It’s Girl Scout cookie time! Have you bought or received your cookies?

2017 represents the 100th year of the tradition as the first Girl Scout cookie sale was held in Oklahoma in 1917. Today over one million Girl Scouts sell cookies, and there are approximately two million real estate agents, of which 62% are women.

All I ever needed to know about selling homes, I and many others learned from selling Girl Scout cookies.

First, the Girl Scout and the agent pledge to get customers. One’s sphere of influence is often the best source of clientele. The scout and the agent alike drum up business from friends and family, their neighborhood, school and community organizations such as the Rotary, place of worship and local businesses and Chambers. Repeat customers and referrals are a secret of success in all sales endeavors. Go to where the customers are applies equally well to cookie and home sales. Many scout troops set up tables to sell at high traffic locations such as outside grocery stores and at community events. The idea is to attract buyers at logical points of purchase. The agent meets potential buyers of real estate at open houses and by door knocking in neighborhoods she wants to sell in. The point in selling is to make and keep connections.

Second, be prepared. Many think the motto is exclusive to the Boy Scouts. And yet, it is universally applicable. Confidence is gained with preparation. Take the steps necessary to Increase one’s knowledge, skills and abilities about the market and industry best practices. The scout and the professional agent know their product, be it cookies or homes. Consider the customer and do what it takes to win the order and sale by doing the work.

Finally, the scout and the agent must be persistent. Sylvia Acevedo, the interim CEO of the Girl Scouts, recalls her first year selling cookies. The advice from her troop leader sounds just like something a broker or seasoned agent would share with someone new to the business: “Never walk away from a sale until you’ve been told no three times.” Successful real estate agents exhibit persistence and resilience in the face of rejection. Top Girl Scout cookie super-salesperson Markita Andrews proclaims in her book How to Sell More: “It's up to you whether you'll concentrate on the things that have gone right or the things that have gone wrong. One blessing is you can control the conversation you have with yourself.”

Achieve the sweet spot of success in cookie and home sales by pledging to get customers, be prepared and remain persistent through rejection and challenging markets and situations.

Karen Briscoe and Lizzy Conroy and their team of agents at HBC Group at Keller Williams would be delighted to help you navigate the process, whether selling or buying a home. Our group of active and experienced Realtors® in the Northern Virginia, suburban Maryland and Washington, DC market place consider it an honor to improve and impact lives. Please contact via the means most convenient for you: www.HBCGroupKW.com, 703-734-0192, Homes@HBCGroupKW.com.