The Apprentice

Donald Trump and his associates George Ross and Carolyn Kepcher are back to test a brand new crop of candidates on their business skills. This season 18 candidates will endure the scrutiny of George, Carolyn, and of course Mr. Trump, as they embark on a 16-week job interview. These candidates come from varying backgrounds, ranging from Ivy League graduates, to self-made entrepreneurs with no more than a high school education.

Each week two teams of candidates face off against each other in a series of various business oriented tasks. These tasks challenge the candidates to use innovative thinking, superior people skills, and good old-fashioned hard work to be successful. The team that wins enjoys a spectacular reward, but the losers go to the boardroom where Mr. Trump grills them on their mistakes. With input from George and Carolyn, Mr. Trump determines who did the worst job and utters those two infamous words "You're fired!"

The last candidate standing wins the title of "The Apprentice" and will be given a high-level job within The Trump Organization, with a starting salary exceeding six-figures.

Related Links: The Apprentice on SirLinksalot.net and The Apprentice Online Game

Lessons from The Apprentice: Season V - Episode One

This season's, The APPRENTICE, returns with 18 international candidates hailing from as far away as Russia and England.

The show’s first task was to divide the contestants into two teams:

TEAM SYNERGY - Allie (project manager), Sean, Tammy, Pepi, Andrea, Roxanne, Brent, Stacy, and Michael.

TEAM GOLD RUSH - Tarek (project manager), Dan, Bryce, Charmaine, Leslie, Theresa, Lee, Summer, and Lenny.

THE ASSIGNMENT: Each team gets a Goodyear blimp as a way to drive traffic to a local Sam’s Club. The team that sells the most Sam’s Club memberships wins the task.

THE WINNING TEAM: Synergy

FIRED CANDIDATE: Summer

LESSON LEARNED:

1) Do your homework

In sales, everyone knows how important it is to learn everything you can about people, such as your teammates and your competitors, so you know exactly what you are up against.

When Allie (30, Medical Sales Manager, Harvard M.B.A.) chose her team members, she commented, “I am not good with names…” She also mentioned she was pleased to be project manager, but admitted she would have liked a little more time to assess her team.

According to her bio, Allie is a top-notch business and sales professional. She should make an effort learn more about the other 17 candidates as the show progresses. She’d be better equipped to find the best candidates to work with and also what each one’s knowledge and skills are.

2) Put things in perspective

Even Donald Trump realizes when you look at all of the big events that happen in the world, doing business just doesn’t seem that important.

3) The age-old lesson of silence is golden

Summer (30, Restaurant Owner) was brought to the boardroom because she failed her task of calling restaurant owners to sell them Sam’s Club memberships. She didn’t get fired for that reason. So why did Donald fired her? It was because she kept interrupting him during his speech. So often we feel the need to justify ourselves or “to be truthful.” The fact is, the truth speaks for itself and sometimes words are unnecessary. Remember Summer’s hard learned lesson!

Trump's Lesson of the Week: “Change the team”
Trump says successful people know when to pull bad people off their teams. In the show, there’s no opportunity to change the team members once the teams are formed.As in real life, you may discover a complete misfit in your team’s dynamic, and wonder what you should do. The choices are: 1) work with what you’ve got or 2) find another assignment. Sometimes, it may not be such a bad decision to choose the latter.

Lessons from The Apprentice: Season V - Episode Two

The APPRENTICE returned in this episode with 17 candidates meeting Donald Trump, former Apprentice Bill Rancic, and Ivanka, Trump's daughter for their second task.

TEAM SYNERGY: Allie, Sean, Tammy, Pepi (project manager), Andrea, Roxanne, Brent, Stacy, and Michael.

TEAM GOLD RUSH: Tarek, Dan, Bryce, Charmaine, Leslie, Theresa, Lee (project manager), ~~Summer~~, and Lenny.

THE ASSIGNMENT: Teamed up with the Gillette Company to promote the "Gillette Fusion razor system" through a text-messaging marketing campaign. Whichever team got the most cell phone customers to text message a key word to Gillette, would win the task.

THE WINNING TEAM: Gold Rush

FIRED CANDIDATES: Stacy and Pepi

LESSON LEARNED:

1) The Early Bird catches the Worm

As much as Team Gold Rush spent an inordinate amount of time trying to come up with a keyword at the beginning of the race, they managed to defeat Team Synergy. Gold Rush generated a total 683 text messages compared to Synergy’s 458 text messages. Gold Rush won the task by almost a 50% margin. Their strategy – Early Bird. Gold Rush got up early in the morning and arrived at Time Square before any one from Synergy showed up for the task. Who would have known the old proverb still worked?

