Saleswoman IP

File:Saleswomanippgscwma.jpg
The Saleswoman IP is an interest project from the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts Council.

This interest project was designed around the Fall Product Sale and the Cookie Sale but can be adapted to the sale of other products.

# Skill Builders

1. 1. 1. With your troop set the troop goal, program plans and budget. Have individual members set their goals. Will this sale provide enough income to cover your program plans? What adjustments will you have to make if you don’t meet your goal?

2. Using the Troop Manager’s Manual figure out how to maximize the troop income. This activity works best with the income structure for the Cookie Sale.
3. Write a phone script that captures the listener’s interest immediately, establishes a friendly feeling and creates a desire to buy the product. Call friends and ask for orders using the script. Improve the script as you get new ideas from talking with customers. Tell your customers how your troop plans to use the proceeds from the sale.
4. Take complete charge of a cookie shop (booth sale). Choose the location, plan the advertising, decorate the area, order cookies and provide girl and adult coverage.
5. Create a new dessert using Girl Scout cookies, nuts or chocolates as the main ingredient. Serve it at a party.
6. Design a brochure or poster to promote Girl Scout cookies or fall products and distribute to potential customers.
7. Learn about the many types of advertising. For a week watch TV advertisements. What attracts you first? Are products represented accurately? What types of advertising do you like the best? Design a product advertisement for the Cookie Sale or Fall Product Sale. Present it to your troop.
# Technology

1. 1. 1. Using a video camera, create a marketing message to air on your local cable station. Make sure to market the product and inform the public of all the things your troop is able to do because of the sale.

2. On your computer, or by hand, prepare a spreadsheet to keep track of the troop goal. Also prepare a spreadsheet to track the individual goal of each girl selling. Convert your results to a graph.
3. Prepare a spreadsheet for each cookie shop to keep track of the number of cookies and varieties sold. Keep this information to use when planning next year’s sale.
4. Create an email sales message to send to family and friends. Use graphics to make the message attractive. Remember that you will be responsible to deliver the cookies and collect the money. Note: Products may not be sold on the Internet!
# Service Projects

1. 1. 1. Assist a Brownie or Junior troop in presenting a sales training to the parents and girls. Be sure to cover product, selling techniques, safety, record keeping, money handling, good manners and goal setting. Role-playing with the parents as customers can be fun.

2. Purchase or use left over cookies to take to a nursing home or residential facility. Plan entertainment or games to share with the residents.
3. Assist with managing the sale for the troop. Read the materials pertaining to the sale. Help with training, distribution of sales materials, compiling orders and product distribution.
4. Assist with managing the sale for your service unit. Read the service unit materials. Help with distributing materials, compiling orders and/or distributing products.
# Career Exploration

1. 1. 1. Spend two to three hours on the job with a salesperson. Did the person sell a service or a product? What skills are required in this type of sales? What did you like and dislike about this career.

2. Interview at least three people who have different types of sales careers. Learn about their education, training, hours, responsibilities and job benefits.
3. Visit a food manufacturing facility. Learn about their procedures, purchasing of ingredients, packaging and distribution. Ask about the different types of careers at the facility.
4. Learn about the planning and management of the Cookie Sale or the Fall Product Sale at the council level. What goes into the planning of the sale? Why do we have the sale? Who benefits from the sale? How is the sale managed?
5. Track a product you will sell from conceiving the idea to putting the product into the hands of the consumer. List at least 8 jobs that are involved in the process and write a brief description about each of them.

# External Links

Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts Council Own Awards
Saleswoman IP