1. Don’t leave it to the last minute. Start now , get your research together and apply early. The sooner you start your application, the more time you’ll have to work on it. Leaving it to deadline day might mean you leave out important information or not show your business in the best light.
2. Focus on the categories that best fit your business. There may be a temptation to enter as many categories as possible but it’s better to enter fewer categories and do them well.
3. Read the questions and understand what’s being asked of you. Before answering the questions, prepare as well as you can in advance to answer them properly and in as much detail as possible. Decide what points you want to get across and in what order.
4. Collect as much relevant supporting material as possible. ie: customer testimonials, financial evidence, engagement statistics, photographs, etc. Previously, this is where several entrants have lost out. Avoid the pitfall of missing the opportunity to show examples of the impressive work you’ve done.
5. Images & Videos - it’s vital to show off your business in the best light. The images and videos used in entries will be part of the judging process so make sure you’re happy they’re of high quality and make you look as good as possible.
6 . Don’t be shy! Include everything you think will help your entry stand out from the competition. The Retail Week Awards are extremely competitive with high calibre entrants so it’s vital you leave nothing out and be confident about your business.
7. Read your entry one more time before submitting it. Or even better, get someone else to read it so it makes sense and hasn’t left anything out. If you ask a member of your team to read through, they might remember something you haven’t that is worth including.