In recent days I happened to see some episodes of the television program “Boss in incognito” (Italian version of Undercover Boss).
As a viewer it captures your attention.
But from a business point of view I find it misleading, as well as inappropriate about the role of marketing and sales in companies.
MISLEADING, because it gives an unrealistic image of companies:
- I don’t believe in philanthropic owners who want to appear as such.
If they really are, they can take it out of the cameras. So, these entrepreneurs join the show only for ego and to self-promote themselves, not because they really care to give 5,000 euros to some employees.
- I don’t even think all the employees are perfect.
Instead they always find only loyal, affectionate, deserving employees and workers with tear-jerking personal stories. You’ll have a hard time finding lazy-bum workers.
- it seems strange to me at last that none of these corporate captains are ever discovered. Either it’s all a set-up, or the employees they choose are also a bit dumb…
DISEDUCATIVE on marketing and sales, because it distorts the business idea that emerges from the broadcast:
- everything in fact is always focused only on PRODUCTION. It’s as if the companies were such as producers of steel rods rather than pasta or fishing boats. When will you show us a service or commercial company?
- The product is important, the production is important, but they can’t pass the concept off that production is the heart of the company.
If these companies had not always sold a mountain of products, sure their owners wouldn’t be on TV to make themselves known! But then, at the end of the month what interests him to know? How many pallets were produced … or the turnover? So why don’t they go out and sell with a salesman instead of moving a wall? Maybe because it’s easier to produce than to sell?
To become a Boss incognito, in short, it isn’t enough to produce a good product.
Italy is full of entrepreneurs with an excellent product or service, but since they are better at producing than selling it, they cannot be philanthropists.
To get to be a philanthropist on TV you need customers, many customers.
Faithful customers who continue to buy, and new customers who enter every month.
The factory that produces customers exists
