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Chris's decision on the 20% - a shrewd move


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Old 09-12-2010, 05:45
thenetworkbabe
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The point is Chris knew he was offering a very good deal. He wanted to be certain of getting the agency on side. He said as much when telling Joanna what he'd agreed. It was a gamble but he understood that having the ticket agent would make a win nearly certain.

He offered them something which sounded very generous, but actually probably didn't earn the agent much different to the normal 35% on their own sales.
Even if he knew that though he didn't know it was a good deal for him - unless he had a lot more data about likely trade. And, if he knew, we have mystery number two - which is why the professionals thought it was a great deal for them, and mystery three - why, with lots of time, he couldn't explain to Joanna why it was such a good deal.

There's something odd going on with Christopher. He's the only one left with a degree. According to one online CV , its a first (how on earth is another issue) His performances have ranged from mediocre to dire, but he's still there when people who made fewer mistakes are not. He's also attracting no negative attention and snide remarks from Sugar for his degree or his banking background. He's looking more and more like another Simon - if less capable. You have to wonder what the job is again.

If he is in Sugar's frame to win that may explain why its felt necessary to give him praise (again) for what looks like making up a figure and leaping off a cliff with it - alternatively if LS thinks he's making wise decisions, when in fact its random whether he is right or horribly wrong, that may expalin why LS thinks he is good.
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Old 09-12-2010, 07:59
ArtyAttack
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The more I think about it the more I'm wondering what anyone did on either team.

Now it feels as if they were all given some costumes and told to go and have a bit of fun.

Because as you say it seems more down to blind luck as nobody really knows how all these tickets got sold.

For all we know most of the selling could have been taken out of their hands and everything was dependent on how many tickets the agency sold..
Thats just it. The agency did most of the selling. It was going to be a clear victory for Chris and the team thanks to that one deal which is why the editing concentrated on the other team with Stuart up to all sorts trying to steal customers. The editing tried to generate a little uncertainty with the last bus tour but they never actually showed us if the final tour with Jamie ended up getting any tourists leaving it as if they failed to get one tourist when they may have got more that we were not privvy to.
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Old 09-12-2010, 08:14
MrsSpoon
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It was luck.
The same as when Chris told all those ridiculous porkies last week to get the items on the list.
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Old 09-12-2010, 08:21
fryup32
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It was stupid, I'm surprised Lord Sugar didn't criticize the team because they would have made much more money if they hadn't had done this deal. Also if it hadn't worked Lord Sugar would have torn Chris apart!
We don't know that for certain. The other team did not fare well. Stuart was desperate for sales as they were on their own. Perhaps the volume of ticket sales by joanna's team was enhanced by the deal plus their efforts. In other words, it was like having an extra team on board. It was a shrewd move to clinch the deal. 35% of the ticket sales by that vendor or 20% of all ticket sales from both parties? I'd go for the latter. It would mean I got them down to 20%, saving 15% thus more money. This savings would be irradicated by a 20% deduction on the teams sales. So effectively overall, if the vendor delivered a high volume of sales, it was worth it. Also the harder the team worked sales would be further enhanced and thus every ticket sold would be 80% of it's value generated as additional income . In other words, 1 ticket sold by the team paid the commision of 5 tickets so it was an incentive to get more tickets sold. It was worth the gamble. Stuart's team had to sell it themselves and price it right with no 'extra' team on their side to generate more sales and hence income.
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Old 09-12-2010, 08:47
Miyagi
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Was it unprofessional of Joanna to try to claw back the 20% on everything that Chris agreed, to 20% of ticket sales? I dont think so, given he hadnt agreed it with her and it was, therefore, a mistake. Surprised that Sirralun said that. If they had lost the task, he would have fired Chris for that, or Joanna for not correcting the mistake
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Old 09-12-2010, 09:06
whedon247
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worked out well but i dont think chris had a clue what he had agreed too in a tactical sense, just lucked out in the end
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Old 09-12-2010, 09:45
diary_room
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I thought and still think that is was an accident that turned out well. I didn't get the sense that he knew what he was doing at the negotiation.
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Old 09-12-2010, 10:01
RAINBOWGIRL22
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Had his team lost Chris would have gone for that.

20% on everything - even tips - was just ludicrous!

I don't even think he knew what he had agreed to. It was just blind luck IMO.
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Old 09-12-2010, 10:30
Parneb
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I think he got lucky...look at him when he was negotiating this and it was clear he was out of his depth, flustered and didn't have a clur.

But sometimes success is dependen on luck.

totally agree
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Old 09-12-2010, 10:39
EBD3000
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In other words, it was like having an extra team on board.
Not only that but it was an extra team with the best location and the experience of selling tickets all day every day with a great incentive to sell as many tickets as humanly possible.

Whether Chris new this before or not is another thing.
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Old 09-12-2010, 10:52
Rorschach
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I don't even think he knew what he had agreed to. It was just blind luck IMO.
We also got the impression that he didn't really understand what he was offering, as soon as he made the offer we were saying "Not all, just their sales!".

