When a couple of her fellows were complaining about her: 'She only looks at the big picture and the logistics only later on...', etc., I was thinking 'isn't that what she's supposed to do?' for each of their complaints. [/quote]
The only person I heard complaining about Alla was Clay. Randal, Markus and Adam didn't complain, and I wouldn't expect Felisha to complain. As Randal pointed out, Clay's criticism of the PM, the concept, etc., is typical behavior for him. It seems to me that Clay isn't happy unless he's the one in charge because he just doesn't like working for others. But, that's how some people are, and usually, they end up going into business for themselves so that they can be their own boss.
I thought Alla did an outstanding job of planning and managing the event, and getting the best out of her team. The scale was exactly right for the setting, and setting up the three merchandising stations to correspond to the golf game was a sharp idea. Having Felisha up front to grab potential customers as they entered the store was also a sharp idea. Markus--well, I assume she wrote him off as a lost cause, and left him to schmooze with the customers. She dealt with Clay's cantankerousness, and got the best out of him, too. Maybe his sales skills ARE his main abilities; he sure outshone Jenthura, the self-proclaimed sales expert who was going to sell umpteen radar whatchamacallits. He was so energetic and enthusiastic that I probably would have ended up buying a golf-related something or another from him, and I don't play golf.
Good to see Marshawn and Rebecca escaping the boardroom massacre and doing their best to sell despite the honking huge batting cage; but, both of them need to demonstrate more leadership and management skills, and soon, in order to make themselves viable challengers to Randal, and now Alla.
I don't think her idea was bad, it's just that soccer is not quite as popular as baseball or football. Unless of course, they're in Europe.
My sister in Chicago and I noticed a LOT more kids are playing soccer and they are starting in the first grade. When your items are inexpensive, they need a ball, a shirt, and some shoes, you hope for volume. I don't think that was un-doable.
I had five kids play soccer and trust me, it added up at the cash register!
[/quote][/quote]
But not the way golf items add up. A good-quality (not professional quality) soccer ball that you might expect kids to use runs about $25.00 to $30.00, so you'd have to sell 7 or 8 balls to match one $200.00 golf club. It's a minimalist game, which makes it fun to play, and so it's good from the interactive-event perspective, but from a sales perspective, there's just not enough gear and gew-gaws to sell. Also, since soccer is played in many schools, I'd assume that parents are mainly buying soccer gear for their kids in the fall, not the spring.
TorontoFan
Oct 28, 2005 @ 9:52 am
unreal said: I mean, I can't imagine people spend more than $200 on baseball in their lifetime, while golfers, runners, campers, etc. are always searching for new gear and gadgets.[/quote] I have a teenage son playing competitive hardball - we plunked down $300 for a metal bat at our last shopping trip.
But I grant that this is atypical, and more importantly, people who are spending the money that I am are going to specialty baseball stores not "sporting goods" stores. If I get out of the store spending less than $200 I figure it is a success.
To me, the camera shot that foretold the lack of baseball sales - a wide angle shot of the entire baseball cage, with parents plastered around the netting watching ONE kid bat, and a line 4 deep and 10 - 15 foot long waiting to get into the cage. If people are standing around watching, they ain't buying. Kudos to the poster above who said that if they had issued numbers to get people out of the line, it would have been an improvement.
Compare with the shot of the mini-put area of the golf. Multiple kids and adults wandering freely around the mini-put and the sales area. That three year old had been there for what, an hour? Parents had lots of time to browse and shop while the kid was occupied.
scarletsmith
Oct 28, 2005 @ 9:55 am
That may have been the most beautiful firing since Assorama in S1.
So, so much to comment on in this episode...
Alla really does know her stuff. We've had glimpses of it throughout, and I think she's gotten unfairly blamed for the Bloven stuff. Clearly, a woman worth several million dollars (and her past selling...um, goods) clearly understands how to focus a task on getting the most bang for the buck, and golf stuff is a really good choice. She handled Clay and Markus both with expertise--the "Cut it out" to Clay was so, so perfect (and I loved that she completely shot down his walling-off-the-area idea--again, this was a key difference between their task and Excel's disaster), and the fact that she let Markus feel important and necessary by taking his idea about picking golf as their sport (and thus got his trust) was just brilliant. I'd love to know who came up with the idea of the mini-golf course--now that's the right way to use fun to attract business.
Markus--wow. Amazing what using a little bit of psychology does--clearly he felt important because Alla used his idea (and because Carolyn took him aside to talk to him, feeding his ego and his need for approval), he kept his passive/aggressive BS to a minimum, and the only thing he really screwed up was sabering the champagne afterward.
Felicia--again, who knew the woman understood subtlety? Great job greeting the folks and encouraging them to get involved in the experience without being pushy.
Clay--whiny little such-and-such. But he, too, got right down to business once the sales portion started and got what it was all about.
Randall--Marry me?
As for Excel...wow. Talk about completely and totally missing the mark. As soon as they started putting up the batting cage, I thought, "No, don't do it...really, you're missing the point...this isn't a fun day event, this is a sales task...d'oh..."
