We're a week away from the October 15 early-bird entry deadline for the 5th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and here are some thoughts about this year's competition.
Despite challenging economic conditions worldwide, I expect to see strong growth in the number of entries in the customer service awards categories. Every organization worldwide wants to be known as providing great customer service, and winning a prestigious award such as a Stevie Award can be a useful tool to illustrate that one's peers, and perhaps customers, agree that you're achieving that.
Entries to the sales awards categories may be another matter, however, and I think that presents an opportunity for smart organizations out there. Sales people love a pat on the back. Strong commissions aren't enough to satisfy most sales professionals. But many organizations hesitate to seek recognition for their sales teams when sales growth is stagnant or tepid at best. And frankly, many organizations can't claim to be beating sales records in the current economic environment.
And that's where the opportunity lies. If your sales people are holding their own, if you have compelling stories to tell about the problems they're solving and solutions they're providing, then by all means, nominate them in the sale awards categories. You're likely to have less competition than you would in years when all boats are rising.
