The big give away of this week’s task must have been the location for Lord Sugars revel. Pinewood studios - to you and I the location for films such as James Bond and Harry Potter - to Sandeesh, the furniture showroom people! Really Sandeesh, I know I always say entrepreneurs don’t need qualifications, but an ounce of common sense and general knowledge helps!
As often happens, the candidates spent plenty of time on their own egos and personal desires when considering the product. When will they learn to always offer what the customer wants. This lack of consideration saw Stuart’s team left with the challenge of selling motor racing experiences to toddlers!
The girls on Stuart’s team rose to the challenge, and even managed to get him to believe it was his idea to sell to children. Yep, a definite female male manipulation skill demonstrated there. Well done girls, your customer focused thinking, and powers of persuasion with Stuart, led the team to victory. Even with his appalling communication and leadership styles. I think the girls should have had an additional treat for keeping their patience with him!
Interestingly, the winning team upped their price from £10 to £15 during the day, while the losing team slashed theirs from £12 to just £8. All the prices were plucked from thin air, and had no thought behind them of the audience and what was realistic. But it was Sandeesh’s team who made the least profit and therefore saw them return to the board room. Her weak leadership and poor decision making saw her become this weeks board room casualty.
From this week we can learn the importance of knowing your market and understanding your pricing in relation to your customers.
Daft saying of the week comes from Stuart – “I like adrenaline… why be boring that’s for someone else to do … I want every day to be jam packed with fun” – this from a man in a corporate suit who treats his team like kids. Yep, fun fun fun!