2) Location! Location! Location!

Most retail businesses require good accessibility and visibility. For example, a donut shop should be located on the "going-to-work" side of the street. On the other hand, a liquor store should be on the side of the street with traffic going home from work. The selection of your location will have an overwhelming impact on your chances for success. In this case, Gold Rush selected a great location where they were able to catch people standing in line for tickets. What would those poor folks do other than participating in this endeavor?

3) Leaders learn to take charge!

Being a leader is tough. But the job gets tougher when there is a difficult person (or two) on the team. It gets worse when the situation is unchangeable by any means (at least during your reign). What can you do? Well, there is no easy answer. One thing for sure, all eyes were on the project manager, Pepi, when Brent was firing his ideas during the brainstorming session. Everyone wanted Pepi to handle the out-of-control Brent by sending him back to their room. At that particularly moment, Pepi seemed to be disoriented by the confusion. Some members even commented that they lost respect for his leadership ability. Perhaps Pepi should read the book called “201 ways to handle difficult people” by by Alan Axelrod, James Holtje

4) Know your brand image

Companies spend millions of dollars to create their unique brand images. When Team Synergy decided to wear bathrobes to attract and promote their keyword, it did not appeal the panel. Remember who you are trying to impress.

5) Why be a pain?

Trump's Lesson of the Week: “People are strange”

Trump says life if full of different people. Sometimes you’ll see a person, they’re dressed beautifully, they look great, they’re sharp, they speak well, everything’s perfect but they’re losers. Then you’ll see somebody that doesn’t look as good, they don’t have the right clothing, they don’t have the right face, they don’t have anything right, but they turn out to be winners. Time shows that they turned out to be winners. You never can judge a book by it’s cover.

Lessons from The Apprentice: Season V - Episode Three

13 Apprentices' applicants (Dan and Lee excused themselves to observe the Jewish New Year) met Trump on the 87th floor of Trump World Tower. With Carolyn and Bill next to him, Trump stated George was observing the same holiday, so Bill stepped in to take his place.

TEAM SYNERGY: Allie, Sean, Tammy, ~~Pepi~~, Andrea (project manager), Roxanne, Brent, ~~Stacy~~ and Michael.

TEAM GOLD RUSH: Tarek, Dan (absent), Bryce, Charmaine, Leslie, Theresa (project manager), Lee (absent), ~~Summer~~ and Lenny.

THE ASSIGNMENT: This week the candidates had to organize corporate retreats for car dealers and promote the 2007 Chevy Tahoe. The teams' performances were evaluated by the attendees on three criteria: interactivity, informational value, and motivational value. The reward was a day at Atlantis Marine World in Long Island to swim with more than a dozen 12-foot sharks.

THE WINNING TEAM: Synergy

FIRED CANDIDATE: Theresa

LESSON LEARNED:

1) Life is not fair. Never expect it to be.
When Brent came back from the boardroom, Andrea rushed off to the bathroom in tears and refused to come out when another teammate Roxanne knocked on the door. Andrea professed that part of her just wanted to go home because Brent didn’t get fired. Fairness apparently is an important issue for Andrea, but business is not fair. Life is not fair.
In Lenny’s case, he felt it was not fair for Dan and Lee to excuse themselves from performing the task because they wanted to observe Jewish New Year. Lenny, also a Jewish, believed Dan and Lee should stay on the team regardless of their religious beliefs. Later, when he brought this subject up in front of Trump, he was told by Trump, "Life is not fair."

"It’s nothing personal. It’s only business." A familiar motto and many abide by it. How many times do we forget we need to leave personal feelings out of business dealings?

2) Never lose sight of the real goal
Theresa’s (project manager of Gold Rush) ideas for winning the task was to throw an event that included a putt golf course, horse and buggy rides, a comedian, spokes- models and an open bar. The only thing she overlooked was the main reason why the event was taking place. It was about selling the new Chevy Tahoes! The result was a "lack of product knowledge." Gold Rush loss.

3) Strategy on dealing with difficult people
Trump said, "If you cannot handle Brent, then you cannot handle my business." Andrea volunteered to be the project manager, so she could show she had the ability to manage Brent. What did she do? She assigned "busy work" to Brent. Andrea wanted to ensure that Brent wouldn't be disruptive. Even if he failed, it wouldn't hurt the group's efforts. Great idea. You bet!

