, there is no telling what he’ll be wanting to hock when his time comes.
My favorite sales story from high school was when my chief competitor decided he didn’t care that it was a terrible thunderstorm outside and that he would just keep going up the street. That didn’t sit well with me so, from the safety of my bedroom, I began to call the houses in front of him. Was he ever mad when they all started telling him I’d beaten him there by phone. I even caught him at the door of one place and they bought one ticket from me and one from him. This event still gets mentioned occasionally and I’m really glad we don’t have Girl Scouts in competition!
I still love the thrill of the chase, although my wares are more subtle than they used to be. Gone are the days of chocolate bars and spaghetti supper tickets. Now I spend a lot of time in front of the computer and very little face to face. That always feels strange and far removed which could be why I support my crazy cookie seller one hundred percent, and really enjoy being at booths with her. Teaching her new sales techniques, like looking the teenage boy in the eye and smiling. Worked like a charm. But I couldn’t get her to tell the older man wearing the Led Zeppelin shirt to “Ramble On,” last night.
Ah well, you win some, you lose some. It’s all part of the game.
And what a fun game it is.
Do you enjoy selling? What was the best deal you ever made? Tell me about it in the comments section.
It’s in my blood.
From an early age, I watched my uncle help customers in his men’s store and I longed to do the same. I cherished every school fundraiser and sold my way through wrapping paper, jewelry, spaghetti supper tickets and candy bars with gusto. The prizes were great but the act of selling better.
It’s no wonder that I have a super Girl-Scout-cookie-selling daughter and that my reward for years of my own selling excellence, is six weeks of standing outside your neighborhood Wal-Mart or Walgreen’s in all kinds of weather. E loves cookies so much, there is no telling what he’ll be wanting to hock when his time comes.
I still love the thrill of the chase, although my wares are more subtle than they used to be. Gone are the days of chocolate bars and spaghetti supper tickets. Now I spend a lot of time in front of the computer and very little face to face. That always feels strange and far removed which could be why I support my crazy cookie seller one hundred percent, and really enjoy being at booths with her. Teaching her new sales techniques, like looking the teenage boy in the eye and smiling. Worked like a charm. But I couldn’t get her to tell the older man wearing the Led Zeppelin shirt to “Ramble On,” last night.
Ah well, you win some, you lose some. It’s all part of the game.
And what a fun game it is.
Do you enjoy selling? What was the best deal you ever made? Tell me about it in the comments section.
