BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

Author: To Do More Good, 'Focus On Impact'

This article is more than 8 years old.

Wendy Lipton-Dibner, the bestselling author who has just seen her latest book, Focus on Impact, published has focused her career on helping people put results and outcomes ahead of financial returns with the reassurance that by focusing on impact, the money will come.

When Lipton-Dibner talks about "impact," she's using the word in a more traditional sense, meaning non-financial outcomes and results rather than its use in social enterprise circles with a focus on social good.

That said, her focus on traditional impact is highly relevant for the socially conscious--and her message is good news for social entrepreneurs. As we focus on impact, she says, success will come.

In preparing for this piece, I asked Lipton-Dibner for three tips to help social entrepreneurs have more impact. Here's what she shared:

  1. Best practice isn’t always smart practice. If your business goal is to make a lasting and profitable impact, traditional business models won’t get you there. Research of over 1000 multi-national enterprises, hospitals, private practices, non-profit organizations and small businesses has shown the more people focus on increasing profitability, the more money they end up spending to make up for problems they caused by focusing on money. The answer:  Focus On Impact in every area of business from visualization to execution, internally and externally.
  2. Capitalize on the social shift. Gone are the days when we trust the words of the CEO who reassures us his/her products and services are best in class. Consumers have learned the hard way that just because we say we can help them, doesn’t mean we will. They’ve learned to trust shoppers more than sellers. They’ve become cynical, skeptical and cautious. The traditional “voice of authority” has shifted from business to consumer and this social shift has created the “Era of Sampling” – a try-before-you-buy economy in which impact is the new global currency. Now is the time to take control over the shape of your impact, the size of your impact and the rewards you reap as a result of your impact.
  3. Maximize your unique impact. You’ve been impacting people since the first moment you kicked inside your mother’s womb. Every since that moment you’ve impacted hundreds – perhaps thousands of lives - simply by interacting with people and bringing your unique combination of DNA, social experiences, education, skills, perspective and personality to the world. In business, your unique impact carries an extraordinary opportunity. Every email, every post, every tweet, the simple act of answering your phone, leading a meeting or talking to a stranger - everything you do and everything you don’t do has an impact on someone else. The secret is to define your unique impact and strategically infuse it into your marketing, products and services to create the one-of-a-kind, measurable impact that will set you apart as the go-to in your industry.

On Thursday, October 8, 2015 at 6:00 PM Eastern, Lipton-Dibner will join me here for a live discussion about her insights for having more impact. Tune in here then to watch the interview live. Post questions in the comments below or tweet questions before the interview to @devindthorpe.

You can download an audio podcast here or subscribe via iTunes.

More about Professional Impact:

Professional Impact, Inc. is an international training and consulting firm, specializing in helping experts, executives and entrepreneurs maximize and capitalize on the unique impact they bring to people’s lives through one-of-a-kind messaging, products and services. Since 1983 we’ve had the privilege of serving hundreds of thousands of people in corporate, healthcare, small business, non-profit and entrepreneurial industries through in-house training and consulting, international bestselling books, live events, online training programs, world-class speaking engagements and media interviews. Our mission is to make an impact on people’s lives so they, in turn, can make an impact on every life they touch.

Lipton-Dibner's bio:

Twitter : @impactexpert

Wendy Lipton-Dibner, M.A. is the world’s leading authority on business development through impact strategy. President of Professional Impact, Inc. and founder of The Action Movement™, Wendy is internationally-recognized for her unparalleled ability to help clients grow profitable businesses by maximizing and capitalizing on the impact they bring to people’s lives through their message, products and services.

Wendy serves as a trusted advisor to doctors, executives, start-up and experienced entrepreneurs and top influencers across a wide range of industries. A sought-after media guest and keynote speaker, she has built 10 successful businesses of her own, delivered thousands of business growth programs for corporate, healthcare, small business, non-profit and entrepreneurial organizations and has spoken for hundreds of thousands of people on stages around the globe.

Wendy received her Masters Degree in sociology and social psychology from Duke University and was recruited by Texas Christian University for a position as a university instructor and director of organizational research studies. One of her projects caught the eye of the United States Senate, where her presentation influenced a decision that has since helped millions of people.

Driven to expand her impact, Wendy left academia to open her first business: a social laboratory to develop and test formulas to move people to action. Within three months, her retail and service sales skyrocketed beyond industry standards and she became a sought-after consultant for small businesses, sharing the formulas she’d discovered for sales, leadership and customer service.

Wendy went on to achieve certification in three schools of psychology and built a private practice specializing in sales professionals. Her proprietary blend of psychotherapy, sales and leadership training helped her clients increase revenues exponentially, leading to a swell of invitations for consulting and training in for-profit and non-profit organizations where she became known for creating measurable results in record time.

Since then, Wendy has impacted millions of lives through her bestselling books, live events, world-class keynotes and media appearances, online courses and in-house training programs. Her books are required reading in hospitals, medical practices, dental schools and businesses, and her work has been widely published in business, healthcare and social science journals, magazines and e-zines.

For over three decades, Wendy has proven time and again: when you Focus On Impact, the money will come!