Gold-Plated Marketing Lessons from the Apprentice

No matter how you feel about reality shows or Donald Trump, there are some lessons we can learn from this show. Here are some you might find useful.

Know Your Market

One week the project was to design hi-tech clothing. One of the teams went directly to clothing stores and talked to kids who were shopping there. The other team picked what they thought kids in this demographic were looking for.

Right away, we can see who failed the first test. We need to communicate with our potential customers to discover what they want, what they think and how they feel about what we're offering them.

But, I know many of us are guilty of the same thing. We get so focused on what we're doing we get tunnel-vision. Because we're 100% focused on our product, we can forget that our customers might want something different.

So, lesson one is talk to your potential customers. Get inside their heads before you decide how to promote your product or service to them.

A Good Presentation Pays

At the end of the project, the two teams presented their clothing. From what I could tell they looked pretty equal in quality and style. But the losing team fell apart when their presenter choked. She was hesitant, unsure of herself and had no energy or confidence as she presented their products. It was painful watching her.

I'm not saying we should focus everything on the presentation. In Texas I believe they describe that kind of person as being