European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 9, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thin mint marketing by Maria l. Laganga los Angeles times sorry girls but in today s world you be got to have More than just a melting smile and a winsome Ponytail to sell thin mints Taga Longs and Trefoil Shortbread. It takes perseverance salesmanship accounting a and a Telephone f or Selling is serious business and girl scouts of the Usa is bound and determined to turn out accomplished sales representatives. Gul scout councils across the United states Are teaching their oldest Green Clad charges to function As sophisticated telemarketers transforming their Dens into baked goods boiler rooms and themselves into Silken voice Saleswoman. Tips straight from the girl scout manual include Quot save your Telephone sales cards. They will become valuable references for next year and following  and Quot careful selection of words and your tone of voice must generate the image of someone that people  in l of Angeles which has just begun the telemarketing training it s too soon to Tell How Many members of the Angeles girl scout Council will heed trial advice and Start Selling Over the phone lines officials said but the practice could give the girls aged 13 to 18, a new tool to replace the one they invariably lose As they grow older. Quot the older girls have the feeling that people Don t want to buy from them Quot said Billy Vanderpool a Board member and cookie sales Trainer for the Angeles Council. Quot they re not cute Little girls and also its embarrassing to go out in your uniform when you re 16. And this gets the girls More involved in the business aspects so they can apply it to their own career  hawking Samoa and do is Dos still supplies most of the Money that keeps the 78-year-old organization afloat but growing health and safety concerns and changes in the american family have caused the group s 333 regional councils to turn to increasingly sophisticated marketing techniques in addition to the traditional sales methods consider a since the mid-1980s, girl scouts have been specially trained for confrontations with the nutritionally Correct. They Are armed with written pitches provided by the companies licensed to bake for the group and they Are skilled As these manuals say at Quot turning negatives into  the neighbor says cookies Are bad for the health if the scout is on her toes Shell answer Quot our cookies contain no preservatives and no artificial colors and Are made with 100 percent vegetable  and Shell Tell that naysayer that Trefoil Shortbread have girl scout cookies a bit of americana in Europe. Only 30 calories each that the chocolate Chip cookies Are Rich in fiber Low in fat sweetened with real fruit juice and have 25 percent less sodium. A the san Gorgonio girl scout Council instituted an 800 number in 1989, so potential customers could Call and place their orders directly at the group s Headquarters in Colton calif., near san Bernardino older girl scouts packaged the cookies for delivery via United parcel service. The result of this and a few additional modifications a 28 percent surge in orders the biggest percentage increase for any Council in the nation. A the girl scout Council of greater new York has found that it pays to know the Market. As a result the group takes cookie orders in february but does not deliver the wares until late april or Early May. Quot we have to take passover into consideration in the new York Market Quot says spokeswoman Kathy Gallo. Quot no one can have girl scout cookies in the House so we wait until the holidays Over. Our delivery Date is always contingent on when passover  to keep up with rising prices girl scout cookies Are creeping up in Price. While the sweets can be found for As Little As $1.75 in some areas they run for $2.75 per Box in others. Prices Are set by the 333 separate councils to reflect concerns such As delivery costs in different parts of the country. Girl scout councils throughout the country began experimenting with telemarketing three years ago. Quot the technique of just going around and knocking on doors is seen by parents As being potentially dangerous and unproductive Quot said Cece Sander director of product sales for the Orange county girl scout Council. Quot so we do encourage Telephone sales. To friends and neighbors. The More we keep children away from people they done to know the More we like  the Northwest Georgia girl scout Council which serves the Atlanta area had its first Quot cookie seminar Quot in 1987 to introduce a telemarketing program. The strategy was dreamed up by the girl scouts of the Usa and its cookie licensees. Angela Fuller one of the areas top cookie Sellers saw the benefits immediately. When the 15-year-old from Acworth a. Was Quot a Little girl Quot she said she could sell Between 300 and 500 boxes by knocking on doors Manning cookie Booths in her Community and roping in her parents for assistance then she turned 13 and found the Telephone. Like any seasoned telemarketer Angela relies on a Good customer list a the membership directory of the Mars Hill presbyterian Church and her family s address Book at 13, she sold 1,400 boxes. At 14, she sold 1,600 boxes. At 15, she figures Shell Only sell 700 or 800 boxes but not for Lack of trying. There Are More girl scouts in her Church now and the Competition for the Church directory is much stiffer. In Tuskegee ala., girl scout troop 188 went even farther afield literally tearing up the Telephone directory and handing a chunk to each scout. Sales quickly went up said co Leader Carolyn Bland. And it does t Stop with the older girls. While brownies juniors and Cadette Arentt learning to use the Telephone they Are taught sophisticated sales pitches and the Means to deliver them so they can increase their sales at the door or in Booths throughout the Community. In a typical practice session 19 girls from 5 to 12 years old were put through their paces recently in preparation for Booth sales in downtown los Angeles. The girls split into Small groups and pretended to sell to each other. The first skit went something like this Quot we sell  Quot of. How much Are they Quot  Quot i want this one and this one and this  then it was Delmy Hernandez s turn. Quot would you like to buy some girl scout cookies the 11-year-old asked her partner. A they Are tasty and delicious. You will never find them in the store. This is your last . She was ready for the Booth. Selling More cookies has not been the Only plus. Lois Fusco director of Public relations for the girl scouts of southwestern Connecticut said the telemarketing program has helped the girls develop poise. Quot More valuable than the number of boxes they sold was the Confidence they gained in using their Telephone skills Quot Fusco said. Quot we saw the shy est Girs in our troop gain Confidence. That s what the girl scout program is All  a touch of Home by Crystal Laureano staff writer american girl scouts in Europe have a Quot captive audience Quot that makes cookie sales less of a marketing strategy game than it is in the states. Quot it s a touch of Home Quot said Ann Baker of the North Atlantic Council in Mannheim West Germany. A in a Way the cookies sell  the scouts annual Sale of thin mints and other perennial favourites is in full swing in Europe. About 720,000 boxes of cookies Are making their Way along distribution routes from Northern ports to military communities in West Germany the United kingdom the Netherlands Italy Spain Turkey Greece and Belgium. Although there Are advantages to Selling a bit of americana on european soil the cookie Campaign is still bolstered by training that helps the girls develop skills in making decisions setting goals Money management and salesmanship Baker said. The girls begin planning for the cookie Sale More than six months in Advance by deciding How Many cookies to order and How and where to sell them. In part cookies orders Are based on the number of service members in the Community. While Many troops set up sales at High traffic areas such As exchanges malls and commissaries Trade to door to door Selling is still practice. The girls Are taught How to approach the frazzle commissary shopper or the casual bystander. Money handling provides an important lesson for older so a Baker said but even Young brownies can learn by making change for customers. Cookie sales account for a Large part of the troop income that finances camping trips Tours and attendance at International events. National Calen campaigns troop projects and meeting dues also provide income. T0 fifty cents from each $2 Box of cookies sold go the local troop. A yes the annual Sale May be winding Down in a few German military communities but the european Campaign will probably not be completed unti of april Baker said. Page 16 a a a the stars and stripes Friday March 9, 1990