Episode 9 will go down in the history of The Apprentice Africa as one of the most emotionally charged. Flowing from last week’s coming together, camaraderie came to the fore as tears gushed unforced. Three gladiators became one family as they took us back to the era of the Negro spirituals, with tears of loss and sacrifice propelled by a seemingly deeply rooted feeling of brotherhood.
In another rare display, the C.E.O’s cool detachment faded, and we saw a father reacting to the struggles of his children. Welcome to drama undiluted… feel the intrigues of reality TV become more real as you catch a dose of the goose pimples right in your living room! This time, you would need more than a pen and pad… get your handkerchiefs ready!
The ninth episode began with the C.E.O personally calling the contestants at the Mansion - Isaac picked the call, receiving instructions from the boss to gather all the contestants in the living room to await his call. When the contestants had all settled in, the C.E.O reminded them they had been in the show nine weeks, and then delivered the next task, “I’m sending you back on the street, this time not to hustle, but to test your marketing skills…” He went on to inform them that their next task was for CELTEL Red Phones; they would be provided with kiosks where they would market the CELTEL Red Phones (a phone with precise billing technology, where a customer can make calls with a little as five naira), and after the sales exercise advise the executives of CELTEL on the best way to introduce this product to the masses; designing a route-to-market strategy for the product.
Zulu Corporation Project Manager - Isaac from Ghana.
Matrix Corporation Project Manager - Eddie from Kenya.
Eddie praised himself as a good leader, saying “…a good leader is one that accommodates input from teammates…” On the other hand, Kathleen endorsed Isaac, “Isaac is a sensitive leader…”
Both teams had a brief Question and Answer session with the executives of CELTEL, where the fine points of the product were demonstrated to them. Both teams made requests for different materials they felt would give them an advantage over their rivals.
The task commenced. Both teams set up shops in the streets, coercing customers with all manners of sales talk and gimmicks. Eddie and his team mates were giving away T-shirts to customers who made calls valued at N100 (one hundred naira) and above.
More asides:
“We’re adding a lot of emotional value to this task…” Tunde [Zulu Corp.]
“I’m ready to be a ‘street girl’ once again…” Blessing [Matrix Corp.]
Eunice had an awkward moment; getting more than she had bargained for, after she pitched a guy who couldn’t let go off her… she had to yelp for help from the producers to get the guy off her! Zulu Corporation made very brisk sales, commanding more customer traffic - more than they could handle. Chaos set in as their power generating set broke down and customers complained about the long time they had to spend on the queues.
The contestants had a lot to say:
Deox: “I’m worried because we have only one phone- and we’re taking too much time to connect calls…”
Kathleen: “I met someone from Cameroun and it was fun meeting a country lady randomly on the streets of Lagos…”
Eunice: “I’m frustrated because some people are ‘asleep’ when others are working…I really wonder what Tunde does because I can’t define his role (he injects himself into every assignment as a strategy to avoid being dragged into the boardroom yet he does nothing tangible)…”
Nancy: “We’ve had fun, we’ve sold… the task is exciting.”
The Presentation
When it was time for the presentation of strategies, Zulu Corp. went in first, presenting a plan launching the CELTEL Jambo Jembi aka CELTEL Red Phones to the public. Isaac began the presentation basing their strategy on the precise-billing nature of the product, projecting the timelines for the actualization of the project’s goals. He handed over to Eunice who eloquently dramatized their brilliant strategy for positioning the product. Her presentation elicited wow expressions from the executives but there was a glitch, “your strategy conforms to our plans... this is good but what do we need to do to move it faster?” Eunice gave a satisfactory response to that question, but Deox stepped in and really wowed the executives by proposing that “we must promote CELTEL’s transparency…” positing that the qualities and advantages of the CELTEL Red Phone’s precise and transparent billing should be presented to the public in contrast to the billing options of competing networks.
Matrix Corp. had Blessing introduce their product; she did a compelling job before handing over to the maestro, Eddie who delivered his usual dramatic performance. Eddie talked about how to attract the customers and retain them before passing the baton to Nancy who presented the financials with a compelling speech, “…for disabled people, we’re here to tell them that disability is not inability…”
The CELTEL executives however wondered at some point how Matrix Corp. arrived at what seemed like unbelievable financial projections.
The Boardroom:
The C.E.O was in the boardroom with two CELTEL executives who would judge the task. But before the verdict, he berated both teams for unscrupulous conduct(s) during the task on the street. Zulu Corp was guilty of over-fraternizing with the customers, (“time is money” the C.E.O said), “when you need to make a deal, you go in, close the deal and get out.”
