Choose the correct answer.

When do the Girl Scouts sell cookies?

a. All year round.

b. For three months per year.

c. Every three years.

d. Every spring since 2003.

 

What was the view of the girls scout organisation before Kathy Cloninger became CEO?

a. Not well-known.

b. Old-fashioned.

c. Efficient.

d. Surprising.

 

3. Which of the following is not taught at ‘Cookie College’?

a. How to look after finances.

b. How to promote your products.

c. How to bake cookies.

d. How to speak in front of other people.

 

A girl scout can get a trip round the world if she

a. gets a certain number of reward points.

b. sells cookies for twelve years in a row.

c. sells $80,000 worth of cookies.

d. sells more cookies than anyone else.

 

A new selling strategy used by girl scouts is

a. selling cookies outside local businesses.

b. giving scouts free cookies as an incentive.

c. selling from door to door.

d. selling large amounts of cookies at once.

 

Which of the following sales techniques is NOT mentioned in the passage?

a. Motivating the sales team.

b. Finding new avenues for sales.

c. Offering discounts for bulk orders.

d. Training the sales team.

ROLL-PLAY? NO – THE WORKING REALITY OF A SANDWICH BAR

Read the text. Six paragraphs have been removed from the article.

Sonya and I wanted to start a business of our own, rather than work in a big company environment. We considered a number of different businesses but felt there was a gap on many High Streets for a quality sandwich shop – an alternative to the standard fast food choice of McDonald’s or Burger King.

We did quite a lot of research, such as questionnaires and pedestrian counts, building up as much information as we could. We weren’t fixed in terms of where we wanted to set up, as the ideal location was all-important, so we visited Leeds, Bristol, and Portsmouth as well as Southampton.

1. _______________________________________________________________.

We had just a few thousand pounds between us so it was a matter of approaching the banks. The Midland Bank agreed to lend us £30,000 under the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme, where part of the loan is guaranteed by the government. We also secured £5,000 from a business trust.

2. _______________________________________________________________.

We had fixed ideas about what we wanted to sell. The baguettes had to be just right: not too thin and not too big. We decided right from the start that our French bread would indeed be French and we’d get it from a distributor and part-bake it. We were ready to open in December 1995, well into the Christmas season and typically a very good month for business. We opened right from the start with four staff.

3. _______________________________________________________________.

Gradually the business pulled round and we got into a routine with our systems, which are vital for any fast-food operation. There tend to be some very busy periods during the day. You certainly don’t want queues. And you need staff who work well together.

4. _______________________________________________________________.

We offer a variety of breads from sun-dried tomato to white farmhouse and if you take into account our salad toppings as well as fillings we offer 44 million combinations of sandwich.

5. _______________________________________________________________.

The daily routine involves staff coming in at 7.30 a.m. to start doing the preparation. The more work that can be done in advance, the more time you can save when the shop gets full of people. And then by 8 a.m. we are open for the breakfast trade.

6. _______________________________________________________________.

We close at 6 p.m. (7 p.m. on Thursday) but some nights we have to work late. Sonya and I are now working on opening a new shop in Southampton, and also further expansion.

I think where we’ve succeeded is that we’ve never compromised on what we offer. We are a sandwich bar and have never ventured into selling jacket potatoes or chips. It’s our intention to open other outlets and possibly franchise the concept and become a national operation. We have the energy, and time, on our side.