Nobody really uses gift lists to shop for other people–we look for the cool stuff we would want to receive and hope that the giftee has similar tastes. Because I know that your favorite recipient of gifts this year is you, and that you are a big sale hunter like me, I’m going to help you by assembling a little list of self-gifts (all of which I would want to receive)…
1. The Kindle™ – (Amazon.com, $359.99). A gazillion books at your fingertips for half of what they would cost in hardcover. It’s also about half of the weight, travels easy and if you spend more than an hour per month traveling, it just works.
2. Moleskine™ Journals – (Moleskine.com, prices vary). The finest professional and personal journals, period. Light, elegant looking in their simplicity, classic in their form.
3. Small Wonder Travel Alarm Clock™ – (Travelsmith.com, $55). OK, your hotel wake-up calls always happen as scheduled, so you probably don’t need this….but just in case, this one is sturdy, small and easy.
4. SportGrip™ iPhone™ Case – (Marware.com, $19.99). Only watching a $20 bill blow away in the wind will make you swear more than dropping those slippery iPhones. This makes them grippy, without making them gummy.
5. Sony™ CyberShot™ – (Sony.com, $179 – $329). Taking pics of production lines, brainstorm whiteboards or favorite clients- this point and shoot digital camera is awesome.
6. Shure™ SE530 Earphones – (Shure.com, $549.99). Ridiculous price- agreed. However, the finest buds on the planet right now? Definitely. Any flight to or from Seattle that involves other passenger’s children will immediately convince you of the reasonableness of the price.
7. Cricket Knife by Spyderco™ – (spyderco.com, $79.99). A knife? Well, hunting and knives have a long tradition….Anyway, this is a great pocket knife for cutting open FEDEX packages with large contracts in them, clipping stray threads on suits or just making points with dramatic gestures.
8. “How to Land Big Sales with an RFP” by Tom Searcy – (HuntBigSales.com/ebooks.php, FREE). I know you’re thinking “What a yawner; I’d rather read the disclaimers on the back of my medication,” but it’s not true. This is a fun, well-thought-out page-turner for those people who will make big money on big deals with RFPs, RFQs and other procurement procedures in 2009. And did I mention it’s FREE?! Just download it off the site.
Help out the hunters in your life- tell us what other gifts should go on this list. Happy gift hunting!