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Archive through October 06, 2005

The TVClubHouse: Other Reality Shows ARCHIVES: Archives for 2006 - 1: Martha Stewart Apprentice: ARCHIVES: Archive through October 06, 2005 users admin

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Lilfair
Member

07-09-2003

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 8:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lilfair a private message Print Post    
I heart Martha. She makes Donald look to be a bit of a push over.

Martha did the best Apprentice move to date!

Flossiebebe
Member

09-01-2005

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 8:23 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Flossiebebe a private message Print Post    
I loved it the way she brought those 3 supposed sales people back in. As someone whos's been in the bridal sales business they should've quickly caught on to the fact that there was no reason they could not sell the cake with another color than pink if the buyer wanted it.

Lilfair
Member

07-09-2003

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 8:31 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lilfair a private message Print Post    
I just want to add that I dig Martha writing the notes at the end. This one was especially snarky but true.

What do you all think of the letter writing???

Ketchuplover
Member

08-30-2000

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 8:31 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ketchuplover a private message Print Post    
She should've axed David for bringing the wrong people in with him.

Ocean_islands
Member

09-07-2000

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 8:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ocean_islands a private message Print Post    
Yea, but Sean was too hard to resist. Which is worse, putting yourself up to be fired before you even see the cake, or bringing in the wrong people?

Jimmer
Member

08-30-2000

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 8:38 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
That was a very ugly cake. There is just something about asymmetrical items that make people uncomfortable. You definitely want to avoid it with most products. For goodness sake, Martha started off by saying that herself. I’m not sure that they could change the colors either. I thought that one of the rules was that aside from size the cake had to be sold as is?

The bottom line was that Martha absolutely hated that “fake it until you make it” statement. However, the reality is that it is a fairly accurate statement, albeit poorly worded. In many situations you have to stretch yourself and do things that you are not fully comfortable and knowledgeable about in order to succeed and grow. It was just very poorly worded. I agree that she should have axed David - he is out of his league.

I am enjoying Martha’s show overall and find her as entertaining as Trump. Too bad it is now up against Lost, but I just recorded Lost and will watch it later this evening.

Ocean_islands
Member

09-07-2000

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 8:41 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ocean_islands a private message Print Post    
I thought both cakes were ugly. But what do I know about cake? Nothing!

What does everyone have against Dawn, anyway? I like her.

Martha needs to shake the teams up, they are impossibly segregated and Matchstick is likely never to win.

And what about that Italian mafia guy going postal in the kitchen? What's that about.

Lilfair
Member

07-09-2003

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 8:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lilfair a private message Print Post    
I have hired quite a few people in my day and if someone inferred or outright said the fake until you make it statement in an interview, I assure you they wouldn’t make it to my payroll. How would I trust that what they were showing me wasn’t fake. Besides that, how could I trust that mindset? My employees represent me with my clients. I can’t afford that sort of risk. In my experience business owners want the real deal not the fake it till ya make it kind. And to top it all off she said it with pride and if it were a clever statement.

Sigh….shaking head.


Jimmer
Member

08-30-2000

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 9:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
Yes but these people on this show are all “faking it”. None of them has ever made or sold a wedding cake in their lives. In fact, they know next to nothing about it. It’s not like they were walking up to prospective clients and telling them that. It is a sham and maybe that is what upset Martha so much – the fact that she was being called on it.

Legalboxer
Member

11-17-2003

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 9:16 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Legalboxer a private message Print Post    
but it wasnt about the cake - a good salesman can sell anything or at least TRY - its ridiculous to have the mindset of "oh you have blue at your wedding? ok, no need to pitch to you" - its about getting the person, whoever it is, to feel like the cake is about them - and the cake is not just a cake, it is a PRODUCT like anything is in a business and that iw what martha is looking for - someone who can walk in and sell anything or at least do a good job trying to do that - and be able to see what is on the table and tailor whatever pitch to the client - that is what a good salesman is about - NOT someone that simply dislikes a product and doesnt put any vigor in selling it or someone who just brushes off potential customers because they dont fit the mold you want to sell to.

