Finalists in the 6th Annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, an international competition recognizing excellence in disciplines that are crucial to business success, were announced today.    

Organizations as diverse as E*Trade, Dubai Bank, Japan’s Lifenet Insurance Company, and ZocDoc are among those recognized in the customer service awards, call center awards, and sales awards categories.  Organizations with Finalists in multiple categories include DeVry University, the UK’s Everything Everywhere, GoDaddy.com, Nationwide Bank, PetRays, Rosetta Stone, UPC Austria, and Vodafone Turkey, among others. For a full list of Finalists, visit www.stevieawards.com/sales. 

Stevie Award winners will be announced during a gala banquet on Monday, February 27 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Tickets are now on sale.  The awards are presented by the Stevie® Awards, which organizes several of the world’s leading business awards shows including the prestigious International Business Awards. The Stevies are widely considered to be the world’s premier business awards.

For the first time, Stevie Awards will be conferred in three levels of distinction: gold, silver and bronze.  To date, only overall category winners have received gold Stevie Awards.

More than 1,000 entries from organizations worldwide were submitted to this year’s competition, an increase of almost 30% over 2011. Finalists were determined by the average scores of 93 professionals worldwide, acting as preliminary judges.  Entries were considered in 27 categories for customer service professionals, including Contact Center of the Year, Award for Innovation in Customer Service, and Customer Service Department of the Year; 38 categories for sales professionals, ranging from Senior Sales Executive of the Year to Sales Training or Coaching Program of the Year to Sales Department of the Year of the Year; and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers. 

More than 100 members of seven specialized judging committees will determine Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging, to take place January 30 - February 10.  

Beginning today, the general public will be able to cast their votes for their favorite providers of good customer service in the People’s Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Customer Service Department.  Voting is open at http://www.stevieawards.com/Service.peopleschoice.  Winners of the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service in multiple industries will be determined in mid-February and honored at the awards gala in Las Vegas on February 27. 

About The Stevie Awards
The Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.  Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.stevieawards.com/, and follow the Stevie Awards on Twitter @TheStevieAwards.   

Sponsors and supporters of the 6^th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include American Support, Coloredge Los Angeles * New York, Competence Call Center, SDL and ValueSelling Associates.

Press Contact:  Amy Nizwantowski, amy@mediashoppr.com
Mediashop PR, (212) 867-8778 x232

 

2012 marks the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the Stevie Awards movement, and to help celebrate our anniversary we'll be conducting a series of polls throughout the year about the events, people, organizations, and products that shaped our lives over the past decade.

Our first poll asks, What's the top business story of the past 10 years? After careful consideration, we've narrowed the choices to the following five. Vote now for your choice, on our poll on our Facebook page:

a) Apple’s introduction of the iPhone sparks a revolution in mobile computing

b) Wall Street’s troubles trigger the “Great Recession”

c) Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter stoke the growth of social media and social networking

d) Europe’s sovereign debt crisis heralds an era of austerity across the continent

e) The rise of the BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) changes the balance of power in international trade

Results of our poll will be announced at the end of January.

Which do you think is the most important business story of the past decade?

The final day for submitting entries to the 2012 Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service is January 18. Showcase your organization's sales excellence and customer service excellence by submitting your entries today. (Request your entry kit here.)

Organizations and individuals worldwide are invited to submit entries. There are dozens of opportunities to win for both private and public organizations, small and large organizations, and non-profit and for profit organizations. The 2012 competition will recognize achievements since July 1, 2010.

How the submission process works:

1. Get your entry kit here.
2. Review all of our sales awards and customer service awards categories. We have more than 90 categories honoring sales excellence and customer service excellence for individuals, teams, and departments, plus new categories this year for products, service, and solution providers.
3. Select the categories you wish to apply for, write your submissions according to the instructions, and submit your entries.

Benefits of submitting a Sales and Customer Service entry:

1. More chances to win
   All Finalists in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories will automatically be included in the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service, a worldwide public vote that will commence on January 26.  Finalists in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories will have an opportunity to win two awards: a Stevie Award, as voted by your peers, and a crystal People's Choice Stevie Award, as voted by your customers.
2. New award distinctions
   The Sales and Customer Service awards banquet will be the first to showcase our three levels of award distinction: gold, silver and bronze Stevie Awards. You can learn more about the new awards here.
3. Know your finalist status right away
   There's only a short wait to find out if you and/or your organization is a finalist. All Finalists will be notified on January 25.

Helpful resources to make your submission process easier:

1. Watch our helpful video tutorial on how to successfully enter submissions here. 
2. Review past winners' entries here.  These are great examples of entries that were judged highly in the 2011 awards.
3. Make your entries count:  learn how to submit winning entries here.

