Everyone in the Minnesota area impatiently waits for this time of year; I don’t mean spring I mean Girl Scout cookie season. As our cookie supply kept fresh in the freezer starts to dwindle or is completely depleted we know we don’t need to go in search for a Girl Scout, we know they will come to us. This expert sales team entices us with eleven scrumptious flavors and their expected sales are estimated to be up 17.5% according to Chief Operating Officer Tisha Bolger. Even with the so called “rough economy” the Girl Scouts dominate in sales. Now why is that?
A Girl Scouts success isn’t due to the inability for consumers to say “no”, to a sweet innocent girl, their success is due to their persistence. Over the past four weeks I had 3 different Girl Scouts knock on my door and who knows how many times they tried while I was away.
Now let’s compare the Girl Scouts to the great frozen food company Schwan’s. I have been living in my home for over 5 years and noticed a Schwan’s truck stopping by my neighboring houses. Only after my brother became a Schwan’s employee did I received the honor of a Schwan’s sales person at my doorstep. After a year my brother left the company on good terms to another company, we haven’t seen the Schwan’s man since. The odd part is the Schwan’s truck still pulls up to my neighboring homes and parks at the local Holiday station for hours but doesn’t take the initiative to knock on a door. Now I wasn’t a “big account” but a small frequent purchaser from my brother.
Assuming that a few of my neighbors in my community have similar feelings, the Schwan's company could increase their revenue if they would follow the example of the Girl Scouts. They would have a noticeable increase in servicing accounts and sales. With the persistence of a Girl Scout, the Schwan’s company along with many other businesses could become more prosperous. That’s why Schwan’s President Greg Flack should start recruiting his sales force from the Girl Scouts. What do you think Mr. Flack?