October 2
From my brain
Contents |
2008
Me 13:53, 2 October 2008 (EDT)
Never watched Cowboy Bebop, but I just feel in love with this song via Pandora.
/share
Me 22:58, 2 October 2008 (EDT)
To the district head...
I feel the need to register a complaint regarding the amount of training and explanation that's given out to Popcorn Kernels. The assumption seems to be that Kernels are either returning veterans or they have someone in their pack to guide them. In reality, not all of us have a mentor to guide us in what to expect in the sale, and this can be quite damaging to our sales strategy.
The videos on the website and DVD provided by Trails End are great to motivate and explain the various ways to sell and where the money goes from popcorn sales. What it does not explain is how popcorn ordering works. It does not explain how to anticipate how much to buy for Show & Delivery (should you chose to do it). It also doesn't explain how to replenish your product should you need more.
Our previous cubmaster handled all the sales, had moved out of town, and we'd only done take order sales. This year, we were going to be much more ambitious. We had a lot of good young salesmen in our pack, and we honestly thought we could more than double last year's sales figures with Show & Deliver and Show & Sell methods.
Last year, our pack did $4,850 in sales with just take order. I had estimated at least a 50% growth in sales with using both Show & Deliver as well as the several Show & Sell locations I had planned. My initial order was also about 50% more than what we sold last year. When I called Terry to have him create my sign-on for the site (to enter my S&D orders), he told me I shouldn't order any more than $6,000.....or I could expect a call from you personally to say it was too much. I was also told at that time that I can always "get more later".
Tonight I found out that this is not quite the case. The website appears that if you need more, you modify your original order, and then on the exchange days, you go back and replenish what you've sold. Terry informed me tonight that no, there's only a limited amount of product there, and more isn't going to be ordered. Everything from here on out would have to be take-order. This is not what I was expecting.
For all that Scouting touts its training, I'm rather disappointed in the lack of complete explanation behind how the process works, and the fact I was forbidden from ordering the proper amount of popcorn I know we could sell. I handed out a moderate "starter kit" to about 12 of the 44 scouts in our pack. My son and I have taken orders from my workplace for over $400 in sales. A handful of other scouts are also selling like mad, and are under the impression -- that I passed on to them -- that we can get more popcorn. Add to that, we have a Wal-Mart Show & Sell this Saturday.
We have customers that are expecting their product delivered soon because we told them we would, because we expected we can get more. If we give out that popcorn -- now knowing we can't replace the sold product -- there's no way we can do this weekend's Show & Sell, much less any future ones. I'm going to have to cancel this weekend because there just won't be enough product to go around for all we have planned and all that's scheduled to deliver.
This isn't a failure in any one person, but I feel it's a direct failure in the process and training of Kernels. I'm taking this as a lesson learned this year. I knew how much we could sell and how much we should order, but I was told that wasn't going to be a possibility. In the end, I feel my sales are have been stifled, and I know we could have done more had we been allowed to order the proper quantity of popcorn, especially having it pointed out how obtaining more popcorn worked.
Unfortunately, there is little I can do about that at this time other than cancel the only Show & Sell I have scheduled and hand out the popcorn we have on hand for Show & Deliver.
Sincerely, Me
Me 23:13, 2 October 2008 (EDT)
To the pack...
Please note:
I found out today that restocking our supplies (i.e. replacing sold popcorn with the same / well selling product) does not work as I was I understood them. The warehouse only has a quantity of 3-way tins (the non-OSU tin), Kettle Corn, and Cheese Lover's. I had anticipated on being able to go to the warehouse regularly and get more of exactly what we would need, but that's not how things work.
In that light, there isn't a way for us to both provide for those of you who have already taken orders to deliver to your customers as well as for us to do ANY Show & Sell locations this year. I knew we could do more than the $6,000 we were limited to (which was why I wanted to order closer to $9,000), but we're already running too far up to what we have on-hand to be able to do a proper location sale.
Therefore, the popcorn sale at Wal-Mart this Saturday has been CANCELED.
The remaining popcorn I have on hand will be given out to those of you who take orders from customers and will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis. No further "starter kits" will be issued. If I don't have the product, you'll have to conduct your sale "the old fashioned way" via the take-order method.
I have to double check the calendar, but I believe then that all take orders will be due by our Pack Meeting on November 14th, with any amount of Show & Deliver items sold and paid for turned in also at that time.
My apologies for my misconception on how this process works. I'm really rather upset about how this changes our plans, but that doesn't mean anyone should halt in their sales drive toward their goals. Everyone is still challenged to reach for their $230 mark and filling up a single order order form.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me directly.
Yours in Scouting
2006
Me 10:34, 2 October 2006 (EDT)
Still adjusting today. My head is still a jumble. I hope that fades or at least I can honestly accept it...