Still have questions? Call us at + 1 703-547-8389 or leave us a comment and we'll get back to you right away.

With the holidays upon us, give a gift of appreciation by submitting entries to The 2012 American Business Awards and Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  (You can get the entry kit for the ABAs here and an entry kit for Sales & Customer Service awards here.)

Why Give the Gift of the Stevie Awards?
The Stevie Awards are the world's premier business awards.  Not only does a nomination represent appreciation and a recognition of success, but all Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be recognized on a national and international scale- an invaluable gift!

What is the nomination process?
The nomination process is simple:

1. Get your entry kits for the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and/or The American Business Awards.  The Sales & Customer Service awards are open to all organizations and individuals worldwide, with an entry deadline of January 18.  The ABAs are open to all organizations and individuals in the U.S.A., with an entry deadline of March 28.
   
   
2. Review all of our awards categories. We have scores of sales awards and customer service awards categories as well as hundreds of business award categories.
   
   
3. Select your categories and write your nominations according to the instructions.

Need more resources?

1. Understand the value of your gift: Learn more about the importance of corporate awards.
   
   
2. Make your nomination a winning one: Read How to Submit Winning Entries.
3. Know what to say: Review past Sales and Customer Service awards winners' entries here and past American Business Award winners' entries here.

Still have questions? Call us at 703-547-8389 and we'll help you get started!

Happy holidays to you and yours, and best wishes for continue success in the New Year!

How will you use a Stevie Award nomination to reward those in your organization?

The final day for submitting entries to the 2012 Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service is January 18. Recognize your organization's sales excellence and customer service excellence by submitting your entry today.

All organizations and individuals worldwide are invited to submit entries.  The 2012 competition will recognize achievements since July 1, 2010.

To start your submission process, you should:

1. Get your entry kit here.
   
   
2. Review all of our sales awards and customer service awards categories. We have more than 90 categories honoring sales excellence and customer service excellence for individuals, teams, and departments, plus new categories this year for products, service, and solution providers.
   
   
3. Watch our helpful video tutorial on how to successfully enter submissions here. 
   
   
4. Review past winners' entries here.  They're examples of entries that judges scored highly.
   
   
5. Make the most out of your submissions and learn how to submit winning entries here.

Still have questions? Contact us at help@stevieawards.com; we'd love to answer your last-minute questions!

More than 200 professionals worldwide will participate in the 2012 judging process.  Finalists will be notified on January 25.  Starting in 2012, all Finalists will be recognized as Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie Award winners.  Results will be announced at the sixth annual awards banquet on Monday, February 27 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

All Finalists in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories will automatically be included in the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service, a worldwide public vote that will commence on January 26.  (Last year more than 150,000 votes were cast.)  So Finalists in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories will have an opportunity to win two awards: a Stevie Award, as voted by your peers, and a crystal People's Choice Stevie Award, as voted by your customers.

Leave a comment and let us know which Sales or Customer Service award your organization deserves most!

Gwen Rhys is the Founder & CEO of Women in the City, London, United Kingdom, and winner of the Women Helping Women Award in the 2011 Stevie Awards for Women in Business. The 2012 edition will open for entries in May - join the mailing list to get the entry kit as soon as it's available.

In 2003 Gwen Rhys invited a few women working in the City of London to bring some of their female colleagues to lunch.  The idea gathered momentum and within three months 200 women gathered to hear an inspirational speaker, share experiences, and network. This simple concept became Women in the City (WIC). Led by Gwen, and supported by a small team, WIC has evolved into an organization that promotes, recognizes, and rewards female talent and creates opportunities for women to achieve their career goals.

We asked Gwen’s advice on what she thought were the three most important ways women can help other women in the business environment today.  Here are her suggestions.

1. Recommend other women—it reflects well on you.

 Men “get” the power of recommendation. Let’s say Peter recommends John for a job in Bob’s team and the recommendation works out well. This reflects well on Peter, and Bob says: “That guy Peter’s great, he really knows how to spot talent.”

For some reason women rarely do this.  Are we nervous in case our recommendation won’t work out?  Go ahead: Make that recommendation. This is one of the unwritten rules of the game!

2. Support other women—don’t be a bitch!

Men close ranks and support one another.  How often have you seen that in meetings?  Aren’t you amazed at the way men cover for each other?

Women need to do that for one another, too.  Far too many women are bitches! They’re just waiting for the moment to show up someone else’s faults and weaknesses.

Learn from the boys. Support your female colleagues. Make sure they know you’re doing this … and make sure you get their support when you need it!

