MEMBERNEWS Why awards can help you win big
Mary Maguire, Managing Director at award-winning Chamber member Astute Recruitment, assesses how businesses can improve their chances of award success – and what winning can do for your business. Let’s go back to March 2014. I was
a new business owner who had tried entering awards for the first time. I wasn’t consistent. I wasn’t disciplined. I did not have a strategy or plan. However this changed the following year when I was encouraged to re-think my approach. Scroll forward to 2018. It has been
an amazing four years with awards successes from the IoD, ICAEW and the Chamber’s own Business Awards in 2011, 2015 and 2017. At the end of 2017, we won a couple of prestigious global awards too. Entering and winning awards has
introduced the company to a bigger audience, gaining credibility and new business in the process. Our company is now more appealing to potential hires. We have achieved a record year of turnover, secured record amounts of new clients and hired two new, experienced recruitment experts into our team.
FOUR KEY STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL AWARDS ENTRIES 1. Recognise what makes your company successful.
2. Select the right awards to enter. Local awards recognising local businesses are the best way to start. Make sure the awards you choose have categories that play to your strengths.
3. Read and then answer the questions – not what you think they want to hear. Be clear, concise and passionate. Judges are not looking for the next poet laureate but love to hear your passion and enthusiasm come across.
4. Leave enough time. Awards take a lot of time to complete. There are often word limits and specific financial information you will need to provide from your annual accounts. This all takes time.
I recently talked to fellow
Chamber member Owen Conti, Founder of Code 56. Owen recently won Marketing
Derby’s Rising Star Business Award 2018, and I asked Owen what winning the award meant to his business in real terms. He said: “To be recognised as the
winner means experienced business professionals have heard and trusted our story. You can’t buy the kind of
third party trust that this panel of business leaders have given to me
AdamsonJones has the patent for growth
AdamsonJones, patent and trade mark attorneys, has moved into larger business premises less than a year after opening its latest office in Leicester. The intellectual property
specialists, which has office space in Nottingham, Leicester and London, is already seeing impressive growth following the opening of an office in Leicester in March last year. Doubling its headcount within six months, the firm has now moved to bigger premises at the Chamber- managed Friars Mill development.
The size of Leicestershire’s engineering and manufacturing sector was a key factor in the company’s decision to locate an office in the city. Nic Ferrar, Director and patent
attorney and Head of the Leicester office, said: “Leicester has a relatively high proportion of manufacturing enterprises – 13.4% compared to the national average of 6.3%. We are keen to support innovation in this sector over the coming years. “It is an exciting time for
Leicester, which sees itself as the R&D capital of the Midlands, and our discussions with businesses in the area tell us that innovation is firmly on the region’s agenda.”
and my business. “People are already taking us
more seriously. For example, contacts I’ve built up over the past year have come back with requests for how we can help develop their business strategies using the latest technology. My audience reach has increased on social media which in turn has driven increased enquiries and new business. This award acted as a catalyst in inspiring confidence for other businesses to use my company, so if you have recently
L-R Jo Ladds and Shruti Trivedi
Owen Conti has already seen tangible results following an awards win
started your own business, entering awards is an accelerated pathway to increased awareness of your brand and what you stand for.” The Institute of Sales & Marketing
Management discovered more than 70% of consumers are influenced by awards when buying products and services, so unlock this potential for your business. So, what are you waiting for?
Enter your business for an award. You have nothing to lose and may just win a lot more than a trophy.
Roythornes gets ready to represent at MIPIM
Roythornes Solicitors is gearing up for MIPIM as it prepares to make the most of the world’s biggest property event. MIPIM, taking place this month in Cannes, is the world’s largest annual
event for the property and construction industry. More than 20,000 property and development experts from 100 different countries will hear about the latest innovations and developments - many of which are unveiled at the event - while networking with industry professionals. This year Roythornes is part of Team Nottinghamshire, Team Lincolnshire
and the wider Midlands Engine. Attending on behalf of the firm is newly-appointed Business
Development Director Lisa Cawdron along with planning and development partners Jo Ladds and Shruti Trivedi. Shruti said: “2017 was a great year for us and it was bolstered by a lot of
Friars Mill
business contacts we met at MIPIM. This year’s event is particularly exciting as we have Lisa joining us and her networking expertise will certainly be an advantage.”
business network March 2018 17
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