iPad 2, Facebook and Getting What You Want
March 23rd, 2011 // 7:29 am @ admin
I’ll admit it – I am a technology junkie.
I love gadgets. Computers, music players, tablets, smartphones – you name it, I want it. I love opening a box with a new toy in it, figuring out how to make it sing, downloading apps, and just the look and feel of cool tech tools.
When the iPad 2 came out, I wanted one. I didn’t even know what I was going to do with it, but I knew that shiny little sliver of technology was destined to be mine.
The challenge is that I’m cheap. I didn’t want to plunk down the cash for a new iPad 2, I wanted someone to give it to me. Sadly, the week the new iPad 2 arrived in stores, no one dropped one off at my office.
So, I put on my thinking cap and hopped on Facebook.
Here is the post I put up:
“Will work for iPad 2 – I want a new iPad 2 (64GB, WIFI) but I want don’t want to buy one. I’m going on vacation Friday and want to take it with me. I’m willing to trade an entire day of consulting if you’ll buy me an iPad 2 ($699 for $2000 of work). Any takers?
Within 10 minutes a Facebook friend who is a businessman I highly respect and have always wanted to work with said he was considering my offer.
I sent him a message and we traded emails for the next hour. I gave him some ideas of ways I could help him and he sent me ideas he’d been working on but hadn’t implemented.
At the end of the hour, he became my client and within 3 hours I had called every Apple outlet in Richmond to find the last iPad 2 on the shelves. It is now happily in my hands and full of great apps.
My new client doesn’t know it, but I’m going to give him way more than he traded for. I’m going to knock his socks off and we’ll be working together for a long time.
Lessons from this story?
- When you want something, be open to many ways of getting it.
- Ask for what you want – put out a message to everyone you know
- Social media works – let your clients be your friends online
- Get creative when seeking new clients – you just need to get the first piece of work and wow them.
- Assume the best and you’re likely to get it – it never occurred to me that I wouldn’t get my new toy the day I wanted it, regardless of the shortage of the iPad2 on shelves
So how are you going to get creative and bring something wonderful into your life this week?
Category : Blog &Goal Achievement