Why Sell Popcorn?

The annual Popcorn and Candy Sale is a great way for your Scout to:

Learn new skills

Learn to set goals

Practice communication, speech, and listening skills

Gain of feeling of achievement and success

The Best Ways to Sell

The Matinecock District, BSA and Trail’s End want to ensure that you sell safely and learn important life skills like goal-setting, public speaking, teamwork and much more. The five best ways to sell, safety tips, selling script below will give you everything you need to sell like a pro.

Five Best Ways to Sell

1. Take Order

This is the most traditional way to sell; going door-to-door with the take order form, which you receive from your leader or council. Your customer chooses the product(s) he or she wishes to buy and writes the order on your form. You will collect the money when you deliver the product to your customers a few weeks later.

Advantages: Provides a personal connection with your customers. Higher dollars per customer than storefront sales.

2. Show and Deliver

This method is similar to Take Order, except you carry products with you to show to your customers as you visit them. The customer is able to select the products he or she wishes to buy from your product selection. You then hand over the product and collect the money right then and there.

Advantage: No return trip required for product delivery and money collection.

3. Selling Online

This is the best way to sell to your friends and family who live out of town. You can send emails to your customers asking them to purchase Trail’s End products online. Your customers click on the link in your email and can begin shopping right away. They order products online and pay with a credit card, and Trail’s End ships the products directly to your customers.

Advantages: No product delivery or money collection. Ability to sell popcorn year-round and reach your friends and family who live far away.

4. Selling at Work

Your mom and/or dad take an order form to their work place. Their co-workers write their order on the order form. Your mom and/or dad deliver product and collect the money a few weeks later.

Advantages: Expands your customer base, and offices often need snacks and gifts.

5. Show and Sell

Your den, pack, or troop gets permission to sell in front of a retail store or in the local mall. You set up a display with products for people to purchase as they walk by. Have plenty of products on display for people to buy.

Advantages: Gives you access to a large number of potential customers and promotes the Boy Scouts of America in the community.

Selling Tips

• • ALWAYS wear your uniform

  • ALWAYS smile and introduce yourself

  • ALWAYS tell your customers why you are selling popcorn

  • KNOW the different kinds of popcorn you are selling

  • ALWAYS say “Thank You”

  • ALWAYS make a copy of your order form

  • ALWAYS have a clean order form with a pen

  • BE SURE to get customer email addresses to send them a “Thank You” email after the sale, reminding them they can re-order online.

Safety Tips

• • NEVER enter anyone’s home

  • NEVER sell after dark unless you are with an adult

  • DON’T carry large amounts of cash with you

  • ALWAYS walk on the sidewalk and driveway

  • ALWAYS sell with another scout or with an adult