Historically, my Scout troop does ok on our annual popcorn sale fundraiser.
The guys have done well enough over the years that a number of them managed to pay for their campouts pretty much year after year.
One of them earned enough to buy himself a high-quality down sleeping bag comfortable to well below zero. He likes to camp in the backcountry all winter, so it was a good purchase for him.
On and off, a few of the guys did really well, reaching the scholarship level, where a percentage of their sales is put into a scholarship fund by the popcorn company.
But, as our troop’s average age rises and falls, we see a falloff during the years when our troop’s average age is a bit older. Teenagers have jobs, sports, homework and other things – plus they just aren’t into the door to door selling thing.
Benjamin failed
The last two years, we tried a special incentive to get the boys motivated each week.
Each of three weeks of the popcorn sale, we offered the top seller for that week a crisp Benjamin (Yes, a $100 bill) if their sales reached a minimum level.
Of those six opportunities over the prior two years, we gave away only one $100 bill.
Our sales were ok overall, especially given the age of the troop, but when $100 bills dont motivate a teenager who has gasoline needs, we knew we missed the boat.
New blood, new carrot
This year, we had a new-to-the-troop mom in charge of organizing our popcorn sale.
In addition, we have a number of new guys, so we expected the total sales to rise.
Still, we wanted to motivate them so they’d be able to pay their Scouting-related expenses over the year without asking their families for money. When times are tight, every little bit helps, and campout expenses are no exception.
Our new popcorn chairperson had some fresh ideas. She had a drawing for “Get out of doing dishes on a campout” coupons for minimum weekly sales and a big carrot for total sales over a certain amount.
Pie didn’t
The carrot? Getting to throw a pie in my face.
I’m the Scoutmaster. Tossing a pie in my face is a big, fun treat for a boy. Of course, I dragged another Troop adult into it just for fun. I wasn’t gonna meet the pie(s) alone, after all.
The outcome: TEN boys qualified to throw a pie. That’s ten boys who exceeded our average sales-per-boy goal by $200 or more.
Our troop’s total sales were up NINETY FOUR percent. In this economy, going door to door in between soccer and football games and homework, selling fairly pricey popcorn (reality: People are helping Scouts pay their own way and getting popcorn as a bonus).
When boys who can help themselves and their families by doing what they can to fund their own campout expenses, gear and what not, it’s a good thing. Pie motivated them to work to pay their own way, a lesson worth learning.
While I had the pleasure of facing 10 pies last night, it was worth it knowing how many boys don’t have to worry about campout expenses (and then some) for at least a year.
Think harder.
So why did pie work and a $100 bill not work?
A $100 bill isn’t real in the world of a lot of 12-15 year olds. They had trouble grasping the idea of (and getting fired up about) something they’d never owned (and some might never have seen), so they didn’t feel any motivation for it.
But…a pie in the face of their Scoutmaster? That’s golden.
And you?
What are you doing to motivate your staff? Your customers?
What motivates you isn’t necessarily (and most likely isn’t) what motivates your staff or your customers.
Your job is to set your mindset aside long enough to find out what’s important in theirs.
PS: Thanks to everyone who supported Scouting by buying popcorn all over the Valley.
Want to learn more about Mark or ask him to write about a business, operations or marketing problem? See Mark’s site or contact him via email at mriffey at flatheadbeacon.com.