Lilfair
Member

07-09-2003

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 9:23 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lilfair a private message Print Post    
But they know how to research and they should know how to sell and they should know how to engage prospects. It's not like they were expected to gather the eggs, bleach the flour or grow the cocoa for the chocolate. It was a simple task of selling. Maybe they were faking that they had the ability to research and faked having the ability to sell and engage prospective buyers. For goodness sakes they had a room full of people all looking to buy a wedding cake. There was no pressure running around town looking for prospects.

In sales, unless you are dealing with something highly technical you should be able to close a sale in a room full of people NEEDING a wedding cake. Sell a frakin wedding cake for crying out loud...not rocket science no faking needed unless it's the first time you heard of such a thing as a wedding cake.

Jimmer
Member

08-30-2000

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 9:37 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
So you don't think that they are faking a level of skill and expertise in trying to design, make and sell a product that they knew virtually nothing about two days earlier?

If they don’t want to fake it, shouldn’t they tell the client - I really think that you should spend several hundred to thousands of dollars on a product that will be one of the focal points of a very special day in your lives, even though I was clueless about it two days ago.

Remember that they aren't selling a pre-made off the shelf cake. They are promoting and selling a specialty cake that they produced and designed themselves.

Curlyq
Member

07-10-2002

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 10:42 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Curlyq a private message Print Post    
This was a great episode. I wish they hadn't moved it to 9 because I'm sure a lot of people missed out on seeing it.

So glad Jim took a week off from being a control freak, just as I'm glad they've been warned yet again that they can't keep blaming everything on Dawn. That was so foolish to bring her in again. How many times does she have to be sent back upstairs before they realize she's not going anytime soon? I loved that Martha overrode the nominations.

I wonder who would've been fired had Shawn not invited them to fire her. Bethenny and Jim still bug me, and I can't see their team winning while those two are still there. I wonder if Martha will mix up the teams the way Trump used to when one would get too small.

Rosie
Member

11-12-2003

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 11:21 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Rosie a private message Print Post    
Shawn's earlier remark something like, "I promise you that we will not lose", got her in trouble with Martha before the competition even started. She cinched her dismissal with her second comment about firing her if they lost.

I am enjoying this show and the letter that Martha writes is a classy touch.

The Donald seemed more relaxed tonight.

I wonder if we will get to see Jim's baby??

Chewpito
Member

01-04-2004

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 11:39 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Chewpito a private message Print Post    
i worked in a bakery for 17 yrs and i just couldnt believe eather cake, huge pink bow's, unless you have allready seen the brides dress and its a matching thing, that was a huge risk... and the other cake, well it was just boring, they could have done allmost anything, where was the emagination in this project... wow, just not impressed....but i do like this show, i also wasnt going to watch this one, but it got to me, just like donald trumps did, both surprized me, i also record lost and watch it later when i can relax and enjoy it... just wondering,i think lots of people record it,and other shows, how do the stations really know what is the most popular, when so many of the favorits are just being recorded to skip thru comercials and enjoy later...

Chewpito
Member

01-04-2004

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - 11:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Chewpito a private message Print Post    
oh, and whats with the cigar, (marthas partner)it bugs the heck out of me how he holds it and puckers up to it from time to time... is it just me, or is that kinda wierd...

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Thursday, October 06, 2005 - 12:15 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
I elected to watch Lost tonight instead of this. Didn't even tape it, because I have discovered it plays again later in the week on CNBC at a time when nothing else good is on. I will watch it then.

Alisons
Member

01-10-2003

Thursday, October 06, 2005 - 4:21 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Alisons a private message Print Post    
I thought both cakes were kind of run of the mill - no pillars, no water features, etc. I do not like that kind of icing (what is it, prerolled marzipan?) either. That being said, it was not so much the color of the cake as the asymetrical aspect that gave me the creeps. Corporate is really kicking some butt here.

Fruitbat
Member

08-07-2000

Thursday, October 06, 2005 - 5:33 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Fruitbat a private message Print Post    
I disagree that the failure of Matchstick was in the sales. It was an ugly cake. Even if the pink touches were in white, it was terrible. The person responsible was the woman who chose the design. The cake has to sell itself. It is like a dress, you like it or you don't. It would have been more competitive if the bride were allowed to choose color and just buy the basic design.

