Lipkin’s Top Ten Ways To Win in 2009

Toronto, Monday March 30 2009, 9.00am

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It’s been one heck of a month. In March, I spoke to almost 10 000 people in Europe, America, South Africa, UK and Canada. All of them are wrestling with a single critical question: How can I win in these unprecedented times?

Here’s my response: there is no one right way to win. Every action has an unexpected reaction – for better or for worse. In fact, the unexpected consequences of every action will always outnumber the expected. Let me ask you this question: what would your advice be? What are your ways to win in the cataclysm we’re all going through? Quickly, write down the top three tips you would provide someone who’s depending on you to succeed. Then compare your insights with mine. It will make this blog a lot more interesting and relevant to you.

Now that you’ve done the exercise, I’ll offer you my top ten ways to win:

Lipkin’s Tenth Way: Understand, Accept & Embrace The New Reality. These are unprecedented times. Compared to August 2008, we may as well be living in a different universe. Whereas Growth used to be the Number One Priority, now it’s simply survival. Cash flow is the Holy Grail & minimizing decline is the new mission. In my business, meetings have been decimated so coaching, video-conferencing and production of new programs that can be delivered by proxy are the new drivers. I accept that. I even embrace it. Upset, blame, anger or frustration has no place in my emotional repertoire. That’s why I’ve put this blog on video for you to watch and share it as well. What’s your New Reality? Have you accepted it? How are you embracing it?

Lipkin’s Ninth Way: Focus On The Game-Changers That Will Achieve The Wins. In every market, there are the breakthrough-points that are redefining the business and sparking the next revolution. Think Apple – accessibility. Think IKEA – affordability. Think American Idol – Authenticity. Think Face book – connectivity. Think Obama – Change. Each of these “brands” pinpointed the Game-Changer and owned it. In my business, it’s the communication of the “Executionable Idea” that enables people to achieve their desired level of personal success. That’s my single-minded focus – giving you what you need to succeed NOW. What’s yours?

Lipkin’s Eighth Way: Grow Your Reputation As A Success-Generator. Winning generates its own momentum. In fact, it feeds on it. So when you achieve the win, broadcast it as loudly and widely as you can. People want to be associated with winners especially at a time when so many people are losing the game, the money and even themselves. So what have you got to crow about? How can you achieve success for others? How can you publicize your success without boasting or bragging? I’m not asking you to be Donald Trump here. I am asking you to become a “guerilla marketer” where you seize every opportunity to let others know what you’ve done for others so others want you to do the same for them. My livelihood depends on how many people know how much I’ve done for so many people. That’s why I’m telling you here. And that’s why I feature their testimonials on my website. How can you do it? And remember John Steinbeck’s words: A reputation for money is almost as negotiable as money itself.

Lipkin’s Seventh Way: Collaborate With Best-of-Breed Partners. We all become the company we keep. And we’re judged by the company we keep. We’re only as good as all of us together. The ultimate theme for success in 2009 is interconnectedness, specifically with those partners who will enable you to be great. That’s been a core principle of mine since I came back to Canada in 2002. That’s why I partner with Environics, The PowerWithin, Speakers Spotlight, Lowell Brown, White Hat Productions, Apple, YouTube, and Google – to name just a few. Who are you partnering with? How good are they? And why would they want to partner with you?

Lipkin’s Sixth Way: Connect With Key Stakeholders Through Multiple Channels. Think about all the ways you absorb information: face to face, ear to ear, print media, radio and TV, e-mail, Google and the web, and on and on. Our media smorgasbord is expanding daily. We have to find a way to leverage each new addition to our advantage. That’s why I’m revelling in my blog, YouTube productions and audio-podcasting. My main source of income is still the delivery of live seminars so I’m continually fine-tuning my oratory skills, but connecting with key stakeholders through multiple channels is my primary pursuit. It is possible to be everywhere all the time. And the person with the most visibility wins.

Lipkin’s Fifth Way: Be Compelling Online and In-Person. How enjoyable and interesting is it to meet with you? Would I be uplifted by the experience? Would I want more? Would I want to come back again and again? Would I tell others about how great it was? The actual experience of being with you is as important as any value you bring me. You see, it’s a given that you’re competent. I take it for granted that you’re technically awesome. The dealmaker is how empowered you make me feel. That’s why I’ve created my Over-The-Top, Enthusiastic, Irreverent, Energetic persona online and in-person. My mission is to give people the insights, beliefs and feelings that compel them to do what they otherwise would not have done. You may like me, you may hate me, but you’ll never be lukewarm about me. What’s your persona? How are you being memorable and motivational?

Lipkin’s Fourth Way: Earn Relationships With Key Opinion Leaders. In any given year, I will talk to over a 100 000 people. But there are only a few that enable me to talk to the other 99800. These are the 200 people who are the influencers, the connectors, the decision-makers, the arbiters of skill and talent. They are the ones with whom I need to earn my relationships. Their love for me is entirely conditional. I need to bring them insights that will empower them to grow their status in their communities. That’s where I leverage the proprietary Environics Social Values Research to give them guidance they cannot find anywhere else. And that’s where I’ll prepare points of view that enrich their perspectives so they can do the same with their stakeholders. The strength of your relationships with the Key Opinion Leaders in your industry is vital for your success. So how strong are they? And what are you doing to make them even stronger?

Lipkin’s Third Way: Play By The Rules. Before you can excel, you need to comply. Government’s presence is increasing in almost every category. Like it or not, we all have to navigate our way through ever-increasing regulation. So know the rules and play by them. And where the rules are vague, clarify them. Clarify them with your colleagues and your Customers. If you don’t know the rules, you cannot play the game. You’ll lose or, worse, you’ll be disqualified from playing again. And by the way, the more successful you are, the more power you have to change some of the rules. Change the ones you can, live by the ones you can’t, and have the wisdom to know the difference.

Lipkin’s Second Way: Bring Fresh Insights Every Day. You’re only as good as your last insight. Nothing goes stale faster than yesterday’s news. The world is full of people living in past-paradigms. You can hear their obsolescence every time they open their mouth. Same-old-same-old cannot cut it. So how are you re-freshing your colleagues and customers? How much time are you investing in exploring and exchanging new ideas. I spend at least a third of my time on creating and communicating new ideas. It’s the core of my service. And no matter what you do, it must be the core of your service as well. Let me ask you: If you could multiply the number of new insights you deliver to your key stakeholders, what would the impact on your business be? Think about it. It’s not as difficult as it may seem. Simply focusing on finding new insights reveals them to you. Then you have to capture them and share them with others through multiple channels. I’m walking my talk – that’s exactly what I’m trying to do here.

Lipkin’s First Way: Feed Your Mojo Three Times A Day. It’s tough and it’s getting tougher to sustain the kind of motivation that motivates others into action. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in the past six months, it’s that we have to take a lot more steps to win the same business as before. Decision-making times are being stretched as people ponder their options and delay their decisions. People want more proof, more evidence, more referrals, & more options to lessen their risk of failure. So be prepared to run down dead ends, chase false leads, make wrong turns, go down dark holes and hear the words you don’t want to hear. Your resilience, stamina and endurance will win you the game, but it’s gonna go deep into OT. Be prepared by feeding your mind, body and spirit. Condition yourself for preeminence. Work out. Listen and watch great programs. Speak to great people. Reach out to the people around you. Give them all the love you can and take all the love you can get. Money cannot buy you love, but love can bring you the Mojo to get the money.

That’s it. Those are Lipkin’s Ten Ways To Win in 2009. Let me know yours. And let’s help everyone else win in 2009.