The 11th Annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service recognize the achievements of contact center, customer service, business development and sales professionals worldwide. Entries for the 2017 competition are now being accepted.

October 19 is the early-bird entry deadline with discounted entry fees. The entry deadline is November 16, but late entries will be accepted through January 11 with payment of a late fee. Winners of the eleventh annual competition will be announced at a gala awards banquet on February 24 at Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

Today we will highlight the Business Development Categories. These categories recognize the achievements of individual business development professionals, and singular business development achievements in a variety of industries.

Information required for entries in these categories include:
(a) An essay of up to 650 words describing the nominated organization's accomplishments since July 1, 2015.
(b) Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges. At the very least you should provide a link to the organization's website.

130. Business Development Executive of the Year
     Recognizing the achievements of business development executives since July 1, 2015. (Professionals at the VP level or higher.)
131. Business Development Professional of the Year
     Recognizing the achievements of non-executive business development professionals since July 1, 2015. (Professionals at a Director level or lower.)
132. Business Development Achievement of the Year - Financial Services Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - in any of the financial services industries since July 1, 2015.
133. Business Development Achievement of the Year - Hospitality & Leisure Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - in any of the hospitality and leisure industries since July 1, 2015.
134. Business Development Achievement of the Year - Media & Entertainment Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - in any of the media and entertainment industries since July 1, 2015.
135. Business Development Achievement of the Year - Services Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - in any of the services industries (business or consumer) since July 1, 2015.
136. Business Development Achievement of the Year - Technology Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - in any of the technology industries since July 1, 2015.
137. Business Development Achievement of the Year - Transportation Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - in any of the transportation industries since July 1, 2015.
138. Business Development Achievement of the Year - All Other Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - since July 1, 2015 in any industry not addressed by categories 132 - 137.

Past Stevie Awards winners in the Business Development categories include:

Business Development Executive of the Year 
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Thought Bubble, Brisbane, Australia: Nyree McKenzie, Managing Director and Principal Consultant

Business Development Professional of the Year 
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Lennox Industries, Inc., Richardson, TX USA: Bill Carlson, Director of Retail National Accounts

Business Development Achievement of the Year - Technology Industries 
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
B&L Information Systems, Bridgman, MI USA: B&L Information Systems Bus. Dev. Achievements

Business Development Achievement of the Year - All Other Industries 
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
EFG Companies, Irving, TX USA: Quality Service Leads to Quality Growth

The Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service has issued its 2016 (10th annual) call for entries. All customer service, contact center, business development, and sales departments, teams and professionals worldwide are eligible to be nominated, in addition to new products and services used by those professionals. Complete details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

The 2016 awards will recognize achievements since July 1, 2014. The entry kit lists all of the categories and complete instructions on how to prepare and submit entries.

October 21, 2015 is the early-bird entry deadline with discounted entry fees. The final entry deadline is November 18, 2015, but late entries will be accepted through January 12, 2016 with payment of a late fee. Winners of the tenth annual competition will be announced at a gala awards banquet on March 4 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.

New categories for 2016 include:

Sales Distinction Awards Categories: These have replaced the Sales Department categories. Rather than focus on the performance of a named sales department, these new categories recognize sales-related achievements across an entire company or organization. Successes to highlight can be related to revenue growth, customer acquisition, lead development, training, enculturation of product knowledge, and more.

Customer Service Success Awards Categories: If an organization doesn't have a formal customer service function - if "everyone here works in customer service" is their motto - then these new categories have been developed to focus on spotlight on their achievements.

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service feature more than 140 sales awards, customer service awards, business development awards, new product awards, and call center awards categories. Entrants may submit any number of nominations to any number of categories.

Winners of the 2015 edition of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service included 60K Ltd., Avea Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S., DenizBank, DP DHL, Delta Air Lines, Fastjet, FedEx TechConnect, Informatica Corporation, John Hancock Signature Services, Kohl’s Department Stores, Revana, Revenue Storm, and Time Warner Cable, among others.

The 2016 awards will see the return of a the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service, a popular feature in which the general public worldwide will vote for their favorite providers of customer service. All Finalists in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories will be included in people’s choice voting.

The 2016 competition will be judged by more than 200 professionals around the world.