This past weekend had one of the best shows in town – the Grand Final of Gladiators UK.
Are you a fan?
I’ve always loved the show. The drama. The sparkle. The strength. Oh the strength! I remember Wolf, Hunter, Lightening and Amazon (Olympian Sharon Davies) and of course the gorgeous Ulrika Johnson was the main host. I can’t remember the name of the main umpire but he had presence too.
But I have to say this new generation of Gladiators are impressing me every week. It’s such a high energy show. I’m totally hooked. AND maybe I’m older now, but I’m loving the contestants too. All are fab athletes and most have shiny personalities too.
If I had to pick my favourites – it has to be Fury, Sabre, Dynamo, Legend, Phantom, Giant (I hope he’s on the way to recovery after getting injured), they’re more than just epic athletes—they’re walking, talking branding brilliance.
And I got to thinking – what if we ran our small businesses like the Gladiators?
You see, before most of the events, the umpire always says ‘Contenders ready’ and they acknowledge they are by raising their arm, then he says the same to the Gladiators ‘Gladiators ready’…and they too, acknowledge it with raising their hand.
What if every morning, we stepped into the marketing arena, ready for what comes – working toward a plan with power and presence?
Here’s some thoughts…
1. Prepare for the Challenge
The Gladiators don’t show up hoping for the best – they train, they plan, they know the event inside and out. You can see how much practice and training they put in, it’s obvious in the arena and it’s obvious with their physique.
Preparation is one of the secret weapons for success that we rarely talk about, Perhaps it’s a given, perhaps it’s overlooked. But before you plan a marketing campaign – prepare. Know who you’re talking to, know why you’re saying it, know what you’re going to say, know the words that will resonate. Know your numbers.
Preparation beats winging it every single time.
2. Play to your Strengths
Every Gladiator has their speciality – Fury dominates with her rugby skills in powerball, Electro is a sprinter so dominates Unleashed, others dominate the rings, others are unbeatable on the wall. While they are all good at the events and amazing to watch, they play to their strengths.
In business, we don’t have to be great at everything. We get help to work on the things that we’re not great at. In marketing, you play to strengths. I talk about the YOU factor often – where you focus on your strengths, the bits of you that make you shine.
So much of what we see these days is trends based and people jump on the trends. But if you feel uncomfortable in front of a camera, don’t do it. If you prefer to write, write. If you prefer in person events, do in-person networking.
You will win faster – and can I also say, have more fun – when you lean into what makes you brilliant.
3. Expect a Few Knockdowns
Lets be real – the Gladiators, even Legend (the self proclaimed strongest gladiator of them all!) takes a tumble. In Dual or the Edge, they get knocked down and take tumbles, they get outpaced and are beaten as a contestant moves through the Gauntlet.
While they aren’t happy about it, they know it. They’re up against strong contestants. But they keep their head up and come out fighting for the next event.
In marketing, in business, there will always be tough days. Just last week, I was sure I was in with a good chance for a fractional CMO role with a product that I LOVED. I would have treated it as my own business, but nothing came about it.
There’s days when you write a blog (like this one) or a podcast or a campaign or a webinar, and you’re sure it’s going to make an impact. You’ve planned, you’ve prepared but yet, you don’t get the results you wanted.
Here’s the thing – the magic isn’t in never falling. It’s in dusting yourself off, standing back up, re-assessing and charging again.
My favourite trait – resilience – always wins.
Bonus point – Make it a show and Make it Memorable
The Gladiators is pure entertainment. My daughter and I love it, like I said, it’s high energy, it’s drama, it’s lights, music, action!
It’s memorable.
So the question to you – how do you make your marketing more memorable?
- Could you create a signature programme that is easy to remember like the FAY WAY?
- Can you add more story telling? (This is something that I am constantly working on)
- What part of your YOU factor, your messaging that you can highlight? Where can you let your passion show through and shine louder?
Here’s my final thought – if I had an EMCEE or host, like Bradley and Barney, here’s what they’d say:
Every day you walk into your business, you are a contender. You step into the arena, ready for whatever challenge is ahead. You raise your hand, stay grounded and you say I’m ready. You step in with power, plan and presence.
Because Gladiators aren’t born ready.
They become ready through action, training, mindset… and a little bit of showmanship.
Ready to step into your arena with power and presence? Let’s chat.
Book a marketing mentoring call here.