Martha had to get in the dig that she had sold more wedding cakes than the woman Matchstick called. Unnecessary.

She seems to have dropped her line, "you don't fit in". We will probably hear it again but it is a weak point in the show.

Alex adds absolutely nothing other than airing some dirty laundry about her mother!

Despite my criticisms I really like this show.



Ocean_islands
Member

09-07-2000

Thursday, October 06, 2005 - 5:36 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ocean_islands a private message Print Post    
Water features? It's a cake!

Kep421
Member

08-11-2001

Thursday, October 06, 2005 - 7:20 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kep421 a private message Print Post    
Speaking of pink bows...I think I remember a prospective customer asking if the bow could be a different color...and didn't Shawn tell the lady that what you see is what you get? There weren't to be any changes? I thought that was a rather stupid statement... then in the boardroom, Jim was saying most people didn't want pink. Was there some reason they couldn't offer the cake with blue ribbons or purple or whatever friggen color they wanted?

And I'm sorry... Jim's attitude towards his wife's "task" astounded me. He said he felt a "little" lonely and missing them... and I realize his wife is on board with him being there instead of with her... but something about that whole segment just didn't feel right with me. I actually felt sorry for him... not because he's missed the birth of his first daughter...but because he really has no idea of what he missed.

I am liking this show more and more...and I like what I see in Martha too. The friendship between her and DT seems geniune to me.

Still not used to the letter writing at the end...

Jimmer
Member

08-30-2000

Thursday, October 06, 2005 - 7:46 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
Jim’s comments were both funny and pathetic at the same time. Still, I always say that she must have known what she was getting when she decided to marry him and have a child with him, so I guess she is on board with her “task”.

I’d have to re-watch the show to be sure, but I thought that the cake had to be sold as presented, which is why the pink color may have been a hard sell. The only customization allowed was size. If they could customize it anyway they wanted then it would be purely a selling exercise.

However, it wasn’t just the pink color that was the problem. More than anything I think it was the weird asymmetrical design, along with the big bows.

The comments about how wrong it is to “fake it until you make it” are somewhat hypocritical in that they fully expected Shawn to sell a cake that she personally didn’t like. Of course, the argument is that a good salesperson should be able to sell anything. With most products I would agree but this is a very personal item that has a special personal significance to the purchaser. Just look at that nice couple who was so emotional when they bought their cake from the other team. I would have felt bad if they had bought the cake from Matchstick. Fortunately, they bought the nicer of the cakes from someone who actually cared about their feelings and believed in their product.

Legalboxer
Member

11-17-2003

Thursday, October 06, 2005 - 8:17 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Legalboxer a private message Print Post    

quote:

With most products I would agree but this is a very personal item that has a special personal significance to the purchaser.




but that was my point - at least from the footage it seemed like matchstick never tried to make the cake personal, never tried to make a connection with the customers - and that is what salesman should do - just because it might not initially seem like something that fits, you always try to find that personal connection so the customer has a different view of it.

I wouldnt be mad at matchstick for not selling any cakes on the basis of the cake definitely being ugly and very narrow in audience IF they had made a healthy attempt to sell it which they just didnt seem to do.

Cdbga
Member

10-04-2004

Thursday, October 06, 2005 - 8:22 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cdbga a private message Print Post    
What was interesting to me about all the guff over the pink was that it was Shawn who suggested pink in the first place. After talking to Sylvia Weinstock, she called the baking group with her research results and told them that, according to Sylvia, pink was a hot color for wedding cakes. When David was deciding who he'd bring in, and decided to go with the bakers because of the pink, I wondered why he was blaming it on them, when they had only chosen pink because of the info given them by the research team. Also, Dawn was certainly the wrong person to bring in as she had been the one person during the cake design to suggest a more traditional cake (no ovals, no assymetry). I was glad to see Martha call them back in and fire Shawn. I would think that after making the "If we don't win, you can fire me" statement, she'd have tried a lot harder to sell the cake than what we saw.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, October 06, 2005 - 8:52 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
I am probably wrong here, but when they were talking about pink icing, I was thinking that they meant the main part was like a very light pink (as opposed to the white.) Like where Primerius had theirs a tan color.

I wonder if they had the icing in a light pink and the bows in white if that would have made any difference.