This week we thought it might be nice to hear from two clients who have tasted success and who have seen the benefits – both financially and in raising their profiles – in their own words.

The first to share his story is Shahid Sheikh OBE, Managing Director of Clifton Packaging Group. No stranger to award wins, Shahid tells us straight how awards entry has been (and still is) a significant factor in the impressive growth of his company: –

“In 2014 I set a new strategy for Clifton which was to grow the business to a £30m turnover within 5 years.  In order to do that I decided to focus on 4 key areas:

1. Product innovation (and I mean genuine industry-leading innovation)
2. Export and international trade
3. Continuous and significant investment in technology
4. Gaining recognition by way of entering awards in local, national and international awards including the Director of the Year Awards

So far we have more than doubled our turnover in just 3 years and are on target to achieve our goal of a £30m turnover within the next 2 years.”

Looking more at the effect on company profile, Pete Frost, Managing Director of Unity (the home of the ‘Sofa of Success’ no less!) speaks of the almost immediate impact his awards win had on his business, simply by the networking opportunities it opened up as part of the process: –

“This year marks our first foray into Awards and I’m liking what I’m seeing already.   We’ve entered 3 awards including the IoD Director of the Year Awards and been shortlisted and / or won in 2. Winning the IoD Director of the Year award was huge for me and for my business. The additional recognition it’s brought to us as a company is fabulous and has clearly set us apart from our competition. I made 3 appointments to go and visit other finalists and winners and talk about what we offer as a company and how we could help them grow. Over and above winning the award, we’ve also won 1 piece of new business from those 3 business meetings and I’m confident that the other 2 will convert too.”

At The Awards People, the stories featured above are the kind of thing we hear on a regular basis. Whilst most clients expect that entering (and hopefully winning) awards will have a positive impact, few expect just how significant and how rapid the effect will be. Profile and visibility are raised, doors are opened and conversations started simply by the fact that you have chosen, voluntarily, to have yourself and your business measured against your peers and your competitors – and to come out as the best in your chosen category is the kind of 5 star review that most businesses can only dream about.