For Week Three, Lord Sugar asks the candidates to meet him at London’s Cambridge Theatre—home to The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda the Musical.
Karren, Lord Sugar, Claude (L-R) standing on the set of Matilda The Musical at London Cambridge ... [+]
The Task
The teams are sent back to school, where Lord Sugar reveals that for this week’s task they will be creating a toy for 6-8-year olds along with an online video to promote their brand.
Toys will be made overnight and they will then pitch to some of the biggest names in the toy industry for orders.
As we all know, the women’s team often win when they are working together (I know, controversial), so this week Lord Sugar is mixing the teams up (to help the men)!
Key Skills
This task required a number of key skills that are essential in business, but below I have articulated the skill and its relevance in real life business scenarios :
1) Understanding Skill Sets
It is important when you are leading a team to take a moment to understand the skills within the team and use them accordingly. With reference to this episode, gender isn't a reason to choose someone, gender bias isn't unusual in business unfortunately but usually in the opposite direction. Choose the person that is most suited to the role so that they can use their skill set to enhance the team. This is a valuable part of recruitment too, if you are recruiting for your business you should be recruiting people with a variety of skills and they should be skills that compliment your own skill set or that bring skills to the team that you do not personally have. For example in business you either need to be a good sales person, willing to learn or hire the skill in!
In addition from an individual perspective it is important that you have a great level of awareness regarding your own skills. For example, if you arent much of a presenter, do not offer to present to a client.
2) Team Alignment
Make sure you are synced up and on the same page. That old adage there is no “I” in “TEAM” seems to stand out here. In business you may not be the “project manager” instead you are the founder/owner/ CEO or manager but either way you have to lead the team appropriately. It's important to lead from the front and push from behind—this isn’t always an easy managerial skill.
Marianne and Lubna (L-R) filming their online video.
There are two quotes that stand out for me regarding this.
On leading from the front, from author Robert Louis Stevenson: “Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.”
And from behind, from political leader Nelson Mandela: “A leader... is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.”
3) Customer Analysis
Do a customer analysis to ensure you understand who you target demographic is. It is extremely important that you understand what your customers are looking for and you are speaking to them at an appropriate level, if you are focusing on children—think: what age of child, what do they buy, where from and why.
This can be executed via focus groups, questionnaires and alike—but make sure it isn’t only friends and family in your focus group!
4) Accept Constructive Criticism
I am overwhelmingly a believer in being the most positive person in the room. That said, I am also a big believer in listening to feedback. Especially if that feedback is given by someone of value ie. one of the largest, most influential retailers in your industry or your target audience (in this case, children).
Remember to listen to that feedback if what you are providing is a prototype, then it is important to be open to change! This is why it is so important to take a concept to market with the expectation that tweaks and changes may need to be made before an order is placed. Ok, not drastic changes that change the whole profile or your product or service but tweaks to make the target market willing to part with hard earned cash!
5) Overcoming objections
If however, you have a product that requires tweaking and you are in the moment, in the pitch you need to think on your toes!
In this case, I would have said to the retailers that we would produce another product to enable customers to purchase more slime independently. So this means that they get the collectable with a small amount of slime, then if you want to buy larger amounts of slime they can. Problem solved, for now, and keeps them coming back!
The Reality
There are a few things to think about from this task in addition to the above, so here is a round of quick fire bullet points:
- Ask questions, before you start to provide the solutions, you need to seek out the problem first. You could have the best solution in the world but if I don't have the problem—I am not going to buy it.
- Communication; let the client finish speaking—a major lesson in communication—listen more than you talk!
- Don't get carried away in the design. Always think “What,” “Who” and “Why.” What am I selling, who am I selling it to and why would they want to buy it? (then .. how much for, how many etc).
- There is a strong difference between honesty, lying and omitting. Lottie needs to learn what to say and what not to say—oh, and when to speak.
Who Deserved to be fired?
Lubna, Marianne, Riyonn and Souleyman (L-R) filming their online video.
*Spoiler Alert* If you haven't watched this episode, stop reading now.
Quite frankly I'm puzzled about how the main culprit for the design of the toy, Thomas, didn't end up in the final board room.
Souleyman was fired, basically for being too negative. Now that may very well be the case, but it did seem to be edited quite in favour of picking out his negative moments. That said, no one wants a “Negativity Nancy/ Norman”' around who only contributes negativity and doesn't provide solutions.
Oh well, another one bites the dust. Who do you think should have been fired?
See you next week.