Isaac, Zulu PM replied, “We had to engage people with banter to keep them because we had only one phone”. Biodun Shobanjo moved over to Matrix Corp: “You used the promotional materials to bribe the customers…” he pointed out, reminding them that giving out such an incentive was against the rules. “You broke the rules,” he concluded. Eddie rose to Matrix Corp.’s defense, almost getting confrontational with the C.E.O: “The dossier we read said nothing about us not using our T-shirts (given to us by CELTEL) as incentives…”
Verdict:
“There wasn’t a lot of creativity in the presentation of the two teams” the CELTEL executive reported, “however Zulu Corp. did well in putting up a financial plan… particularly, Deox did well in the Questions and Answers following the presentation…”
So who won?
For field work and presentation: Zulu Corp. won the task based on two key factors: a correct understanding the business model of the product, and secondly, Matrix Corporation overshot and miscalculated their financial projection by 1,000%.
“Congrats, Zulu Corp. you will dine at Yellow Chilli, and a mystery guest will join you guys” Biodun Shobanjo gave his 9th reward. “Matrix Corp. you will have no reward, in fact one of you will be fired.”
“Why does your team keep loosing?” Biodun Shobanjo posed the question to Matrix Corp.
Eddie replied, “We were outnumbered, yet we approached the task with passion…”
“For every task I had given, I thought about it very carefully… there’s always something I’m looking out for in each task,” the C.E.O began, “On this task, I was looking for your team knowledge of the route-to-market, and strategic marketing skills…” He lambasted them for their underperformance. “Zulu’s presentation made mince meat of your presentation…”
He directed his question to Nancy, and she replied, “We worked as a team through out the task.” Then he turned to Blessing, who responded like a politician; task, we gave it our all (but the slip with the financial projection was an individual team member’s error).” Cleverly redirecting the C.E.O’s fiery beam to Nancy.
“You guys fell flat on your face…you guys terribly messed up with your financial projection” he commented, “who was responsible for that slip?”
Eddie replied, coming to Nancy’s rescue. “The task was assigned to Nancy but I was responsible for checking and cross-checking before the presentation, so I guess the slip was mine.” When it was time for Eddie to pick the two weak links to accompany him to the firing squad, he said: “I choose Regina and Blessing to ‘escort’ me to the boardroom because Nancy has been a star of the boardroom, so I’ll have to excuse her,” and so he let Nancy off the hook.
The contestants were excused.
Meanwhile the members of Zulu Corp. were having a swell time at Yellow Chilli Restaurant and Bar with one of the country’s most popular comedians, Basket Mouth.
Back in the boardroom, the C.E.O consulted with his advisors. “Eddie has spared Nancy” the C.E.O noted, obviously disappointed, “that’s his personal decision as project manager, and I can’t dispute that.
“It seems (he) has made up his mind to take full responsibility for his team’s failure” observed Mimi. “If Eddie is ready to bite the bullet for his team…so be it” Paul concluded.
Eddie, Blessing, and Regina returned to the boardroom to face the dreaded firing squad.
CEO: “Eddie, why did you bring Blessing and Regina back into the boardroom?”
Eddie: “I just brought them back to bear witness that I’m very proud of them…”
The C.E.O to Blessing: “Do you think Eddie did the right thing by bringing you back here?”
Blessing: “I respect Eddie’s decision”
At this point, it was clear to the C.E.O, his advisors, and the viewer that another Kenyan was about to ‘die’ for his team. The C.E.O made a brief speech, endorsing Eddie as a wonderful salesperson, and someone in whom he had found some good qualities of leadership, however, he did not take into account their route-to-market strategy, and failed to steer his team in the winning direction. “The sales forecast that was out by 1,000 percent – such a careless act can fell a company.”
Regrettably he declared, “Eddie, you’re fired!”
Eddie stood up gallantly. “Thank you sir, be sure that your next Apprentice will come from one of these ladies… just keep an eye on them.” Stating that the ladies, even when they were outnumbered by the Zulu warriors had fought gallantly, putting in their best; for that they deserve to be proud of.
The tears came in torrents, as Regina and Blessing took turns to cry on Eddie’s shoulders. Eddie shed a few manly tears with the ladies. Next we saw Nancy in her room praying fervently, giving thanks to God for affording her at least one more week on the show…she had her Bible turned to the book of Job!
Eddie’s parting words:
“Every decision you make…you should be ready for the consequences”
And off into the yellow taxi we climbed, riding off like a hero, to be remembered as the first man who took Biodun Shobanjo’s bullet with a hearty smile, and a few words of advice for the CEO!
