2017 Program Great Rivers Council Trail’s End

Trail’s End Partnering with Boy Scouts of America Councils and Units to raise the funds needed to deliver the promise of Scouting for over 36 years. Thank you! Photo Credit: Scouting.org

In this Training, you will learn... Why Popcorn How to prepare Set Goals Based on Your Budget Plan Your Kickoff and Ask Your Scouts What Unit Incentives They Want Communicate and Recruit Some Helpers To Provide a Quality Program and The Experience of a Lifetime. Parents Must Understand What’s In It For Them

In this Training, you will learn... How to train How to sell There Are So Many Ways For Scouts to Reach Their Goals. Start With Family and Friends, Add a Couple of Show-N-Sell Shifts, and Make Sure Each Scout Canvases The Neighborhood. Scouts Must Be Prepared and Know What to Say When Speaking With Customers. Trained Scouts Are More Likely to Hit Their Goals and Get More Yeses.

Why Popcorn

Character Development Program + Popcorn = Character Development Gain Confidence Goal Setting Money Management Life Lessons Public Speaking

Does popcorn drive your program? Or Does your program drive popcorn? The Answers Should Be Yes And Yes

No out-of-pocket-expense to enjoy 12 months of Scouting activities Message to Scout Parents No out-of-pocket-expense to enjoy 12 months of Scouting activities Do one fundraiser a year; more time enjoying Scouting Scouts ... Earn their own way Learn life lessons and responsibility All Scouts will enjoy the Unit’s program Consumers are motivated to purchase based on the cause We should ask our boys and parents to go out and be confident that our communities WANT to support Scouting. They will IF we ask them to.

Consumers are 2x more likely to support a cause to believe in! We are selling adventures! NOT popcorn Consumers are 2x more likely to support a cause to believe in!

How To Prepare

How to have a successful fundraiser Plan your Scouting program at least one year in advance Always get input from Scouts and families Create a budget that captures all costs of the program Determine how much fundraising is required to cover the cost of program Set fundraising goals (per unit, per Scout) Create a fundraising plan Determine key dates, incentives, amount of popcorn to order, show-n-sell locations Recruit a popcorn team to help share the load Plan/host a fun and engaging kickoff party Arrange for popcorn pickup / distribution Host a fun kickoff to communicate your fundraising plan and goals Check-in with Scouts and parents weekly on their fundraising progress Hit your fundraising goals Have a fun and adventurous year in Scouting!

First Time And Experienced Kernels Trail’s End University – Additional Training Courses For Everyone! First Time And Experienced Kernels Training courses linked from the Trail’s End Popcorn System Learn to sell like the top selling units

On My Honor, I Promise To Plug In My JumpDrive Popcorn Sale Kit On My Honor, I Promise To Plug In My JumpDrive 4 Great Videos! Unit Kickoff PowerPoint Presentation Parent Handout (fill-able PDF) Unit Incentive Program Handout Program Planner Spreadsheet Scout Sale Script and Selling Tips Cards Unit Kickoff Checklist Benefits and Features of Selling Online And Much More... Play the “Learn From Luke” Video at your Kickoff

Learn From Luke

Set goals Set goals for your unit and for each Scout. Scouts who set goals sell twice as much as Scouts who do not set a goal… same is true for units. Goals should be based on your budget to fund the Scouting year. If a Scout runs out of product, encourage him to continue to SELL to his goal by taking orders to be filled later!

Unit INCENTIVES Scouting activities that THEY planned Experiences – field trips, weekend getaways, sporting events, etc. “Little Things” for selling $100, $200, $300, etc. Fishing poles and gear Camping equipment Video games / small dollar gift cards Pizza party & Ice Cream socials Pie in the Face Ask your Scouts what they want… you might be surprised!

communicate Recruit a team The Kickoff Party is a great opportunity to present a lot of important information Utilize the communication tools on sell.trails- end.com Send weekly or bi-weekly emails to families with timely information Talk popcorn at all Unit and Den/Patrol meetings throughout the sale Post a sale tracker / thermometer so everyone can see sale goal status Keep momentum going and provide encouragement You can do this on your own, but it’s not a good idea Ask your fellow leaders and parents to help you with… The Kickoff Party – look for someone with enthusiasm Distribution – to pick up and transport the popcorn Communication – to keep everyone informed and motivated Storefront Sales – to book and coordinate storefront shifts for your unit Popcorn Chief (a Scout) – ask your top selling Scout to serve as your Co-Kernel

Helpful Resources Visit sell.trails-end.com after this Kickoff for more good ideas and resources! Download and Customize the following: Program Planning Spreadsheet Scout Incentive Handout Unit Kickoff Presentation Parent Handout Product and Promotional Images Selling Tools – Posters, Scout Sales Script & Safety Tips Cards, etc. Also available… Training Videos Trail’s End Scholarship Information Frequently Asked Questions

How To Train

Unit kickoff party ENTHUSIASM! The single most important thing is… If it’s not you, then find that person! Dress up the room, pop popcorn. Have games for Scouts to play the minute they walk in the door. Role play a “sale” either at a storefront or at the neighbor’s door. Families should walk out excited, informed, and ready to sell.

