I read with interest last week a lively online debate among practitioners about the real value of attending awards shows. Accounting awards are, of course, nothing new, but their popularity has certainly grown in the last decade. Yours truly has served as a judge on some of the best-known ones.
Why? Because I wanted to see for myself how fair and rigorous the judging process actually was. I can tell you that, on the events I was involved with, hours were spent checking applicants claims, verifying data, and ensuring no favouritism crept in. Indeed, if a judge recognised an entrant, we had to declare a conflict and step back from assessing that particular entry.
That is, until the day I received a call from an awards organiser who said, “So, Martin, what award can we give our new silver sponsor?”
I resigned on the spot. I’ve never returned.
We’re Fooling No-One, Including Ourselves
If we’re honest, we know that awards events are businesses. They exist primarily for the benefit of the organiser. So, what benefit do they bring to accounting firms?
If you’re a small firm short on marketing collateral or client success stories, then sure, an award can act as a credibility shortcut. Buy a table, smile for the photo, try not to get hit in the face by the Glambot while do your 360 degree arm fold, slow motion pose and you might squeeze a bit of PR from it.
If you’re a more substantial firm, the benefit becomes vaguer. Substantial clients aren’t fooled. They know some “Best Something” categories might only have two entrants and one of them might have been abysmal. So, congratulations… you’ve won the award for the least-worst firm of the year out of the two entrants. What an achievement! Next stop, Nobel or Purlitzer?
Clients care about one thing: outcomes. How you’ve transformed businesses like theirs. Your awards don’t solve their problems, but your interventions borne of experience do.
Move From Perspex to Proof
The reality? Awards are often Perspex substitutes for real proof of calibre. The firms that truly win in the marketplace are those who market stories of transformation, not trophies. Those stories resonate. They attract ideal clients. They command premium fees. They always have.
The Bissett Bullet
When it comes to marketing and PR:
Client stories trump awards. Awards trump doing nothing at all.
You decide where you sit on that spectrum and act accordingly.
Meanwhile, I think the observations in this piece deserve a medal, don’t you?
To your success
Martin Bissett
