The penultimate episode. The somewhat fantastic five battled it out for a precious place in the final.
This week the task was to create an affordable luxury product range. The team with the best idea and business plan would win.
The teams were split – Adam, Jade and Nick on team Phoenix and Tom and Ricky pairing up to make team Stirling. Lord Sugar picked Adam to lead Phoenix, the only candidate that hadn’t yet put himself forward as Project Manager. Wrestler Ricky was project manager for Stirling.
Tom and Ricky made a great start, getting away from the blocks quickly and spotting a gap in the market for an affordable luxury male grooming brand, something they were also both passionate about. Their research was smart and focussed on the market and commercials in the male grooming sector.
The boys decided on a traditional shaving product, with a London-based boutique where you can experience the products alongside a traditional hot shave with a cut-throat razor. Good product. They settled on Modern Gentleman as a brand name. A little disappointing.
Dapper was thrown in the hat – loved it. Second to that New Tradition. They were wise to steer clear of Gentleman’s Choice though… wrong, very wrong. In summary, team Stirling had a good product, they were focussed and clear and had a great business plan….
Research and branding
And if this all sounds a little bit too good to be true….The downfall was the branding. Simply, dull. And it let the overall product down.
Team Phoenix also decided on their product range quite quickly, confectionery. From the outset, there was much less clarity and focus on what they wanted to achieve through their brand and why they felt that was a good product choice. Not a great footing for the project.
Adam paired himself with Nick to do the research and branding, while Jade was directed by Adam to “go off and make them some nice chocolates”. While Jade was off making nice chocolates, she also decided on the brand name, Sweet Thing, as well as all of the product ideas.
Jade not only created some beautiful confectionery, she also demonstrated creativity and passion, something Nick and Adam lacked.
Meanwhile, Nick and Adams market research was literally two kids in a sweet shop. They enjoyed the product, but failed to grasp that this was their opportunity to understand the confectionery market and gather valuable business intelligence to help their business plan.
The branding was ok, although it didn’t scream luxury, it was bright, fresh and in line with their confectionary theme. Next step was to put together a mock-shop to demonstrate their product. Similar to the branding – Stirling were professional but incredibly dull, while Phoenix was engaging but slightly confused.
Following the mock-shop, the teams presented their business plans to Lord Sugar and a group of industry experts who had visited the mock-shop. Similar story; Team Stirling were prepared and professional, delivering a great joint pitch.
Winners and losers
Throughout the task, Ricky and Tom worked incredibly well together understanding that their joint effort would win the task. They understood the market and could paint a compelling picture about where their product could fit in and how they would make money.
On the flip side, team Phoenix’s pitch was a flop. Jade presented with passion but nerves got the better of project manager, Adam, and the whole thing felt very disjointed. Although the team (Jade actually) had created some great products and delicious confectionery, there was confusion over the pricing strategy and how they fit in to the market.
The brief was “the team with the best idea and business plan will win” so no surprise that team Stirling walked away as winners with Ricky and Tom securing a place in the final. Team Phoenix had a better product and better branding but their research and business plan was basic at best and this lost them the task.
Adam, Jade and Nick fought it out in the boardroom. Jade performed well on the task. Her ideas were disjointed – but at least she had some! She also had energy and passion, something that the boys of team Phoenix lacked.
Nick, who I’ve thought a worthy candidate up until now, took too much of a back-seat. He didn’t step in when things were going wrong and I think this is because he didn’t care enough about the team winning. He saw that Adam was struggling, to say the least, and instead of working with him to turn it around, he let him sink, guessing that as project manager he would be fired. Not a good team player on this task.
But poor Adam, who’s approached every task with such enthusiasm even when it’s been “out of his comfort zone” really was out of his depth in this task. His leadership ability did not shine through and he lacked any clear strategy, thought process or authority. All in all a dismal performance.
So this week Adam was fired, narrowly escaping the final, which he seemed a little relieved about!
Apprentice Week 11 – Key Learning – Think strategically
So what can we learn from our Apprentice candidates this week?
- Be clear on the brief: Had the brief been about product, team Stirling would have won. They put the little energy they had in to the wrong thing.
- Work together as a team: Team Stirling considered each other rivals, whereas Ricky and Tom worked together towards a common goal – to win the task so neither of them got fired.
- Lastly, my key lesson this week is about sales style: In my profession, I observe different sales people working in different environments. What I’m observing is a new sales style emerging. To be a great sales person today it’s no longer just about relationships. No longer about who you know and how long you’ve known them. No more about what favours people owe you. The world of selling is getting more sophisticated. And this task demonstrated that perfectly. To be a great sales person in today’s world we need to develop analytical skills. We need to think strategically. We need to research and know our market. We need to be smarter. That’s what people buy. That’s what gives people confidence in these tough economical times. That’s what adds value to the customer.
I wait with bated breathe to see how the finalists perform on my favourite part of the selection process – THE INTERVIEWS! Until next time….
- Jess Stroud is lead consultant at talent management consultancy, The Chemistry Group.
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