And the winner is: How to clinch an award

trophies We all like being recognised for our hard work but winning a business award can also provide valuable PR for your firm. Features editor Louise Druce sets the stage for how to walk away with the ultimate prize.

There is no one, set magic formula to winning a business award (there are too many of them for a start), but there is plenty you can do to make your firm stand out from the crowd to be in with the chance of bagging not only a great prize but some great marketing clout.

Now without sounding like a press release from the ministry of the bloomin' obvious, you need to enter as many competitions as you can in the first place. Don't just go for the big cash prizes or mistakenly think it's crass to nominate yourself for an award – how else are people going to know you're out there?

Local governments, large corporations, universities, business representatives and a whole heap of other organisations are now hosting small business competitions. You can set up a Google alert to be notified of new awards but a quick scan around the search engines, newspapers, newletters, exhibitions and rival websites can tell you what's already out there.

"It's important to be able to communicate what a brilliant business you run in the right language for awards."

Duane Jackson, KashFlow

"There are lots of business awards organised by local organisations and only a small number enter," says one entrepreneur. "[There is] no harm in entering these ones as it increases [your] chance of getting an award. Sometimes it's all about the odds – that and a good idea or business plan."

Entry fees can mount up though so if you're short on cash, you may want to look at alternatives. For example, the Federation of Small Businesses has launched the British Small Business Champions (BSBC) award. It is free to enter but has a £10,000 cash prize.

That said, don't treat awards like the lottery. You need to look at the benefits of entering them in the first place and why you would make a good candidate. Will Wynne, managing director of online florist ArenaFlowers.com and an HSBC Start Up Stars London winner, says his company selected the awards for the £25,000 prize but also because of the strong media partners involved.

There are myriad other reasons why you might want to scoop the prize but to be in with a chance, you need to check exactly what the judges are looking for.

Blow your own trumpet

The next stage is the application process. Most of us hate form-filling and, unfortunately, it shows. Each entry needs to be tailored to the award. Don't waste time and space endlessly repeating your marketing bumph. You need to meet all the criteria set down and never assume people already know exactly what you do as they're unlikely to spend time hunting around for a brochure.

On the other hand, while the application forms are about PR, don't oversell yourself. A compelling story that fits exactly with what the judges are looking for is far more likely to catch their eye than using a thesaurus of words to describe how wonderful you are.

Duane Jackson, managing director of accounting software firm KashFlow, has experience of the process as a winner of the Software Satisfaction Awards and as a judge. "Virtually all awards will tell you what the judging criteria is, or at least what they are looking for in a potential winner (i.e. sustained growth, environmental responsibility, overcoming personal obstacles, etc.). After completing your application, go through it and make sure you've covered everything they say they're looking for," he advises.

"Print out a criteria list and your entry and tick off each of the criteria as you see it covered in your entry. It's so easy to write a great application that doesn't cover what's asked for."

If you get to the face-to-face interview stage, he also recommends reminding yourself of that criteria before you meet with the experts. "It's important to be able to communicate what a brilliant business you run in the right language for awards," he adds.

Mark Lee, founder of the TaxAdviceNetwork.co.uk and a former taxation award judge, agrees. "It was astonishing how poor some of the entries were," he recounts. "It was quite easy to pick out the shortlists as, by and large, they were the ones who had read and focused on the entry criteria.

"The winners always included client testimonials that highlighted the qualities the judges were seeking. These third party endorsements also backed up the assertions in the entries, just as testimonials do on websites and in marketing messages generally."

On the other side of the fence, Wynne says he believes a partial winning factor for his company was its good 'green' story, adding (tongue in cheek) that it could also have been down to delivering the entry by hand, accompanied by a bouquet.

"The things we focused on included making a list of all the unique things we wanted to get across and made sure we got them in somewhere," he adds in a more serious tone. "Rather than repeat the same message multiple times, we tried to get every message in once."

Be a good loser as well as a winner

Once you have been nominated, let people know. The fact that you are shortlisted is still something to let your customers know about. If you do scoop the accolade, however, you can bask in even more new PR opportunities.

Don't sit on your laurels and expect the extra rewards to come to you, though. The award organisers will want to announce the winners from the rooftops and will have a network of contacts you can exploit but it will be from a self-interest perspective. Actively promote your win yourself through the local media or industry new sites, as well as in testimonials for the company.

"Since winning, my company has a leading edge over competitors, which in turn has made us more popular with customers."

Sarah Green, 1st For Furniture

Using the award logo on your website and having the words 'winner' in your marketing material adds kudos to the company and sends the message to your customers and competitors that you really mean business, and are doing it well. It can then be used as a foot in the door to approach new clients looking for the business credentials in a company that match the ones that made you a winner.

"Since winning, my company has a leading edge over competitors, which in turn has made us more popular with customers," says Sarah Green, whose company, 1st For Furniture, won the 2007 BSBC Central Area Champion award. "We have been recognised for customer service and for the many who buy at a distance, have been verified as a properly established company."

But even if you don't win, don't be a sore loser. If you can swing an invite to the award ceremony, it can provide an excellent business networking opportunity and give you that all important chance to ask the winners how they did it.

Then again, there is always next year...

Award-winning checklist

Take them seriously: Approach business awards in the same way you would any marketing opportunity.

Modesty is a non-starter: Unashamedly, consistently and blatantly blow your own trumpet at every possible point in the entry form.

Speak to previous winners: Ask for advice and tips and if you can see their winning entry.

Read the entry packs carefully: It is vital to understand what the judges are looking for. Read and re-read the entry packs and instructions.

Use every word: Most awards place upper word limit on your entry. Use every available word wisely and allocate words according to marks.

Structure your entry: Don't cram things in and make sure there is a clear, logical structure. Make good use of headline and have strong openings and endings.

Tailor each entry: Don't fall into the trap of a standard entry. Tailor each so it exactly fits the judging criteria and use enclosures if permitted.

Proof reading: Make sure your your entry is independently proof-read, preferably by at least two people not involved in writing it.

Revisit: Once you are happy with your entry, put it aside for a week. You will see a fresh perspective that will help you improve it further.

Do your own PR: Most awards publicise the winners but ask to see the press releases and tell them which publications you would like them to be sent to.

Source: Award-winning accountants Stephens&Co.

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And the winner is: How to clinch an award

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