Have you ever thought about entering an award, or perhaps nominating someone you know? There have certainly been heaps of benefits for Networking World from our success in the Home Based Business Awards last year. So in this article I wanted to talk about how small business owners can take advantage of business awards as a marketing, networking and business development opportunity. And you don’t have to be a winner, or even an entrant to win…
The obvious benefit of any award is if you are a finalist or better still an overall winner. What better way to build your brand and credibility in the marketplace than by being recognised as an award winner in what you do? However remember you may not benefit as much as you could if you don’t take advantage of all the possibilities. Make sure that you promote your win in every possible way – website, signature block, marketing material; make sure that your local council and local paper are aware of your win. Plus remember to talk to other businesses in your network about how you may be able to create WIN WIN opportunities for all of you as a result of your success.
But you don’t have to win to be a winner! As most people who have entered awards will tell you there are numerous benefits to be achieved simply from the process of entering and being part of an award. It is very easy in small business to get tied up with working in the business. Entering an award gives you a structure and process to step back and look at what you have achieved, what you have learned along the way, and get a clear focus on where you are going. Plus many of us are not that good at recognising and rewarding our own achievements – the award process gives us the opportunity to do that. Even if the entering process highlights for you the things that are not quite right about your business that you need to work on, you will have been a winner.
So if you keep hesitating and putting off entering an award because you are “Not quite ready” or “Don’t think you will win” – why not give it a go anyway? You have got nothing to lose and heaps to gain. You and your business will be a winner no matter what the outcome.
Even if you don’t want to enter an award yourself, have you thought of nominating a business in your network? Obviously if you think they are absolutely amazing and deserve to win then you should nominate them. But also think about how they might benefit from the process of being part of an award, and from the boost they will receive from knowing that you thought enough of them to nominate them in the first place. What an awesome way to give recognition and encouragement to businesses in your network. And remember there are huge potential benefits for your business in being associated with an award winning business, so it is truly a WIN WIN.
Have you entered an award, perhaps been a finalist or even a winner? Have you been part of a strategic alliance with an award winner and benefited as a result? We would love to hear about your experiences. Or if you have suggestions on how to maximise the benefits from entering or winning an award, or being associated with an award winner, we’d love to hear about that too.