Host An Awesome Popcorn Kickoff

Practice, practice, practice! Scout sale script Hi, my name is _______________ (say first name only). I’m a Scout with Pack/Troop/Crew _________ here in _________ (city/town). I am raising funds to earn my way to Scout Camp next summer (or other big adventure). (Hand the customer the order form and a pen, and point out your favorite flavor. Consider recommending a $20 or more item.) You’ll support me, won’t you? Practice, practice, practice! The most successful sellers can recite this in their sleep.

Practice sale script Game Line your Scouts in two long lines facing each other and give each pair a ball. The Scouts with the balls will deliver their sales pitches while their partners across listen. When they are done, have them pass the ball to their partner so they can practice. Walk around while this is happening and give constructive criticism and praise. Repeat and have fun!

How To Use Your Tasting Kit Have your Scouts taste a kernel or two of each flavor and if you have enough left over… ask parents and siblings to sample! When everyone is done, say the name of each flavor one-by-one (Who liked the Salted Caramel Corn?) and listen for which flavor is “yelled” the loudest!

Popcorn Tasting Is Important We want our Scouts to enjoy selling popcorn and feel confident when asked questions by consumers. After conducting your popcorn tasting, your Scouts will be ready to recommend their favorite flavor and the unit’s favorite. Don’t forget to talk about upselling... for example, “Cheese is my favorite and for the price of two bags, you can get a third for free with the Cheese Lover’s Collection!”

A scout’s plan to sell $650… Show your families how easy it is to hit their goal. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3! $200 + $250 $650 1. 2. 3. Start with family, friends, Mom and Dad’s co- workers, closest neighbors, etc. Participate in two storefront shifts with an average of $100 sales per shift Canvas your neighborhood by going door-to- door. Don’t forget to… Create an online sales account and send emails to family and friends who live faraway, as a way to help you get to $650 even EASIER!

Make account registration part of your kickoff Online Selling Training Make account registration part of your kickoff Pick a location that has access to Wifi and ask parents to bring a tablet or smartphone (have extra laptops available if possible) Walk parents through the quick steps of registration, and run through the ways to share the personalized fundraising page Host a text messaging blitz campaign Pick one meeting night to hold the blitz Give parents ample notice for the event Send each Scout’s personalized fundraising page to friends and family via text message

Trail’s End National Rewards Online Prize Program Earn Money for College!

Mega-Corn Story: Scouts Earn All Six Patches Trail’s End Piece Patch The evil robot, Mega-Corn the Destroyer has come to planet Earth to eat all of the world’s popcorn, so Earth has called upon The Popcorn Squad, a group of brave and adventurous Scouts with super powers, to stop Mega-Corn before planet Earth is eradicated of all traces of popcorn! Scouts Earn All Six Patches Participation: Sell One Item Online: Make One Online Sale Military: Sell One Military Donation One of Each: Sell One of Each Item Sellers Club: Reach Selling Goal (set by Council) Top Seller: Reach Top Selling Goal (set by Council)

Mega-Corn Video

How To Sell

Show-N-Sell Strategies Secure the right locations Book locations early High volume of traffic Think outside the box – Where do the people gather in your community? Retail stores, school sporting events, auctions, churches, farmers markets, fairs Always get permission Accept credit cards as payment Square, PayPal, Stripe, etc. This will change your sale! You’ll likely sell a lot more to offset cost of transaction fees Tell your Scouts’ stories with pictures Customers want to know what they are supporting Make poster boards for table displays Make photo books for young Scouts

Show-N-Deliver Strategies Popcorn Blitz Day Pick and promote a weekend blitz day at your Popcorn Kickoff Set a unit and per Scout fundraising goal for the day As a group, canvas a large neighborhood in your area Once goals are reached, have an ice cream or hot cocoa party in a nearby park Pre-Made Popcorn Kits Assemble kits of popcorn that equal the retail amount of desired goal Retail dollar amount based on a selling goal ($650 pays for Summer Camp) Give one kit to each Scout family to sell by a given date Advantage: Sell Door-to-Door with product in hand – no return trip needed Little Red Wagon! Don’t get stuck with leftover product at the end If all else fails, load up the products in a little red wagon Walk neighborhoods, local fairs, tailgates, mall parking lots, local businesses