Trump's Lesson of the Week: “Plan B”

Trump says people should always be flexible and have a Plan B. Andrea demonstrated her flexibility with her quick thinking. Andrea and her team set up a rock wall, fly fishing, and a skeet shooting area. When they were informed the park did not allowed skeet shooting, Andrea then decided to replace the sport to golf cart racing. Judged by the laughter from the participants, the race was a success.

Lessons from The Apprentice: Season V - Episode Four

With 14 remaining applicants, both teams met Trump, Ivanka and George for this new challenge. Donald Trump stated U.S. consumers spend $6 billion on cereal products. The contestants were then joined by two executives from Post cereals, Daryl Brewster and Sarita Nayyar, who explained this week’s contest. Each team was to create a billboard for Post’s new cereal, Grape Nuts Trail Mix.

TEAM SYNERGY: Allie, Sean, Tammy (project manager), ~~Pepi~~, Andrea, Roxanne, Brent, ~~Stacy~~ and Michael.

TEAM GOLD RUSH: Tarek, Dan, Bryce, Charmaine (project manager), Leslie, ~~Theresa~~, Lee, ~~Summer~~ and Lenny.

THE ASSIGNMENT: to design billboards (20'x15' size) launching the new face of Post Grape Nuts Trail Mix Crunch Cereal. The winning team would be determined by Post executives who judge the teams based on originality, brand image and overall campaigns.

THE WINNING TEAM: Gold Rush

FIRED CANDIDATE: Brent

LESSON LEARNED:

1) Don’t let a poor execution ruin a great idea!

“An idea can be as flawless as can be, but its execution will always be full of mistakes.” - Brent Scowcroft Unlike like a blueprint, an idea is elusive and it is subjected to the interpretations of many. The experience of developing an idea into a successful reality can be as dissatisfying and frustrating as a bowl of soggy cereal.

Allie, from Synergy, came up with the idea, “The next generation of Post Grape Nuts.” It was inspired by her childhood memory of her father eating Grape Nuts cereal. The concept centered on the image of Grape Nuts being passed from one generation to the next, from father to daughter, and was greatly received by her team. They decided to show a fatherly figure passing a bowl of cereal to his daughter to illustrate Trail Mix Crunch is a new cereal for a new generation.

Compared to Gold Rush’s “It’s that good”, Synergy’s idea was clearly better. So why did Synergy lose this task? The reason - poor execution. Only the idea was better, not the reality. The multigenerational theme was distorted by a lack of age difference between the father and the daughter models. Donald Trump expressed that he felt the young woman looked like the older guy’s girlfriend, not his daughter. The father-daughter presentation did not seem believable. Which brings us to the next lesson…

2) Less is more

There is a marketing term called “drive-by marketing”, and the basis of this campaign is to keep the message bold and simple—bold enough to grab the attention of passing motorists, and simple enough for them to grasp it on the fly.

The clever message of Synergy’s The Next Generation of Post Grape Nuts” was cluttered with too many words and graphics. The tag line: “Grape Nuts Trail Mix, The Next Generation” was too long to grasp from a billboard. Finally, the tag line, “A cereal for everybody,” overpowered the Post logo. The Post executives commented Synergy’s campaign was “too complex … hard to know where to look, what to take away” from the billboard. “If you’re in a traffic jam, you’re never going to be able to read it.”

3) Cool under fire

When a group of “over-achievers” get together and everyone is determined to outdo each other, chaos is inevitable. Gold Rush’s project manager, Charmaine, took the lead as she managed to unite the team, despite adversity and diversity. “She solicited her team’s ideas without allowing them to go off on tangents and kept them focused on an important task—a simple but effective marketing message. Once an acceptable message was agreed upon, she never allowed her team to second guess themselves (even when Bryce began to doubt his own idea) and allowed nothing to distract the group from executing it effectively. Cool, calm, and collected, Charmaine showed the steady hand and quiet courage of a born leader.” (Blackenterprise.com).

So remember to stay cool.

Trump's Lesson of the Week: “Keep It Simple, Stupid”

Smart people tend to make things complicated. Trump suggested keeping things simple.

Lessons from The Apprentice: Season V - Episode Five

This week, Trump met the 13 remaining candidates. Along side Trump were Carolyn, Bill and two executives from Norwegian Cruise Line, on board the Norwegian Jewel.

TEAM SYNERGY: Allie, Sean, Tammy ~~Pepi~~, Andrea, Roxanne (project manager), ~~Brent~~, ~~Stacy~~ and Michael.

TEAM GOLD RUSH: Tarek, Dan (project manager), Bryce, Charmaine, Leslie, ~~Theresa~~, Lee, ~~Summer~~ and Lenny.

