Everyone Loves a Winner
At CBC, we love shouting about the success of our clients, and have won bags of awards over the years. There are more and more awards springing up across all industry and within different business functions of companies as people are celebrating across the country and recognising superior performance. The press and the public have an insatiable appetite for awards it seems.
However, one word of warning, do take into account the time resources and thought that will need to go into the appropriate selection of awards and ones that fit with your business aims. To state the obvious, it might be nice to win an award about how great your company is to work for and a great strategy if you are hoping to attract high calibre staff to meet your growth aims, but if you are aiming to highlight your company as cutting edge in technology then perhaps not the best place to focus your efforts. A nice to have but not a must have...
Criteria and tips if you are going to give it a go yourself
Having found the right category, you need to develop a business case which meets the criteria laid down by the award body for that category(s). You need to spend time in collecting essential data from internal and or external information systems and be prepared to interview different people across your organisation to get this information. This is similar to a business/marketing audit and will be a valuable exercise in itself.
Now you need to write an innovative, original and creative business case that brings together all the relevant intelligence about your company and how it is performing in your markets, and how you are meeting challenges, changing customer needs or whatever better than the competition. You will also gain marks for clear evidence of quantifiable aims/objectives and timelines, relevance and justification of the strategic approach taken for the campaign, effective time and budget management and presentation of results and evaluation using relevant metrics. All in all the judges are looking for compelling argument as to the value and relevance of this project for recognition.
Voila! The outcome should be a lively easy to read submission (within the word count and submitted on time) which highlights clear demonstration of return on investment, quality of products or services, improved customer satisfaction and other stakeholder groups and/or sustainable added value to the organisation across the theme of the category you have chosen, and has been read by all the right people in your company and approved to go...
How you can become a winner yourself (but without all the effort!)
However, one word of warning, do take into account the time resources and thought that will need to go into the appropriate selection of awards and ones that fit with your business aims. To state the obvious, it might be nice to win an award about how great your company is to work for and a great strategy if you are hoping to attract high calibre staff to meet your growth aims, but if you are aiming to highlight your company as cutting edge in technology then perhaps not the best place to focus your efforts. A nice to have but not a must have...
Criteria and tips if you are going to give it a go yourself
Having found the right category, you need to develop a business case which meets the criteria laid down by the award body for that category(s). You need to spend time in collecting essential data from internal and or external information systems and be prepared to interview different people across your organisation to get this information. This is similar to a business/marketing audit and will be a valuable exercise in itself.
Now you need to write an innovative, original and creative business case that brings together all the relevant intelligence about your company and how it is performing in your markets, and how you are meeting challenges, changing customer needs or whatever better than the competition. You will also gain marks for clear evidence of quantifiable aims/objectives and timelines, relevance and justification of the strategic approach taken for the campaign, effective time and budget management and presentation of results and evaluation using relevant metrics. All in all the judges are looking for compelling argument as to the value and relevance of this project for recognition.
Voila! The outcome should be a lively easy to read submission (within the word count and submitted on time) which highlights clear demonstration of return on investment, quality of products or services, improved customer satisfaction and other stakeholder groups and/or sustainable added value to the organisation across the theme of the category you have chosen, and has been read by all the right people in your company and approved to go...
How you can become a winner yourself (but without all the effort!)
- We have an up to date database of business awards and deadlines, across all industries. We find relevant awards quickly for you and save you time and hassle
- We can pick up the phone and call the Awards organisers for you to get hints - what the judges are looking for, what stood out last year, if there is a core theme, and most importantly who the judges are, their roles and type of the company they work for so we can tune your entry submission to their way of thinking
- Effective coordination and communication with people in your organisation whose essential input is required. We have the resources to chase people up and leave you to get on with your job.
- Compelling copy that is approved by all bodies that hits the mark.
- Objective stance that cuts the chase and answers the questions on your behalf
- Submission deadlines met, follow up with award bodies for outcomes and feedback.
