The awards application is open on the screen in front of you, and with just a few hours before the deadline, you’re drawing a blank. Why should my company be considered for this award? What sets us apart from the competition? What will my competitors be saying about their products, and how can I trump that?
While there is no “secret formula” for winning awards, there are some tried and true steps you can take to make your entry the strongest it can be. One of the biggest fails when it comes to awards entries is planning ahead and staying organized. Amidst all the chaos in filling out those forms, you need to stay focused and ensure you’re really answering the judges’ questions and providing the information you need to end up in the winner’s circle.
Here are Calysto’s top three tips to winning more awards for your company:
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- Make the value proposition crystal clear. The first thing you want judges to see is how your company, product or solution benefits end users. Don’t bury the value proposition under piles of corporate speak. Judges want to hear about things like cost reduction, improvements to efficiency and total cost of ownership (TCO). If your product can cut time to market by 30 percent, tell the judges that. If it can reduce costs by 25 percent, tell them that too. The more value you can show for the end user, the stronger your entry. Try not to make your entry about “speeds and feeds” but instead talk about how the customer benefits from them. Working through your Positioning and Messaging with Calysto can help you ensure your messages are being heard throughout your entry.
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- Define your audience. Make sure you tell the judges who your target markets are. If you have been through a Positioning and Messaging exercise recently, you likely built out strong customer profiles and know exactly who you’re targeting. Make sure that’s crystal clear to the judges. Be as specific as possible, naming both the type of title within an organization and any vertical markets for which the product or solution is well-suited—and why. Make sure your customer benefit statements are well defined for each type and market.
- Polish off your use cases. Judges love customer stories and if you have strong ones, you should make them a focal point of your entry. Customer success stories help make a strong case for your company and its market relevance, so definitely consider using it in your awards entry. Even if you can’t name the customer, you should be able to use the “results” in the case study to hammer your main points home. Calysto can help you determine if a case study is needed, and if so, which one to use.Bonus tip: Get internal feedback, and lots of it. The people closest to a project are often blinded by the staggering amount of work they put into it, making it difficult to tell if what they’re writing about is compelling or just a bunch of jargon. Circulating the awards entry well before it is due can help you get feedback on whether your story is interesting or if it can use a little TLC. Include both your direct team and the team that owns the story behind the entry, such as product managers. If it’s an executive award, don’t be afraid to run it past the CEO.
Winning awards isn’t an exact science, but there are strategies that you can follow to ensure your company’s success. By putting your value proposition and customers front and center throughout the process, you’ll find your company in the winner’s circle in no time.
Want to learn more about how Calysto can help ensure you’re putting your best foot forward with your technology awards programs? Contact Calysto.