So, we’ve reached week 7 of The Sales Apprentice and tonight’s task was to create a Freemium (Free Premium Magazine) and then sell as much advertising space as possible. The team selling the most ad space would win the task. Tonight’s team leaders were selected by Lord Alan, Jim leading Venture and Natasha leading Logic, speaking to the teams this week from a balcony way above them and I couldn’t help but think that the ultimate winner of the show might be advised to get used to exactly this sort of “partnership”. With only a few … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 7
June 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 6
June 8, 2011 By 13 Comments
Week 6 and 10 remain still trying to win The Sales Apprentice and a “50/50 partnership with the nation’s toughest investor”… well the most belligerent and bellicose anyway. This week’s task was in junk removal with the objective being to collect, dispose of responsibly and make money from junk. After a quick reshuffle the team’s elected their team leaders: Zoe for team Venture and Helen, who had just been "shuffled", for team Logic. In this task there were two ways to make money: 1) charging to collect waste and 2) selling on … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2010: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 12, The Final
December 19, 2010 By 3 Comments
Welcome to the final of The Sales Apprentice and welcome to... Chris VS Stella. Actually, let me rephrase that, I have asked about 500 sales and business people over the last few days who should win the Apprentice this year and the vast majority think Stella so I am not sure that there is so much “VS” going on here. This really should be a one-way, walk in the park, a rout of Biblical proportions, a hammering that only Tiger Woods in his prime could have handed out... But, as a friend said to me, after Lord Sir Mr Alan Sugar fired Liz a few … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2010: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 11, The Interviews
December 15, 2010 By 2 Comments
And so we reach the programme in the series that I probably love watching the most perhaps because of its total absurdity,or maybe because of it's lack of credibility or is it just because of it's total divorce from any sense or connection with the real world? This programme should come with a health warning... If you choose to run your business and interview applicants this way then you may well end up in court... Week 11, 5 remain and just the interviews stand between our remaining Apprentices and the final where they have a chance of … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2010: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 9
December 1, 2010 By 3 Comments
Week 9 of the Sales Apprentice and tonight was supposedly all about “negotiation.” Now, before we carry on, let’s make things clear, this task tonight was not about negotiation. If it was about anything, it was about preparation and personality. Let’s have a look at what the Oxford Compact English Dictionary has to say about negotiation... Negotiate v. confer in order to reach an agreement / arrange or bring about / find a way over, through etc / transfer to another for consideration / convert into money ~ Oxford Compact … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2010: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 3
October 20, 2010 By 3 Comments
Well, I don’t know about you but I thought that tonight’s Sales Apprentice was probably one of the most clueless performances from all concerned that we have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Sure, there were some okay “sales” performances but I don’t really call smiling and offering muffins in the street, sales. If it is, then we really need to be concerned for the economic future of the UK. Anyway, cheery bagel -banter aside, this week’s performances were hopeless. But before we get going here are the sales training tips for … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2010: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 2
October 13, 2010 By 5 Comments
“From across the country, 16 of Britain’s brightest business prospects have come to London,” Err, ahem! And with these words, the second week of The Sales Apprentice kicked off. With bad feelings ruling on the boys’ team last week, this week it was the girls’ turn to make the boys look harmonious but they didn’t do it without a helping hand... Stella was moved over to work with them in the absence of Dan (fired) and Raleigh (retired for personal reasons) and promptly took charge. Her strong but fluid style proved to be the … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2010: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 1
October 6, 2010 By 3 Comments
“Even bigger egos,” promised the Beeb even before the start of this year’s Apprentice, the programme that many business people love to hate. The Apprentice must be the only TV show that motivates fully, grown business people to crouch behind the sofa and peer through their eyes like they were still 10 and watching the scariest episode of Dr. Who. Welcome back to The Sales Apprentice, my personal take on The Apprentice TV show where we take a light hearted look at the show with some serious sales training and business growth tips that … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Part X
May 27, 2009 By 2 Comments
If you spent tonight watching Manchester United play Barcelona in the Champions League then the good news is that you didn’t miss a lot in the way of sales training and business tips on tonight’s Apprentice. What you did miss however was Sir Alan sacking someone that, based upon your emails to me, many of you had thought would make the final. I agreed with Sir Alan’s decision but more of that later... Tonight’s task was to select products to sell live on a TV shopping channel. The team that sold the most would win. A task like this … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Part IX
May 20, 2009 By 3 Comments
Week 9 and this week the apprentices had to select and sell two baby products per team at the Baby Show in Earls Court. The team who sold the most would win and on the losing team, someone would get the sack. Leading Ben, Debra and Yasmina (Empire) this week was James. Leading Howard and Kate (Ignite) was Lorraine. I’m really not sure who I wanted to lose this week or who I’d like to sack first. Lorraine is singularly annoying, Debra is contrary and aggressive, Ben is puffed up and ego-tastic, James is Tim-Nice-But-Dim... Howard, Kate … [Read more...]
