23 Jul 2010

Sussex Business Awards

The Awards were set up to celebrate Business excellence across Sussex and are the oldest event of their kind in the county.

There are 14 categories and the Awards will be presented by Nicholas Owen at the Grand Hotel, Brighton in December.

It is a proven fact that winning an award can have great impact on your business - gaining extra publicity for example.

Electric Hairdressing’s Mark Woolley, winner of last year’s Sussex Business Awards Small Business of the Year said that:
“Winning re-enforced the pride and belief that myself and all the Electric staff have about our brand.”

Georgina Audas of Sussex Uniforms said:
“Winning an Award has given us real recognition within Sussex schools, as well as with parents and suppliers. It has had a positive affect on our ability to expand our business by recruiting more schools.”

Entries are now flooding in for the 2010 Sussex Business Awards and some are standing out better than others. So how do you effectively showcase your achievements and make your entry to stand out from the rest?

Follow the Top Ten Tips below to improve your entry:

Think carefully about the categories you wish to enter. You may enter up to THREE categories PLUS the 'Health, Work and Wellbeing award' (which is free to enter). Choose the categories based on your strengths as a company or individual. Be honest about what you are good at and how you can demonstrate this to the judges.
Don't leave writing your entries until the last minute and make sure you submit by 27 August.
Ensure your entry stands out from the crowd. Use plenty of bullet points and bolding to make your point and ensure your entry easy to read. State clearly at the beginning precisely why you deserve to win a particular category.
The judges will want to see proof of claims you make about being 'the best', offering 'great service', 'value for money', 'being innovative' etc. Avoid vague statements such as 'raise awareness' and avoid cliches.
The judges will have lots of entries to read so keep your entry succinct. Write in plain English and keep it simple. The judges are unlikely to be experts in your particular field so avoid jargon.
Make sure it doesn't contain typos. Many entries do and they can be very irritating.
Demonstrate that your product or service has a market, that there is a demand from that market and that the business is sustainable. Provide robust evaluation of your business. Competitor analysis and sales, turnover and profit figures speak for themselves and are not subjective.
Don't hide good arguments in supporting material. Such material often isn't read.
Be sure to answer all the questions the judges ask too, rather than just the ones that suit you to answer.
And finally, avoid letting techies, lawyers or accountants write your entry. They are often not the best at communicating in words but think they can! CEOs/MDs often lack the time or patience to do the job well. Award entries are usually best written by the PR / Marketing Department or by external experts.

To enter the Sussex Business Awards, visit http://www.sbawards.org.uk/. The deadline is the 27 August.