Time to sell yourselves

CRN's new Sales and Marketing Awards will celebrate success at the heart of the channel among the sales and marketing teams

Behind closed doors at many channel companies is a team of individuals who just won’t be kept down any longer. It’s not that they have been dominated or pushed down - far from it. It’s just that often their talented and expansive efforts are overshadowed by the brand or the company for which they work.

We mean, of course, the hard-working and talented individuals and teams in sales and marketing departments, and their specific projects that drive profits across the IT industry. These people are sometimes accused of simply fetishising the slick and shiny - but in fact, the design, execution and effectiveness of their initiatives and projects can make a business sink or swim.

With that in mind, CRN is excited to announce that entries have opened for the first annual CRN Sales And Marketing Awards (SAM). This is the moment those in sales and marketing will finally be able to stand up, stand out, and be counted.

This is their chance to blow their own trumpets and be recognised for outstanding achievement, particularly during these challenging economic times.

Three-stage process

The event will take place at the Royal Garden Hotel in central London on Thursday 21 June - so there is plenty of time to get dates in diaries. And everybody needs a summer party, right?

So who will be eligible to enter? Full criteria is available online. With a total of 19 categories, there is something for everyone to get their teeth into. Please remember - as with the annual Channel Awards - to read the criteria carefully. Everything you need to know is explained there and they have been specially written to make the process as simple and clear as possible.

Sara Yirrell, editor of CRN, explained that entering the awards will be a three-stage process - similar to the Channel Awards.

After entries are received (via an online portal) a judging panel will determine a shortlist. About a month afterwards, another set of judges will meet to decide the winners, who will be announced at the ceremony on the night of 21 June.

Facts, figures and testimonials will be required for all entries, all of which will remain confidential, and we are urging you to really get your company personality in the entry, along with the personalities of the people you are entering.

"These awards are all about people and teams, and celebrating individual and team achievements," Yirrell said. "But the entry format will be as simple as possible. We want as many people as possible to put in an entry."

Alan Loader, publisher of CRN, said: “We are really excited about this as it is a chance to reward the talent at the heart of the channel. We have done quite a bit of research and canvassed the opinions of a number of leading resellers for this first Sales and Marketing Awards.

“Staff from companies of all sizes are encouraged to take part, with the judging focus being on innovation, evolution and development - qualities that all vendors, distributors, and resellers should be striving for in today’s intense, highly competitive market.”

Entry will close on Friday 30 March at 5pm with no extensions or exceptions. Shortlists will be announced on 25 April.