3. Speak up—celebrate your successes.

 Men are forever “bigging themselves up.” They are always the fastest, richest, most intelligent; they’ve traveled further, climbed higher, dug deeper … they haven’t really, but they just can’t help speaking in superlatives.  

Women—who have usually achieved MUCH more—say things like: “Oh, it was nothing really.”

Speak up for your female colleagues and friends. More important, find your own voice.  Learn to big yourself up.  Say: “Yes, I did really well on that project!”

A Signature Event
The annual Women in the City Celebration Lunch is a sell-out each year and has become one of the City of London’s signature events. Like all WIC gatherings, the lunch has a motivating and inspiring atmosphere, created in large part by Gwen’s energy and passion, and supported by the meticulous event management of WIC’s Program Manager, Marianne Bosak.

This annual luncheon includes an awards presentation, a keynote speaker, and in 2007 Gwen created the Woman of Achievement Award.  This award, presented after the lunch, recognizes senior women who, in addition to fulfilling a demanding job, are actively supporting the progress of women. Winning this award enables highly successful women to raise their profile internally and externally, with many gaining promotion to the very highest of levels.  The overall winner of this award is offered a complimentary place on the Accelerated Development Program held on the London campus of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

In 2010, WIC added a second award: The Future Leaders Award, presented at a breakfast event each July.  The award identifies high-potential women leaders and includes a place on the Cranfield School of Management Accelerated Talent Development Program.

In 2012, WIC will host its 10^th Anniversary Women in the City Celebration Lunch. Gwen plans to add one special award for this occasion: International Businesswoman of the Decade.

Key to Success
Gwen’s ability to build long-term, mutually beneficial relationships is key to WIC’s success.   This year she has secured award sponsorship from global brands such as Google, Barclays Capital, Barclays Wealth, Bluefin, Heidrick & Struggles, niche City of London caterers Lusso, and the growing software business Patients Know Best.  WIC has partnered with leading academic institutions including the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Cranfield School of Management, and has gained backing from major professional institutions in the U.K., including the Chartered Institute of Insurance, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the Facilities Management Association, and the British Bankers’ Association. Leading women’s organizations such as The Association of Women in Property, the Medical Women’s Federation, and the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists all endorse the WIC awards program and help judge the candidates.  Gwen has gained support for her activities from numerous organizations and companies, including accessories brand knomo, Charles Worthington hair products, and The Museum of London Docklands.

Internship Program
Through WIC’s Internship Program, female students are able to network beyond their usual circles, gain confidence from hosting at events, speak with enthusiasm about WIC at interviews, acquire valuable business and life skills, and secure jobs.

WIC Foundation
In 2011 Gwen set up the WIC Foundation. Says Gwen: “The aim of the WIC Foundation is to enable individuals to make better-informed and more aspirational career choices.”  She is partnering with The Capital Community Foundation to run a pilot program in 2012, and she has already secured funding from AXA Commercial, Bradshaw Property Associates, MITIE Client Services, and Ryland House Galleries, as well as from Major Rowena Patrick (in memory of her mother, who was named after Emmeline Pankhurst, the leader of the British suffragette movement). She plans to launch a major fundraising campaign to further the Foundation’s development in the first quarter of 2013. 

About Gwen Rhys
Gwen Rhys set up her first business in 1979 and sold it in 1987. She has initiated UK-wide projects that have forged links between business and education.  In 1995 she started ew-network to support female entrepreneurs. Gwen continued to run this network while setting up the talent and leadership development organization Networking Culture Limited. She launched Women in the City in 2003.

Gwen is a Liveryman and Court Assistant in the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers; was named Management Champion by the CMI City Branch in 2009; is a Town Councillor; and is a Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).

About Women in the City
Launched in 2003, Women in the City has developed a strong brand presence in London's business hubs. It promotes, recognizes, and rewards female talent; runs a highly successful annual lunch and an awards program; and offers other products and services to support professional businesswomen.  For more information go to www.citywomen.co.uk.

The awards banquet of the 6th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's premier sales awards and customer service awards program, will take place on Monday, February 27 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The Stevies for Sales & Customer Service return to Las Vegas after two years in Miami Beach.  The first three editions of the awards were held in Vegas.

Tickets for the event will go on sale in late January when Finalists in the program are announced.  The entry deadline is tomorrow, November 18, but late entries will be accepted through January 18 with payment of a late fee.

Get the entry kit here, and when you're ready to submit your entries, start here!

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service have dozens of sales awards and customer service awards categories to choose from, recognizing individual performs, entire departments, and specialized team for their achievements since mid-2010.

Will your organization be entering the 2012 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service?