James and Mark did not both need to be in the cage; one of them should have been on the floor doing sales.
Josh should have nixed the cage or found a way to make it smaller-scale. And they had a T-Ball cage, too? One or both should have gone.
Jennifer was just a disaster. Selling the concessions? Bad idea. As Marshawn pointed out, that's $3 that someone didn't spend on a baseball item, which was the whole point. And bragging that she could sell radar guns? She didn't even know what they were! OMG, the woman was incompetant, and her firing was long overdue.
We barely saw Brian, Marshawn, and Rebecca, but that was a good thing, because we saw the right people to see how and why this task got so out of control. Yay to Bill for his confessional smackdown of the team completely and totally missing the mark.
Speaking of Mark...wow. Mark should have been gone week 2, and you could just see Trump salivating at the chance to finally fire him. You couldn't fire him on this task, though, without firing James, seeing as they essentially were the same person doing the same job. Jennifer was dead woman walking after the last task, and Josh just totally blew it. The quadruple firing was shocking, and yet completely and totally justified. I'd have done it, too, which is my judge as to whether or not it was a good firing.
And that cab ride...pure comedy gold. Best Reality TV moment of the year.
Can't wait for next week.
ETShow that I do know the difference between "billion" and "million"...
maxsmith
Oct 28, 2005 @ 9:56 am
That shot of them in the cab all pressed together and looking like they wanted to throw up? Priceless.
[/quote]
Ha-ha - I loved the cab ride - I couldn't believe Jen still had that beauty contestant smile pasted on - I guess afetr years your face just gets stuck that way.
I also enjoyed her desperation in the boardroom - it may be a flaw on my part, but I love to see people who've gotten by their whole life on their looks flop around like a fish out of water when they are caught being obviously incompetent.
clairedawn
Oct 28, 2005 @ 9:59 am
Yes, I also noticed how there was no mention that Trump had to cut his business trip (aka playing golf) short to come back and handle the situation.
I don't think James & Mark should have been fired. Josh was the project manager, he had the power to evaluate his teammate's suggestions and make good decisions. James suggested baseball, that's fine. And they could have even made baseball work if they had done it right. They actually managed to take away customers who might be buying and occupy them with something else - which was free. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Maybe they could have tried a promotion like buy an item over $50 and get to take some hits in the batting cage and receive personal instruction.
Josh as the project manager lost sight of the sales focus and worked on making this a great event...but they already had the customers in the store...they didn't need such a big entertainment event to attract them..they already had them. They needed to sell to them.
James & Mark were being good team members...Josh should have directed what their focus was. Jen was given the correct focus - sales - so what was she going on in the board room? She clearly had her task and she failed. And she just sounds like a moron trying to defend herself. The girl is totally a vapid pretty face...(if she's even *that* pretty)..."that...that would be a bad decision to fire me..." "why? um...because, because I have potential...he doesn't...she doesn't?" "um....I am good at sales....people like me....i did sell...2 hot dogs..." She can't back up anything she says. So she just smiles her pageant smile and waits for Donald to rescue her. Bill asked her right on, demanding questions...and she had no answers. Josh & Jen deserved to go...Mark & James, that sucks.
kwnyc
Oct 28, 2005 @ 10:00 am
What I'd like to know is where were the Dicks?
I mean, it's been mentioned that the teams could have asked which departments were the poorest performers, and then focused on increasing sales exponentially. But if a sporting goods store is in the middle of an urban area, their sales might be different than one in a 'burb.
In my neighborhood (NYC borough), people OBVIOUSLY spend a ton of money on their soccer stuff: expensive jerseys, shoes, balls (presumably close to Dicks). Had Rebecca been a little more sure of her position in the new team, she might have made a stronger case for soccer. And maybe instead of the fratboys playing with their toys, the team might have been able to...well, not cause the store to lose money.
I wonder, too, if the reason the golf did so well is because it was a suburban Dick.
High end vs. gross sales comes up a LOT in these challenges: the art galleries in S1, and the Shopping Network task in S2 (?) And, there's never a right answer.
maxsmith
Oct 28, 2005 @ 10:01 am
Alla is my favorite kind of woman - competent, no-nonsense and sexy without trying to be.
And not shrill, whiny and apoplectic under pressure, like so many of these other empty skirts when the chips are down...
Obladi
Oct 28, 2005 @ 10:02 am
The only person I heard complaining about Alla was Clay. [/quote]
I didn't hear anyone else complain about her, but the only person we heard comment on her was Clay. I did notice when she won, several people, Clay included, emphatically said she deserved an exemption.
I think she has a rough edge but once she got down to business, everyone on the team was happy to work for her. I think she was maybe also including some suggestions they had, and we didn't see much of this because of the limited airtime.
Her personality grates but she was a very good PM. I think she also had a stronger team than you'd expect at first glance. If she had been on a team w/some of the other Excel guys, or Jennifer, they may have resisted her leadership style. Most of Capital Edge went along because they knew winning was what mattered.