THE ASSIGNMENT: Trump explained the cruise line industry is a ten billion a year business. This time both teams were to make a thirty second commercial for Norwegian Cruise Line. The aim was to promote its, Freestyle Cruising Option, that allows schedule-less access to food and entertainment services. Two executives from Norwegian Cruise Line would judge the results. The "most original" concept would win the task.

THE WINNING TEAM: Synergy

FIRED CANDIDATE: Dan

LESSON LEARNED:

1) Handling confrontation

In the Boardroom last week, Roxanne praised Tammy as a better Project Manager than Andrea. Andrea immediately confronted Roxanne about her comment. Instead of being intimidated by Andrea, Roxanne calmly stated that she didn’t say Andrea was bad, just that Tammy was better. In addition, Donald Trum asked Roxanne who was a better project manager, so she gave her direct opinion. Good job in handling that situation, Roxanne.

Later, Roxanne felt Andrea and Tammy didn’t give her the support which she had given them when they were the project manager. Again, she was matter-of-fact, and no major dispute erupted.

Rudeness will not earn you respect, but steadfast vigor will.

2) The greater the risk, the greater the reward

Synergy employed Norwegian Cruise Line's theme of 'freestyle cruising' in their commercial. They decided to contrast a traditionally scheduled cruise with Norwegian’s freestyle idea. Synergy got their reward when they won the challenge. Each team member took home a diamond.

3) People will challenge your leadership

Roxanne was the project manager for Synergy, and her teammates immediately jumped in and assessed her for her leadership ability. Some commented Roxanne was a little more lax in her leadership style, seemed unorganized, unable to delegate tasks, etc.

When you are new to a leadership role, you will most likely encounter a similar situation where your subordinates question your ability and authority. The best way to handle this is to focus on your goal and maintain your vision. By leading your team down the path of success, you will eliminate any reservations.

4) Teamwork! Teamwork! Can we all work together?

It’s hard to believe anyone would complain about doing nothing, but people do. When a group of type-A personalities becomes committed to a project, and its success means lucrative employment, all logic goes out of the window. Gold Rush’s project manager, Dan, failed to involve his teammates in the task, so many complained about being under-utilized. To quiet the voices of the unsettled benchwarmers, you need a plan. Even a simple approach of informing the team how the current task doesn’t require everyone’s involvement, could set everyone’s mind at ease. Remember, people like to be included; try keeping everyone in the loop. The added bonus is that you will work less. That is working smart.

5) Don’t bicker like a group of ten-year-olds in front of your potential boss

Not to mention a television camera! When Gold Rush was brought into the boardroom, a shouting match between Leslie, Lee, and Lenny against Dan and Tarek broke out in front of everyone. Basically, everyone was pointing fingers. The yelling got so loud, you could barely hear what they were saying, ultimately prompted Carolyn to say they were "acting like 10-year-olds." Foolish? Absolutely!

Trump's Lesson of the Week: “Listen to the People”

No matter how tough or smart you are, you need to have the ability to listen to the people who work for you. There are many great ideas that can come from the subordinates, if you give them a change to share them. Trump advises you hire smart people and then listen to what they say.

Lessons from The Apprentice: Season V - Episode Six

The teams returned to the lobby of Trump Towers for the next challenge. Everyone met up with Donald, Carolyn, Bill and two Arby’s executives. When the teams gathered for instructions, Donald Trump pointed to a window where various items with his eponym were displayed. He talked about how important it was to build a brand.

TEAM SYNERGY: Allie, Sean (project manager), Tammy ~~Pepi~~, Andrea, Roxanne, ~~Brent~~, ~~Stacy~~ and Michael.

TEAM GOLD RUSH: Tarek, ~~Dan~~, Bryce (project manager), Charmaine, Leslie, ~~Theresa~~, Lee, ~~Summer~~ and Lenny.

THE ASSIGNMENT: The week's task was about branding. Each team must create a 30-second music jingle for Arby's new, all-natural chicken line. Two Arby's executives would judge their work while Bill Rancic and Carolyn would act as Trump's eyes and ears. Both teams assembled to perform their jingles live for an audience of Arby's customers.

THE WINNING TEAM: Synergy

FIRED CANDIDATE: Bryce

LESSON LEARNED:

1) The deadly sin of being tardy

Gold Rush made an appointment to meet with the Arby's executives, but they showed up almost a half hour late. When the executives asked Bryce why they were delayed, Bryce ignored the question. When asked again, Bryce claimed they’re not familiar with the city, and didn’t realize how long it would take to get there. Also, he wasn’t aware what time they were supposed to be there. Arby’ CEO directly said to Bryce that ordinarily, he and Debbie would not have waited 25 minutes for them to show up. For sure, they missed the mark to win this task.

