Written By: Anya Saxena
Popcorn Selling has been one of the many experiences that people associate scouting with, and always been a prominent trait. It teaches many vital lessons of…
Goal Setting Skills: You might not meet the goal, but I'll bet you will work hard at trying to! Persuasion Skills – Because popcorn items are a bit on the expensive side, a Scout has to be persuasive in selling. You're selling the “support of a great organization”: not just some popcorn. Part of being persuasive is overcoming objections. When someone tells you that they don't have any cash, you can tell them that we can take debit or credit cards through the Scout’s square account. If they don't eat popcorn, ask them to make a military donation. When they say it's expensive, tell them that over 70% of the price stays in our area to support local scouting. Even if we don't grow up to be a salesperson, persuasion skills are necessary for almost every job. Perseverance Skills: Selling popcorn is a huge lesson in perseverance. If you don't sell at one house, you just move on to the next house. If that person leaving the store doesn't stop and buy, you just ask the next person. Like this, popcorn selling can teach a lot of values.
Still thinking about why you should sell popcorn? Well, the popcorn sale is the perfect opportunity to teach entrepreneurship skills and fund an exciting year of Scouting. More than 70% of the popcorn sale revenue supports your programs such as NYLT, Exploration Camp, and local Scouting! Scouts earn money which they can then put toward their personal gear or use to pay for camps. Last year, I sold $2,500 worth of popcorn and got almost $900 back! I want to use it to pay for NYLT myself! These basics can be useful to become a successful and independent adult.
Unfortunately, popcorn selling can be challenging during these unprecedented times. Given our dire situation during this pandemic, I believe it is important to be prepared. Unfortunately, during quarantine, the same spirit won’t be portrayed going from door to door or selling in front of a store. Instead, we must adapt as an organization to create safer methods of selling popcorn. Therefore, BSA has formed an online direct selling platform that scouts can use to share on social media and with family or friends. This is the single, safest way for a Scout to sell popcorn in 2020. This method eliminates any face-to-face contact with the general public, as well as the risk of handling products or cash. Some methods of selling may even include contacting previous customers through phone or email, or putting up signs, door hangers, and or business cards in your neighbor's mailboxes. You do you. Be sure to share your innovative ideas with the troop as well because the more scouts sell the better we support our unit. In all, popcorn teaches us many life lessons that we all need sometimes. Together we gain independence and confidence through our sales.
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