At The Awards People we’re often heard telling people to ‘be themselves’ and to be aware that part of what customers/clients are buying is their personality and confidence. Raw passion and enthusiasm are both great qualities of a successful business person and should never be underestimated but (yes, isn’t there always a ‘but’!) we do recommend caution when speaking and writing about award success.
You may have had a little bit of self-doubt when it was first suggested that you enter an award category (a perfectly normal reaction and one which many share). Post-celebration, however, you may be feeling a little bolder and might even want to sing from the rooftops about the fact that others have recognised your greatness. Here’s where the caution should kick in….
Tone of voice is of utmost importance when mentioning your award win. The ideal is to strike a balance between pride and humbleness and, of course, arrogance is to be avoided at all costs. Ensure that the thanks extended to others when you went up on the stage to collect your award continues throughout your communications – a piece which mentions the hard work of your team is not only likely to get them totally on board with your activities, but also nurture a shared sense of pride which will encourage the distribution of the good news amongst family, friends and many other potential business contacts. Just as importantly, don’t forget to acknowledge the strength and high standard of the competition to maintain a feeling of goodwill amongst peers and competitors.
We generally advise our clients to have a marketing plan in place to manage the dissipation of award-winning news. This needn’t be overly complex and should simply ensure that message is consistent, appropriate and utilises all available channels to maximise exposure (part of this plan could also involve the editing of ad-word copy to make the most of phrases such as ‘award-winning’ – a great tip from one of our clients who experienced a huge increase in on-line activity by taking this simple step). It’s also worth remembering that clients and contacts may feel a shared sense of success by association and therefore don’t be shy about using badges, logos etc. relating to the win in every contact you make.
Providing the tone is always right, the general feeling amongst your audience should be congratulatory. Even if there is a little bit of envy from one or two you ‘pipped to the post’, with a subtly empathetic approach you’ll minimise (or hopefully dissipate) any hard feelings.
In summary, give some thought to how you’ll communicate your win before it even happens (positivity, positivity, positivity!!!). Maximise the opportunity but minimise the risk of annoying others by choosing your words and your expression carefully. We all love a winner – unless they are prize-winning show-offs!!