Fatal error to show up late for your appointment.

2) Deliver what people asked! It’s that simple.

As project manager for Synergy this week, Sean’s first step was to bring his team to meet with the Arby’s executives to find out what kind of jingle they had in mind. The Arby’s execs explained that they wanted a jingle that trumpeted the fact that their new chicken sandwiches are all-natural. Tammy asks the Arby executives a critical question, "…what is one thing they want to convey to their customers?" The response is that none of their competitors have a whole line of natural chicken products. The Arby’s executives picked Synergy’s jingle as the winner because it stressed the naturalness of their product.

Synergy’s jingle
When I’m thinking Arby’s, I’m thinking Chicken Naturals.
When I’m thinking tasty, I’m thinking Chicken Naturals.
Wholesome natural chickens here, you won’t find it anywhere.
A salad, sandwich or a wrap, chicken for that hunger attack.
When I’m thinking Chicken Naturals, I’m thinking Arby’s.

Though Gold Rush's jingle did a great job of describing the product and the menu, they didn't specifically say that Arby's is the only place to get the natural chicken.

Listen to Synergy and Gold Rush's Jingles: http://apprentice.tv.yahoo.com/trump/05/index.html

3) Pride can hurt (and destroy) you!

After Gold Rush lost the task, the team assemble in the boardroom. Bryce argued and attempted to talk over Trump. At one point, Bryce arrogantly said, "yeah, that’s exactly what I said," then proceeds to interrupt Trump several times. Trump fired Bryce. Even after Bryce entered into the cab, he said with much mockery and self-importance, "I’m not afraid of Mr. Trump, Carolyn or Bill. They mean nothing to me! Nothing, I tell you! The best candidate for The Trumpster is sitting in this cab with me."

Best candidate or not, he lost the job.

Trump's Lesson of the Week: “Command Respect”

a leader commands respect of his people. You need to have the respect from your employees. It’s over if you don’t have the respect of your people. Go out and get a job.

Lessons from The Apprentice: Season V - Episode Seven

In this episode, the candidates gathered on the 59th floor of the Trump building on 40 Wall Street. With Carolyn and Bill next to Trump, he informed everyone that he purchased the building for $1 million and that it is now worth "hundreds of millions of dollars." Then, Trump introduced two executives from Ace Hardware, Paula and Rich, along with Glenn, an executive from Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

TEAM SYNERGY: Allie, Sean, Tammy, ~~Pepi~~, Andrea, Roxanne, ~~Brent~~, ~~Stacy~~ and Michael (project manager).

TEAM GOLD RUSH: Tarek, ~~Dan~~, ~~Bryce~~, Charmaine, Leslie, ~~Theresa~~, Lee, ~~Summer~~ and Lenny (project manager).

THE ASSIGNMENT: Ace Hardware partners with Boys and Girls Club of America in the New Faces for Helpful Places program. For this task, teams will be responsible for renovating an area for one of the clubs. Their work will be judged on creativity, functionality, and the three executives will choose the ultimate winner.

THE WINNING TEAM: Synergy

FIRED CANDIDATE: Lenny

LESSON LEARNED:

1) Always do your homework

Gold Rush got off to a terrible start by not adequately preparing for the initial strategy session with the Ace Hardware executives. The executives arrived to discuss the project with Gold Rush, but nobody seemed to know what to say. Charmaine tried to step up, but she said the wrong name of the charity program. To make matters worse, Lenny commented Ace was a small shop and the executives sternly disputed his statement. Lenny then tried to recover by saying he meant Ace was a neighborhood shop. The entire meeting lasted less than ten minutes and most of it was awkward silence.

Unlike Gold Rush, the Project Manager of Synergy, Michael, grilled Ace executives with question after question. He asked about the charity and about how important it was to include the Ace brand. As a result, Synergy delivered what the Ace Hardware people wanted to see in the finished room. In the end, Synergy won the task.

2) Dictator vs. Crowd-pleaser

Two distinctive personalities unfolded as two candidates took up the project managers’ roles and responsibilities. Lenny was Gold Rush’s Project Manager for this task and Michael stepped up as the project manager for Synergy. During the initial brainstorming session, Lenny quickly settled on the theme of music for the room of Boys and Girls Club, despite objections from his teammates. Charmaine suggested perhaps they should get some guidance from the Ace execs, but her idea was ignored.

