418 THE PRINCIPLES OF PERSONAL POWER
refrain from doing a given act. If your Imagination leads you to under-
stand how quickly people grant your requests when those requests appeal
to their self-interest, you can have practically anything you go after.
COMMENTARY
The story of David Lloyd provides not only an example of imaginaUve use of appealing
to someone's self-interest but it also speaks to the value of going the extra mile.
David Lloyd grew up in a small Alabama town, an African American in a place where
Black people owned few businesses. He had only a high school educaUon. On a trip to San
Diego, Califomia, for the first time, he saw the ocean-and a marina full of boats.
Lloyd was fascinated. He got a job working for a company that repaired
yachts. His excitement about his work, and his dedication to doing it well, quickly
won him attention, and soon he was overwhelmed with offers of freelance work on
some of San Diego's finest yachts.
Lloyd saw an opportunity. One handsome yacht in the marina was in parti-
cular need of work. Lloyd approached the owner and offered to make all repairs
for the cost of the materials if the owner would allow him to take before-and-after
photographs to show to prospective clients.
Lloyd probably could have got himself hired to fix the yacht anyway, but he
went the extra mile and appealed to the owner's self-interest by offering to do the
work for free. Naturally the owner accepted, and Lloyd got his photos, but even more
important, he had so impressed the yacht owner that the man began referring more
work to Lloyd-eventually more than fifty clients.
Even with his business so brisk that he could barely keep up, Lloyd continued
to teach himself the skills he needed. He read books on everything from account-
ing fundamentals to varnishing. He received certification that allowed him to bid on
the biggest and most lucrative contracts for aircraft carriers and cruise ships.
From there, Lloyd built his business into one of the largest and most successful
shipbuilding and repair companies in the nation, working with clients like General
Dynamics, Exxon, and the U.S. Navy. He was always willing to work harder, using his
imagination to demonstrate his initiative and leadership.