Just why did they carry out research on a product used in a car at a metro station? of course people who use the metro are going to say they wouldn't use the product - they are using the metro for a reason - they don't use a car!!!

Agreed. It was a skewed sample. Not sure why this wasn't brought up.

I was thinking the same thing..seemed a stupid place to do the research. Also maybe find some people who have children with them as they might have more of a clue if parents would be interested in buying the products.

I don't understand why it wasn't brought up! Melody may have sold well but her market research was abysmal ..... was it because she didn't like the sound of the product? And so forced her market research so that it sounded like no one would buy it?

I loved when she was in the car and was going on about the traffic - and where it all came from? noone drives? .... isn't paris known for their crazy all over the place driving?

They did bring it up that she had not followed Tom's instructions in the market research but it was rather glossed over.

Not sure why you have to go to an underground station to ask people if cars exist in Paris. Dont they live above ground, cant they see for themselves, She should have found out what kind of a shop LS had provided for them. What articles they sell since that would have been the main buyer. And since she was the only one who speaks French she should have made the pitch.

It wasn't market research, stopping half a dozen busy & disinterested people at a station! Anyway, didn't she ignore what they said, as I remember some actually liking the seat and most of them saying they didn't like the teapot lamp? She latched onto one comment (ONE!!) about everyone using the metro and used that to support her personal feelings about the products. Which she hadn't even seen.
And they should all have found out who the major retailer was before product selection, as that was obviously going to be the volume order.

So true. If they had researched La Redoute they would have known that it served the whole country and not only Paris (where everboddy uses the Metro ) and that they had a massive client base.

She may speak French but she was 'creative' in the translations she gave to Leon.

Lady : C'est un très bonne idée (it's a very good idea)

Melody's Translation : She thinks it's OKish.

The car seat is a travel product anyway, not an everyday car seat. It is perfect for when you want to travel with kids. That should have been learned in the designer presentation.

If you don't like the product and want your market research to prove that a "random" sample of people wouldn't use a car seat, a metro station would be the perfect place to conduct your research.

She's a crafty manipulative bitch, but its got to be said, she's quite a smart cookie.

Quite agree.

And if they done any research at all they'd have found that La Redoute has a sister childrens brand called Verbaudet.

I was surprised that no one asked her why she did her only market research for the car seat in a busy train station, and like someone mentioned above, why didnt they make more of her not following a request from her PM to research the MAJOR retailor?
THe sooner she oges the better, her voice irratates me too, she sounds like the prostitute in Shameless that took over from Lillian

Surely the failing's with Tom here. He wanted the seats from the outset. He also knew that Melody wasn't keen on them, yet he allowed her 'market research' to be the deciding factor in what products to go with in spite of that fact - and in spite him knowing that, with the survey conducted in a blimming Metro station, It was bound to be skewed.

It was up to Tom to take those factors (Melody's dislike of the product, and the place of research) into the equation, and tell her he was going with the one he wanted. He didn't and paid the price.

Melody got off lightly because she may have sold most of their teams quota but she actually was responsible for them losing the massive potential at La Redoute - this wasn't really tackled in the boardroom. I knew AS would like her 'balls' though - she is good at what she does but I wouldn't want to work with her - too ruthless

I'm not sure I agree with this - did Tom know where Melody carried out the market research? I don't remember it being shown that she said "we've stood in a metro station and asked 4 people, and they all travel by metro". I also don't know if Melody made her dislike of the product clear to Tom until after the research, I know we saw her say to Leon she didn't like it but that was after she had hung up.

In the boardroom they always always always go on about how ignoring market research is a fatal flaw, so if Tom had no reason to doubt the validity of Melody's findings then he would have been foolish to ignore her advice.

Additionally, it wasn't just Melody who didn't like the car seat. Tom said that it was the other 3 opinions against his 1, which means that Natasha also didn't like it and she had been in the presentation with him!

I don't think Melody specifically told Tom that she didn't like the car seat idea unless it wasn't shown on the program. She voiced all her opinions and pulled her faces about it to Leon only.

Also Natasha made her decision about the car seat based on Melody's call with the results of Melody's 'market research'

I also find it unbelievable that both Melody and Leon denied the fact that Tom had asked them to research the appointment for the next day as it was clearly shown on the main programme and both of them were listening at the time.

She was asked to research the companies they had to pitch to, she chose to totally ignore that.

I agree - if Tom felt the seat was the right thing to go for he should have argued for it and come up with reasons why it seemed good.

If you intend to sell it to a buyer then you sure as hell must be able to sell it to your on team.

He should have interrogated the market research, not just accepted it.

And he should have chased up the store research. Going in totally blind like that was unforgivable.

And even of the metro-users the majority seemed to pick the rucksack over the teapot! But maybe she kept on asking people until the teapot had one vote more than the carseat....

I'm sure (but not certain) that she told him where they had conducted the research before he made his decision. But, even if they didn't, wasn't it Tom's job to ask? I know I'd ask where the research was being done. As someone who's undertaken loads of research myself (though not market-related) I'm all too aware of how the source can skew results to the point of invalidity. Tom (and anyone with designs on winning this show) should also be aware of this. It seems Melody was aware, if we're to believe she chose that site because it would skew the results.

As for her making her feelings known to him, I'd have to watch again, but I remember when I watched it, thinking that at 'least Tom knows she's against it now'. Whether that was from what she said, or the tone of her voice, I can't remember.

And you're right to sat that the other members were also against the seat, but the beauty of being PM is that you're in the unique position of being able to take the decision that you want. Tom was keen on the seat, he was also aware (or should've been) that the research was flawed, and should've gone with his gut instinct. Compare him to Helen a copule of weeks ago during the rubbish task. She thought of the idea of taking on the contracts for nothing. Others (particularly Melody) werent so keen (and Zoe and Edna on the other team couldn't even concieve the thought), yet she went with what she thought, took a risk, and it paid off.

I think they were equally to blame ,Melody for beleiving she was right and pushing her own agenda and Tom for allowing her to do so

melody showed and unpleasantly egotistical side to her and Tom and worrying weakness to him

Both significantly blotted their copy books last night

But the point of doing market research on a travel product in a train station only, and finding no fault in this edges the blame slightly to Melody, she knew she was in a train station , and the products was to do with cars , why on earth did she even think this showed any buisness savy?

She was determined to impose her own opinion of the products whatever the 'research' results.

Yep, another good point. He should, as the PM, have made sure that the research into the store was done. Even without it, however, his offer to sell a derisory TEN units was laughable. He should surely have figured for himself that, any meeting Sugar sets up with five people in a boardroom isn't likely to be a corner shop.

She blatantly lied about what she was asked to do when called on it in the Boardroom by Nick and Lord Sugar.

We had the advantage of seeing what was happening in France, Tom didn't, even the skewed market research in the train station said that the back pack seat was better than the teapot light. Even if a lot of people do use the Metro, then you can still use a booster seat for the kids to see out the window, the portability made it good for this.

I think, if Tom had have seen what was going on first hand, then i'm sure he would have picked the car seat. No research being done into La Redoute is unforgivable.

However, Melody did produce the majority of the total sales of the team, so she shouldn't have gone, and Tom was misled and let down by his market research team, so i think Leon was the right person to go.