There were about 5 girl scouts in the student union of Grove City College yesterday, which got me thinking about the sales approach that has resulting from this multi-million dollar industry As I approached their booth, table overflowing with those delicious treats I contemplated taking an alternative route to avoid the temptation all together. I know the game they play, I may have never been a girl scout but I was a little girl once, so I am very aware of the power of a little smile from an 8 year old. An instant seller you might say. I decided to stay on track, determined that my will was stronger than their game. As I passed the table, sure enough, 5 little girls swarmed me yelling “girl scout cookies, we have all the kinds!” and there it was, 5 sets of pearly whites staring back at me. After talking to them for a few minutes I continued on my way, chuckling to myself at their ability to sell. Girl scouts are without a doubt some of the most “pushy salespeople” out there…parked outside grocery stores and malls, in your school, in town – yet somehow it works for them. It works for them really well. Revenue from Girl Scout cookies has been around $700 million since 1999, based on sales of 200 million boxes at $3.50 per box. Furthermore, a girl scout from New Jersey took the spot for the all-time best seller. She has sold 23,535 boxes and still counting. Just remember, once you get past about 15, a cute smile and a uniform wont work quite as well 🙂
By carteram1
BoweryJE22 4 thoughts on “The Cuteness Factor”
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Appealing to potential customers’ emotions seems to be an effective sales method in any industry. Whether in adorable little kids selling cookies, or the use of models in selling cars and car shows. Whether it is ethical or not is another question.
As Zeke commented, the emotional side of sales is at play here. People love any salesperson that can make them feel something. As for the Girl Scout Cookies company, their method of sales is extremely intelligent – utilizing the right channel to create a very powerful sales aspect relatively easy.
As for it being ethical? As long as the selling party does not feel it is unethical, then it is perfectly fine in my opinion! This is a way for young girls to get a lot of early real world experience in one of the most important skills there is! Selling!
I love how you pointed out that girl scouts sell! It’s amazing to see how much selling affects what happens all around us! It’s cool that these girls are learning to sell so young, too!
The cuteness is definitely a big help but I thought they were just good salesppl because the cookies are so good. who wouldn’t want to buy them?