But there's such a thing as overselling yourself to make yourself into something you aren't, and won't ever be.
If you look at most of the candidates, they all seem to (over) sell themselves. There is a pattern there. So you have 2 choices:
1. you either sell yourself like crazy and increase your chances of getting on the show OR
2. you can modestly sell yourself, in which case you are less likely to get on the show.
Notice, how in all the interviews, with serious faces, pretty much all the candidates come out with some outrageous claims about themselves.
I think it really depends on how badly you want to be on the show.
I've also noticed a lot of negativity on this board. My suggestion that if you really think that the current contestants are bad, why don't you enter the competition? My honest opinion is because those people who so critical and negative, do not possess the skills necessary to sell themselves.
On the Apprentice I think a lot of contestants do it to make themselves feel better and more important than the other contestants.
And that, my friend, is the aim of the game.
There are 10k+ entries and only one position available. You have to do whatever it takes to win. Plain and simple. If you are shy, retiring, modest, weak-willed or negative...you won't make it.
I don't think Lord Sugar is looking for a salesperson. He's looking for a business partner, i.e. someone to run a company. So he needs someone who can sell, certainly, but not just sell.
Are you suggesting that being a fantastic sale person and having good business nous are mutually exclusive?
If you can sell yourself well, hold your own in the boardroom and do well in the tasks, Sugar won't have any cause to fire you.
A major part of being a businessman is being a great salesman. I'll give you a few examples:
You are setting up a business from scratch. So you need a business partner to assist you. You need SELL your idea to a prospective business partner. He may not be convinced, but you have to try your utmost to convince him that you are idea is fantastic and that if he joins with you, together, the business will do well.
You now need funding. So you goto a bank/investor. It's a start up, so its always going to be difficult to convince an investor/bank to part with the cash. You have to have SALES skills to sell your idea in such a way that they buy in to it and pay up the cash.
So, you have your cash. Now you need to hire a couple of people to make your product/service. You are a startup so money is tight. You need the best possible person for the lowest possible salary. You have to SELL your idea to the potential employee. You are looking for a good worker, but are not willing to pay a big wage. You have to convince that person that your business is only starting up and that as it progresses, so will the salary. The best businessman will be able to secure the services of a top employee for a rock bottom salary. Only a top salesman would be able to achieve this.
So, you have your employees to make your product. But you need raw materials. You need to go to suppliers and get the best possible deal. You are a startup, so they won't take you seriously. They won't want to offer you a preferential rate. You need to convince them to give you some form of discount, simply because you are startup and IF you make it big, you will source all your raw materials from them. Effectively, your supplier is investing in you. They won't believe that you are going to make it big, so you must SELL them the idea that your business is going to make it big.
Now you need customers. You can't afford a salesman right now, so you have to do the sales yourself. You have to SELL your product to the customer. The customer says to you that they have never heard of you. Why should I buy your product/service? You have to come up with reasons why they should buy from you. This is not easy, but if you are top salesman, you will pull it off.
Eventually you get loads of contracts and customers. You hire more staff. Your company grows. But, now, you are chasing more lucrative clients. You don't want to leave the lucrative clients to be dealt with by your run of the mill salesmen, so you handle these clients yourself.
...and so on.
Throughout the business process, the ability to sell and convince people of your business/product/service/idea is arguably, the most important skill to have. If you are negative/modest and lack the necessary sales skills, your business will go absolutely nowhere.
