It’s week 4 of The Apprentice and so far only boys have been fired. Will another chap go this week or is it time for a girl to be ousted? With just 15 minutes to get up, out of bed and ready for action the teams are asked to meet at The British Museum. Standing near the statue of Aphrodite Lord Alan set them the task of creating their own beauty treatment service and making profit. In one of the most profitable industries this shouldn’t be difficult but as we know, our Apprentices have a God-given gift of making even the glaringly simple complicated…
In tonight’s task the teams get to choose two beauty treatments from eight that they are shown, they are to choose a pitch in Birmingham, give the treatments and make money…
After a quick shuffle of the teams Lord Sugar appointed Zoe and Felicity (remind you of Lucinda Ledgerwood the harp playing, scarf wearer from season 4?) as team leaders; Felicity because he hasn’t seen much of her and Zoe because she’s been playing it safe so far. Lord Sugar’s idea of motivating his team leaders? To tell them what a strong guy he sacked last week and how no-one was safe. Brilliant. Don’t you just want to get your pen out and apply to work with him next year?
Sales motivation tip: As a sales motivational speaker I spend much of my time working with teams and individuals helping them to be more motivated, more focused and more proactive. Sustainable motivation does not come from threats. Motivation comes from helping people to understand what is important to them, ensuring they have the tools to take responsibility for their lives and helping them to employ them on a day to day basis.
The first duty of the night was to decide where to set up shop. In this the teams did not agree, Felicity and team opting to be in the centre of town and Zoe and team electing to site themselves out of town. More importantly was the layout, Felicity’s team only having one treatment room which was a long way from their sales area, Zoe having three more conveniently placed ones.
Second duty of the night was to pick two beauty treatments each from eight selected by Lord Sugar. What were they you ask? Hmmm… please don’t bother telling me if I get these wrong (!)… a chocolate facial, some kind of mummy-like-wrap, hair extensions, discreet male cosmetics, lava shells, a revitalising cold stone pedicure, a spray tan and… something else.
The snag? They have to do the treatments themselves. You know, it always amuses me that in all of Lord Sugar’s tasks people are left selling things that they either can’t do or can’t do very well. It encourages the teams to lie about their products and services and to over-promise and under-deliver. I have a real issue with this…
Sales training tip: A lot of people believe that selling is all about the gift-of-the-gab, the ability to influence, the art of persuasion. Week after week Lord Alan and the BBC pump this message out in this show and it’s very misleading. Selling is not about promising the earth, blagging it, hoping for the best and scraping through by the skin of your teeth. That’s why many companies are in the mess they’re in… they’re not adding enough value.
As a sales professional or busines leader you need to add value. You need to under-promise and over-deliver. You need to have clients who want to work with you again, clients who will refer you, clients who will write you case studies / testimonials, clients who will talk about you, clients who will add to your reputation…
You don’t get this by blagging it.
Rant over…
Both teams wanted the spray tan product recognizing that it would sell well, that it was relatively easy to do and that it was the most profitable. Zoe’s team however were the most enthusiastic when being shown this product and they were given the thumbs up.
Enthusiasm is important when selling. Not puppy-dog enthusiasm, that’s crass but professional enthusiasm. If you were looking for someone to represent your product wouldn’t you want them be enthusiastic about it?
So Zoe and team were out of the gates with the spray tan and the pedicure and Felicity & Co with the hair extensions and the lava shells. For the first time, we were then told that the teams would also be able to upsell products. Now it may be that this had already been discussed and is lying on the cutting room floor but it’s the first we’d heard about it. It’s something I’d have wanted to have thought about when picking the products as whilst the main profit is in the treatments, a guaranteed upsell means you can ice that winning cake and stick some candles on it. As it happened, the upsell became a downsell but more of that in a moment…
Suzy, who had been shouting her mouth off all night about how this is what she did (beauty) and she knew this market inside out, made some ridiculous predictions for what they would sell. This reminded me of Dragon’s Den when the Dragons ask someone who has never sold anything or run a company what their forecasts are and they stick their finger in the air and say, “Well, we’ll sell £750k in year 1, £2.2 million in year 2 and £5.4 million in year 3.” And when asked why, they reply, “Because I fricking said so Theo.”