I can see yours as well and no matter why he's being a dick, he's being a dick (at times). I'd rather work with him than Markus any for sure. [/quote]
And if I sounded like I was trying to say Clay's attitude was not a big deal, then I apologize for giving that impression. I did think that his early behavior with Alla was shitty behavior. The hands, I didn't really know what to think because I don't know if they were chummy before they were on the same team, or if that is something that she has done to people, but that was questionable as well. They both have such controlling personalities but she had the best idea and he should have been less defensive. In the later scene about his department I think they did have a genuine miscommunication, but again, he was too whiny and she was right to react brusquely. Later on he improved his behavior (I think they even hugged when the task was over), but if he hadn't, then she would have been perfectly justified trying to get him fired if they had lost the task. I guess I think that he has great potential if he overcomes his personality problems and I think some of his behavior is overblown by editing (to create suspense on which team loses). Unfortunately sometimes all he shows is that, as Alla said, he acts like a five year old.
LolaLilaLilly
Oct 28, 2005 @ 10:03 am
What I'd like to know is where were the Dicks?[/quote]
Most of them were fired.
Empress1
Oct 28, 2005 @ 10:11 am
When Carolyn said she couldn't pick just one of them, I thought, "He's not going to fire them all, is he?" Lo and behold, he did. I loved it for shock value, although I thought only Josh and Jennifer deserved to go. And that cab ride was fantastic.
Speaking of Carolyn, she's very poised - way more so than Trump. I can see why he hired her. She balances him out.
I like Bill with a spine.
I would have liked to see Rebecca and Marshawn and the other good salesperson (name escapes me) actually selling. I believe they were good because it was unanimous, but show, Burnett, don't tell.
I thought it was pretty funny when Clay was all, "Alla's a dictator blah bling blah . . . " Really, Mr. I Only Want You To Speak When I Tell You To? I agree with the poster who said he doesn't like her because they're too alike. I much prefer Alla to Clay. I didn't get a dictator vibe from her. She led with a firm hand, which was necessary, but she didn't seem to be bossy for the sake of being bossy, like Clay.
Felisha is fluff (and, on a superficial note, haggard). Markus is toast. I like Marshawn, Randal, Alla, Rebecca, and Brian. My ideal final two would be Marshawn (good BR points once again) and Randal, and either taking it would be fine with me.
Really looking forward to this recap.
hobbes404
Oct 28, 2005 @ 10:11 am
There were things on this episode I actually know something about.
First, that wasn't deep sea fishing. It's offshore fishing. I went out in May off of Montauk. It was only about $30 per person for 4 hours of fishing. There were more people on the boat, it was probably under $1000 for the charter. It definitely wasn't a glamorous prize. It was also freezing and pretty boring.
I work for a sporting goods company. Our best sellers on the retail end are fitness related equipment. We don't sell golf and have a limited line of camping gear though. If you go to Amazon's sporting goods shop and sort by best seller, one of the top items is a Design Your Own Soccer Ball Kit. They could have set up a station for that and pulled in some decent sales. For baseball to work, they needed to target the little league coaches, find the local little league office and let them know they'd be having a clinic more focused on how to choose the right equipment than how to use the equipment. They're the ones who spend the big money (not counting the parks and rec departments who buy backstops) and Dick's was trying to get into the team uniform area a while ago. I don't know if orders for uniforms would have counted or just out the door purchases.
maxsmith
Oct 28, 2005 @ 10:19 am
Alla is my favorite kind of woman - competent, no-nonsense and sexy without trying to be.
And not shrill, whiny and apoplectic under pressure, like so many of these other empty skirts when the chips are down...[/quote]
...and the accent is very hot.
Sallins
Oct 28, 2005 @ 10:18 am
I still can't believe that we had four times the fireing power in the boardroom last night. I did not see that coming at all, at first I thought the big surprise was that the Donald decided who was going to go up to the suite, but then...wow. The awkward silence in the taxi cab scene was priceless, and it was even better that all 4 had to cram into one cab.
The baseball thing seemed like at first it would be a great idea, but it really just turned into a baseball clinic and really did not get people in the mood to buy and baseball items. To me it looked a lot like the parents just dropped their kids off to go hit in the batting cage while the parents looked around the store. I saw where the team was coming from with the idea, it just never got followed through.
BassetHound
Oct 28, 2005 @ 10:20 am
But not the way golf items add up. A good-quality (not professional quality) soccer ball that you might expect kids to use runs about $25.00 to $30.00, so you'd have to sell 7 or 8 balls to match one $200.00 golf club. It's a minimalist game, which makes it fun to play, and so it's good from the interactive-event perspective, but from a sales perspective, there's just not enough gear and gew-gaws to sell.[/quote]But the competition was golf sales to golf sales and baseball sales to baseball sales, so, in theory, that shouldn't matter. The baseballs sales were terrible. Also, I've always been under the impression that, in retail, keeping people in the store for a long time was a good way to get them to buy. If then kids are on line for a long time, that should lead to good sales. I think the batting cage took up too much space and I think they just didn't sell they way they needed to sell. Also, two people in the batting cage detracted from the sales force and led to disorganization. In short, the mass firings were well deserved.
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