Why You Need 'Balls' To Succeed In 2017

During the past 12 weeks I've been fortunate to observe incredible examples of teams collaborating toward common goals and individuals working in partnership, whilst simultaneously competing against each other. I've witnessed their success, failure, euphoria, sadness and at times their immense joy. I've also seen many of these individuals achieve their dreams whilst humbly comforting those who were not destined to reach their goals. This was, in many respects, the perfect business model and one you too could emulate in 2017. To discover how, read on...

What type of business model could possibly deliver all of the positive outcomes mentioned above and on the face of it have few if any flaws, a business that brings out the very best in people and leaves everyone involved emotionally connected and in a manner that many similar franchises have been unable to? This franchise has nothing to do with fast food or health & well being products and if you live in the UK, you will know this business as Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC TV franchise.

I know what you're thinking - "Steve this is clearly an example of click and bait marketing, I thought you were going to talk about a real business model not a TV entertainment show?!" but before you close your internet browser window, let me prove to you how lessons from this highly popular television ballroom dancing show will actually help you achieve huge success for your business in 2017.

No one who watched this years Strictly series will possibly forget the contribution made by former Labour Party shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, a man so far out of his depth when it came to dancing and even as far courting publicity, arguably even in his political career, was concerned, yet he was continually voted to remain in the programme, week after week, by a public transfixed by this man's total commitment to succeed, combined with his engaging entertainment value. It truly did take Balls to prove that a lack of obvious skill does not necessarily mean that you can't succeed, if you have sufficient determination.

But how else can you draw on the experiences of this popular television series to ensure your own success in 2017? Read on...

You Can't Do It Alone

One of my undoubted failings in the running of my own otherwise successful business has been my reluctance to engage the help of others, which would allow me time to do the things I'm best at. Consider the celebrity dancers on Strictly for a moment, they would not have been able to learn, in a matter of days, the incredibly complex dance moves required before stepping out onto the dance floor in front of an average weekly TV audience of 8.7 million of people, without the support of their professional dance partners.

Of course, their dance partners were just one element of a network required to help them achieve what would have taken most of us weeks if not months to perfect. The support of wardrobe, the band, the producers and floor managers, their fellow celebrity dance family, not to mention their actual families; wives, husbands, children, without whose blessing, tollerance and patience would have made spending so many hours away from home virtually unbearable.

Running a business is tough, don't believe for one minute it shouldn't be. If you are trying to successfully run your business by marketing, selling, delivering your services, bookkeeping and managing your accounts all alone, then in a word, you can't.

Strictly Tip No. 1: In 2017 you need to consider who your support team is going to be and start getting them in the frame now.

Hone Your Skills Before Stepping Onto the Ballroom Floor

When that moment arrives and you're taking a call from a prospective customer or maybe you're about to pitch for new business in a sales meeting, how well prepared are you? Do you simply have a random selection of moves you've tried in the past, some of which work, others that could work but often do not? Imagine those celebrity dancers stepping into the limelight each Saturday night without having practiced every single footstep, repetitively for hours on end. And it's not just the movement of their feet; the position of their arms, hands and even the tips of their fingers, especially the thumb or the tilt of the head, as well as the gapping between their partners, all needed to be rehearsed to perfection. Each of these attributes will have been rehearsed over and over again, until they knew that on Saturday evening they would be at the very peak of their performance ability.

This year, as always, I've heard people complain that prospects, partners and clients are not responding to their LinkedIn connections requests, emails and other legitimate approaches and yet, when I ask how many such requests they've sent or examine examples of the type of messages they're using to try and illicit a response, I usually see unrehearsed, non-value content that is likely to be of little, if any, relevance or importance to the recipient.

Strictly Tip No. 2. If you want to to gain better results from your sales approaches; your LinkedIn connection requests, emails, telephone calls or face-to-face meetings, you're going to have to hone your skills. You'll need to plan your approach and then rehearse frequently by practicing on less important contacts before you unleash your show dance on your star prospects.

Your Network Is Your Family

One of the things that touched me personally, whist watching this years Strictly Come Dancing, was the genuine love and support each of the celebrity dancers and their professional partners gave to their respective competitors. In a world of TV celebrity bitching and nonsense we see on so many channels these days, it was refreshing and heartwarming to see the raw emotion displayed by these dancers, who, despite their undoubted rivalry, were genuinely delighted for the success achieved by their competitors - over time they were becoming a family.

As the series went on, it was plain to see the stars of this show increasing in confidence individually, not just in terms of their dance ability but as people. It was also clear that they were developing life skills that would hold them in good stead once they returned to the 'real world'; the skills of discipline, coaching, practice, hard work, comradery and team working, all traits that great teams in great businesses possess.

In 2016, I have experienced this kind of support and comradery on many occasions and each time this help has come from the network of connections I have made on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.

Strictly Tip No. 3. Social media success is not just about promoting your services, it's about reaching out and creating a network of people around you that you can add value to and who are able and willing to support you also. Start building and engaging with your support networking now.

Running a business is not a waltz, it's much more of an Argentine Tango; it requires passion, you cannot always expect to follow the same steps trodden by others, there will be moments when you'll have to go with your feelings and instinct. There are also times when the tango requires masculinity, strength, resolution and firmness, balanced with a much softer and considered approach on other occasions - social selling is typical of this softer and more considered approach to winning new business.

What Is Your Glitter Ball?

At the end of Strictly Come Dancing the prize awaiting the winning couple was a glitter ball trophy. Each couple knew from the outset what they were aiming for. What is your glitter ball - what is waiting for you when you achieve your dreams and goals? Whatever it is, if you are prepared to plan, practice and put the hours in, with the support of other professionals, you will achieve your prize in 2017.

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and a hugely successful New Year.

Many thanks for viewing my post and would you please share it with anyone you feel would benefit from the advice provided.

If you have any private questions on the subject matter you can connect with me on LinkedIn and send me a message, or else you’ll find my contact details on my LinkedIn profile uk.linkedin.com/in/stevephillip.

You can also follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Linked2Steve