Send in your entry and win more than just an award

Resellers that win a Channel Award can make good use of the success to build their business. Simon Meredith explains why it is worth the effort

Winning combination: A high-profile event like the CRN Awards is the perfect networking arena.

If you have been thinking about entering this year’s Channel Awards it is time to stop ruminating and act. The deadline is Friday 18 July so you have less than two weeks to submit your entry.

Should you get through to the final stages, it will be worth the effort. Even if you do not win, putting the entry together is a great way of focusing your mind on your direction and strategy.

Mike Pullon, managing director of Varlink, winner of last year’s Editor’s Choice Emerging Company of the Year Award said: “The process of submitting an entry is similar to undertaking a review of your business, and I found that this alone delivered benefits.”

Nor do you have to be a big fish to come through in the end. Abbey Telecom is a relatively small Blackburn-based company, which won the SME Reseller of the Year category in 2007. It will certainly be putting itself forward again this year, according to managing director Tony Raynor.

“What would we say to anyone thinking about going for this award? ‘Yes, definitely do it.’ You do not have to be the biggest player on the block to have a chance of winning ­ Abbey Telecom proved that last year.”

Go for it
Khipu Networks, which claimed the Specialist Reseller Award in 2007, entered without any expectation of winning or even being short-listed, especially as the company knew it would be up against some major players, as managing director Andrew Brimson explained.

“Last year was the first time we had entered the CRN awards ­ or any awards to be honest ­ and I thought we would be extremely lucky to get anywhere. I, like my fellow directors, believed that it was a scheme for the big companies and those who spend considerably on advertising. That may seem a bit cynical but I imagine that is how a lot of people may view this type of competition. We decided to enter anyway.”

The pay-off
For Khipu it paid off in a major way, and while the company’s efforts in other categories were certainly noticed by the judges, it shone through in the specialist category and secured enough votes from customers to convince the judges it fully deserved to win.

One of the more well-known reseller winners last year was City of London-based Eurodata. These companies benefit just as much as the smaller firms from increased recognition. “It is very much a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained,” said joint managing director of the firm, Des Lekerman.

“CRN is our industry news so I think that for anyone in the IT sector not to apply is admitting defeat before even starting.”
The benefits to resellers of winning a Channel Award are considerable, both in terms of customer and industry recognition.
“All of our existing suppliers were impressed by the award and we have seen a lot more interest from other suppliers keen to work with Khipu, which in part can be directly attributed to the coverage that winning gave us,” said Brimson.

The high profile that award-winners enjoy can also help them to get on the fast track with vendors, said Richard Cook, managing director of Poole reseller, Blue Chip.

“We have found that the title of Corporate Reseller of the Year has had a positive effect on business. We are able to negotiate more effectively with suppliers, and benefit from accelerated partner accreditation where possible.
“Since winning this year’s award, we have gained VMware VAC Gold status and are concluding talks with Cisco regarding Gold partnership status.”

Positive feedback
Customers generally respond positively to the news that their supplier has won an award. Once again, the effect is noticeable whether you are a large or relatively small business.

Abbey Telecom’s Raynor said: “It created a great feel-good factor among the Abbey team. We keep the award on show in our demonstration suite and it does create a talking point when our potential clients come for meetings. This can be very helpful in winning new business.”

Eurodata’s approach is similar. “We often use the award as a tool to provide our customers with the confidence that they are dealing with a quality organisation that is highly respected in the IT sector and is going places,” said Leckerman.
If you are short-listed, it is also worth using the awards evening itself as a promotional vehicle. This worked well for Khipu last year, Brimson told CRN.

“We booked a platinum table on the awards night and invited a few customers and prospects, which, with more than 2,000 people from the industry in attendance, was a very impressive and slick event.
We later won the deal with one of the prospects.”

It can also have a very positive long-term impact on your business. Blue Chip has won two awards in successive years, first claiming the SME award in 2006 and last year graduating to take the Corporate award. According to Cook, winning these accolades has helped the company win good new business.

Growing business
“Blue Chip has been acquiring new customers, particularly in the mid-size bracket, at a dramatic rate. We feel this increase in business is as a direct result of the confidence the award provides to new customers. Consequently, we are on track for another record year; in an economy where other resellers appear to be suffering. The facts speak for themselves, since being recognised by CRN, over the past two years Blue Chip’s business has doubled.”

One key factor here is the boost to the morale and confidence that winning a Channel Award gives to everyone at the company.

“It gives the business fantastic buoyancy,” said Cook. “The realisation that years of hard work have been recognised and appreciated is fulfilling, not only at director level, but for all employees.”
Brimson agreed. “It has definitely led to increased morale and focus, and has been seen by all staff as an award that recognised everyone’s work in the company,” he said.

A slightly more oblique and unusual consequence of winning these awards has been to make Blue Chip a takeover target. Cook claims to have received a number of approaches in recent months, all of which the company has thus far declined. If it wins again this year, perhaps the offers will become too good to refuse?

Any reseller that feels it is doing a great job for its customers has a chance. Khipu is a prime example of a company that tried and succeeded at the first time of asking.

It did not take all that much of an investment in terms of time and effort, said Brimson. “Some thought needs to be put into the application, but it does not take too long and it was fairly easy as our company had a lot to shout about. There should be no excuse for not entering.”