Each year, ProSales honors industry achievements through its ProSales Excellence Awards (PSEA) competition. The awards acknowledge companies’ outstanding initiatives in areas such as marketing, technology, education, and facility design.

Our judging panel discusses each entry at length, analyzes its strengths and weaknesses, and chooses about five winners. It’s a stiff competition, so what can you do to make your application stand out? We asked the four 2016 PSEA judges to find out.

Safety in Numbers
First and foremost, the judges stressed that winning entries have clearly demonstrated why their techniques, programs, and projects work for the company.

Translation: Show the outcomes with the numbers.

David Niehaus, vice president of sales at Niehaus Lumber in Vincennes, Ind., points out that winning entries not only must do a good job of explaining what the project is, but also what the return on investment (ROI) is for the company.

He acknowledges that for some categories, such as education, it is harder

to quantify the ROI. But there should be some way that companies can measure their program’s success.

Rick Davis, president of Building Leaders in Chicago and a ProSales columnist, further emphasizes the need for quantified ROI.

“We’re looking at business entries,” Davis says. “We don’t judge based on aesthetics or on colors. We do it based on numbers: increased margins, ROI, new prospects, new customers, higher sales, better awareness, more website hits. We need to see the numbers.”

In addition, the judges also stated that entering multiple projects in several different categories won’t increase your chances of winning. Instead, they advise applicants to pick one thing they are proud of, that makes their company great, and that they do better than anyone else.

Ideas with a Purpose
In addition to solid numbers, winning entries had great ideas. The winners’ ideas were innovative, Chris Rader, president of Rader Solutions in Lafayette, La., says. He adds that great ideas don’t need a hefty price tag as long as they clearly work well for the company and show an initiative the company is proud of.

Davis adds that the award winners “are really doing something different, or they’re doing something other people do but with excellence.”

Showing the numbers and excellent ideas is only part of the battle. The rest is in showing the purpose behind the new initiative, says Dwight Simmons, president of Mountain Lumber in Boone, N.C.

“You might submit the most beautiful and outstanding entry ever conceived, but if it does nothing that benefits your customers, your staff, or the greater community, then why do it?” Simmons asks.

Tum-a-Lum Lumber won an Excellence Award: Facility Design in 2016. Note how neat and organized its new facility is.
courtesy of Tum-a-Lum Tum-a-Lum Lumber won an Excellence Award: Facility Design in 2016. Note how neat and organized its new facility is.

Pictures, Proofreading, and People
The judges agreed that including as much multimedia as possible will help applications stand out. And if you submit photographs, fear not; you don’t need to get those shots professionally taken. You can take the photographs yourself, but the images must be well-lit, good quality, and clear. Simmons also pointed out that applicants in the facility/showroom design category should clean and organize the location before they take photos.

Simmons emphasizes taking time in completing your application and starting early. Niehaus suggests making sure that entries are a “complete package.” Instead of just answering the questions provided, winning entries successfully tie their answers to various questions together.

Rader advises applicants to limit superfluous language. He says that the judges want to be able to read entries and clearly understand what companies did, how they did it, and what the outcome was. “Less fluff, more meat and potatoes,” he says.

Davis seconds that suggestion. “Tell us the story, but give us the facts,” he adds. “Less adjectives, more nouns.”

Who writes your application also matters. Judges can tell the difference between an entry written by an employee and one written by an outside source.

“We really want the entries to be written by someone on staff at the company or a marketing or contract person who works with the company. Not a vendor,” Rader says.

Passion about the project also makes a difference. “We had an entry where it seemed like someone entered because somebody else told them to,” Rader adds. “It was a disaster.”

Ready to Enter?
If you’ve entered the PSEAs in the past, that’s great! Don’t give up, Rader says. “It takes a lot of persistence and a great team,” Niehaus agrees.

“If you’re in business today, you’d better be on a path of improvement at all times; standing still is not an option,” Simmons says.

“It’s tough out there these days. But in reality, it’s just as difficult, if not more difficult, to be average. Why not utilize your focus and energy on something that will bring lasting rewards and benefits?”

Says Davis, “[Companies] should enter because it’s great PR to submit to builders, to the community, and to employees.”

The 2017 PSEAs is now accepting applications. Enter your projects by Friday, July 28, for a discounted entry fee. For more information and to enter your project, please visit psexcellenceawards.com.