So it was week 11 and Jim was first up to answer the ringing phone which was put down on him when he asked if there was any dress code for the forthcoming task. I mean, seriously, if that?s how Lord Sugar?s PA treats you before you even start working for with him, I?d be checking out the small print.
Tonight?s task was to set up, brand, briefly run and then get assessed on a new fast food shop with the potential to become a chain. Another convoluted task with not enough time to get things done. Was this task about creativity? Was it about branding? Was it about operations? Or was it about product? Well, supposedly it was about all of these things but with barely enough time to boil an egg let alone set up an empire the two teams had little chance to do any of them properly but, despite that, one team massively outperformed the other and produced a decent concept?
Team 1: Jim, Tash and Suzy. Jim started the proceedings with his usual verbal gymnastics, ?If you don?t? mind, I think you?ll agree, I?ll lead this one.? An NLP expert would have a field day. And thus Jim was elected to lead Suzy and Tash into battle against Helen (project manager) and Tom.
Team 2: Helen and Tom. From the off, Helen and Tom worked together well. They allocated roles and bounced off each other with a positive energy.
Jim on the other hand was too busy patronising his team to the camera, ?I?ve got two girls on board who?ll appreciate a bit of direction.? Hmmmm, patronising and maybe even a little sexist Jim. ..
Helen and Tom quickly decided that they were going to create a contemporary British fast food outlet focusing on pies. I travel a lot as a sales motivational speaker and if the business of the Cornish Pasty shacks around the stations in the UK is anything to go by, this should prove to be a good idea. Tom volunteered himself for the creativity and branding side of the business saying that this was what he does and Helen stepped into the breach to sort out the menu and the food. Maybe, finally, we will get to see how Tom fares in an area he considers himself skilled in?
Over on the other team, Tash was shouting her mouth off as usual saying that she had a BA Honours in Hospitality and that she had actually done a project similar to this one in university. She really has to go this week, not least because later on in the board room she claimed that she might have done a hospitality degree but that she did not focus on this area. What???!!)*&^!&)*!
After some debate, Jim?s team team decided to go with a Mexican theme and Jim suggested that they should call it Caracas. He had been thinking of Maracas but got the word wrong so they decided to stick with Caracas anyway, not realising that Caracas is the capital of Venezuela! Clearly, they had not seen an atlas or a globe in their lives? or even Gregory?s Girl. And then, they wrote it as Caraca?s anyway. Who the heck is Caraca? And for a second season on The Apprentice the ?cream? of British ?talent? showed that our education system doesn?t teach the basics as well as it might.
But ?Eats, Shoots & Leaves!? aside, what was Jim doing? He seemed to be running around trying to do everything whilst Suzy and Tash argued. If he was to be measured tonight on his team leading abilities it was a hands down failure. But he needn?t have worried because Tash and Suzy were at each other like a couple of mewling felines arguing about whether they should use a Sombrero or peppers as the ?iconic? image. Yawn!
?I don?t mind someone saying I have another idea. I ?aint got a problem,? pointed out Tash. She clearly did have a problem, as she did last week? and the week before? and the week before that. And will someone please tell her to stop saying, ?Yeah?? And whilst you?re at it, tell her the word is, ?Yes.?
Meanwhile, MyPy was coming together well under the stewardship of Helen and Tom. I was liking this idea and their pies looked good. I?d give them a whirl! Particularly that Northern looking one with the mushy peas in a box! Deciding to give all of their food names they had the idea of using names of great British people. A good idea let down slightly by the fact that they called their mash Columbus Mash, Christopher Columbus unfortunately (for them anyway) hailing from Genoa in Italy.
Sales training tip: Do your research. I?ve said it before and I?ll say it again, research is critical for business success. Research is critical for sales success. Research is critical if you want to become a sales superstar.
?It?s either utter madness or it?s complete genius,? mused Tom. I thought Dave Gorman might well pronounce it ?Genius? but I wasn?t sure and that about sums Tom up? If he is what he might be then he looks like a contender but how do we know if his inventions are more Apple IPhone or more Sinclair C5? I guess we?ll find out next week, eh?
Back on team Jim, Tash and Suzy were notable mostly because of their conspicuous absences and even as the hired help cut up salad in the kitchen Jim was scooting around the place whilst they seemed to be seriously under-employed.
Sales leadership tip: Sales leadership isn?t about fast talking. Sales leadership isn?t about superlatively crafted lines. Sales leadership isn?t about hot air.
Sales leadership is about inspiring and guiding your teams. Sales leadership is about getting the best out of your teams. Sales leadership is about communication, direction and strategy.
And Jim wasn?t achieving against any of these measures. And after their trial run to 100 customers saw ?fast food? coming out served by snails, Suzy was quick to hand yet another ?monkey? (read Ken Blanchard?s ?The One Minute Manager Meets The Monkey?) to Jim by telling him that he had to make sure that their food was hot. Jim popped it in the cage with the rest of the monkeys he was caring for and Suzy wandered off? presumably to read the paper and put her feet up. A busy week compared to sleeping on the job when selling last week!
By contrast, Helen and Tom?s trial went well apart from their ridiculous opening question to their guests of, ?Have you ever eaten 100% British before?? ?Err,? yes thanks,? would have been my reply.
Sales training tip: Don?t try to be too clever. Engaging customers is not about slick lines or party piece questions. You don?t have to be sharp, you just have to genuinely care about your customers. Smile. Be interested in them. And get yourself into a tip-top mindset.
Trial done, Lord Sugar rocked up with Ronald McDonald, Colonel Sanders and some bigwigs from the fast food chains to try the two restaurants, hear the sales pitch and ask a few questions of the Apprentices. Apart from Jim?s elementary maths error of 60 meals at ?7 each is ?4800 (and then, when corrected, ?4200) this was uneventful although it was clear that the MyPy idea had Caraca?s cracked. Jim claimed that his mistake was out of character as he was good at maths. I wondered whether that was at the same school where he had been taught how to use the apostrophe?
It?s ?420, okay Jim?
In the Boardroom?
In the boardroom the teams had been marked out of 10 by the industry experts in each of four areas? brand identity, customer experience, food quality and business viability. The scores were in?
Jim, Tash and Suzy had averaged 4 out of 10.
Helen and Tom had averaged 7 out of 10.
For the first time that I remember Lord Alan added nothing and did not say that the decision was his. I couldn?t help but wonder whether if Helen and Tom had been in the losing team he might have said that the decision was his. But he didn?t need to. Helen and Tom were told not to pass Go, not to collect ?200 and to go straight to the final.
Jim, Tash and Suzy looked uneasy.
Back in the Boardroom?
Lord Sugar asked the losers whether they had a business plan? You know, sales, costs, customers, margins? that sort of stuff.
They didn?t.
Seriously. Sack the lot. You?re one week from going into business with one of these people Al and they didn?t have a business plan! Tash and Suzy were arguing, Tash can?t stop saying ?Yeah?, Suzy thinks she is good at selling and yet has tanked the sales exercises and Jim totally failed to manage this task or give the ?girls? any direction.
But the TV rules must say that they are going to tear apart three business plans next week and invest in one so two? must go through to the final.
?Suzanne, I like you. You got yourself through school. You?ve set up a business. You?re in the final. Jim, you can sure talk but you?re alright I guess. Tash, I?ve had it with you, yeah? You?re fired, yeah!?
Related posts:
- The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 10
- The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 8
- The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 3
- The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 6
- The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 5
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