This week’s episode officially marked the halfway point in Lord Sugar’s search for his next business partner. Yet another week has passed by without any candidate demonstrating why they deserve his £250,000 investment.
James decided that this was his chance to try and shake off his class clown reputation by leading Team Summit, while the unassuming Pamela took on the responsibility of being project manager for Team Tenacity.
Let me start by saying that this was by no means a difficult challenge: it was one where success would depend on understanding the market and listening to your customers. Board games are not exactly a new phenomenon and it’s common knowledge that they are popular with both children and adults.
Luckily for James, his team immediately grasped this and went on to create an engaging educational product that was well-received by pupils during market research. Pamela on the other hand, committed the cardinal sin of disregarding the feedback her team received after showing their dating quiz to a group of gaming enthusiasts.
Experience has taught me that the first thing to consider when launching a new product or service is the customer need. It is important to walk in your customer’s shoes to understand what value and benefit they receive from your product.
Listening to your audience is a fundamental part of marketing and one which can be the difference between a successful organisation and an expensive failure. Unfortunately for Pamela she fell right into that trap. She failed to realise that she was marketing the wrong product to the wrong market.
Business in the real world is extremely different to this television portrayal. While entrepreneurs are naturally inclined to churn out innovative ideas, they also appreciate the importance of building a strong team around them.
In my line of work, if I fail to listen to the advice of my colleagues or customers, projects will, more often than not, go on to fail. Ten years since the show began, we are still witnessing a catalogue of basic errors that could have been eradicated had they just listened.
Kate O’Brien is marketing director of telecoms and IT services provider, Daisy Group plc, working for former Apprentice judge, Matthew Riley. She is also a business mentor and advocate for small business growth in the North West.
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