To the story – not something – for the holiday

Our basement has a 12-gauge shotgun … somewhere. When my husband was 12, his father gave him as a Christmas present. He did not expect it, did not ask, but money is tight. According to the story my husband already for decades, which his father had to give up the gun.

Project itself is not what we use. We do not hunt, we are not going to shoot, but the shotgun is the only gift my husband kept from his childhood – the only gift worth holding to over the past 30 years.

What is your favorite childhood gift What is? Curiously, this is not the latest in a department store window ornaments. You’ve always wanted a puppy, you know just a little bit too expensive dolls, key your first used car – you remember all these gifts. Like my husband’s gun, these gifts are part of a story.

Advantage of features

Any first-year student of marketing will tell you to focus on the benefits, when you write, rather than function. As Harvard professor Theodore Levitt put it: “People do not want to buy a quarter-inch drill they want a quarter-inch hole.!” People – both children during festivals or potential customers – items wanted or gifts to fit their story.

With the holiday spending this year is expected to top $ 1 trillion mark, we can see something menacing in the latest of in a hurry. But before we strap our helmets brave the holiday shopping crowds, we can think of a gift can have a lasting impact? We are doing something a connection or just give?

Barium value SED gifts

Let us put aside for a minute gifts. As a financial advisor, I often about customer value-based investment and financial planning conversation. Of course, when they reach their first problem may be return on investment (how much and how long?), But our relationship deepened, so did the conversation. Financial trip, especially when a few years, rather than just a few years the market, not just to make money more three-dimensional.

Here is your values ​​and goals play a role. When you are no longer at the surface level of the production and protection of funds, it becomes a problem in your life: it is related, and long-term reasonsThe most important goal mean to you? Maybe you want to give your best friend’s dream enterprise funds, or make sure yo ur grandchildren’s education is paid in full. Whatever your goal, I work as a consultant is to help you effectively shape this plan over time.

So, back to the day the question: should not your gifts to follow the same plan? You should not give gifts express who you are and pass your story?

As an experience

Most of the new millennium, about 72% said they would rather spend their dollars on something more than experience. It should not just be a quality project, it should be a quality story. Airbnb entrepreneurs like those in the production of the product have to respond with their “experience”. When you can kiss the Scottish countryside sheep tea party or to perform a concert to see the great white shark from glass-bottom boat, why would you settle for a new P shoes AIR?

In recent years, commodity economy to experience growth four times faster, and the new millennium would rather have a gift, they can Snapchat and Instagram. The term “experience economy” itself was first used in an article describing the changes 20 years ago, the agricultural economy (such as mom made a cake cheap ingredients) commodity economy (where to buy premix), to a service economy (they bought a cake), and finally to:

now, every second counts in the 1990s, parents do not let the birthday cake, or even throw a party. Instead, they spent $ 100 or more to “outsource” the whole incident Chuck E. Cheese’s, mining companies exploring the area, or some other business, the stage for the children a memorable event – and often throws cake is free. Welcome to the new experience economy.

This prediction has been held for nearly 25 years, and can provide creative ways to align and drive the value of your financial plan the other decisions you gifts. You can put a new pair of skis memorable trip to Vail? Or maybe a bottle of good things to Napa Valley winery tour? You are creating connections and memories, which for most of us in the measure of value than to the back of the wardrobe from under the tree products.

Investment in memories

Gifts, such as money itself, the relationship between emotion and touch,Journey of life and traditions. Mix and match to do this thing together &; or at least experience it by the agent through mobile phones and social MEDIA – will give you a more meaningful connection, and therefore a better investment.

You are deliberately use your money to have a close look at investment and protect your heritage. You should not be deliberately spend money with your gift? Creation, your family’s story can continue and deepen the festival will bring those memories make life worth visiting environment.