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I N S I S T O N P E R F E C T I O N

The teams’ task was straightforward: create an
interactive sales event in a sporting goods store. The team
making the most sales would win. The members of Excel
created an elaborate batting cage. It wowed shoppers who
waited in long lines to try it. The team members worked
the pitching machine and gave hitting tips while they
hawked hot dogs and lemonade. They were so caught up in
the excitement of the event that they forgot the main
goal—sell the store’s merchandise.
Meanwhile, the other team, Capital Edge constructed a
mini putting green for the shoppers’ children. The putting
green occupied the kids while their parents shopped in the
store. Capital Edge produced a 74 percent increase in store
sales while Excel had a 34 percent drop, the biggest loss in
the history of The Apprentice. Capital Edge’s win was a
no-brainer.

STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE

It’s amazing how often I see the same basic mistake. Extremely
bright and capable people get so involved in glittery, eye-catching
pitches and other less important matters that they ignore the bot-
tom line. They lose their focus.
I get invited to lots of lavish events. While these events can be
dazzling, exciting, and terrific fun, I frequently wonder how
effective they actually are. In most cases, the ideas and execution

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