Commentary

• Find the Buyers Who Can Buy the Most and You Don't Have to Find the Most Buyers. 

  • In the effort to register gamblers through promotional events, Amy's team left no stone unturned in the effort to attract attention.  They abused a bullhorn and hired showgirls to shepherd prospects their way.  But when the final tallies came in, it turned out that while Amy had registered more gamblers, it was Bill--with his laser-like focus on the recruitment of big-spending VIPs--who hit the jackpot.  He handed Amy a huge loss in what the gamblers actually spent.  Though fewer in number, the VIPs had outspent Amy's gamblers by a large ratio.

• Protect the Winning Idea.

  • Bill knew that the key to this victory lay in registering the Trump Taj Mahal's VIP gambler's at Protege's table.  Just as important, he realized that he had to stop Amy's Versacorp team from adopting the same strategy once they caught wind of it.  So Bill negotiated for the exclusive rights to escort the VIPs straight from their check-in line to Protege's registration area.  Sure enough, Amy saw the value in Bill's tactic and sent models to lure VIPs her way.  But Bill shooed them off, per his agreement with the house.  Protecting his idea proved as crucial as having it in the first place.

• Sell with Spectacle:  Bigger is often Better. 

  • It took a lot to attract gamblers' attention amid the Taj Mahal's bustle, but Protege got it done with a giant $1000 giveaway roulette wheel--ushered in with a trained tiger.  The team's promotional event looked right at home in a place where extravagance is the norm.  On the other hand, Versacorp's $300 car rental looked decidedly puny.  Amy got a rare scolding from Trump, who noted that you don't give away rentals at the Taj, you give away the whole car.

• Beware the Spillover Effect. 

  • Amy fumed that Katrina had "a tendency to use sexuality as her prime negotiating tactic" when Katrina went into the negotiation for the free car rental with no plan other than a gorgeous smile and a coquettish attitude.  And this was just after Katrina had huffed that Bill wanted to exploit her good looks to sell fares in the last episode.  "What about my ideas? I'm not just a pinup doll," she complained.  But if Katrina wanted to be valued for her brain, then using it should have been her primary negotiating tactic.

• Focus on the Common Goal. 

  • Bill was surprised when Troy and Kwame snatched him away from Versacorp to replenish the depleted Protege.  "Troy and I do not have compatible styles," Bill said.  "Frankly, I'm not exactly fond of the way he does business."  But any friction between the two was invisible once the task began.  In fact, Bill's strategic brilliance and Troy's irresistable hucksterism were perfectly matched as Versacorp targeted the most desirable gamblers and then bedazzled them with flash and fur.  As Protege roared to victory, project manager Kwame praised his colleague's characters:  "You just give them a mission, and they'll get it done."  It's usually easy to pick the best out of any lineup, so just do it.

• Catch the Competition Napping. 

  • Amy's ten consecutive victories must have worn her out; when the big guy bused the teams to Atlantic City, she fell sound asleep like the rest of Versacorp.  Meanwhile, the back of the bus buzzed with activity as Troy, Bill, and Kwame planned their attack.  "The whole time on the bus we were talking strategies and game plans, and making appointments," Troy observed.  "I look up at the other team and they're all sleeping.  Every single one of them is sleeping like they're on a tour bus instead of a job interview."  Protege hit the boardwalk running, while Versacorp played catch-up all episode.  Amy looked atypically off-balance and rolled snake eyes for the first time; Protege's wise use of early minutes ensured they'd hit the jackpot later on.

Lessons Learned