The first winner of Britain's Got Talent, Paul Potts, moved reality shows to a new level when he was crowned the undisputed king of talent in the programme. Yet he couldn't have been a more unlikely winner at the beginning. Paul Potts appeared on stage at the audition looking pained, disheveled and grim-faced to hide his uneven teeth and clearly uncomfortable. Not too attractive, one might say.

What followed next was sheer poetry and fantasy, being so unexpected as to be unreal. He began to sing Nessun Dorma and in a few moments the audience had tears rolling down their eyes. I felt goose pimples all over my body and was suddenly very tearful too. He had the most incredible voice I had ever heard. I have never liked opera but I knew from that moment onwards I would follow Paul Potts to any concert he did. His voice was mesmerising. Apparently he spent £12,000 on lessons and thought they were wasted as they didn't lead him to much.

But little did he know that he was being prepared for such an amazing moment in his life, that the money was the best investment he did. He brought the house down and went on to win the final. The judges were naturally speechless. At the time of writing, more than 3 million people had seen his video below.

Royal variety performance

Paul Potts might have won £100,000 and the chance to perform before Her Majesty the Queen, but his win has far greater implications for two important reasons. First, the final show on TV had 12 million viewers, the highest for a long time on such a show. The audience simply lapped up his talent. People obviously want to hear of positive things, not just depressing news of killings and maimings. Second, people love the underdog because they too can live vicariously through those winners, to dream of their big day. British society is also in transition and if people like him can help to remind us of what is beautiful, wholesome and really important, that is no bad thing. Paul Potts, a humble mobile phone salesman with a big dream realised that dream, and, in the process, will be helping an awful lot of people not only to see a new perspective on entertainment, but, most important, a new perspective on their world. Many people will be the richer for it.

It is interesting that in the same week another unlikely champion emerged from Formula One racing. Cheeky, bright, articulate, very talented and the Black champion ever, Lewis Hamilton, raced home to take the sport by storm, both in Europe and in America, seemingly with the greatest of ease. These two amazing young men in their own way offer tremendous inspiration for an awful lot of people in the UK. Most important, Lewis Hamilton and Paul Potts have shown the value of having a dream and being passionate about it, no matter the costs. If you believe badly enough, and dedicate time and effort to it, things will happen in time. Paul got into debt paying for his lessons. His wife must have wondered what on earth it was all about. All that money they could ill afford must have seemed a waste. This week she found out just what was possible. Lewis had started in the sport almost from the toddler stage, with a doting father who held three jobs at one time just to help him move closer to that dream. The stuff of books and legends.

Young men, and women, all over the country now have permission to dream, not just about being famous for being famous, but to realise that dormant talent they night possess and dare not admit before now. For the first time in a very long while it feels truly good to be British. Cheers to Paul Potts and Lewis Hamilton. Good Luck!

Talent Alone is Not Enough - You Must Market and Sell


Do you know what your strengths are? Where do your talents lie? Do you have a secret dream that you have never shared but are haunted by daily for expression? Many of us do. You may have a dream of taking your stellar idea to market, but have never pursued it. Why not? Often, the reasons are ignorance and fear.

Ignorance can be overcome with education. You may lack the knowledge of the necessary legal and financial steps required, but you can learn how to source this expertise. Your idea may involve products or service processing that will require skills that you lack. Those things can be located and activated. Ignorance is usually dismissed quickly. Fear however, is the biggie. It may be fear of failure or even the fear of success. Both are common. Our entrepreneurial spirit must entail courage. Remember that fear is often simply the acrostic False Evidence Appearing Real. If we review our FEAR, we may often see that their is no real justification for it. Challenge your fear. Mark Twain said "do that which you fear and the death of fear is certain." Once this hurdle is cleared, we can enthusiastically move forward. Our talents and ideas are then ready to move, but will have nowhere to go without massive action.

Consider Paul Potts, the previously unknown British cellphone salesman with a dream. This quiet man loves opera. He has been singing opera for his entire life, developing a great passion and incredible talent as he matured. With little prior public exposure, Paul was encouraged to appear on the British television version of American Idol, Britain's Got Talent. Paul took the stage, being asked by the judges what he was planning to sing. He calmly stated that he was going to sing opera. You could read the apprehension in the rolled eyes of the judges as they expressed their preconceived expectations, surely having immediate low if not comical expectations from this man.

Releasing his first amazing note, Paul Potts had both judges and audience spellbound with his incredible passion and talent. Many were driven to tears. No one could believe what they were hearing, then realizing that they were all part of a unique, wonderful discovery. Paul Potts would soon be a star. The audience was witnessing the birth of a new era in opera.

Everyone, especially every entrepreneur with a dream, can appreciate this moment. You can't watch his video without feeling goose bumps or experiencing tears. Paul Potts sings for himself and every dreamer everywhere, and you can feel it at gut level. Paul's talent, as indisputable as it is, was not enough. He needed the help of others who would believe in him. He needed to apply action, marketing and sales to the mix. The marketing will get him into out into the marketplace and his rags to riches story and musical genius will sell the experience of being part of Paul's dream.

Every concert will be a sales presentation, demonstrating his awesome product, emotionally involving every prospect, assuring a bonded connection. People will buy from him. They will attend his concerts. They will purchase his CD's. His satisfied customers and the awe-struck media will spread the word throughout the marketplace. Paul Potts is an genuine inspiration, not just for vocalists and musicians, but for every entrepreneur everywhere.

Daniel Sitter, author of both the popular book, Learning For Profit, and the widely anticipated Superior Selling Skills Mastery, has garnered extensive experience in sales, training, marketing and personal development over a successful twenty-five year career. http://www.learningforprofit.com/ Read his blog http://www.idea-sellers..com/