On the other hand, Michael could not stop asking questions when the team met with Ace executives. The meeting lasted 45 minutes. Afterward, he spent hours going over ideas while his team was anxious about getting started with their work. Michael demonstrated his lack of decision-making ability when he struggled to make even the simplest decision. He was so perplexed by choosing paint colors, he even picked up a phone to call his teammates to figure out which color to buy at Ace Hardware.

Needless to say, both project managers failed to win the hearts of their teammates.

3) No matter what happens, BE PRESENT

When Bill Rancic showed up to check Gold Rush’s progress, Lenny was missing from the construction site. Only three members of Gold Rush were working furiously to get the room finished in time. When Bill Rancic asked, "Where's Lenny?" the others indicated they did not know. As it turns out, he and Lee left to purchase the musical instruments and other electrical equipment. This incident, of course, left a very negative impression with Bill. Later in the boardroom, Charmaine kept hammering Lenny for his lack of participation in renovating the room.

A good leader never abandons his/her team in crisis. Even when circumstances require a leader’s special attention, remember the lesson, it’s MORE important that you are within everyone's sight, so people know you are charting the course and leading them to victory.

4) Don’t be a whiner!

During this episode, Charmine consistently talked about the project’s issues and problems. Her teammate, Tarek, commented, “She constantly has diarrhea of the mouth." Again and again, people discarded her opinion. For example, Charmaine said they should hire professional painters in order to get all of the painting done in time. Lenny noted if she would spend less time talking, they would be further along with the painting. Afterward, Tarek stated that listening to Charmaine talk is hearing nails on a chalkboard. Next, Charmaine claimed the red paint being used would require two coats; Lenny acted like nothing she said could possibly interest him. Even when Charmaine was right about the paint, her words fell into deaf ears.

Yes, it’s important to voice your concern. BUT, be careful what you said doesn’t come across as complaints or grumbles.

Trump's Lesson of the Week: "Be Decisive"

Trump says that if you can’t come up with a decision in a timely manner, you won’t look like a leader. However, you should not be so quick that you might make a mistake.

Lessons from The Apprentice: Season V - Episode Eight

The remaining ten candidates convened at the fountain at Cherry Hill in Central Park to meet Trump. Trump arrived alone in a DeLorean. He stated that Gold Rush was a disaster for their third straight loss, and then asked for a volunteer from Synergy to join Gold Rush. Michael volunteered to switch teams.

TEAM SYNERGY: Allie, Sean, Tammy, ~~Pepi~~, Andrea (project manager), Roxanne, ~~Brent~~, and ~~Stacy~~
TEAM GOLD RUSH: Michael (previous from Synergy), Tarek, ~~Dan~~, ~~Bryce~~, Charmaine, Leslie (project manager), ~~Theresa~~, Lee, ~~Summer~~ and ~~Lenny~~

THE ASSIGNMENT: This task was to help the convenience store, 7-11, launch a new sandwich called, the P'EatZZa. The goal was to develop a promotional giveaway centered around 7-Eleven’s Andretti Green race car. P'EatZZa is a new sandwich that is made with two slices of pizza. The winner of the task would be whichever team generatged the largest increase in sales at the store they were assigned on the day of the event.

THE WINNING TEAM: Synergy

FIRED CANDIDATE: Leslie

LESSON LEARNED:

1) The facade of a control freak

When the team, Synergy, gathered to brainstorm ideas for promoting P'EatZZa, various people suggested cups, drink holders, hats, keychains, etc. as a promotional gift. Andrea adamantly decided on hats even though the rest of the team felt cups were the better giveaway. She told them, “I’m letting you know right now, it’s hats.” Later, Carolyn commented, "If someone approached me on the street and said, 'Go inside and try this pizza sandwich, and I'm going to give you a hat.' Trust me, I'd keep walking."

In an interview, Andrea confessed she’d like to be PM every week and she’s happiest when she is in control of everything. Andrea claimed that people have accused her of being a total control freak. But the reason she has a nice life is because she’s a control freak.

Don’t confuse being in control as being controlling.

2) Know your target market

At Gold Rush, Leslie, a 28-year-old Houma, LA realtor who was the only remaining contestant who had not yet served as a project manager, took up the responsibility of project leader. Without a familiar knowledge of the store location, a lower Manhattan location near New York University, she made a fatal error of marking the sandwich price higher than the market can bear.

Like Carolyn said, "This was a 7-11." Despite the quality of the sandwich, 7-Eleven stores are known for less pricey items.

