Business success involves determining a commercial
and marketing strategy, setting realistic objectives, and creating a
promotional programme to help make it happen.
It’s about engaging with customers and
getting them to trust your company over a competitor. It’s about image, communicating a sense of
brand value and converting sales.
But how to create trust with potential
customers who may not have heard of you?
However, one often overlooked tactic can provide the third-party
endorsement that smaller companies generally struggle to find.
Entering business awards should be
front-of-mind for any company, because excellence is something every company
strives for – whether that’s customer service or technical innovation.
There’s a business awards scheme for every
business sector, so finding an appropriate award category shouldn't
Nor does it matter how big you are. There are awards for start-ups,
entrepreneurial awards, or innovative
new products. Or there are awards in the
workplace - for best practice in flexible working, best places to work, social
inclusion, or recruitment policies.
Here are some tips on how to make your
entry stand out from the crowd.
1. Enter appropriately. Writing a killer submission
is a lengthy process, so best not waste time on an award category that you are
unlikely to shine in. Concentrate effort
on the awards and categories where you really have something to shout about. (If in doubt, speak to the awards organiser).
2. Read entry guidelines. Judges look for clarity and
generally set an upper word count. They
will also indicate what they’re looking for to support your entry – whether
that’s sales figures, customer endorsements, media coverage etc. Focus on what’s important for your entry, and
cut the waffle.
3. Leave yourself time. Writing an award submission
takes far longer than people anticipate.
For a start, facts and figures have to be assembled, and other people in
the company consulted. Better to set a
timetable that gives you time to think, rather than completing it in a mad
rush. (A rushed entry is rarely a good
entry).
4. Appoint a champion. While several people in the
company may have an input to the submission, put one individual in charge, and
task that person to complete a draft of the submission(s) well ahead of the
deadline. (There’s nothing worse than an
entry that looks like it was written by a committee).
5. Make it interesting. There’s no point being
over-technical or using too much jargon. Your entry should be memorable and
interesting, right from the first sentence.
Think of it as an elevator pitch: grab the judges’ attention in the
introduction.
6. Make it real. You’re justifiably proud of
your company and want to shout about its attributes. But beware of making unsubstantiated claims
to be “the best” – using sales data to demonstrate healthy growth is a better
way of demonstrating success.
7. Get another view. You might think that your
submission is right on the button and has ticked all the boxes. But get someone from outside your company to
take a look at it. A point you thought
was blindingly obvious might not be that obvious to an outsider.
In conclusion, what’s important is that you take the time
to really understand what the judges are looking for, and how to make your
entry stand up to scrutiny.
In our experience, every successful or
ambitious company has a story to tell, about itself, its products or its people,
irrespective of size or sector. It’s how
you tell that story that matters.
