I was recently doing some research for one of the non-profits I volunteer with and during my Google search, I came across something rather awe-inspiring and completely overwhelming at the same time.

 

Did you know that the average human being makes approximately 35,000 decisions in a day? Everything from simple decisions such as what to eat for breakfast, or what to wear to work, to really meaningful and impactful things such as how to respond to emails and when to hire the new marketing executive.

 

That blows my mind! (Like, literally. Just thinking about it gave me an eye twitch and a headache.) It’s also why so many of us complain of experiencing decision fatigue.

 

So how does one go about combatting decision fatigue? I mean, other than eating the same foods every day or wearing the same clothes for months on end? (As the mother of teenagers, I would not recommend either of these solutions!)

 

One of the online articles I read while doing this research suggested “firing” yourself from tasks that could be better accomplished by outsourcing. For example, I’m pretty ok at accounting. I passed all my college accounting courses with A’s and I know how to reconcile my account registers, but it’s not my area of expertise.

That’s ok.

I know that my time and talents are better spent elsewhere. So, this year, I hired an accountant for Linden Square to take over some of the tasks that our CFO and I were getting bogged down with. Best decision ever. He acts as an impartial party when needed and because he has a broad outside view of our company, he can make suggestions or guide us in areas we’re too close to see.

 

So how does this relate to your company’s gifting strategy?

 

Think about how much time, energy and resources go into your gifts.

First, you have to delegate the job to someone within the organization, potentially taking them away from or adding to their other job responsibilities. Next they need to come up with the design or theme of your gifts. Then source all the products, work with the vendors to get preferred pricing and ensure on time arrival, deal with shipping delays and breakages, and then count and inventory all the products once they arrive.

 

And that’s just the beginning.

 

Next there’s the packaging and filler, ribbon or bellybands, the printed collateral that accompanies the gift, and obtaining the addresses for each recipient.

 

We haven’t even begun assembling.

 

Now, put together all the boxes or bags, making sure all items are secure, include your branded collateral and notes, secure the gift with ribbon or bands, and then pack each and every one adequately for transit. Don’t forget addressing each and arranging for pickup by your shipping carrier.

 

And still, there’s more…I could go on about tracking and lost packages and returns, and etc., etc., etc.,

 

But why? I think you’ve gotten the point…

 

Each one of those steps requires several decisions to be made and for someone whose time and talents could be better utilized elsewhere, or who doesn’t regularly handle large gifting projects, it just makes sense to hand it off to an expert.

Hiring a company that already has the contacts and vendors lined up to fulfill each one of those moving parts not only saves you and your organization a tremendous amount of time and resources, it also saves your employee from wasted energy and decision fatigue when really all he or she wants to do is a great job for you.

 

To set up a discovery call to discuss your upcoming corporate gifting needs, or to find out how Linden Square can save you and your employees frustration, contact us here.