Which leads to the next lesson…

3) Listen to people

In the fifth episode of The Apprentice, Trump described “Listen to people” as an important leadership quality. Surprisingly, Leslie failed to listen to Lee when he suggested $6.99 for the price of P'EatZZa instead of $7.99. Lee told Leslie a 7-Eleven store manager suggested a lower price, Leslie ignored his pitch.

For a second time, Lee informed his team that he overheard two of the store managers saying the price is too high for the sandwich. Leslie refused to take action to lower the price.

George noted that it doesn’t take a great deal of expertise to sell a sandwich. By talking to the store employees, It would be very easy to find out the average price of a sandwich at 7-Eleven is $2.99 to $4.99.

In the end, Gold Rush lost the task by nearly 400% (Gold Rush increased the store sales by 608% verses Synergy increasing sales by 997%).

Trump's Lesson of the Week: "Know Your Customer"

Trump’s father, was also a builder. He studied buildings and those who worked in them, then would design buildings based on what people needed and wanted. Trump says know your customer, and it will lead to a the “road” to success.

Lessons from The Apprentice: Season V - Episode Nine

For week nine’s task, the remaining nine candidates met with Donald Trump and an Ameriquest executive to learn about their next task. Also joining them were two "true apprentii" Ivanka and Donald Jr. They stepped in as the project overseers instead of George Ross and Carolyn Kepcher.

TEAM SYNERGY: Allie (project manager), Sean, Tammy, ~~Pepi~~, Andrea, Roxanne, ~~Brent~~, and ~~Stacy~~
TEAM GOLD RUSH: Michael (previous from Synergy), Tarek, ~~Dan~~, ~~Bryce~~, Charmaine, ~~Leslie~~, ~~Theresa~~, Lee (project manager), ~~Summer~~ and ~~Lenny~~

THE ASSIGNMENT: This week's task was to create a limited edition Ellis Island souvenir tourist program sponsored by Ameriquest. The teams would take Circle Line boats to Ellis Island, shot photos, then created a souvenir program for the national park. The team that made the most money selling its program to tourists visiting the island in the next day would win. All proceeds would benefit the Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation.

THE WINNING TEAM: Gold Rush

FIRED CANDIDATE: Andrea

LESSON LEARNED:

1) Selling strategy - Don't be afriad to go after the big order

Lee, Gold Rush’s Project Manager, understood winning this task was about sales volume. He recognized the best way to achieve it was through large bulk sales. Lee assigned other non-mission critical jobs to his teammates. He and Charmaine, an inside-sales expert, worked to generate leads and cold called the local hotels and businesses.

One of Charmaine's sales calls paid off. The next day, a representative from Coldwell Banker agreed to pay $85 for 100 brochures. Total tally of sales for Gold Rush was $1,548.68. While their opponent, Synergy raised $843.40. Lee managed to turn the table after four straight losses.

Note: Ameriquest donated $10,000 in addition to the money raised by Synergy and Gold Rush, because they were impressed by the work of both teams.

2) Pricing, Positioning, Timing and Selling

Lee identified positioning, timing and selling were the main ingredients for success. The presentation of the brochure was only secondary.

On the day of the promotion, Lee roused his team from bed around 5 a.m. and hustled them to the ferry terminal at Battery Park so they could secure the best selling spot and sell their programs to the captive audience (90% of tourists waiting there to ride to Ellis Island.) Synergy showed up later, but there was no more opportunity. Gold Rush dominated the prime location and Synergy had to find an alternate site. Allie decided to go to Ellis Island, but most of those people already purchased a booklet from Gold Rush prior to boarding the ferry.

Well, the result spoke for itself.

3) Don’t over sell yourself - lesson of over promise and under deliver

Andrea from Synergy boasted about her graphic design background that she was a “graphics specialist”. While Allie (Synergy’s Project Manager) and Tammy were stuck on Ellis Island, Andrea took charge with their graphic designer to create their brochure. When Allie witnessed what Andrea had created, she thought the design was less than acceptable. Upon hearing the criticism, Andrea got up and abandoned her design role, left Allie to rework the design in the minutes leading up to the printing deadline.

When it came to selling, Andrea’s teammates remarked her – never good at sales and never will, weak in sales, she doesn’t know how to sell or how to smooch customers, etc. All and all, majority of Andrea’s teammates thought she was a terrible salesperson, a difficult team member, and a horrible designer. Andrea was blamed for the team’s loss, because she didn't deliver what she promised.

4) A good leader can lead people; a great leader can also be led.

