Value Vs. Price: The Difference Between Celebrating Your Anniversary at McDonald’s Vs. Morton’s
Should you be price-conscious or value-aware? It depends.
When it comes to things where quality and depth of service do not matter, one might focus exclusively on price. For example, consider health care. If all you need is a bandage for a minor cut, then you might simply want to buy the cheapest generic bandages at your local supermarket. (Or if you are a millennial, order it online and let a drone drop a box of 500 at your front door.)
However, what if your loved one needs critical surgery on his or her heart or knee? Would you simply shop for the cheapest operation, not really knowing whether the surgeon does a good job or not? What if the outcome of that surgery could impact the quality of your loved one’s life for years to come, maybe even a lifetime?
That is when you want to focus on value, not merely price. You do not just want to spend the least amount of money for a product anyone can provide at satisfactory quality. You want to find the best Doctor (or service) that will give your loved ones the highest chance for a successful outcome that will last for years to come.
People often confuse price with value. These are two different issues.
Or suppose you want to take your loved one out to eat? Let us say you want to take them for tasty meat and salad. You have a choice of two restaurants: Restaurant A and Restaurant B. Restaurant A offers you such a meal for under $10 each. Restaurant B offers the same meal for $100.
The buyer looking solely at price would opt for the cheapest deal at Restaurant A. No questions asked.
However, the buyer of Restaurant A could have made a very bad deal.
Restaurant A is a fast-food burger joint. It fulfills the basic requirements that the buyer sought in the first place. Meat (hamburger), salad (lettuce in a bun), vegetable (French fries), and a drink (your favorite soft drink) were included in the package. The buyer gives up quality of food to gain time. Whether you consider going through a drive-thru or eating in an open, noisy venue stuffed with kids as a romantic get together is open for debate.
Now consider Restaurant B, a high-end steak restaurant. Several choices of the finest cuts of prime rib, salad bar, sautéed vegetables, and a mix of drinks make for a tasty menu. A private, intimate dining atmosphere perhaps with music and a dedicated waitperson create an inviting ambiance. In this setting, the buyer is paying for a relaxing environment and understands the value of this high-end meal.
The buyer looking to treat his or her companion will gravitate toward Restaurant B. B offers value. The price might be higher, but the quality and level of service makes it a better value for what the buyer wants to do: to please his or her loved one.
Family wealth management is a value proposition, not a price transaction.
Lots of confusion exists in the press about whether financial planning and family wealth management is merely a pricing issue or a value proposition. Many writers (and cookie-cutter robo-operations) would have you believe that managing family wealth is simply a “price” issue. They claim that the lowest price wins because all the buyer needs is a cheap portfolio that looks like everyone else’s and needs no specialized service.
At Ambassador Wealth Management, we cater to customers and their families who seek custom advice. They deserve more than being thrown into a “one size fits all” bucket of investments and services. Our clients benefit from aligning with our firm that thinks globally but acts locally. They are people and families whose lives matter to us.
We work best with clients who can benefit from a long-term relationship that includes and extends beyond investments to their families. You benefit by us helping keep you on track and step aside from emotional decisions that cost many of your neighbors dearly.
In other words, the press and their robo-friends would have us all eat fast food simply because of price.
But if you want to eat steak in the context of a comprehensive health and nutrition program that might empower you to live with purpose, seek value.