2015 PACK 60 POPCORN KICKOFF!September 8th, 2015

Note: I will post this out on the Pack 60 web site for future reference

Let’s Start With a Joke!

What did the corn say when he received a compliment?

“Awww, shucks!”

Why Do We Sell Popcorn?• The popcorn sale is a fundraiser for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts

that helps fund both pack and local level events.

• 73% of sales will go towards scouting in our area, both to our pack and our local council (NEIC), helping to pay for lot’s of great events, along with the upkeep of various camps and scouting facilities.

• So, while we are selling popcorn, what we’re really selling is scouting.

• As you sell popcorn, remember to sell scouting more than the popcorn. For instance, a good way to ask somebody if they’d like to purchase some popcorn is to say something like, “Would you like to support local scouting by purchasing some popcorn?”

Let’s Look at the Products

New this year, but an old

favorite that sells well

Some Fun Facts About Popcorn• People have been eating popcorn for about 7000 years. The

oldest known popcorn was found, still fluffy white in a bag attached to the belt of a mummy in Chile. Yum!

• Popcorn is made up of starch, fiber, vitamins and water. The white fluffy stuff is the starch that’s been cooked by the heat.

• The water inside the corn kernel can reach over 400 degrees F before the kernel pops. At that temperature the water becomes steam, which takes up more room than water so it makes the kernel explode as it escapes.

• When the kernel explodes, it can expand up to 30 or 40 times its original size.

Important Dates• September 10th and 11th – Distribution: The pack will receive it’s

stock of popcorn on Thursday afternoon and begin to distribute a starting alottment to each scout, via the pack and den kernels

• September 12th – Sale Begins: You can begin selling popcorn!

• October 1st – Popcorn Rally: Any scout who has sold at least 1 item can attend a fun event at Libertyville Sports Complex

• October 27th – Final Popcorn – Sale Ends: Scouts bring in their final sales and any unsold popcorn to the October Pack meeting

Prizes, Prizes, Prizes!• There are 12 levels this year – see insert within order form

• Everyone who sells at least 1 item will receive a patch and will be eligible to go to the Sales Rally on October 1st

• At the end of the sale, you will get the opportunity to choose a prize from the level that you achieved or a combination of prizes from lower levels

• Scouts! Talk with your parents and set a goal!

Special Note: you can only select a knife if you have your parents’ permission and have earned your Whittling Chip

Another Joke!

What do you call a good student at Corn school?

An “A” corn!

Aptakistic Sales Rally• October 1st from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Libertyville

Sports Complex

• Ice cream and entertainment

• Every scout who sells at least 1 item by the date of the sales rally is eligible to participate

• Special prize drawings for Scouts that have sold $700 or more

Aptakistic Sales Rally

Ways to Sell• Take Order - This method relies on order forms that the

Scouts circulate among friends, family, neighbors, and so forth. Your final popcorn order fills the Take Order phase of the sale along with your leftovers from your initial product delivery.

• Show-N-Deliver – Most successful Units encourage individual Scouts to go door-to-door with products for sale. Typically the Scout loads his “consignment” of popcorn into a wagon or a parent’s car. The Scout goes door-to-door under adult supervision using the “Take Order” form to show the products to each customer. After making the sale, the Scout then offers to “deliver” the popcorn right on the spot.

A Couple Of Key Points to Remember!

• Collect money up front for orders, even if you don’t have the product available to fulfill the order on the spot

• Cash or check is acceptable• Checks should be made payable to “Cub Scout Pack 60”• Be careful with the money that you collect – Keep it in a

safe place before you turn it in• Do your best to fulfill orders as quickly as you can – work

with your kernels• There are receipts available for donations to the military –

talk to your kernel if you need one

The Order Form• Be sure to accurately capture

all orders, even those that you are able to fulfill immediately

• Include the following• Name of customer• Address• Amount of each product

ordered• Amount due• Whether it was delivered• Whether the person paid

Some Keys to Being Successful• Sell customers on Scouting, not just the popcorn• Know what products you are selling and how much they

are• Plan on what you are going to say and practice it

beforehand• Dress in your scout uniform and look neat and tidy• Be respectful – look people in the eye• Always thank people, even if they don’t buy anything (you

can at least thank them for their time)• Set a sales goal and work to achieve it

Other Ways to Sell• Corporate Sale – Scouts can approach companies and offer these

products as gifts to valued employees and customers. This is a way corporations can purchase gifts for their clients and support the Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts. Last year, several individual orders valuing thousands of dollars were filled. Any individual, high volume order can be handled through special arrangements with the Council office. Please work with our Kernels.

• Online Sales – Scouts simply Create an Account at sell.Trails-end.com and Spread the Word via email to their targeted group. Their customers will then be able to place orders online. Scouts can check back to see what kind of activity they are experiencing at the Trail's End website. Each Scout must individually signup on the on-line system at www.Trails-end.com. When the customer buys popcorn on-line, the individual Scout is credited for the sale in the on-line system, and the popcorn order is shipped to the customer.

Other Items• Sales Calendar – you can keep track of your progress

towards your sales goal

• Door hangers – we have door hangers available which promote scouting. If you know of some boys in your neighborhood who are not in Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts but might be interested, take a few hangers and put them on their door knobs as you work through your neighborhood

No Site Sales This Year

Site sales take a lot of time and effort for both the organizers and the scouts selling the popcorn, and there is very little payoff

Historically, the amount Pack 60 has sold during site sales is much lower than – about 1/3 – the amount we would have sold if those same scouts spent that same amount of time going door to door in their neighborhoods

A Tragic Story of Two Corn CobsOne day two corn cobs, who were best friends, were walking together down the street. They stepped off the curb and a speeding car came around the corner and ran one of them over.

The uninjured corn cob called 911 and helped his injured friend as best as he could. The injured corn cob was taken to the emergency room at the hospital and rushed into surgery.

After several hours had passed, the doctor finally came out to talk with the uninjured corn cob about his friend:

"I have good news, and I have bad news,” he said. “The good news is that your friend is going to pull through."

"The bad news is that he's going to be a vegetable for the rest of his life".

How to Store Your Product• Be sure to keep it stored in a cool, dry place

• The back of your car or the garage is often not an ideal spot, especially if we get any more warm September days

• Keep it in a safe place where it won’t get lost or stolen

Popcorn Kernels

Pack – Monica Frels

Web II – John Conlon

Web I – Pat Emmons

Bears – Sarah Thellefson

Wolves – Monica Frels

Tigers – To be determined

Another Joke!

Did you hear about the popcorn that joined the army?

They made him kernel!

Reaching Out to the Kernels

Reach out to one of our kernels for any of the following:

• If you need more product or need a specific item to fulfill an order

• If you have an issue with any of the products (e.g., damaged bag)

• If you have any questions

Questions

One Last Joke!

What do you call all of my popcorn jokes tonight?

Corny!