Shining a spotlight on women executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations run by women, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business announced the results of its 2011 (8th annual) competition on Friday, November 11.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business is an international competition produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards and International Business Awards. The Stevie is widely considered to be the world's premier business award.

With more than 300 businesswomen and their guests in attendance, the awards were announced at a gala dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. More than 1,300 nominations -- a record for the competition -- were submitted this year for consideration in 78 categories, including Best Entrepreneur, Best Executive, Most Innovative Company, and Best New Company of the Year.

Notable Stevie Award winners from this year's competition include:

• Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox - Best Executive (More than 2,500 Employees)
• Dany Levy, CEO of Daily Candy - Best Executive (Up to 100 Employees)
• Lauren Bush, CEO of FEED - Best Executive (Non-Profit or Government)
• Ann Kaplan, President and CEO of iFinance Canada Inc. - Best Canadian Entrepreneur
• Dominique Senequier, Chairman and CEO of AXA Private Equity (France) - Best Executive in EMEA
• Women in the City (United Kingdom) - Women Helping Women Award
• Laura Ching, Co-founder of Tiny Prints - Lifetime Achievement Award
• Liz Hamburg, Founder of Upstart Ventures - Mentor or Coach of the Year
• WomenOnBusiness.com - Blog of the Year
• LittlePINKBook.com - Website of the Year
• Rockin' Green - Fastest Growing Company of the Year
• Agloves - Touchscreen Gloves - Best New Company of the Year

Ramona Singer of The Real Housewives of New York was also on hand to receive an honorary Stevie Award as "Mogul of the Year," in recognition of her prominent success in businesses including Ramona Singer Jewelry for HSN (jewelry line), Tru Renewal, True Faith Jewelry, and Ramona Pinot Grigio.

The 2011 honorees reflect a diverse group of large and small organizations from around the globe. Organizations that won more than one Stevie Award include Agloves, Calysto Communications, Euro RSCG Worldwide, iFinance Canada Inc., Rockin' Green, Tiny Prints, and Walton Isaacson.

Nations represented among Stevie Award winners include Australia, Canada, the Dominican Republic, England, France, India, the United Arab Emirates, and the USA.

A portion of each ticket sold for the event will be contributed to Camfed (www.camfed.org), which fights poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa by educating girls and empowering women to become leaders of change.

For a complete list of honorees and more information, visit www.stevieawards.com/women.

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com.

Sponsors and supporters of the 8^th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business include the Business TalkRadio Network, Coloredge, KeyBank | Key4Women, Melilea International Group of Companies, SDL, and Smart Reader Worldwide.

More than 330 women entrepreneurs, executives, and their guests will attend the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business on Friday, November 11 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.  These are the world's top honors for working women.

Here's the list of organizations that will be represented at the event (as of November 8). Will you be joining them? If so, act fast - there are only 10 tickets left!