When they picked up on this seconds later and tried to clarify it he didn;t seem to get what they were talking about and it seemed to us that in his mind he was just offering them 20% commission just on their sales.

If I am wrong then I appologise for doing him such a disservice
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Old 09-12-2010, 11:00
notary
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I also think he was trying to do anything just to stop the other team getting the agency. He seemed to be happy with anything.
I dont think Joanna was trying to scupper the deal just to redo it.
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Old 09-12-2010, 11:21
The Rain
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Was it unprofessional of Joanna to try to claw back the 20% on everything that Chris agreed, to 20% of ticket sales? I dont think so, given he hadnt agreed it with her and it was, therefore, a mistake. Surprised that Sirralun said that. If they had lost the task, he would have fired Chris for that, or Joanna for not correcting the mistake
Yes, very. A deal is a deal and no matter who made it, as long as they had the authority (which Chris did) it stands.

The PM should have taken the matter internally within the company and disciplined the individual for acting out of hand. To go back and try and re-negotiate would have normally lost them the business entirely.

Joana saw that the deal had been done and the exclusivity was secured but tried to pull a fast one and gain credit for changing the terms and earning more money.

If she didn't trust Chris to make the deal, why send him?
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Old 09-12-2010, 14:18
The Spoon
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come on folks - he struck lucky with an unintended consequence - I was inclined to think it was going to cost them the task - he lucked out.
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Old 09-12-2010, 14:30
RampantJelly
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It was only a shrewd move because they won. I don't think Chris realised what he had given away in terms of money.

He got lucky, He would have been crucified for that decision if they'd lost.
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Old 09-12-2010, 14:34
The Rhydler
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Chris did not mean to pull off this masterstroke, that much is certain.
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Old 09-12-2010, 15:30
dave2233
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Had his team lost Chris would have gone for that.

20% on everything - even tips - was just ludicrous!


I don't even think he knew what he had agreed to. It was just blind luck IMO.
Well you just don't know that unless you have the figures,
it was a calculated risk which is essentially what business is.
If they had lost then the sums would have been done to see if his 20% had increased or decreased the commission overall that they paid.
It's simple maths don't know why they couldn't just tell us in the show .
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Old 09-12-2010, 15:30
Sweet FA
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That's how LA had to spin it to jusify why he'll end up employing Chris perhaps. It wasn't a conscious tactic on Chris' part - he was just lucky it paid off...
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Old 09-12-2010, 16:57
ronnie24
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I dont think it was a shrewd decision it was just luck, and lets be honest it was not his decision to make he should have called first. Anyhoo it worked out in his favour this time...
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Old 09-12-2010, 16:59
The Rhydler
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For a banker Chris comes across as quite dim. The tour company could not beleive their luck when they received that offer. He didnt know he was 'taking a gamble' and Sugar didn't need to lavish any praise onto him.
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Old 09-12-2010, 17:18
ronnie24
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Was it unprofessional of Joanna to try to claw back the 20% on everything that Chris agreed, to 20% of ticket sales? I dont think so, given he hadnt agreed it with her and it was, therefore, a mistake. Surprised that Sirralun said that. If they had lost the task, he would have fired Chris for that, or Joanna for not correcting the mistake
He's an idiot and I for one do not take him seriously, I say good for her for at least trying the least they can do is say no. But it was worth doing, imagine if the deal was corrected, they would have won by a landslide!
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Old 09-12-2010, 17:21
Jepson
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For a banker Chris comes across as quite dim. The tour company could not beleive their luck when they received that offer. He didnt know he was 'taking a gamble' and Sugar didn't need to lavish any praise onto him.
Don't forget that the BBC refer to anyone who works in a bank as 'a banker'. Whereas most people who are au fait with business would only consider someone who makes major decisions about who to lend to or borrow from (for non-trivial amounts) and on what terms to actually qualify for that title.
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Old 09-12-2010, 17:21
1066andallthat
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He got away with it in the context of a one day task but it was shocking business. In the long term the business wouldn't have made very much money at all. Chris is an idiot who got lucky no matter how Sugar tries to spin it.
Exactly.

You tell someone that, even if you don't bother to do any work, we will give you 20% of our takings. No wonder the both of them looked pleased.

They literally had to do nothing to earn 20% of the takings. If it took off, they would then big it up to earn even more money.

The only way it could be seen as a "shrewd business move" was if it were time limited, to provide an initial lauch pad for the business.

Chris got lucky!
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Old 09-12-2010, 17:28
Sweet FA
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Was it unprofessional of Joanna to try to claw back the 20% on everything that Chris agreed, to 20% of ticket sales? I dont think so, given he hadnt agreed it with her and it was, therefore, a mistake. Surprised that Sirralun said that. If they had lost the task, he would have fired Chris for that, or Joanna for not correcting the mistake
If she hadn't and they'd lost, LA would have had a go at her for 'not trying to re-negotiate' or salvage the situation.

Joanna can't do any right and Chris can't do any wrong.:yawn:
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Old 09-12-2010, 19:12
MiH
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He so obviously just got lucky IMO.
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