Happy Holidays: Amazon’s Wishlist Tool Makes ‘ThankYou’ Easier & Good Business Sense

Posted on December 23, 2008
Filed Under Recruiting Trends, Social Networks |

By Dave Mendoza

Dave Mendoza’s Wish List
Shally Steckerl’s Wish List

I want to extend my special acknowledgment for the kind cards and gifts from readers of Six Degrees. A few examples: Dan Harris, my sourcing apprentice surprised me with a Wii Sport (my family loves it Dan!), Marni Sampir, an alumni of the SixDegrees Top Ten+ - was kind enough to send some Christmas Cookies with her company’s cool logo on them, and Erica Jayne Walsh from BountyJobs sent a cool gift basket. Ryan Philips gave me a book at Kennedy Expo, Susan Kang Nam sent a hardcover notebook and Heather Gardner always sends a thoughtful card or item without an occasion on mind, and Shally sent me a very cool Wii Jedi Light saber game complete with virtual sabers …

It becomes a challenge when you want to return the kindness, or initiate it on your own, however, not so much for me … Thanks To Shally Steckerl, I have the easiest way to show my appreciation to my clients, candidates, friends, and business leads with Amazon’s infinitely easy to use “Wish List”

On Amazon I can simply search for client wish lists myself and upon being located, identify their preferences in a direct,”What they think is Cool” way to make their day. You click, you add it to your cart, enter your card info and walaah! it goes out in two business days using Amazon Prime and I am set to make someone’s day and make in impact on our relationship. After all is said and done, Amazon Wish List even updates itself after a purchase is made so you won’t risk buying the same item again that the intended recipient already had marked. If someone beats you to the “Highest Priority” items, you simply move on down the list. In fact, you don’t have to limit your list reviews to business appreciation you can even seek out wedding gift registries, baby registries, or make one for your own family members, like I did for my toddler, Siena Blue, to make inquiries easy.

Bottom line - if you can’t find your Amazon Wish List for a particular client or candidate - encourage them to create one. Send them this post and tell them how easy it is! I myself called a few clients and friends and told them I noticed they didn’t have one featured. Be Ballsy, it’s 2009 almost, right?

Above all I don’t have to worry about risking my gift becoming a Re-Gifter like on that Seinfeld episode. I watcheda Fox Business feature and was amazed to learn that an average of 19 percent of gufts are “Re-Gifted” - and of those identified on average they are re-gifted as many as five times! With Amazon’s Wish List, I won’t have to worry about that, because each individual has done us all the favor of clicking items they themselves value and you have optimized the likelihood they will have one big smile on the delivery date. If you create an Amazon Wish list for yourself - you ideally want to list items with a wide range of low to high priced featured “Wishes”. One more thing that I love? You learn more about the person when you see that other side of them you never knew existed. I never would have known Shally was a big Science Fiction fan like I am had it not been for his wish list, for example. Touching people’s happy button’s is always a good thing. Ahhh, Technology is wonderful.

When you see an act of kindness, extend your heart as well as the one click tools available to make recognize it. I do when I can as often as I can and here at Six Degrees its about Giving Not Getting … so pass it forward and show someone their kindness, their friendship, their resume submittals that let to that big contingency fee - all mattered.

Whether you create your own Amazon Wish List or seek out others, in both directions you created a remarkably efficient tool. It’s one more example of Social Networking at work, but with an uncanny sense of precision I admire.

What are your Amazon Wish List Links? Don’t have one? Create one! What are your Client or Candidate Wish Lists? Ask and find out or encourage them to create one. So what if the gift arrives after the Holidays - thank you’s don’t have expiration dates right? Thank back on the kindness you received and click away.

It’s good business but above all its a good way of showing your own Humanity in the spirit of the season, right?

Happy Holidays. I am off to play with my new cool light sabers.

PS: Here are a few Wish Lists to avoid being an “Elaine”:

Dave Mendoza’s Wish List
Shally Steckerl’s Wish List
What’s your wish list?

To add items while you shop the site, use the “Add to Wish List button. You can click the button to add the item to your default Wish List, or click the down arrow to select which list to add to.

To get back to your Wish List later, use the “Your Lists” link at the top of the site.

To share your Wish List with other people, check out the options available by clicking the “Tell people about this list” button to the left.

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