You’re Hired! How to sell better than the BBC’s The Apprentice – What I learnt at a Ruth Badger Master class
Chi-chi Ekweozor meets Ruth Badger the most famous star of popular BBC show The Apprentice
I’ve been on the excellent LEAD programme at the University of Salford’s Salford Business School since September last year.
LEAD is a leadership development programme developed and piloted by Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) in conjunction with the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA).
Since its inception in 2004, over 150 businesses have benefited from the programme which combines personal development of the owner-manager with support and development of the business itself.
The LEAD programme: crucial help for overcoming the Busy Fool syndrome
As someone who has suffered from the tendency to be a ‘busy fool’, the LEAD programme has been instrumental in helping me really nail down what my business Real Fresh TV is good at and what it is positioned to be really successful at doing: helping people how to grow and market their businesses on sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn.
If you’ve never come across the ‘busy fool’ syndrome, it’s explained very well on the delightful TheBusyFool.com:
“Busy Fool – the sort of person that people love to come to with their ideas, so you find yourself running about trying to do far too much all at the same time.”
The LEAD programme takes an integrated approach in developing the owner-manager and the business.
Over the last 8 months, I’ve benefited from peer support from Action Learning, one to one business coaching and master classes where I learn from successful entrepreneurs and industry experts.
I’ve received invaluable face-to-face training from nationally recognised experts like:
- Professor Malcolm McDonald, world-renowned marketing guru
- Gerry Pennell, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the London 2012 Olympic Games
- Arun Singh OBE, acclaimed corporate speaker and international lawyer
Ruth Badger delivers Sales Training master class for LEAD
Most recently, I’ve had the pleasure of being trained on how to sell by the most famous apprentice on the BBC’s BAFTA-award winning show, The Apprentice, Ruth Badger.
Ruth’s sales master class for LEAD, titled Selling ‘Badger Style’ was an inspiring 4 hour session that took in her personal story as a business woman before and after she became the 2006 runner-up in the second series of popular BBC show, The Apprentice.
From the moment I walked into the venue, I was impressed by Ruth and her business partner Julie Hughes’ personal touch. Julie handed me a personalised copy of the day’s training material and then I was greeted with a warm handshake from Ruth Badger herself.
It was the “Chi-chi… that’s a nice name to have at the weekends. What’s your name during the week?” that got me. I was so stunned I tweeted it!
Just shaken Ruth Badger’s hand, impressed by her confident charm. Having fun at @salfordbizsch. #theapprentice #lead -@realfreshtv
Settling into the master class itself, Ruth and Julie, there as part of the Ruth Badger Academy, were a spirited double act, taking turns to share practical advice on the sales process, placing particular emphasis on the qualities of a good sales person.
The two have over 30 years experience in delivering business training between them and met when both worked at the business that Ruth quit her job at to go on the Apprentice. Julie was the HR director at that business.
3 Things You May Not Know about Ruth Badger
Did you know:
- Ruth Badger gave up a job as a sales director of a £22 million company to go on The Apprentice
- She left schools with 3Es at GCSE
- She won an FA Cup Winners’ medal with Arsenal Ladies Football Club
As a ‘Super Sub’ at Harlow Town Ladies Football Club, I’m particularly impressed by the last point. I played in the Women’s FA for one year during my industrial placement in Harlow whilst studying Electronic Engineering at the University of York.
One of the most impressive things about the master class was finding out how personable Ruth was.
I only caught some of the later episodes of the second series of the Apprentice; having started Real Fresh TV the year it was first aired, I didn’t have a lot of time for TV! Like a lot of people I was under the impression that Ruth was the ‘Ruthless Badger’ in real life.
She’s actually really personable and one of her many personal stories and anecdotes brought this to life: she’s still contacted by one of her clients in an early job as a mortgage advisor who wants her to manage his mortgage package, 12 years on.
She and Julie trained us about how “sales is about you”. They focused on the power of understanding the 3 Ws: Who you are, What you provide and What makes you different.
Ruth Badger has 3 companies: Ruth Badger Consultancy, Ruth Badger Academy and a new training company focusing on the HR industry that I can’t recall the name of. She specialises in saving business going bust.
Apprentice aficionados will recall she went on to present Badger or Bust, a TV show for Sky One that was shown in 6 countries. In it she uses her sales expertise to help businesses about to go bust.
Recently her business helped a company that was haemorrhaging £70,000 a month. It’s now a multi-million pound company. She says she only charged £15,000.
Several times during the master class, Ruth emphasised that she’s not a good sales person: “I just give you what you need”. She shared that a recent business she trained saw a 45% increase in conversions from their sales team.
What makes a good sales person?
85% attitude, 15% knowledge apparently. No skill involved!
The most important attribute is active listening skills. Ruth and Julie demonstrated this through some fascinating interactive exercises during the session.
They impressed the importance of listening on all 47 attendees:
“As the customer what they want. Get as much info as you can so you can use it. Listen for the triggers for sale: they are giving you the reason to close.”
People buy people. Sell YOU not the product
I can’t do the master class enough justice in this blog post, came away very inspired and refreshed.
I’d highly recommend the training delivered by Ruth Badger Academy. After a morning with Ruth, you are enthused by her passion, no nonsense and straight talking manner and love of life and business.
At the end she shared that she had been nervous of meeting us! Unbelievable.
As a fellow Salford resident, I was touched by her parting shot:
“You are the most important people in this region”.
Couldn’t agree more.
I’ve put together my 8 favourite quotes from the master class. Hope it gives you a flavour of Ruth Badger the person:
8 Memorable Ruth Badger Quotes
- I’ve got my own terminology; there should be a book of Ruth.
- If you want to be all things to all men, you are not a business. You are all things to all men.
- You are always consumers who go to work. What you have to sell is YOU not the product.
- I’ve never closed a deal in my life, the customer does.
- If they haven’t got the affordability, flush it.
- Have you got a sore bum? You’re sat on the fence, aren’t you?
- People who say ‘quite’ a lot lack conviction.
- Use clear communications: Maybe – Quite – Probably – all mean NO!
The woman is a genius! Her master class was one of the most interesting training sessions I’ve attended in my working life.
And here’s a reminder of Ruth on The Apprentice:
What do you think? Do any of Ruth Badger truisms ring true for you? Where you there? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave me a comment.
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