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EPISODE FOUR LESSONS

Anthony Parinello and Beth Gottfried
10 SECRETS I LEARNED FROM THE APPRENTICE
Chamberlin Brothers, 2004

Michael Robin
LESSONS FROM THE APPRENTICE
Time, Inc. 2005
 

In the boardroom

 Once again, the men found themselves once in the boardroom. Kwame admitted that they got beat by the bar tab, but stood by his belief that the team executed their strategy well. George disagreed and said they were all just looking to cover their own asses, not working as a team to successfully complete the task. Carolyn told them that out of the five of them, they sent three into Times Square to hand out coupons rather than focus their collective energy inside the venue to increase sales. Donald asked Nick who blew it and he said, "Kwame." That started the discussion about sales tactics and autographs. Ultimately, Kwame, Bowie and Nick were left to face the firing. Troy and Bill were sent back up to the suite, while the others awaited Donald's decision. Donald, George and Carolyn knew it would be a much harder decision than last week.

When Bowie, Kwame and Nick reentered the boardroom, Nick pleaded his case as a "born leader." Donald said there was no clear-cut decision in this case. He questioned Kwame's decisions, but gave him a reprieve. Bowie, however, despite his strengths in other areas had failed miserably at merchandising. Donald told Nick that he really wanted to see him as Project Manager for the next task - which meant Bowie was fired. Afterwards, Donald said he really liked Bowie but didn't think he presented himself well. For his part, Bowie said that getting shut out by the girls four times in a row was not the greatest, but better to leave now than later if the guys keep losing.

Commentary

  • Don't Walk Away.

    • Outside Planet Hollywood, three Versacorp men clowned, pleaded, and even hijacked a bus in order to attract customers.  Determined to increase the evening's sales by a higher percentage than the Protege women, they mustered an effort that was heroic--and misplaced.  With so much manpower out front, no one was available to guide customers to the right place once they were inside.  Diners breezed right by the high-margin sales locations such as the merchandise counter and the bar.  On the other hand, the women began their real work once the customers crossed the threshold.  they maintained a dynamic presence at the point of purchase to pump up alcohol sales--where Kristi knew restaurants make their largest profit margins--and make the most of the evening's traffic.  Customers--particularly the male ones--spent freely in the partylike atmosphere.  The Protege women won big with a personal selling approach.

  • Sex Sells . . . But Don't Go Too Far. 

    • "Sex appeal helped the women of Protege trounce the men four times in a row, but at the end of their streak they found themselves unexpectedly called on the carpet by Trump and Carolyn.  Both felt that the skin-and-win strategy had gone too far.  "You beat the guys fair and square," said the Donald.  "But you're coming a little close to crossing the line of relying on your sexuality to win.  There is a big difference between sex selling products and actually selling sex."

Lessons Learned

Defend Yourself Aggressively

"Man has never made a material as resilient as the human spirit." - Bernard Williams

  • Don't expect others to defend you.
  • Remember, life in the business world--in the entire real world--is not always fair.
  • Study the competition, look at all the options, and think your plans through ahead of time.
  • Expect others to notice your ability to respond effectively to situations.
  • If you're under attack, step forward and state your case.
  • Hone the ability to provide a reasoned, well-articulated, and impassioned defense of what you believe in.
  • Don't expect attacks to disappear by letting them go unanswered.
  • Forget about rising above the fray, ignoring charges that do not deserve a response, and letting others do the fighting.

Gold Stars:

***
The Report Card
Protege:
  • Effort --
  • Performance --
  • Creativity --


 
Versacorp:
  • Effort --
  • Performance --
  • Creativity --


 
 

 
EPISODE 4