Monday, January 12, 2009

A mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do

I woke up Saturday morning totally feeling blah. I had a sore throat, a queasy stomach—I was just really not feeling well. But, we had a big day ahead of us.

The Girl Scout cookie sale kicks off in March and it’s the biggest fundraiser of the year for the girls. Lissa and I had volunteered to be in charge of our daughters’ Brownie troop cookie sales. The troop was having a pre-sale cookie party and I had volunteered to give the girls a pep talk and tips on how to be good cookie salespeople.


Feeling blah was no excuse! So I popped a few Rolaids, drank a bunch of water and we set off.

This was one of the few presentations that I had to sit down to give, but that worked out fine because I was eye-level with the girls. I let them know that I was not feeling well and could possibly throw up on them. Now that got their attention! They shrieked and scooched back. I continued by saying it didn’t matter because a dedicated salesperson puts a smile on her face and gets the job done. So let’s get going!

I started with this question: What makes a good salesperson? The girls came up with, “Look people in the eye!” “Being friendly!” and “Speaking clearly!” These girls are great budding salespeople! Then I asked: What makes a bad salesperson? One little girl knew right away. She said, “They don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Smart girl! This led me to the next part of my presentation, which was product knowledge. We practiced saying the name of the new cookie, Dulce de Leche (like the Spanish candy). It’s sweet with milk caramel chips in it. This part of the lesson gave the girls an opportunity to sample some cookies and vote on their favorites. Once again, Thin Mints ruled!

We did some role playing. We practiced smiling and being a good representative of the Girl Scouts. I taught them whether anyone buys cookies or not, to say “Thank you” and “Have a nice day.” Then we all did a Girl Scout cheer and it was time for the potluck, which was my moment to exit.

As I was getting ready to leave, a little girl came up to me and said, “You know, you do look kind of tired and sick.” Kids are so honest! Then a mom came up and thanked me for the presentation and said, “You were joking about throwing up on the girls, weren’t you?”

Not really, but with all the thanks and appreciation from the little girls and their moms, I have to say that was the best medicine I could have gotten. Nicki was happy, I did my good mom deed for the day—and we are going to break some cookie records!

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