We love winners.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Lewis Hamilton on the F1 racetrack, Olivia Colman at the Oscars or the king and queen of daytime telly Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby winning our hearts every morning, success brings with it a healthy dollop of public affection.
But chances are that for most of us, the last time we won a prize we were tied to our best pal at primary school hopping down the 50m track in the three-legged race or trying to balance a particularly wobbly egg on the twisted remnants of an old spoon.
As we grow older we get out of the habit of winning things, natural British reserve and modesty takes over and the thought of such success slips off our radar.
In business, that really does not need to be the case.
There are a host of awards which businesses can enter to shout about their success – locally, regionally and nationally – and if you are not throwing your hat into the ring then you really are missing out.
Just this week we’ve been helping Telford digital manufacturer Protolabs celebrate a Queen’s Award for International Trade.
It’s the third time the company has won a Queen’s Award – widely acknowledged to be the most prestigious in the nation – and fabulous recognition for the innovative work they do at their European head office in Halesfield.
Winning such an honour – or even being shortlisted for an award – brings with it publicity and status which money simply cannot buy.
It raises brand recognition, increases your company’s credibility, sets you apart, boosts morale and tells the world you are the best at what you do.
Take those Queen’s Awards as an example. They celebrate all types and sizes of business and bring with them real, tangible rewards. More than three-quarters of winners reported their success had brought added commercial value to their business, 73 per cent said they had gained extra press coverage and another 73 per cent said they had seen a boost in staff morale.
Not a bad return for the few minutes it takes to complete an entry form or the cost of hiring a top-quality PR firm to do it for you to boost your chances of success.
And the really good news is that next year’s Queen’s Awards will be launched in Shropshire later this month meaning you don’t even have to wait a year to try your hand at emulating Protolabs’ success.
So here’s this week’s Be Bold challenge. Have a look at your business and the sector it operates in and find an award scheme you could enter. Don’t hide your light under a bushel and don’t worry about boasting about how good you are.
Just do it. (As another brand associated with winners might say).
And if you need help or want to give yourself the best chance of success, you know where we are.
