The American Business Awards make possible national recognition in a variety of business categories - including Best Sales Trainer.  SMT is a sponsor of the ABAs and, as a member you are entitled to submit nominations for these awards without a fee.
 
Other categories of particular interest to SMT members include Best Salesperson, Best Sales Manager, and Best Sales Executive.  There are also dozens of other individual, team and organizational award categories, and you may submit as many nominations as you wish.
 
You can either nominate yourself or ask a client, colleague or even your boss to submit your name.  If someone else nominates you, stay involved in the process so you can monitor the quality of what they submit.  Nomination forms can be downloaded and filed online at www.americanbusinessawards.com.
 
Here are some tips for increasing your chances to win a “Stevie.”

1. SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY ASAP
2. Look at the winning 2004 submissions that are provided for each category and use them as models.
3. Write tight, succinct submissions.
4. Don’t brag.  Just tell about your accomplishment(s).  This kind of writing usually requires severely limiting adjectives and adverbs and avoiding hyperbole.
5. Don’t try to prove you saved the world.  A few well-described achievements are preferable.  Just demonstrate excellent performance.
6. Try to provide supporting information for your claims: online press releases, news stories, et al.
   

In addition to submitting nominations, you have an opportunity to be a preliminary round judge.  If you sign up, you will have total control over the number of entries you judge and when and where you do your judging. This makes the process really painless.  You will definitely find judging informative, perhaps even educational.  I know I did.
 
The “Stevies” are presented at an elegant awards dinner in New York City and are broadcast worldwide on streaming video.  The name for the award comes from “Stephen”, which is rooted in Greek and means “crowned.”  The award itself is a hand-cast figure finished in 24-karat gold.  The figure holds a crystal pyramid representing the peak of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
 
Let’s see if we can bring at least one of those crowns to an SMT member organization!