Anyway, Suzy stuck her hand up, pulled a rabbit out of thin air and said they would sell 72 units. On being challenged she just gave it the big “I am.”
Sales forecasting is one of the most difficult areas for salespeople, sales managers and business owners alike. As a sales motivational speaker I see many sales directors and business owners who are frustrated by their sales teams missing their “promised” targets. Setting targets and predicting sales is not about what you might sell, what you could sell or how much you ought to sell in the time allotted… it’s about what you are going to sell. Doh!
In Birmingham…
Leon delivered the line of the week. We haven’t had one yet this series but this was a classic to a female member of the public, “We can do two things for you today… we can either get you naked…”
With both teams selling products Zoe’s team were also selling treatments but Felicity’s team just were not selling any. It was not entirely clear whether this was down to poor sales skills, the distraction of the product sales, the distance between the sales arena and the treatment area or goldfish-like amnesia as to why they were there but if they didn’t pull themselves together they were going to get a pasting as all of the profit was in the treatments not in the products. They’re the icing remember but what good is icing without cake? Effectively, what was supposed to be a small upsell was acting as a huge downsell for Felicity’s team.
Realising that her team were not selling any treatments Felicity asked Tom to come down from the morgue-like treatment room to specifically sell treatments. This wasn’t a bad idea but didn’t answer the question as to why the incumbent sales team weren’t already selling them. It also didn’t help that Tom, clearly suffering from some forgetful disease, arrived on the sales floor and promptly started to sell… products!!
Meanwhile on the other team, Suzy was making less progress on sales than a very small snail climbing a very large mountain dragging a heavy loud hailer. Karen Brady was not impressed and pointed out that, “If you set yourself up as something you’re not, you’re in for a great big fall.” Well, that’s pretty much every Apprentice then…
But we needn’t worry because Suzy has the best excuse ever, “No-one has any money around here… everyone seems so poor.” That will be everyone in Birmingham then Suzy?
Sales training tip: Anyone can blame their products, their clients and their market. Anyone can say that their product is too expensive, their clients don’t have enough money and the economy is down the pan. Only sales superstars take responsibility, 100% responsibility for their own sales results and their own success.
Back on team Felicity, she was setting herself up for getting sacked if she lost the task, “It’s a bit of a pickle,” she said by way of explanation as to why they had not made more treatment sales…
Sales Director: “Felicity. Why have we not made more sales today?”
Felicity: “I’m not sure, it’s a bit of a pickle.”
Sales Director: “Oh, ok. Glad you explained that. Carry on.”Maybe not eh.
At 4pm Felicity and team started to offer free massages to get people upstairs. Too little too late and why none of them picked this up earlier I have no idea.
Sales training and business tip: Many businesses and salespeople that fail do so for one main reason… not enough sales. It doesn’t matter how good you are at everything else, if you cannot sell enough then you’re fired! Devising, implementing, monitoring and managing your sales plan (no matter how simple) is essential if you want to succeed.
In the Boardroom…
“You’ve done your beauty stuff and now you have to deal with the beast,” quipped Lord Sugar vying for best line of the night not knowing that Leon had already stolen this title.
The results…
Zoe and Venture spent £734 and made £937 giving a profit of £203.01.
Felicity and Logic spent £924 and made £677 giving a loss of £246.28.
I sat and waited for the treatment results but there weren’t any. I even rewound the live TV in case I’d missed it. I hadn’t! They’d already been added. What? What? What?
13 people… ALL day… beauty treatments AND products… high footfall sites… and between the two of them… the teams had lost money?
Beyond belief.
