1 . My sales career was almost cut short by my parents. I was 11, a member of the Girl Scouts, and preparing to sell our first Thin Mints. Our goal was to sell at least 50 boxes each, which would make us qualified for the _______. I considered knocking on strangers’ doors and hoping to win them over.

But when I_______ my parents the permission paper to do this, they_______handed it back unsigned. They thought it was _______ that their child would ask neighbors for _______. I defended my case: The _________want delicious cookies!

Finally, they _______, and I hit the streets. Door after door, I found that the _________ basically sold itself and all I had to do was adding some extra charm with my silk ribbon. The Girl Scouts_________ me with a cup that had a thumb printed yellow smiley face on it. I felt __________ .

I went on to have a long career in sales. Now when I__________ that first adventure, what I see is a young girl who instinctively__________the most important thing about selling. It’s about __________ a service—bringing them the things they want and need, so that, in the best of situations, any product__________ itself as well as the cookies did. That’s why I still have that cup, which I keep as a ____________