Meeting your sales goals utilizing time-proven techniques

Molly waits for me by the mailbox, sitting atop her purple bicycle. She lives two houses down from me, knows my home-from-work routine, knows where to position herself.

Hey Molly, what 'cha doing?

Hi Alison. I'm selling Girl Scout cookies. Would you like to buy some?

Molly is ten years old, has dark brown hair, and rigid bangs her mother insists on and she can't stand. She likes horses and kittens and her bike. And she likes the Girl Scouts, tells me it's fun.

I remember selling candy bars to raise money for the band in sixth grade, and several times selling raffle tickets to raise money for one cause or another, and of course, selling Girl Scout cookies. My father would pounce on each opportunity to make me the world's greatest sales kid.

You have to introduce yourself and shake their hand. Look into their eyes and smile. You need to say what you are selling and tell them why you are trying to raise money. Is the money for new uniforms? Tell them that. What do they win if they win the raffle? Let them know. Be enthusiastic. And remember to thank them. That's important.

I'd wrap his advice around me and set out down my street with pretty good results. Home, I'd be content. He, on the other hand, would not.

Did you go to the next street?

No sir.

Have you called your Aunts and Uncles?

No Sir.

What about your Grandmothers?

No Sir.

How are you going to sell the most [insert item of the year] if you don't contact everyone you know?

The most?

Well, what is your sales goal? This is about setting and meeting your goals. You must have goals.

We'd come up with a goal and I'd return to the streets, or move to the kitchen phone. There were a couple times that I did sell the most raffle tickets. I felt good about that, proud of myself. That's what he was after, of course. The rewarding feeling from setting your goals and accomplishing them through hard work.

Earlier this week I looked at a recently posted memo tacked to the bulletin board in the kitchen at my office. It was from a colleague, explaining that his daughter was selling coffee by the pound to raise funds for the local YMCA. Stapled to the memo was an order sheet and an envelope in which to put your check. A worthy cause, but who is actually doing the selling? Where's the eye contact and the handshake? The kid is missing out on the opportunity to build and gain confidence in her skills. There are so many of these at work in any given week - chocolate, popcorn, wrapping paper, you name it - but I think the parents have completely missed the point.

I look at Molly and remember what it's like to be a young saleswoman out on the streets, remember what it's like to have parents who make you do your own fundraising for your own cause. Her order slip is filled with buyers with neighborhood addresses.

I'm happy to buy some cookies from you, Molly. Tell me, what kind you are selling?

She goes through a more extensive list than I recall from my day, inserting an enthusiastic, those are my favorite, when she gets to the Tagalongs.

What's your goal, Molly?

She widens her eyes a bit exasperated with herself, says, Five hundred boxes.

She's not too far away from that. I put my order in, getting her a bit closer.

Thank you very much, Alison, I'll have your cookies for you in March.

Good move, Molly. I remember that too, tell them what to expect and when to expect it. Watching her ride down the sidewalk in pursuit of the neighbor pulling into his driveway, I can't help but think that my father would have liked Molly. He'd no doubt want to talk about her at dinner, tell a story about her. So, imagine we're at dinner, and I'm telling you about Molly. But don't worry, I won't try to sell cookies on her behalf. She's taking care of that on her own, and doing a fine job.