Lessons Learned

FIT

• Backing your people. As project manager, Ryan backed Leslie (whom he trusted and respected) when she wanted to do the demonstration alone and put Amanda in the background. When leaders wisely choose people who are competent and committed, they should respect and trust their judgment.
   

• Tell the story. Successful sales people connect with their customers with a story about the product or service. While features and benefits are important, customers are more apt to make purchases if they can visualize themselves using the product. Team Matchstick focused on the frustration of tangled garden hoses while Jim (Primarius) told a story about his daughters demands for blow-up toys at the beach.
   

• Keep control of the team. Ryan was challenged with bossy Amanda, who continually tried to take control of his project. He wisely chose to pick his battles with her. While at times he patiently listened to her, he also reined her in when he needed to and, on the air, successfully redirected her to get out of the live camera shot.
   

• Encourage and motivate. Ryan directed the on-air segment and cheered Leslie on (through the headsets) by telling her how many units they were selling. Ryan continually demonstrates respect and confidence in his team. He wisely knows that performance rises when leaders cheer people on versus criticizing their every move.
   

• Find a product you can get behind. The most effective salespeople believe in their products. For example, products sell best on shopping networks that can be easily demonstrated and operate like they are designed to work. Both teams used this criterion for choosing which product to sell. Primarius astutely avoided selling a hammock after collapsing it during a demo.
   

• The sales pitch. Stewart reminded us that to make a good sales pitch, you must know the product, know the customer and know the right "tone" to take. An effective sales pitch is a fit between the product and the consumer. Effective sales people tailor their pitch to the needs and style of the individual consumer. Another important sales strategy is fitting the pitch to the medium.

UNFIT

• Practice makes perfect. Savvy public speakers know that one of the keys to an effective presentation is practice, practice and more practice. Primarius should have spent more time rehearsing their on-air delivery. There was no evidence of a script or even talking points! Do you think the QVC hosts wing it? Important sales pitches should be rehearsed. There really was no excuse for Jim having his back to the camera or walking out of the shot during the presentation.
   

• Anxiety is contagious. No one has more influence on a team's mood than the leader. Bethanny was like a cat on a hot tin roof with her team. She chose Dawna to be her on-air personality, then expressed her lack of confidence in Dawna's abilities. The best leaders provide a steady course of support and confidence in their team's abilities. Leaders set the tone and emotions for a team. The best leaders are calm, confident and focused -- the guiding rudder in the storm.
   

• No passion. Martha Stewart is looking for someone with a passion for her business. What do you think Howie communicated when he couldn't remember the product name after a day of preparation? People who are passionate about what they sell are always more successful. If you haven't found something that you are passionate about in work, keep experimenting. Passion fuels creativity, quality and success.
  
  The bottom line? Howie didn't give his teammates confidence that he was really excited about selling the team's product. Granted, an air pump is not the world's sexiest product. However, it was Howie's duty to do a competent job with his sales presentation and that means demonstrating some enthusiasm for the product. When Bethenny didn't sense that, she had to pull Howie from the presentation.
   

• Make the big decision. Bethenny and Dawna had a very candid conversation prior to the conference room session. Dawna had a problem with Bethenny's leadership style, feeling that it was too frenetic. In spite of the fact that Dawna essentially told Bethenny, "I can't work with you," Bethenny let her off the hook and faced Stewart's scrutiny with Howie and Jim. As Howie and Jim waited in the lobby for Stewart's final decision, they pressed Bethenny to justify her release of Dawna. Bethenny had second thoughts about her choice, but by then, it was too late.
  
  The bottom line? Bethenny started to dump on Dawna in front of Stewart and her two colleagues, but one of them, Charles Koppelman, tartly said, "Dawna's not here, so let's move on." Bethenny is lucky, because she might have brought the curtain down on herself due to her own lack of confidence in her decision. When tough decisions are made, it's difficult to retract them.

Handicapping the Survivors: