The Apprentice - where do these eejits work?

jaycen

I've watched a couple of episodes of the apprentice, getting hooked TBH but I have one big question after watching these people try to sell products and services: where do they work?

As sales people they're terrible, basic mistakes on names, prices etc, what's going on? The fact they all come from good jobs apparently, sales managers, account manager etc is beyond me, is this the result of the celtic tiger, easy sales - promotion for even the worst sales reps?

I work in technical sales (I don't consider myself particularly brilliant at it either) but have never messed up on a pitch with the customer's name or their product's name :eek:





Mods: Sorry if this is in the wrong section, please move to the correct one.

enda1

Maybe its a bit more difficult when on television than in a room of a few people?

That said, they are a bit dim I've always found.

marcsignal

I can't see that programme lasting, they should start selling smuggled cigarettes instead and they'll be on a winner..

bruce wayne

my guess would be snap printing.....thats where they seem to spend half of every ep every week !

Gone Drinking

I'm waiting for them to make "The Apprenticeship" where you watch 6 hopefull school leavers fight for a place in a phase 4 sparking course.

C'mon Anto!1

Dord

marcsignal wrote: »

I can't see that programme lasting, they should start selling smuggled cigarettes instead and they'll be on a winner..

Nah, red diesel would be better. Maybe we'd see a cross over between The Apprentice on TV3 and that customs & excise program on RTE.

Mark200

I think it's a poor attempt to copy the British / American version. The British one is the best, I love it.

I don't think Bill Cullen is as entertaining/intelligent as Alan Sugar, and he's not as successful as Donald Trump. The programme gives very little time to their actual task. You could watch 20 minutes of it and they'd have done nothing, next thing they're walking out of the room where they've just given their presentation

marcsignal

Dord wrote: »

Nah, red diesel would be better. Maybe we'd see a cross over between The Apprentice on TV3 and that customs & excise program on RTE.

now yer talkin

it reminds me of this programme too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tc6-vSYIMk

SheroN

Two or three of them have been to college. The guy who apparently is a 'Senior Sales Exectuive", worked in car phone warehouse.

It's a 100k package, I'm sure that includes all the benefits etc. Not sure it's worth ending your career to risk going for.

Darragh29

If you gave me 100K, you couldn't get me to work in a business that is looking at a 36% decline in it's business, there isn't a Renault salesman in the country who isn't dreading Christmas this year, because Renault are the worst hit brand by the slowdown. You'd think Penny Apples would be paying more attention to his own business interests right now...

Raiser

Darragh29 wrote: »

If you gave me 100K, you couldn't get me to work in a business that is looking at a 36% decline in it's business, there isn't a Renault salesman in the country who isn't dreading Christmas this year, because Renault are the worst hit brand by the slowdown. You'd think Penny Apples would be paying more attention to his own business interests right now...

Anyone who can amass a fortune selling fcuking Renaults is either a genius salesperson or else has an unlimited supply of criminally stupid, indiscriminate, cash-wielding Muppets

jaycen

Darragh TBH if I worked in the motor trade a long time ago (tech not sales) it always makes money, it's just the source that changes.

I'm waiting for the car sales show, can't wait to see these expert salespeople actually try to make a real sale, it would be impossible to mess a car sale up...wouldn't it? :eek:

They're so amateur I'm sure a group of kids doing work experience could do better.

asdasd

but I have one big question after watching these people try to sell products and services: where do they work?

snort. They're on television. T-E-L-E-V-I-S-I-ON. It's not real.

They're all CGI.

SoupyNorman

Its the wrong format IMO..


Let me set the scene of how it should go,

Wicklow Mountains, 14 candidates, Bill chasing in an Apache Attack Helicoptor and his sidekick cronies running the contestants out of the bushes with a pot and a stick.

Have a good friend whose been working on this,so I might aswell throw out a spoiler or two,based purely on my complete lack of interest and what I remember him telling me..

There have been lots of problems with the air conditioning in the boardroom since day one,hence the heavy sweating and loud over dramatic music played to mask the sound....the contestants House is in Portmarnock and its 2 ladies in the final

keen

"I'm looking for warrrieors, you're fired"

What a spastic.

Red Alert

Didn't one of the girls off the apprentice pop up on "The Clinic"?

4zn76tysfajdxp

Red Alert wrote: »

Didn't one of the girls off the apprentice pop up on "The Clinic"?

After your lobotomy, you need to get monthly check ups for a while.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Whatever about the contestants, what about that Jackie Lavin monster?..

THE MONSTER

She's got a face like Lego, its in bleed'n bits.

Cunny-Funt

asdasd wrote: »

snort. They're on television. T-E-L-E-V-I-S-I-ON. It's not real.

They're all CGI.

Not far off tbh. Everyone forgets how "unreal" "reality" TV is. If everyone was perfect it would not make good tv.

SoupyNorman

Mairt wrote: »

Whatever about the contestants, what about that Jackie Lavin monster?..

THE MONSTER

She's got a face like Lego, its in bleed'n bits.

Hes another angle...


http://www.pozun.com/skeletor.jpg

Varkov

Mwuhahaha! He-Man, you're fired!

PurpleBerry

We're lookin' fer warriors!

New catchphrase there

The_B_Man

Dont tell me they've started an irish version of this? *Cringe*

They shoulda got Mr Mikey Ryanair to do it, or at least Gay Byrne!

I've just started watching this, it's so entertaining. Most of them come across as being totally dim. Johanna is a complete looper.

Bob the Builder

haha, mikey ryanair. Michael O'Leary would never stoop so low.

kikel

LOL, check out a clip from next weeks show.

http://www.tv3.ie/shows.php?request=theapprentice

It looks like someone can't every figure out how to start a car.

dumbyearbook

Its TV if you dont like it switch it off, its reality TV at that - how good would you expect it to be? the show its based on is pretty much the same rubbish anyway, i've watched and its ok really passes an hour of a Monday I would'nt get too excited about the contestants, its very easy to comment on the mistakes made etc. from just watching it could be harder than it looks.....? Possible unlikely ill admit, but possible.

dumbyearbook

SheroN wrote: »

Two or three of them have been to college. The guy who apparently is a 'Senior Sales Exectuive", worked in car phone warehouse.

It's a 100k package, I'm sure that includes all the benefits etc. Not sure it's worth ending your career to risk going for.

No snobbery here anyway.

you're looking down the nose abit here maybe? - "sure they had fcUk all going for them anyway" such a typical attitude fair play.

pwd

one of them was in my class in school.
he was ok. kinda hyper. announced that his family had "their own private well" in geography while we were being told about water supplies.
comes across quite differently on the program - as he would since it's 13 years since I knew him.

nkay1985

I'm a big fan of the UK and US versions but the people on the Irish one just seem so unprofessional in comparison. I think the programme itself looks quite good - production values etc. But the candidates are very poor.

SheroN

dumbyearbook wrote: »

No snobbery here anyway.

you're looking down the nose abit here maybe? - "sure they had fcUk all going for them anyway" such a typical attitude fair play.

Compared to the earlier UK and US seasons of the apprentice the candidates are rubbish with the majority having little or no ability.

In the first couple of US/UK seasons they mostly had left decent jobs and seemed to be highly educated.

This lot are mostly gibbering retards with no ability and/or hard nosed ***** trying to posture as "career women".

dumbyearbook

SheroN wrote: »

Compared to the earlier UK and US seasons of the apprentice the candidates are rubbish with the majority having little or no ability.

In the first couple of US/UK seasons they mostly had left decent jobs and seemed to be highly educated.

This lot are mostly gibbering retards with no ability and/or hard nosed ***** trying to posture as "career women".

In the other shows there are more applicants so hence they can choose from better educated contestants, I think fair play to them tbh won't do them any harm anyway - I dont know you're own personal experience, but if you've worked in an environment like that you'd appreciate that even (the obviously) most simple of tasks can become more difficult because of all the consultation meetings etc required - total waste of time imo but required for a TV show and at times in an office - any of them could do those tasks on their own but cant so its not exactly a fair way to judge someone on their personal ability.

They are far more genuine people than those from the UK or US versions of the show from what i've seen. I'd rather a sales man from carphone warehouse with a good attitude and a bit of life than a Harvard MBA full of great ideas and BS basically.