9 contestants left.
--James Amuta.com
In another rare display, the C.E.O’s cool detachment faded, and we saw a father reacting to the struggles of his children. Welcome to drama undiluted… feel the intrigues of reality TV become more real as you catch a dose of the goose pimples right in your living room! This time, you would need more than a pen and pad… get your handkerchiefs ready!
The ninth episode began with the C.E.O personally calling the contestants at the Mansion - Isaac picked the call, receiving instructions from the boss to gather all the contestants in the living room to await his call. When the contestants had all settled in, the C.E.O reminded them they had been in the show nine weeks, and then delivered the next task, “I’m sending you back on the street, this time not to hustle, but to test your marketing skills…” He went on to inform them that their next task was for CELTEL Red Phones; they would be provided with kiosks where they would market the CELTEL Red Phones (a phone with precise billing technology, where a customer can make calls with a little as five naira), and after the sales exercise advise the executives of CELTEL on the best way to introduce this product to the masses; designing a route-to-market strategy for the product.
Zulu Corporation Project Manager - Isaac from Ghana.
Matrix Corporation Project Manager - Eddie from Kenya.
Eddie praised himself as a good leader, saying “…a good leader is one that accommodates input from teammates…” On the other hand, Kathleen endorsed Isaac, “Isaac is a sensitive leader…”
Both teams had a brief Question and Answer session with the executives of CELTEL, where the fine points of the product were demonstrated to them. Both teams made requests for different materials they felt would give them an advantage over their rivals.
The task commenced. Both teams set up shops in the streets, coercing customers with all manners of sales talk and gimmicks. Eddie and his team mates were giving away T-shirts to customers who made calls valued at N100 (one hundred naira) and above.
More asides:
“We’re adding a lot of emotional value to this task…” Tunde [Zulu Corp.]
“I’m ready to be a ‘street girl’ once again…” Blessing [Matrix Corp.]
Eunice had an awkward moment; getting more than she had bargained for, after she pitched a guy who couldn’t let go off her… she had to yelp for help from the producers to get the guy off her! Zulu Corporation made very brisk sales, commanding more customer traffic - more than they could handle. Chaos set in as their power generating set broke down and customers complained about the long time they had to spend on the queues.
The contestants had a lot to say:
Deox: “I’m worried because we have only one phone- and we’re taking too much time to connect calls…”
Kathleen: “I met someone from Cameroun and it was fun meeting a country lady randomly on the streets of Lagos…”
Eunice: “I’m frustrated because some people are ‘asleep’ when others are working…I really wonder what Tunde does because I can’t define his role (he injects himself into every assignment as a strategy to avoid being dragged into the boardroom yet he does nothing tangible)…”
Nancy: “We’ve had fun, we’ve sold… the task is exciting.”
The Presentation
When it was time for the presentation of strategies, Zulu Corp. went in first, presenting a plan launching the CELTEL Jambo Jembi aka CELTEL Red Phones to the public. Isaac began the presentation basing their strategy on the precise-billing nature of the product, projecting the timelines for the actualization of the project’s goals. He handed over to Eunice who eloquently dramatized their brilliant strategy for positioning the product. Her presentation elicited wow expressions from the executives but there was a glitch, “your strategy conforms to our plans... this is good but what do we need to do to move it faster?” Eunice gave a satisfactory response to that question, but Deox stepped in and really wowed the executives by proposing that “we must promote CELTEL’s transparency…” positing that the qualities and advantages of the CELTEL Red Phone’s precise and transparent billing should be presented to the public in contrast to the billing options of competing networks.
Matrix Corp. had Blessing introduce their product; she did a compelling job before handing over to the maestro, Eddie who delivered his usual dramatic performance. Eddie talked about how to attract the customers and retain them before passing the baton to Nancy who presented the financials with a compelling speech, “…for disabled people, we’re here to tell them that disability is not inability…”
The CELTEL executives however wondered at some point how Matrix Corp. arrived at what seemed like unbelievable financial projections.
The Boardroom:
The C.E.O was in the boardroom with two CELTEL executives who would judge the task. But before the verdict, he berated both teams for unscrupulous conduct(s) during the task on the street. Zulu Corp was guilty of over-fraternizing with the customers, (“time is money” the C.E.O said), “when you need to make a deal, you go in, close the deal and get out.”
