8 minute read
Why Your Business Should Enter Awards
Paul Waite Paul@aspen-waite.co.uk
Awards come in many forms: by industry, by region, by size and so on.
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Aspen Waite is in its 28th year and we have won a number of awards. These all look good on things like e-mail signatures and websites.
The ones that really matter are the National Accountancy Age awards. On four occasions we have been runner up.
On the first occasion in 2015, we attended the very expensive ceremony in London, extremely well hosted by Rufus Hound.
Over £2,000 for eight tickets, I went with great expectation but, alas, we did not win. My attitude to being a runner up has become far more positive since that first year.
Being a runner up in a national award is hardly a bad thing. It underlines our excellence, raises our credibility and makes it harder not to be taken seriously.
I have been involved with the GB Expos Business Awards since their inception in 2018 and was proud to host the 2021 awards. This came only a few weeks after Aspen Waite won the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Somerset Business Awards. This was a wonderful experience and right up there in my lifetime achievements.
So I have a broad experience of awards from every conceivable angle and viewpoint.
Why do they exist and why should businesses enter awards?
My views on this are contained below and go across several different aspects of a business.
1
They are Excellent for Benchmarking and Creating a Greater Business Focus.
Most awards have a number of different categories, so it is important to target the awards themselves and then which categories are relevant to your business. In our case, at the moment I am focused on the following types of awards:
National Accountancy Age
Tolley’s Tax
A Radio Award
A Design Award Somerset (Head Office) South Wales (Our Hot Spot)
There is little point entering an award that is either meaningless, not relevant or that one has no chance of winning.
In Aspen Waite’s case, I believe we offer world class advice, customer service, marketing and our Radio Station is second to none.
So I find it really helpful to have to consider what we do especially well, whether one can get others to agree (the Judges) and how best to represent this. Businesses come in all shapes and sizes. I like to think of a business like fish swimming in the sea. There are big fish and little fish, the predators and the hunted, fish that swim near the surface and those that swim at the bottom.
For most of the 27 years, we have swam in the middle of the ocean.
This makes us vulnerable to fish swimming above and below us.
So for instance we might represent a client who thinks that they have reached a size that requires them to move to a Top 30 firm, for instance.
More likely the Top 30 firm(s) would target a higher growth business and try to convince them that a move to them was the thing to do.
Conversely, the fish swimming at the bottom of the sea might target an Aspen Waite client and tell them that price is the key issue.
I know firms that won’t charge less than £1,000 for anything including a self-assessment tax return.
The local bookkeeper (masquerading as an accountant) might be happy to do a tax return for £50. So really think about your business and its strengths. Are you good enough yet to enter an award? There are two main issues when it comes to entering an award:
Do you have any strengths that compare well with your competitors? Can you put this over in such a way that it impresses the Judges?
We entered several awards in the Somerset Business Awards and my Marketing Team produced a first draft for the Outstanding Achievement category.
This was centred around the launch of Aspen Waite Radio which, of course, was an outstanding achievement. However, it was clear to me that our real achievement was in our offering the Friend Programme. We put together an amazing presentation and, when we presented to the Judges at the shortlist stage, we literally nearly had them in tears.
2
Stronger Positioning Against Competitors
Assuming one is, at worst, shortlisted, success in awards allows the applicant business to adopt a strong position against its competitors.
In my case, this is not done in a direct manner and we never trash or put down our “competitors”. The truth is I don’t consider we really have any competitors.
Why? Our market position is distinct, our range of services is unique and our approach, which we call “The Aspen Waite Way” is based on egalitarian principles, a love of business, desire to help people, to help others and benefit the community.
I prefer to let the market decide which the better firm is.
3 4
Strong Indication of Trustworthiness
Success in awards gives your business credibility. It tells potential customers and other interested parties a lot about you, what sort of people you are.
It implies quality and, if you win, that you are successful.
Raises Awareness of your Business
Success in an award automatically raises awareness of your business
When we won recently, I received scores of messages within minutes.
Then people like banks, customers, suppliers, etc. added their congratulations.
There was a lot of publicity through Social Media and then the Press.
My right to be taken seriously by you, the reader, is undoubtedly helped by Aspen Waite’s own success.
5
PR Opportunities and Exposure
To some extent, I have already covered this but it is a powerful point worthy of being reinforced.
6
Free Marketing Again, this is covered in earlier comments but nonetheless it is a powerful point. The return on investment, if successful, is exponential.
7
Brand Building How many business are actually building a brand or even recognise that they have a brand? I have consciously been building the Aspen Waite brand for over 20 years. Award success is excellent for brand building, brand positioning and brand awareness. When I presented the GB Expos awards, I saw scores of brand designs on the screen. I was genuinely interested in all of them and some were quirky, I didn’t like all the names, but most were thought provoking and a few were excellent.
Success in awards gives your business credibility. It tells people a lot about you, what sort of people you are
8 9
Greater Competitive Edge Against Larger Businesses
If you win an award, it is more difficult for, say, a Top 10 accountancy firm to put Aspen Waite down.
The extra credibility, third party recognition, etc. all point to quality.
As we all know, size is not everything.
Teamwork It would be possible for just one person in a business to singlehandedly go about all the required tasks to enter an award.
I would not recommend it.
I worked with a small number of my marketing colleagues and, when we presented to the Judges when we got to the shortlist stage, I asked Alec Jones-Hall to join us. He is a big friend of Aspen Waite and we collaborate closely and to great effect. Alec was able to inject some third party objectivity.
In order for us to get to be shortlisted in the first place, we had to come together as a team. Together we really did achieve more.
The presentation we did was the finest I have been involved in ever. We came together with amazing empathy and almost a sixth sense in terms of each of us knowing when to speak and when to let someone else speak. We were amazing and it created a bond between us. A sense of pride and maybe even vindication.
When I realised we had won, an even greater sense of pride.
I also realised quickly after the announcement that a number of people really cared and were especially pleased for me.
The award celebrated the excellence of Aspen Waite as a whole, no doubt, but I would be lying if I didn’t feel that it also was a triumph for my team.
10
Morale Boost for Employees and Enhanced Ability to Attract Talent
It is good to win, it can become a habit.
I, for instance, am absolutely certain that we will go on to win even more awards.
We all want that feeling again, and we found out how to win. Everyone wants to play in a winning team, it goes without saying.
Look at Man City; they can now attract some of the best players in the world.
Don’t you want to have a business that the cream of the crop wants to join? So if you have a good business, aspire to have an even greater one.
Entering awards must be part of the journey.
I now have an extra spring in my step and more self-belief.