As Zoe and team shuffled off to go dancing, Felicity and team headed for The Bridge Café. “I need to be PM so I am not in this position again,” mused Vincent to the camera with the self-assured belief that only an Apprentice can have after such an embarrassing showing…
Back in the Boardroom…
Sir Alan asked Vincent to elaborate on why it was a shambles, Vincent said, “We spent more than we made”, Lord Sugar said he was expecting specifics, Vincent said it was the spray tan loss, Lord Sugar said they lost the plot and sold peripherals and not treatments, Jim said he did not know the treatments were neglected, Lord Sugar said they did not do a treatment until 330pm in the afternoon and Felicity and Ellie were doing bugger all upstairs, Tom thought they missed the point that the location was bad, Lord Sugar said they were all “unbelievable”, Natasha said there was no sales process in place, Jim tried to claim he saved the day, Nick Hewer shot him down, Lord Sugar lectured them on selling low margin products, Felicity said they over spent “as a team”, Lord Sugar quipped back that “as a team” one of them would be leaving today…
Felicity elected to bring back Ellie… I think for having a Yorkshire accent in a public place… and Natasha, probably for rolling her jacket sleeves up like some Wham reject from the 1980s.
The Final Showdown…
“Do you know why you’re here Ellie?” asked Lord Sugar. “Yer, arm here t’ be yur business pardner.” You got to love us Yorkshire folk. Literal answer to a literal question but not what he meant. She wouldn’t be getting sacked though!
Felicity tried to pin the blame on Ellie but you don’t put a good Yorkshire lass down that easy and Ellie stabbed back. Seeing her chance to keep the pressure on Natasha took the chance to join the assault…
What Lord Alan might have said…
“Felicity, I think you’re talking nonsense. Natasha, you’d say anything to stay here. Ellie, I have no idea what you’re talking about but I’m a bit scared of Northerners. Natasha you need to step up. Felicity you’re fired. Ellie, by ‘eck, if I see you again…”
And it was all over for another week…
Sales training tips of the week: Under-promise and over-deliver. Don’t just say it, don’t just think about it… Do it.
Related posts:
- 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 I
- The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 2
- The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 12, The Final
- The Sales Apprentice 2010: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 6
About Gavin Ingham
Hi Gavin,
Welldone, on another brilliant roundup.
Like you said sales is not all about ‘bragging’, its about – Under-promise and over-deliver.
Many of the candidates were approaching potential customers in the shopping centre, by saying “Would you be intrested in having a tan”. To which the ovious answer, would be No..but may be thats the only way to approach?..
Mark. You’re quite right, it’s not the best way to approach but then little they did last night was good. For the two teams to lose money overall was criminal. If the winner behaves like that £250k won’t go far at all…
A busy fortnight in Apprentice Land…
There seems to be a healthy alumni developing with many former candidates getting together for some charity fundraising this week. First there was my event at the Fox Poker club where 16 ex apprentices competed for a place in the PKR tournament. I got off to a good start but was knocked out in the 8th hand by Joy Stefanicki’s ringer, poker journalist Hilly The Fish. I was in good company the B final with apprentice legends Lee McQueen and Tre Azam who also fell victim to the Fish . Tre is sharp cookie and as hilarious in person as he was on the apprentice. It was just the two of us left on the final hand when we both went all in with his flush beating my 2 pair on the river.
I had some consultation though as Alex Epstein who’d never played poker before finished second to Chris ‘cool hand’ Bates in the A final. As I’d staked Alex into the competition I saw a return on the night. Talk about beginners luck. Congratulations to Chris on winning a place in the final tournament where he’ll represent the apprentices against some pretty handy players from the betting and gaming world.
On Tuesday it was all about the racing as Kevin Shaw organised an excellent Apprentice does F1 event. There were 22 apprentices on the grid spanning all 7 series and the junior apprentice. I had a great start winning the first heat but it all went downhill from there! On track with my new buddy Edward Hunter (first fired from the current series), it became pretty clear that Edward was an accident looking for somewhere to happen, after 3 laps of exchanging places we final came together on the hairpin taking out poor Zoe Plummer in the process. As a result of the crash Edward and I were sin binned and that meant I’d start the final from the back of the grid.
With any chance of a win out of the window (I’m a little bit competitive) I set my sights on getting on the podium with some aggressive overtaking. I managed to get myself up to 5th enjoying a great battle with Liz Locke and Lee McQueen on the way before Debra Barr ruthlessly forced me onto the grass on the back straight, she got black flagged for that but my race was over and I finished in a lowly 8th position. Kevin Shaw took top spot on the podium. (Little bit jealous).
