Top New Jersey cookie seller shares sales secret
Girl Scout Cadette Heather W. from Manalapan, New Jersey wanted to sell 2,021 boxes of Girl Scouts Cookies in 2021 for one simple reason: marketing.
She thought the number would grab the attention of her cookie customers and help her earn funds for her troop to travel the world. “I made signs for standing outside and videos for social media,” she said.
And it worked: “My signs attracted a lot of people. People wanted to take pictures of my sign so, of course, they had to buy cookies too.”
It worked so well that Heather blew past her goal of selling 2,021 boxes and more than doubled it, selling 5,000 boxes.
And as a result, Heather will soon enjoy what is her favorite part of being a Girl Scout these days: travel. She and her troop, 61010, regularly save the funds they earn in the Cookie Program for future trips. In the past, it was regular trips up to New York City to attend Broadway shows.
This year, she’s expanding her travel horizons. Heather has two trips with her council, Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, on the calendar. They’ll be traveling to Niagara Falls and Europe. “I want to travel the world to experience different cultures and meet new people and this is giving me a great start,” she said.
Participating in the Cookie Program has helped her develop excellent money management skills, which helps when she’s planning travel budgets with her troop mates. Heather says she’s also learned valuable lessons about marketing and dealing with rejection. “I encourage girls to be loud but respectful. Always ask if someone wants to buy. The worst is they could say no. Always say, ‘Thank you’, even if someone doesn't buy cookies.”
She won’t need quite as many cookie customers to say yes this year: her sales goal is set at 3,000 boxes for a very good reason. “My sister is also selling this year, and I want to help her reach her goal too.”
