10 Novemnber 2011 | Adam Leach
BBC2, Sunday 2 October, 6pm
★★
In a move away from the regular format, this series sees the dragons give expert tips on business issues. This episode focused on “the art of negotiation”. The programme is a mix of prompting voiceovers, such as “have your banter at the ready”, footage of the dragons catching up with their investments and clips from previous series.
The main strength of the show is the soundbites on offer. Deborah Meaden provided a typically measured approach: “Any good negotiator is just looking for that tiny bead of perspiration, that’s all it takes.” Duncan Bannatyne – who told one hopeful “I’m offended so I’m out” – advised being prepared to walk away. While Hilary Devey said: “It is vitally important in negotiation not to be greedy”.
This is fairly entertaining, but the majority of the advice has the throwaway quality of a quote-a-day calendar. However, there is one redeeming aspect. When somebody pitches in the den, irrespective of the quality of their idea, they come unstuck if they can’t provided the right figures. Success in the den is very much like success in procurement. Good data breeds success, bad data breeds disaster.