A Glam Slam New York NY USA
Accurate Engineering Integrated Construction Services Inc. San Diego CA USA
Advocacy and Consulting for Education Inc. Wayne PA USA
Agloves Boulder CO USA
AHAVA North America New York NY USA
Allstate Insurance Company Northbrook IL USA
America Works of New York, Inc. New York, NY USA
Americas’ SAP Users’ Group (ASUG) Chicago IL U.S.A.
Arkadium, Inc., New York, NY USA
Axis Teknologies, Atlanta, GA, USA
Bhava Communications Berkeley CA USA
BidSync American Fork UT USA
Birds Nest Foundation New York NY U.S.A
BlackLine Systems Los Angeles CA USA
Blacktop, Kansas City, MO, U.S.A.
Bloomberg TV New York NY USA
Broadview Networks Rye Brook NY U.S.A.
Brownstein & McCabe Associates, Englewood, FL, USA
Business TalkRadio Network Greenwich CT USA
Caligor Rx, New York, NY, USA
Career Opportunity Development Inc. Egg Harbor City NJ USA
Century 21 Real Estate LLC Parsippany NJ USA
Charity Voice Online Dallas TX USA
Cigna Bloomfield CT
Citrix Systems Santa Clara CA
CJP Communications, New York, NY, USA
ClientAttraction.com Stamford CT USA
Clinical Research Advantage Inc. Phoenix AZ
Coloredge Los Angeles * New York USA
Delaney Consulting LLC Atlanta GA USA
Delta Air Lines Inc. Atlanta GA U.S.A.
Designs by Lolita Inc. Pawtucket RI U.S.A.
DiGennaro Communications New York NY U.S.A.
DRT Strategies Arlington VA USA
Dynamic Office & Accounting Solutions Danville CA U.S.A.
Elite Editing New York NY USA
eMASON Inc. Clearwater FL U.S.A
EmpowHER Scottsdale AZ U.S.A.
Encore Public Relations Rochester MN USA
Euro RSCG Worldwide PR New York NY USA
EXIT Realty Corp. International Mississauga ON Canada
FTF Sweets Limited Heysham United Kingdom
Gabriel Marketing Group Reston VA USA
Gale Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, U.S.A
Global Experience Specialists (GES), Las Vegas, NV USA
GreenGym Outdoor Fitness Equipment, Dartmouth, NS Canada
Health Advocate Inc. Plymouth Meeting PA USA
Heaven by Deborah Mitchell Shifnal Shropshire United Kingdom
High Performance Technologies Inc. Reston VA USA
iFinance Canada Inc. Toronto ON Canada
Improve Digital Amsterdam The Netherlands
Indus Health Plus Pvt. Ltd. Pune, Maharashtra, India
Infogroup Omaha NE USA
InnLink LLC Hendersonville TN USA
International Dance Supplies Ltd Newton Abbot, United Kingdom
iolo technologies Los Angeles CA USA
Jack Morton Worldwide Boston MA USA
JCPR, Parsippany, NJ USA
KC Projects Birmingham AL USA
Keurig, Inc., Reading, MA USA
KeyBank Cleveland OH USA
Keystone Resources Houston TX USA
Kiva Systems Inc. North Reading MA USA
Let's Eat Out Menus Magazine, LLC Spotsylvania, VA U.S.A.
Loyalty Factor LLC Portsmouth NH USA
MAC Presents New York NY USA
MamaBargains.com, Salt Lake City, UT USA
Marketing 24/7 Inc. Trussville AL USA
Marketo, San Mateo, CA, U.S.A
Matrex Exhibits Addison IL USA
Medisys Health Communications Fairfield CT USA
Métier Ltd. Santa Rosa CA U.S.A.
Mojiva Inc. New York, NY USA
Mom Central Consulting Newton MA USA
Momentum Inc. Camp Hill PA USA
MWW Group, East Rutherford, NJ USA
MyCorporation, Calabasas, CA U.S.A.
One Stop Environmental Birmingham AL U.S.A.
Organic Inc. San Francisco CA USA
Phoenix Data Corporation Indianapolis IN U.S.A.
Phoenix Suns, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A
Pivot Communications Salt Lake City UT USA
Pure Romance Loveland OH U.S.A.
Rambus Inc. Sunnyvale CA USA
Rockin' Green, San Antonio, TX
SDI Distributor Inc., Yonkers, NY, USA
Seeds of Genius Columbia MD USA
Sharon Lechter Paradise Valley AZ
SiloSmashers, Fairfax, VA
Smart Reader Worldwide Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Spend Radar Chicago IL U.S.A.
Staff Management | SMX, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.
Staging Diva/Six Elements Inc. Toronto ON Canada
Stern Investor Relations New York NY USA
Teri Scheinzeit, The Savvy Business Coach New York, NY USA
The HopeFULL Company, Minnetonka, MN, U.S.A.
The Omnia Group Tampa FL USA
tmg-e*media inc. New York NY USA
Transcend Technologies Group dba benefitsCONNECT Elk Grove CA USA
Under Armour Baltimore MD U.S.A
University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS U.S.A
Vaco Los Angeles Los Angeles CA USA
VerticalResponse San Francisco CA USA
Voxy Lady Sydney NSW Australia
Vulcan Park and Museum Birmingham AL USA
Walton Isaacson, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
Web Ad.vantage Havre de Grace MD USA
Wipro Limited Bangalore India
Women in the City London United Kingdom
Women Presidents' Organization New York NY USA
WomenOnBusiness.com Clermont FL USA

The Stevie Awards, the world's premier business awards competitions, are looking for an experienced business-to-business sponsorship sales professional to develop and sell sponsorships for our four awards programs and a new multi-day event on entrepreneurship we'll be staging in New York City next June.

This is a contract position offering a monthly retainer and substantial commission percentage, with signficant earnings potential.

The right person can be based anywhere in the U.S.A. and have the following qualifications:

* At least three years of B2B sponsorship sales experience

* Relationships with a number of key decisions makers at some major B2B and consumer marketers

* An extensive contact list of B2B and consumer marketer sponsorship marketers

* Demonstrable experience in developing and pricing sponsorship sales programs and offerings and in initiating, following through, and closing B2B sponsorships.

If you qualify and you're interested, learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com then email your cover letter and resume to Stevie Awards president Michael Gallagher at michael@stevieawards.com.  No calls, please.