Out of the box

Maddie Bricker learned an important sales lesson recently: Nothing beats the cuteness of a 5-year-old girl when the item for sale is a Girl Scout cookie.

“It's definitely more challenging to sell cookies when you get older,” says Bricker, a 16-year-old Sarasota Military Academy junior. “A cute little girl is like a little kitten or a puppy.”

Bricker has sold Girl Scout cookies for a decade. She long ago graduated from her cute little girl days, but she's had her share of success: A member of Troop 3 and Troop 254, Bricker has sold more than 1,000 boxes of cookies a year three times, including this past year, when she sold 1,111. Surpassing 1,000 boxes in a year is a milestone that lands a scout on the Extreme Team.

Bricker is also an example of the extreme shift in Girl Scout cookies from an endearing pastime to a big business. Troop 254, for instance, is part of the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, which covers 10 counties, from Manatee to Collier and east to Glades and Hendry. The Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, in total, sold more than $3.1 million worth of cookies in 2013.

Troop 254 scouts have sold cookies through three generations. The history dates back to Barbara Ford-Coates, who has held the elected position of Sarasota County Tax Collector since 1984. Ford-Coates sold cookies when she was a young girl in a small town in Virginia in the 1960s. Back then, the only cookies available were Thin Mints and Tagalongs, the peanut butter patties. The price: 50 cents a box.

The scouts of Troop 254 have learned multiple business lessons over the years, from setting achievable, but high-reaching goals, to dealing with rejection. Other lessons include collaboration, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics. “As this has progressed, it has become like owning your own business,” says co-troop leader Laura Ford-Coates Bricker, who is Barbara Ford-Coates' daughter and Maddie Bricker's mom. “It takes a lot of planning and commitment to sell cookies and not be left with inventory.”

There are 43 girls on the Troop 254 roster for the 2014-2015 year, up from five when it was founded in 2008. The Troop is composed of Girl Scouts at the Daisy, Brownie, Junior and Cadette level, defined by school grade.

The older girls in the group, says co-troop leader Sheri Potter, have written a business plan that's assessed and adjusted every year. The plan includes choosing the places to sell cookies from an approved list; setting sales goals based on inventory projections; and assigning roles to scouts, from Publix stations to door-to-door sales.

Troop 254 has sold at least 20,000 boxes in the last four years, including a high of 6,283 in 2012. Parents in the group say the entire process, from the business plan to the actual selling, has been a rewarding experience for their daughters. “They definitely gain confidence and their personalities start to shine,” says co-troop leader Christina Valenza, whose daughter, Mackenzie, is in Troop 254.

Finally, there's a key part of any sales process: the rewards. In the past few years Troop 254 has used proceeds to pay for a group trip to NASA in Cape Canaveral and to buy troop camping equipment. The troop has also used the funds to promote awareness of their community service project, retiring American flags.

Another reward is mere completion. “It makes me feel good,” says Izabela Burns, 12. “It gives me a sense of achievement and accomplishment.”

Sales Tips
Rebound from rejection. Carmen Lesser, a seventh-grader in Troop 254 of the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, is bummed out when she hears a “no” on a door-to-door sale. But Lesser overcomes it quickly. “When I leave a house after a rejection I do a silly face to cheer myself up,” Lesser says. “Then I'll get serious and get myself ready for the next door.”

Make A Good impression. Izabela Burns, 12, says the first few seconds of any door-to-door sales effort is key. “You have to know how to greet people and you have to look them in the eye,” the sixth-grader says. “That shows respect.”

Commit to success. Lesser says going door-to-door requires dedication and a never-say-quit attitude. And no matter what, smile when the door opens. “You have to plan ahead a lot and have a lot of energy,” says Lesser, “so when you go door-to-door you are happy.”

By the numbers: Cookie sales, Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, 2013
505 - Troops that sold cookies

5,048 - Girl scouts who sold cookies

91,188 - Total cases sold

1,094,255 - Total boxes sold

$3,173,482 - Gross receipts

34,278 - Boxes donated to the military

Troops are in 10 counties: Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry and Highlands.

Source: Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida 2013 Annual Report