Trump commented a good leader knows how to lead, but a great leader knows how to follow, at least to certain extent. Andrea is someone who can't be lead. Andrea's teammates criticized she was not a team player and was a disruptive influence on the team itself. Tammy said Andrea questions every decision, creates stress, is disruptive and fails to inspire others. Trump without even calling for Allie to select someone to accompany her to a final boardroom session, decided to fire Andrea.

Trump's Lesson of the Week: "All in the Family"

Trump pointed out family and business are both priorities. If you love your family, love it! If you love your business, love it! But you can love your family and your business, and have a great family and a great business. There is room for other things. Find room to have it all!

Lessons from The Apprentice: Season V - Episode Ten

The remaining eight contestants met with Donald Trump outside of the boardroom. Those who accompanied Trump were Dennis Ratner, CEO/Founder/Hair Stylist of Hair Cuttery, Carolyn Kepcher and Bill Rancic. Dennis has been a hair stylist for 32 years and he has 1000 salons on the East Coast, and in the United Kingdom. Trump commented the hair business is a $150 billion dollar industry.

TEAM SYNERGY: Allie, Sean, Tammy (project manager), ~~Pepi~~, ~~Andrea~~, Roxanne, ~~Brent~~, and ~~Stacy~~
TEAM GOLD RUSH: Michael (previous from Synergy), Tarek, ~~Dan~~, ~~Bryce~~, Charmaine (project manager), ~~Leslie~~, ~~Theresa~~, Lee, ~~Summer~~ and ~~Lenny~~

THE ASSIGNMENT: Each team was to throw a grand opening event at one of the brand new Hair Cuttery salons. The team made the most money would be this task's winner.

THE WINNING TEAM: Synergy

FIRED CANDIDATE: Charmaine and Tarek

LESSON LEARNED:

1) Don't let numbers intimidate you

Charmaine volunteered to be the project manager for this task. She thought her three male counterparts wouldn’t know hair salon business as well as her. During the brainstorming session, Tarek pressed Charmaine to come up with a theme for their grand opening. As much as she didn’t believe it was needed, she retracted and expressed she just wanted everyone on the team to be happy.

The dialogue between Charmaine and Tarek went as follow:

Tarak: Are you not comfortable to having a theme?
Charmine: We can be on different sides all day. I am not leading by consensus. But if you feel so strongly about wanting a theme, then I am leading consensus. It’s three against one.
It was clear that Charmaine felt she had to yield to her male teammates because she was the only female on the team. Yes, numbers can be a scary thing, but a real leader knows how to turn the figure into an advantage instead of a disadvantage.

2) Know your priorities

To tackle this task, Charmaine decided getting the salon ready for the customers' arrival was a top priority. She focused on unpacking salon products and stocking display shelves. She insisted the products must be organized in a certain manner, so many precious hours were spent and all the resource was tied up for this menial task.

Lee and Tarek became frustrated that Charmaine was more concerned about stocking shelves than marketing the salon to prospective customers. The morning of the grand opening, Tarek and Lee went around placing flyers on the windshields of parked cars in the nearby area, while Charmaine and Michael remained in the store to recruit customers. Meanwhile, Synergy took on a different strategy. While Roxanne and Allie worked on getting the salon ready, Sean and Tammy spent the entire day handing out flyers and special discount promoting the grand opening to prospective customers.

The final result – Synergy trounced the competition, delivering $1,005.47 in sales-- including $343 in hair products-- versus sales of just $700 for Gold Rush. Synergy won.

3) Don’t lose the sight of your goal

While everyone on Synergy’s side was busying marketing the salon and selling hair products on the day of the grand opening, Charmaine, Project Manager of Gold Rush, decided to fill the empty salon by getting her own hair done. When Bill Rancic, Trump’s observer, came t

o inspect the progress, he was greeted by an unproductive and mismanaged sight.

Later in the boardroom, Charmaine explained she wanted to experience the hair process so she could be a better salesperson. Perhaps her intention was good, but she missed reaching the most important goal – winning.

4) A good leader can lead people; a great leader can also be led.

Trump commented a good leader knows how to lead, but a great leader knows how to follow, at least to certain extent. Previously, Andrea was fired for lack of ability to work with others. Tarek's condescending attitude led him to his demise as well. Trump fired Tarek as soon as he fired Charmaine.

Trump's Lesson of the Week: "Watch Your Back"

Trump viewed everybody as wanting his job. Everybody is ultimately his competition. He said "...when you go through period where people come at you. Go after them. Fight them hard and win. I wouldn’t say it is a great way to live a life. But you have the advantage having that top spot. Don’t let anyone take that top spot from you. Stay focus!"