Take Order Strategies Take the order form to work If not allowed to solicit at work, ask if putting a form in break room is acceptable Create a map of your area Print off Google Maps of your area, and give to Scout families Ask Scouts to mark houses that did and did not purchase Use year over year to help save time Encourage Scouts to ask for phone numbers & email addresses Assign Scouts selling territories Sets expectation – takes out the guess work for Scouts and parents Helps prevent duplication of efforts Always save copies of order forms Give your Scouts a copy of their previous year’s order form at the kickoff Always require Scouts to turn in their order form, even if they don’t sell Prevents submission of late orders Mystery Houses Give higher level prizes to three or more random houses in your community The first Scout to knock on the door of each mystery house wins the prize

Selling to Local Businesses Many businesses in your community are willing to support Corporate gifts for clients Holiday gifts for staff Staff purchases Follow these steps: Scouts should lead the sales pitch and dress in Class A uniform After school before 5pm Look for strip malls or office parks with many businesses in close proximity Start at the top! - Always ask for the owner or manager Bring several paper order forms, pens, and a way to accept credit cards Always leave customers with a way they can purchase again Print off homemade business cards with your email address / contact info Include link to your Trail’s End online selling account

Steps to a successful online sale - Scouts Online Selling Steps to a successful online sale - Scouts Register an online selling account at Trails-End.com – 1 min Create a selling profile (write bio, upload pictures & videos) – 5 min Share the personalized fundraising page on social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) – 2 min Send link to fundraising page via email & text message to friends and family – 5 min Remember to send Thank You messages (written or video) to those that support Sell a lot of popcorn in less than 15 minutes! No product delivery – ships directly to customer No money collection Average purchase over $60 in 2016

Product Line TINS

with Almonds, Cashews & Pecans Ready-to-Eat Lineup NEW Premium Caramel Corn with Almonds, Cashews & Pecans White Cheddar Cheese Salted Caramel Corn Popping Corn Classic Caramel Corn

Unbelievable Butter – 18 Pack (reformulated) Microwave Lineup Kettle Corn – 18 Pack Unbelievable Butter – 18 Pack (reformulated)

Ready-to-Eat Lineup Chocolatey Caramel Crunch White Chocolatey Pretzels

Collection Lineup Cheese Lover’s Collection Tin $25 Cheese Lover’s Collection Tin Chocolate Lover’s Collection Tin

Commission Structure & Returns Popcorn/Burgers’ 28% with Prizes or 33% without Prizes. This must be a unit-wide decision. Units must choose one commission option for both Show & Deliver and Take Order sales. Account Settlement Unit accounts must be settled NO LATER THAN December 1. December 1 is the FINAL deadline for prize and patch orders. Unit commissions will not be adjusted after this date. GET THOSE PRIZE ORDERS TURNED IN ON TIME!!! Order all prizes through the Trail’s End portal   Return Policy Returns can be made at the council office or with your District Executive but will not be accepted any later than November 2. Partial cases may be returned. No tins of Chocolate Lover’s, Chocolatey Caramel Crunch, White Chocolatey Pretzels and no Burgers products will be accepted at return, we recommend only selling these products through take order. This is due to the perishable nature of these items if not cared for properly.   All Unit returned popcorn is a liability of the Council, so we encourage you to follow a few key practices: Check on your outstanding inventory and make frequent honest assessments on your Unit’s ability to sell Subscribe to a time based sales plan (i.e. we are halfway through the sale…have we sold at least half of our inventory) Check in with your District Kernel or District Executive if you have an inventory challenge…too much or too little popcorn can usually find a home with enough notice Work toward a zero return policy so that every dollar of popcorn revenue provides better program for our boys

Key Sale Dates Thursday, November 2 Popcorn Returned No returns allowed for Burgers' or chocolate products Sunday, November 5 Final Orders Due for both Popcorn (take order) and Burger’s products Online at http://scouting.trails-end.com and Burger’s website Thursday, November 16 GRC Incentive Form Due Saturday,  November 18 Product Pick-up and 50% Show & Deliver Money Due Appointments required with your District Popcorn Kernel.   Friday, December 1 Popcorn Money Due/Prize Orders Due http://scouting.trails-end.com and http://bsaprizemania.org/ Saturday August 12 Take order and online sales begin   August/September Unit or District Kick offs (Pep Rally) for Scouts  Host unit kick-off and provide incentives for the Scouts Monday,   September 11 Initial Orders Due (Show & Deliver and 1st take order) Online Saturday, September 23   Initial Popcorn Distribution Day Appointments required with your District Popcorn Kernel. Saturday, September 23  Show & Deliver and Show & Sell begins Continue to sell take order!

Prize Program

$650 Club & Top Seller Prizes Mega-Corn the Destroyer Patch $650 Jedi Club FREE CAMP! Top 100 $upper$eller$ Club College Scholarship

Good luck & have fun!