Clock is ticking for SMA deadline

Don't miss out on bagging yourself one of our Sales & Marketing Awards

There are less than two weeks to go to the deadline for our 2015 Sales and Marketing Awards or SMAs as we affectionately call them.

Entries are coming in thick and fast as these are the only awards that celebrate the people and teams behind a company's success.

In a bid to stay fresh, we have tweaked a couple of categories, and the judging panel is looking forward to reading through all the entries.

I would like to stress again that we are ACTIVELY encouraging multi-media entries this year - if you want it to look appealing to the judges, this is definitely an option to consider - a well laid-out PDF looks far better than a block of text.

See below for my personal reasons why you should enter.

Why should you enter?

The simple reason to enter these awards is because you are proud of your company and the people who work there, and you think they should be rewarded and recognised for their efforts. Open to vendors, resellers and distributors, the SMAs are the perfect opportunity to showcase all the reasons why you stand out as an exceptional company in your field. If a sales team, or marketing team, or individual in your company has achieved some amazing results throughout the past year, why shouldn't their success be singled out?

These awards really are aimed at the people behind the companies, those unsung heroes who work quietly behind the scenes making your firm the success it is today. Often we hear smaller companies say it is only the bigger players that get all the recognition, but with the SMAs, size does not matter, quality of entry is everything. Don't keep your achievements quiet, shout them from the rooftops.

Vendors: Why should we enter?

If you have a great website, or partner programme, or partner event, don't keep it to yourself, share it with the rest of the industry to show best practice. If your partner support team is the best in the business, then we need to know about it. Strong partner support is the glue that binds the best vendors together with their partner community, and without the right people and infrastructure in place, the channel simply wouldn't function. Do your partners praise you for your margin opportunities? Does your channel event get oversubscribed every time? Use the SMAs as your chance to share your successes with your peers. Don't keep the good news to yourself.

Distributors: Why should we enter?

Distributors are often the unsung heroes of the channel, offering that extra and much-needed layer of support, both financial and logistical, to channel partners to ensure the IT supply chain runs smoothly. If you have a website that simplifies complex technology buying processes, or makes life generally easier for resellers, then you need to share it with your peers and submitting an entry into the SMAs is the perfect way of doing that. If your sales support team always goes the extra mile, or you have a marketing person that has made a huge difference to your business, then they deserve recognition for their achievements. What better way to celebrate than winning an SMA?

Resellers: why should we enter?

There is no doubt that resellers are waking up to the importance of marketing themselves correctly and making the right first impression on their customers. Many have invested in their websites to ensure they present the right shop window when attracting new customers and the SMAs are the perfect opportunity to demonstrate how that investment is paying off. And when it comes to sales, there is some phenomenal talent in the VAR community whose amazing achievements need to be celebrated. Without VARs, many vendors would just not be able to get the breadth of customers they have, and as services increase, good partners are worth their weight in gold. Don't hide away your successes, share it with the industry and celebrate in style.

To enter and read the criteria and top tips for entering - (I would strongly recommend you do so) please click here.