The party really got going at Amika in the evening where we held a charity auction for our charities UK Youth, The Royal British Legion, The Princes’ Trust, The St James’s Place Foundation and Ray of Sunshine. Amongst those in attendance were Raef Bjayou, (every bit as suave in person), Howard Ebison, Laura Moore, Ben Clarke and one of my favourite ever candidates Simon Smith from series 3. To say the least my wife has a bit of a soft spot for Raef, who very sportingly gave her a phone call and turned on the charm!
We’re well on the way to hitting our target of £10,000 for the chosen charities and it would be great if you could donate at http://www.justgiving.com/apprenticesdof1 .
Of course I’ve been glued to the TV on Wednesday nights and have enjoyed the action from the last 2 episodes. It was a shame to see Gavin go as the losing project manager, I had him down as potential winner, I’ve spoken with him since his departure and he really is a top chap who’s back to what he does best running http://www.glasses123.co.uk .
Last night’s episode saw the element I dislike most about the apprentice rear its ugly head. I’m referring of course to the bitching and back stabbing that is an unfortunate side effect of the knock out format. Rather than focus on winning the task, Venture’s PM Zoe seemed more intent on shifting the blame onto self-proclaimed beauty expert Suzie Ma (did you know she works in skin care?). What followed in the boardroom was pretty close to bullying as the recriminations against Susan continued, this was before they knew the results!! I’ve not been impressed with Zoe on the tasks but she has a solid boardroom strategy and she could be in for the long run. We weren’t to see a Zoe/Susan showdown though as Logic had managed to commit Apprentice Hari-kari by losing the Dark Lord money. Apparently he doesn’t like this.
Felicity quickly learnt there are no friends in the boardroom as Ellie and Natasha teamed up to send her down. Felicity paid the price of ignoring the maths from the first day and left it too late to sell the treatments that had a far superior margin to the questionable hair extensions. It was a shame to see her go as for the most part she ran a firm but fair task. I’m not convinced that Ellie and Natasha made a significant contribution but having lost money on a task that could have delivered a £2,000 profit had they stuck to their plan the PM was always going to be vulnerable.
Overall this wasn’t an episode that was going to improve the credentials of the show as a beacon for business. I hope next week we’ll see more focus on business and less on political posturing and ase covering. Still it’s nice to watch it without the risk of being fired.
Agreed Dan. With thousands of “beauty” places making money up and down every high street in the country it was a poor showing for 13 Apprentices to lose money overall…
Hi Gavin,
Long time reader of these blogs but first time posting. I’m a big fan of the Apprentice, although I think the programme’s claims that the contestants rank among the ‘best business brains in Britain’ is a little far-fetched! That said, it’s one of the only shows that I and my better half can watch together (Desperate Housewives doesn’t do it for me, nor is Top Gear or Match of the Day really her cup of tea!).
My question to you, based on the above blog, is this. ‘Under-promise and over-deliver’ is often cited as one of the key strategies of successful salespeople, and in theory it makes perfect sense. However, when selling in a highly competitive marketplace (recruitment for me, although I think this applies to any competitive, non-commodity based selling) I can’t help but feel that by under-promising there is plenty of potential for a salesperson to lose out by appearing to fail to offer the same quality of service that the competition are offering. Agreed, those competitors are probably over-egging their ability, but how is the client to know this? Surely if one person is saying to a prospect ‘I can deliver this with bells on’ and the other is saying ‘I can probably deliver but I can’t guarantee anything at this stage,’ the client is more likely to go with what looks, on the face of it, to be a safe bet.
Looking forward to this weeks show and the next instalment of Apprentice based sales tips!
Chris
Just to clarify, I’m not suggesting that a salesperson should over promise just to win a contract/close a deal etc – more I’m asking what the best way round this problem is!
Chris. Thanks for the question. Thought the answer was worth a little more than just a comment, http://www.gaviningham.com/2011/06/02/isnt-under-promising-going-to-cost-me-the-deal/.