New England North West

Armidale Regional Business Awards

On the Agenda… Why enter awards and planning Getting ideas out of your head Overview of entry process Q & A

Why enter business awards? Entry in business awards can be a key part of your marketing strategy Awards can be used to promote excellence in your business to customers, staff, suppliers and a wider audience. Opportunity to acknowledge key staff The application process presents an opportunity to review and take stock of your business, identify your strengths and weaknesses and think about your future direction and goals.

Why enter business awards? Aligned with the NSW Business Chamber Business Awards. Winners will progress directly as finalists to the New England North West NSW Regional Business Awards, providing greater exposure. Tenders, Pre-qualification for government procurement panels, etc. Judged by an independent panel of respected business leaders from outside of the local community.

Planning Note the key dates, particularly the closing date FRIDAY 6th JULY 2018 Don’t leave it until the last moment! You will need time to review the categories, seek input from key staff, and review your business plan, strategy, outcomes and P&L, etc.

Remember! Sell your story – same story that you tell your customers You are the expert about your business Don’t be shy about your achievements

Choosing a category If your business is under 2 years old – you can only enter Start Up Superstar New initiatives or developments the previous year that may be relevant Are you doing something really well in your business? Star performers in your business Are you eligible for multiple categories? Review questions associated with those categories

Categories (Winners continue to New England Regional Awards) Start Up Superstar (less than 2 years)* Outstanding Young Employee* Outstanding Young Entrepreneur* Outstanding Business Leader* Excellence in Social Enterprise * Excellence in Innovation* Excellence in Sustainability* Outstanding Employer of Choice* Excellence in Export* Excellence in Workplace Inclusion* Excellence in Small Business (1 to 19 employees) * Excellence in Business (20+ employees) *

Categories (Unique to Armidale) Excellence in Mental Health & Recovery Support Inclusion and awareness to reduce stigma and increase understanding How does it effect customers and staff Are you actively involved Excellence in Customer Service Award Trades and Services Retail Hospitality Goals, initiatives, evidence, challenges New England Enterprising Woman Outstanding Young Executive Outline key achievements and success Business impacts and involvement 5 year goals Why you?

What Judges are looking for Evidence of a strategic approach Awareness of your marketplace & industry Financially, well managed sound business Measureable goals, outcomes with quantifiable results Structured and easy to read submission People don’t just want to hear facts, they want a story! Passion and enthusiasm

Question tips Review each question – don’t double up on answers Develop dot points to answer questions Make it easy for the judge to read Consider completing offline in a word document, then cut & paste into the online system. Get someone else to review your answers Review grammar, stories and statistics

Word counts & weighting Word count cannot be exceeded There are between 350 and 400 words on an A4 sheet of paper Higher weighting means that judges consider those questions more important Generally, the higher the word count, the higher the weighting. Concentrate on these questions first.

Measurement & Examples Measureable results, Measurable successes, Targets, Measureable evidence Provide specific examples Use percentages related to profit, turnover, cost savings Customer or staff satisfaction Targets reached or exceeded

What are the judges looking for?

Judges feedback – high scores “Good response with plenty of detail that shows how the strategies have provided results.” “Strong entry, planning well for now and the future. Has strong focus on where they want to be and what they want to achieve.” “Congratulations! It is such a tight contest with all the employees nominated but you are showing outstanding results.” “Good strategies and sound objectives listed.” “Great to hear this success story! Your business shone through.” “Good thought through answer, plenty of detail provided about initiatives over the past 24 months.”

Judges Feedback – low scores “The response provided did not address the question.” “Great to see a keenness to share but no specific examples.” “Plenty of detail about how the business has grown, but no measureable results shown.” “No detail provided of any strategies.” “This answer is a bit light on. Again, it really did need proof reading prior to submission.” “No clear goals or milestones are listed here.” “Answer provided does not indicate what the results of the strategies were i.e., did they work?”

To Enter http://www.businessannualawards.com.au/login?chamber=armidale Online submissions must be completed by 5pm Friday 6th July 2018. Progression to regional & state awards is via the categories listed with an asterix.

Entry Process All users to register in 2018 Previous usernames & passwords won’t work Contact Tyler or NSWBC for any login issues.

8 takeaway points… Don’t be afraid to enter Business Awards! Plan and leave time to complete entry Review questions related to categories before deciding Put in strategies, results, and detail Use examples to quantify answers Check and re-read Sell your story Get another person to review your entry

Any questions…

Contact Details Joe Townsend (NSWBC) 0429 993 822 joe. townsend@nswbc Contact Details Joe Townsend (NSWBC) 0429 993 822 joe.townsend@nswbc.com.au Tyler McDonald office@armidalechamber.com.au 02 6771 1177 NSW Local Chamber Support Team 1300 139 910