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Outer Space and Inner Turmoil
Needing to shake up the troubled Capital
Edge,
Carolyn called the corporations to the
boardroom and
shuffled the deck.
Alla, Capital Edge's new project manager, was instructed to dump three
players to Excel. She cut loose
Jennifer M.,
Rebecca, and
Marshawn.
Josh, leading Excel, discarded
Clay,
Adam, and
Markus. With the reorganization complete, Carolyn set the corporations
to the task of creating an interactive sales event for Dick's Sporting
Goods.
Despite knowing very little about golf, Capital Edge thought it was the
hottest sport going and took a swing at increasing golf sales for their
event. Excel played to their strength-James'
knowledge of baseball--and built a diamond on the sales floor. When they
added a batting cage, it hogged the space, but managed to attract a crowd.
Unfortunately, it
didn't result in many sales and Capital Edge won the task in a lopsided
fashion.
Capital Edge jetted off to Montauk for a relaxing fishing cruise and a
luxurious dinner. Excel slumped into the boardroom to face an angry
Trump. Incredulous that their event had actually decreased sales, Trump
slammed Excel for the
worst defeat in boardroom history. He noted that
Mark and James had fun with the kids but didn't sell a thing, while
supposed sales queen Jennifer M. didn't do much better. Worst of all, Trump
called Josh a "very ineffective leader." Shocking the embattled
corporation, he fired all four of them, sending the bulk of Excel into
unexpected exile.
Early to Rise, Big Surprise
After the corporations had gotten over the shock of Zathura-mispronouncing
Jennifer M. making it back safely to the suite, they were told to
pick project managers first thing in the morning and report to the
boardroom. "When you get a call to pick your PM in advance you know
something funky's about to happen," said
Josh. But not fearing the funk, he stepped up to lead Excel.
Alla did the same for Capital Edge.
In the boardroom,
Carolyn asked Alla to jettison the three weakest members of Capital Edge
to Excel. She chose Jennifer M.,
Rebecca, and
Marshawn. Josh returned the disfavor by ejecting those he saw as Excel's
weak links:
Clay,
Adam, and
Markus. Carolyn then assigned the shuffled corporations their
task: To create an interactive sales event for Dick's Sporting Goods
based on a single sports category, then sell the most goods within that
category. Alla and Josh also faced a second task: the challenge of
integrating new members into their corporations.
From Major League to Bush League
Though not exactly a sporty bunch, Capital Edge knew that golf was a hot,
upscale pastime.
Alla's overall sales concept emphasized fashion, function and family
fun. To that end, Capital Edge built a mini golf course that would lure kids
and keep parents nearby to be hit up for sales of clubs, accessories and
attire. Alla clashed with
Clay early on in the task when his
negativity was in full bloom, but she grudgingly granted him kudos
later: "I have to give him credit, Clay performed well in sales. Maybe
this is one of the very, very few of Clay's talents."
Meanwhile, Excel was supremely confident.
James, the ballplayer who had bonded with the New York Mets two weeks
earlier, felt in the zone and suggested a baseball theme with a batting cage
demo. The concept was swiftly approved. According to
Josh's plan, each corner of their mini baseball diamond would be a sales
station. The batting cage, however, gobbled up most of the space. The kids
loved the event and their parents gathered around, but
not many products were sold.
Bill Rancic, observing for
Mr. Trump, noted ominously that, "It's not about batting practice,
it's about converting customers to sales."
Clear Sailing and Huge Sales
Trump, away on business, listened in on the results via cell phone from
the lush greenery of Trump National Golf course in Los Angeles. Despite
their supposed sports expertise, Excel took their collective eye off the
ball. Capital Edge increased sales 74 percent with their event, but Excel
wound up driving sales down by 34 percent. "It was a huge ass-kicking of
exponential proportions," said
James, speaking for a dejected Excel.
Triumphant Capital Edge boarded a private jet and soared off to Montauk for
a day of sport fishing and an evening of fine dining on the beach.
Felisha was thrilled that Capital Edge finally pulled out of their
tailspin: "We rocked and rolled, we steamrolled over the other team."
After catching a fish and soaking up the warmth of a beautiful bonfire on
the beach,
Adam beamed, "We were definitely living it up, Trump-style."
Boardroom Bloodbath: Excel Expelled
Even though he was dressed in a tux for dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art,
Trump was in anything but a festive mood.
"This is the worst defeat we've ever had," he said. "No team has ever
lost by as much as you." While acknowledging that Excel drew a big
crowd, Trump noted that they failed to translate that attention into sales:
"You created something that should have been a winner and made it a
loser."
Bill and
Carolyn stood up for
Rebecca,
Marshawn and
Brian as the only Excel members who pulled their weight in sales, so
Trump released them back to the suite.
Trump took
James to task for his idea of the batting cage which had overshadowed
the main point of the task: sales. Trump also lashed out at
Mark, who had spent the entire event feeding balls into the pitching
machine and didn't sell a single item. As the PM,
Josh took some responsibility for the disastrous loss, but pegged
Jennifer M. as the
one in charge of sales. She'd claimed to be a sales expert but failed to
deliver. She tried to talk her way out of it, challenging a contemptuous
Trump. "You shouldn't fire me. That would be a big mistake," said
Jennifer. But Trump made no mistake. He hit a boardroom grand slam and drove
the four of them home. "You're all fired," he said. "Go home."
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