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 11, The Interviews
December 15, 2010 By 2 Comments
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 8
November 24, 2010 By 5 Comments
Week 8 of The Sales Apprentice and 8 contestants remain. This week their task, should they choose to accept it, was to create new flavours of crisps, produce samples and, representing two small UK crisp companies, travel to Hamburg in Germany and attempt to secure orders. The team with the most orders would be the winner. The line up this week was Stella leading Laura, Joanna and Stuart (who, after last week, was “too tired” to put himself up as project manager!) versus Chris leading Christopher, Jamie and Liz. You had to respect … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2010: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 6
November 10, 2010 By 1 Comment
So we’re into week 6 of The Apprentice and 10 remain... First tip this week came early on... don’t sleep in! If you haven’t got anything to do in the morning then there is a good chance that Sir Alan is going to knock on the door at the crack of dawn and catch you in your PJs. He always does this about week 5 or 6 so what they were all doing hunkered down in their pits I have no idea... Anyway, back to more serious business and this week’s task... To design a new brand of cleaning product, create radio and TV adverts to support … [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 2008: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, The Final
June 11, 2008 By 7 Comments
The final of The Apprentice 2008… Who would Sir Alan choose to be his apprentice? Would he go for the corporate girl? The “reformed” loud mouth? The “young” boy? Or the geezer? What sales training and business lessons would we learn if any? It doesn’t seem any time since we had 16 candidates and here we were with just four left and a final decision to make. The teams for tonight had already been decided last week and were Alex & Helene versus Claire & Lee. Tonight’s task was to design a men’s fragrance and then to … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Part X
June 2, 2008 By 3 Comments
In last week’s Apprentice the task was to rent out high end supercars. The team making the most sales would be the winner. A sales task plain and simple and one which created many interesting sales training and business lessons.. Sales managers for the day on the two teams were Michael (leading Helene and Claire) and Lee leading Lucinda and Alex. Their first task was to pick two cars per team that they would have to sell... Michael picked a Ferrari and a Spyker, Lee an Aston Martin and a Zonda. These cars varied in sales rental quotes … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2008: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Part VIII
May 14, 2008 By 5 Comments
Tonight’s task for our sales training apprentices was “big business” said Sir Alan… weddings. Sir Alan had secured each of the teams a sales pitch at The National Wedding Show at the NEC in Birmingham. The Wedding Show attracts 20,000 visitors and 300 suppliers… a target rich selling environment as one of my first sales managers used to be fond of saying… Tonight the teams had to select products that they wanted to represent and then sell them at the show. As usual, the team who closed the most sales … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2008: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Part VI
April 30, 2008 By 10 Comments
Tonight’s Apprentice was an interesting one although perhaps not from a sales training perspective but more from a business development angle. The task tonight was to create a range of new greetings cards and then make a sales pitch to three of the biggest suppliers in the industry – Clintons, Tesco and Celebrations. The team with the most number of cards ordered after the presentations would be the winner. Over the last few years, sales pitches, tenders and presentations have more and more become the norm in business. Many small … [Read more...]