Isaac, Zulu PM replied, “We had to engage people with banter to keep them because we had only one phone”. Biodun Shobanjo moved over to Matrix Corp: “You used the promotional materials to bribe the customers…” he pointed out, reminding them that giving out such an incentive was against the rules. “You broke the rules,” he concluded. Eddie rose to Matrix Corp.’s defense, almost getting confrontational with the C.E.O: “The dossier we read said nothing about us not using our T-shirts (given to us by CELTEL) as incentives…”
Verdict:
“There wasn’t a lot of creativity in the presentation of the two teams” the CELTEL executive reported, “however Zulu Corp. did well in putting up a financial plan… particularly, Deox did well in the Questions and Answers following the presentation…”
So who won?
For field work and presentation: Zulu Corp. won the task based on two key factors: a correct understanding the business model of the product, and secondly, Matrix Corporation overshot and miscalculated their financial projection by 1,000%.
“Congrats, Zulu Corp. you will dine at Yellow Chilli, and a mystery guest will join you guys” Biodun Shobanjo gave his 9th reward. “Matrix Corp. you will have no reward, in fact one of you will be fired.”
“Why does your team keep loosing?” Biodun Shobanjo posed the question to Matrix Corp.
Eddie replied, “We were outnumbered, yet we approached the task with passion…”
“For every task I had given, I thought about it very carefully… there’s always something I’m looking out for in each task,” the C.E.O began, “On this task, I was looking for your team knowledge of the route-to-market, and strategic marketing skills…” He lambasted them for their underperformance. “Zulu’s presentation made mince meat of your presentation…”
He directed his question to Nancy, and she replied, “We worked as a team through out the task.” Then he turned to Blessing, who responded like a politician; task, we gave it our all (but the slip with the financial projection was an individual team member’s error).” Cleverly redirecting the C.E.O’s fiery beam to Nancy.
“You guys fell flat on your face…you guys terribly messed up with your financial projection” he commented, “who was responsible for that slip?”
Eddie replied, coming to Nancy’s rescue. “The task was assigned to Nancy but I was responsible for checking and cross-checking before the presentation, so I guess the slip was mine.” When it was time for Eddie to pick the two weak links to accompany him to the firing squad, he said: “I choose Regina and Blessing to ‘escort’ me to the boardroom because Nancy has been a star of the boardroom, so I’ll have to excuse her,” and so he let Nancy off the hook.
The contestants were excused.
Meanwhile the members of Zulu Corp. were having a swell time at Yellow Chilli Restaurant and Bar with one of the country’s most popular comedians, Basket Mouth.
Back in the boardroom, the C.E.O consulted with his advisors. “Eddie has spared Nancy” the C.E.O noted, obviously disappointed, “that’s his personal decision as project manager, and I can’t dispute that.
“It seems (he) has made up his mind to take full responsibility for his team’s failure” observed Mimi. “If Eddie is ready to bite the bullet for his team…so be it” Paul concluded.
Eddie, Blessing, and Regina returned to the boardroom to face the dreaded firing squad.
CEO: “Eddie, why did you bring Blessing and Regina back into the boardroom?”
Eddie: “I just brought them back to bear witness that I’m very proud of them…”
The C.E.O to Blessing: “Do you think Eddie did the right thing by bringing you back here?”
Blessing: “I respect Eddie’s decision”
At this point, it was clear to the C.E.O, his advisors, and the viewer that another Kenyan was about to ‘die’ for his team. The C.E.O made a brief speech, endorsing Eddie as a wonderful salesperson, and someone in whom he had found some good qualities of leadership, however, he did not take into account their route-to-market strategy, and failed to steer his team in the winning direction. “The sales forecast that was out by 1,000 percent – such a careless act can fell a company.”
Regrettably he declared, “Eddie, you’re fired!”
Eddie stood up gallantly. “Thank you sir, be sure that your next Apprentice will come from one of these ladies… just keep an eye on them.” Stating that the ladies, even when they were outnumbered by the Zulu warriors had fought gallantly, putting in their best; for that they deserve to be proud of.
The tears came in torrents, as Regina and Blessing took turns to cry on Eddie’s shoulders. Eddie shed a few manly tears with the ladies. Next we saw Nancy in her room praying fervently, giving thanks to God for affording her at least one more week on the show…she had her Bible turned to the book of Job!
Eddie’s parting words:
“Every decision you make…you should be ready for the consequences”
And off into the yellow taxi we climbed, riding off like a hero, to be remembered as the first man who took Biodun Shobanjo’s bullet with a hearty smile, and a few words of advice for the CEO!
9 contestants left.
--James Amuta.com
1 comment:
Interesting episode. Wish Isaac all the best. Man you've got what it takes to win
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