The hopeful candidates must set-up beauty treatment businesses in Birmingham
Salesmanship is about connecting with people
In learning that the candidates had to set-up beauty treatment businesses for last night’s episode of The Apprentice, immediate thoughts go to natural skin entrepreneur Susan, this surely was her time to shine? However, Lord Sugar side lined the bubbly candidate in choosing Zoe Beresford as the Project Manager for Team Venture, having made a dangerously slim escape from the boardroom firing squad last week it was her chance to prove herself. Felicity Jackson was also chosen to lead Team Logic again determined to show Lord Sugar her potential value as his business partner.
The teams were presented with various beauty products and treatments from which they chose two to spend the day selling and gain the most profit. Both teams were very keen on a spray tan treatment, which thanks to Susan’s extreme enthusiasm, Venture scooped up much to the dismay of the other team. Disappointingly that was probably Susan’s finest moment. Despite assuring the team of her own skincare company credentials – which she mentioned every other sentence! – she over-ordered on products having persuaded Zoe that she would definitely sell everything. This was a task the skincare ‘expert’ failed dismally..
Team Logic’s Felicity employed some very questionable management techniques, which throughout proved costly for the team. Firstly her decision to concentrate on the products, which had a considerable smaller margin, left three members of her team doing absolutely nothing for three hours in the treatment room. Eventually Melody and Ellie Reed, Managing Director, had to push Felicity to make a quick decision in changing strategies. Her indecisiveness finally led to Sugar’s henchman Nick Hewer butting in and telling her to ‘get on with it!’ Vincent, however, named as ‘the most female boy of the lot’ – again felt his ‘charm’ would help him in selling products, he was again proven wrong!
Mention this week has to go to Team Venture’s Leon. Having had ‘an awkward’ start as he was clearly uncomfortable selling beauty products, he showed excellent selling techniques, in particular a ‘pinkie grabbing’ technique, one that proved very effective with the ladies, essentially selling the most products within the team and literally dragging a sale, in the same way that poachers ‘tickle trout’. In this way he demonstrated that salesmanship is about connecting with people, not selling at people. Relationships are all important is the successful sales process.
Felicity, who was one more exponent of ‘bossiness’ rather than leadership, didn’t realise the importance of the treatments and this somewhat obvious own-goal led to yet again another win for Team Venture. Lord Sugar was then faced with the task of firing either Felicity, Ellie or Natasha. The clear choice, surely in all our minds, to make a swift exit, was Felicity and duly Lord Sugar gave her the bitter pill and she became the fourth to leave the show. However a concern that Ellie and Natasha sat back and let the team fail means Lord Sugar will be keeping a close eye on the both of them. He will, no doubt, be looking for leaders, who gain ‘followship’, rather than someone who purely imposes their will, right or wrong. The fact that the girls refused to acknowledge Felicity when leaving the boardroom is clear evidence that the show is ‘not a popularity contest’, it’s about business, but a successful manager has to earn respect.
I, for one, expect the calibre of candidates to begin to shine through and hopefully employ smarter problem solving strategies. That will definitely sort the men/women from the boys/girls.
Next week’s task sees the candidates challenged to create a new brand of pet food. Surely the task already screams disaster? It will be one to watch for sure and let’s hope we don’t get served a dog’s breakfast!!
Review by James Strickland, Group Director, Omega Resource Group plc – the UK-based recruitment organisation comprising a number of divisions catering for engineering and technical candidates and employers in addition to graduate selection and training : http://www.omegaresource.co.uk