EKRIUQ

I don’t know why people here seem to be praising the UK contestant's there were some on this years show who didn't have an absolute clue and were just as bad as the Irish contestants. i.e. quoting £5,000 for a £200 laundry job

SheroN

Namesco wrote: »

I don’t know why people here seem to be praising the UK contestant's there were some on this years show who didn't have an absolute clue and were just as bad as the Irish contestants. i.e. quoting £5,000 for a £200 laundry job

I agree. The first season of the US and UK show had the best quality candidates.

nkay1985

Namesco wrote: »

I don’t know why people here seem to be praising the UK contestant's there were some on this years show who didn't have an absolute clue and were just as bad as the Irish contestants. i.e. quoting £5,000 for a £200 laundry job

Yeah there were certainly some who were just ridiculous but, as a whole, the candidates are of a better standard. And the argument of being able to choose from more applicants doesn't hold any water because there were obviously not going to be as many applicants for an Irish version, and if that meant the standard was going to be low, then it shouldn't have goine ahead.

OPENROAD

Huge fan of the UK version, watched the first three episodes of the irish version but can't be bothered with it, not a patch on the UK version.

CyrildoSquirrel

Certainly not as "polished" as the UK version but it's only the first season. It's still finding its feet.

OPENROAD

CyrildoSquirrel wrote: »

Certainly not as "polished" as the UK version but it's only the first season. It's still finding its feet.

UK first season hit the ground running, first couple of episodes are very important in building up an audience, they lost me after episode three.

P.C.

One thing noticed - in the UK version, they don't get to 'run' an exsisting business. They were given fish and told to sell them, shown a site in London, and told to create a building.

In the Irish version, everything is already there - promote an existing food business - advertise an existing building. Lacks a bit of imagination, or just one big advert???? :eek:

CyrildoSquirrel

OPENROAD wrote: »

UK first season hit the ground running, first couple of episodes are very important in building up an audience, they lost me after episode three.

I didn't see the first UK apprentice at the time, I only started watching by the second series. Although I have seen repeats and stuff from the first and I agree that it looks better than the first Irish one, but maybe the Irish one needs some time to settle? There's a much bigger pool of people to choose from in the UK.

Also, wtf was with the announcement that the apprentices would need their passports? they were only going to Cork, that's a domestic flight. In the UK version when they needed their passports they were flown to Marakesh! And did Bill fly down to Cork with them? Just to give them the little intro? Surely not in this Green-mania age?

dumbyearbook

nkay1985 wrote: »

Yeah there were certainly some who were just ridiculous but, as a whole, the candidates are of a better standard. And the argument of being able to choose from more applicants doesn't hold any water because there were obviously not going to be as many applicants for an Irish version, and if that meant the standard was going to be low, then it shouldn't have goine ahead.

Sure of course it was obvious the standard would be lower they knew that we knew that - everyone did, more applicants is more choice hence we got the people we got.

what 'standard' do you suggest meets the requirement for reality TV contestants then? Or even what kind of standard like would you only let say people with 6 honors in the leaving or only pepole who are 'professional' which they all have in their own way evey bit as much as the Uk lot anyway.

nkay1985

dumbyearbook wrote: »

Sure of course it was obvious the standard would be lower they knew that we knew that - everyone did, more applicants is more choice hence we got the people we got.

what 'standard' do you suggest meets the requirement for reality TV contestants then? Or even what kind of standard like would you only let say people with 6 honors in the leaving or only pepole who are 'professional' which they all have in their own way evey bit as much as the Uk lot anyway.

I'm not saying I could judge the standard needed but if all anyone can say about it is that it doesn't compare to the other versions, then that standard has obviously not been met.

I don't for one second think that only people with certain qualifications should be allowed to participate, nor do I think I gave any indication of this in any of my previous posts. I happen to be a firm believer that practical experience is far more important than education. My father left school at 14 years of age but is an extremely intelligent man. He's gone on to complete two degrees, a couple of diplomas and a masters! So I know first hand that looking at somebody's education record doesn't tell you anything worth konwing about someone.

dumbyearbook

nkay1985 wrote: »

I'm not saying I could judge the standard needed but if all anyone can say about it is that it doesn't compare to the other versions, then that standard has obviously not been met.

Well if you re not going to give an indication of the standard youd like dont bother saying its low and obvious that it would be low. Whatever

oh and well done to your dad, ive been through the college thing myself and tottally agree with your point there.

Basically I think the show is fine as it is cannot see why - yet again people insist on giving out about it and saying the uk version is better, ours is just different, the uk version was hardly groundbreaking ! what did people honestly expect? Another mistake people are making here is the 'professionalism' thing saying the uk lot are more professional - this is rubbish - the brits take to the professional thing better (comes with the accent methinks) but in the end the Irish version of professionalism is every bit as good, imo better just without the small talk that the English are so much better at. rant over..........