My name is Ashleigh. I am a Girl Scout Cadette in seventh grade and I AM the #1 cookie seller for the Girl Scout Council of the Colonial Coast in 2010.

Over the past few years, I have been very successful with the Girl Scout Cookie Program. My success began when I was a first year Brownie and I sold 710 boxes. Every year since I first started selling cookies, I have sold more cookies than the year before. Last year, I sold 2,516 boxes and earned the title of Top Cookie Seller for the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast.

I use several business techniques to reach my goals. I have kept my records from all my cookie sales. Every year I call the customers from the year before. I introduce myself, tell them what they bought from me last year and ask them a very important question. “Would you like to repeat or ADD to your order?”

Girls unloading Ashleigh's cookies. (Not really.)

It’s very important to stress the ADD and say it last. You need to give your customer 2 choices and the one you want them to pick, say it last. I have found that most of the time the customer will take the 2^nd option.

Remember to always speak clearly. I also email customers I have email addresses for.

I always thank the customer, even if they do not buy. Last year I asked people that told me no if I could call them in 2011 and most of them said yes. I plan on calling them to see what cookies they would like to order this year. Of course if they have a Girl Scout in their family now, I do not ask out of respect of my fellow Girl Scout, even though I do not know her.

In order to plan how I’m going to sell all of these cookies, I start before the sales start with seeing how many days we have to sell cookies, normally 60+ days total. I set my goal–this year 3,000 boxes–and divide that by the number of days we have to sell cookies.  Let’s say its 60 days and 3,000 boxes. Then I need to sell 50 boxes a day. However, if one day I sell 150 boxes that will give me 2 days that I don’t have to sell cookies.

On the first day of cookie selling I have my list printed out from the year before. It’s in an Excel program and I start making my calls at 9 am. Once I have called everyone on the list, and it takes many hours, my mom and I hit the road. We try to visit at least one new street in our neighborhood that we haven’t visited before. There are three other Girl Scouts in my neighborhood that I know of, three of which are in my troop, so we all hit different areas so no one is stepping on anyone’s toes. For example, if you know that one of the girls knows the person next door to you, you leave that house to them out of respect.

The Girl Scouts have already infiltrated AltDaily.

Girl Scout booth sales start everywhere on February 18. At booth sales, it’s very important to be able to do quick math. I have learned to quickly tell people how much multiple boxes of cookies cost. If a customer is going to buy one box of cookies with a $10 bill you can say “for another 50 cents you can get 3 boxes of cookies.” Or if you see a $20 bill say “for another $1 you can get 6 boxes of cookies.” Knowing how to quickly add up the cost of the cookies can be very helpful.

Due to my past cookie success, Delegate Robin Abbott of Newport News wanted to meet and talk to me about my success. She also wanted to introduce me to her fellow delegates of the General Assembly. Delegate Abbott contacted my mother and asked if I could come to the General Assembly and personally deliver her cookies to her in Richmond, VA. My mother said yes and took me out of school that day. Of course we took extra cookies with us and people where stopping in the middle of the road asking where I was selling the cookies. I said “right here.” We exchanged cookies and money right there on the side of the road.

Delegate Abbott introduced me at the General Assembly meeting and told everyone there how our troop is saving our money to go to Savannah, GA to visit the birthplace of Juliette Low, the founder of Girl Scouts. She also told them that our troop sends cookies to military men and women in Iraq and surrounding areas. I believe we sold over 100 boxes while we were in Richmond.

The most important thing I can tell you is that I am not different from any other girl. Even if she only wants to sell 600 boxes of cookies, she can still be successful. You do not have to be the #1 seller to be successful. Everyone has different levels of success and it doesn’t make any of us any better than the next.

This make you hungry for some cookies? Check out the Samoa Soiree tonight. Gourmet creations made by top area chefs using Girl Scout Cookies as key ingredients, music, a silent auction, celebrity judges and more.

To find a Girl Scout Cookie booth near you, use the Cookie Locator, or use the iPhone or Android Girl Scout Cookie app. You can also call the cookie hotline at (757) 340-YUMM.  Proceeds from the Girl Scout Cookie Program stay local and help girls in your community do great things.