I’ll never forget the day that Emma decided we were going to go out and sell Girl Scout cookies. Emma had very recently joined the Girl Scouts and as it turned out she would only last in the organization about 8-10 months. But that’s another story. Emma had heard she could win big prizes by selling these cookies and by gosh we were going to go out and sell!

Soon after I invited her to my office at Keller Williams Realty here in Olathe at its old location where KW shared a building with several medical practices of varying sorts. When I brought Emma up we went from realtor to realtor where Emma would approach and give her rehearsed speech on who she was, why they should buy Girl Scout cookies and, using the assumptive close, ask “How many would they like?” And then she’d stop talking, stare at them and smile.

Have you ever been captivated by Emma’s smile? She could be electric. And that day she sold box after box after box of Girl Scout cookies, as you might imagine.

When we were done I high-fived her and congratulated her on all her cookie sales as we were walking to the front door. Well, Emma stopped, looked at me and then asked/demanded “Aren’t there other people in this building?”

“Yes. But I really don’t know any of those people.”

Not to be deterred, on we went to the other offices. Emma went into the first office outside our door and did her magic and walked away with another sale. Then the next office and the next, racking up sales as she went. Emma would enter with that distinctive walk of hers, smile and lay it on thick. Meanwhile, her proud dad stood in the background awed at her courage.

About the fourth office, the lady at the reception desk gave Emma a “No. But thank you.”

Hmm. Emma wasn’t sure what to do.

She stood there a few seconds, turned back to me and said out loud “Who wouldn’t want Girl Scout cookies?”

The lady behind the desk was less than amused, especially as I burst out loud laughing.

We went on to make one more sale before walking back to the car. On the way back home all I wanted to do was concentrate on the wins. She had done great! All Emma wanted to do was figure out who in their right mind wouldn’t want Girl Scout cookies.

Thinking of that day still makes me smile.