In our last article (Indian Newslink, June 15, 2013), we had outlined the importance of coaching and the services being offered by Unitec to entrants of the Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards 2013.
This article provides a practical guide to the entry process. This is an extract of the guiding documents that our business coaches use when working with Awards entrants.
This means you can firstly see the things you have to do in completing your entry, and secondly realise how easy the process could be.
Stage 1: Put together a team to prepare the entry and appoint a project manager for your team. This is the person your business coach will consult with on all aspects of the entry.
Stage 2: Start with Part 1, which requires you to write 150 words about your Business. Share this with your business coach who will (a) review it for clarity in terms of describing the key aspects of what you do; and (b) possibly make some suggestions to adjust what you have written.
The important part of this process is to ensure that the reader (who may never have heard of you) gains a good understanding about you, what you do, and where you are going.
Stage 3: Complete your Part 1, which asks for 500 words on your business performance and business results. Again submit information to your coach, who will go through the same process as we have described at Stage 2.
Stage 4: Decide on the three categories in which you feel that your business is most effective and/or competitive. In each of the categories you enter, you must answer questions about what you are doing that makes you so good; and support evidence of both these actions, and of the results that flow out of those actions. Ask for your business coach’s opinion, although he or she may only have your Part 1 comments to go on, a well-written Business Summary can be quite informative in allowing your coach to offer an opinion.
Stage 5: Complete the first of your chosen sections, selecting the one you feel most comfortable writing about, and try to keep this to a three-page limit. This will give your coach a sense of your most effective accomplishments and (just as importantly) the quality of your writing style.
When you are doing this, keep a focus on specific and measurable statements, and avoid fluff and overly general comments. This is a caution that applies to all sections, because those specific and measurable statements will later get measured, and your fluff will always count against you in the judges’ evaluations.
You can use graphs and charts where appropriate, but be careful not to dazzle the judges with pretty pictures as a substitute for tangible substance. Judges are competent and experienced business people, and they will quickly latch on to what you are doing!
Stage 6: Submit your first category entry to your business coach, and meet with him/her to discuss its strengths and weaknesses. Adjust as necessary till both of you are happy with what you have, and then repeat the process for categories Two and Three.
Stage 7: Finalise the look of the entry with your Business coach, then order your evening wear for the gala dinner!
I hope that you would see that the entry process is straightforward, that you can call on the expertise of Unitec’s management department staff to help.
You would also get more value in terms of information about how your business is going, than you will ever have to put into it.
The last date for submission of entries is August 31 2013 and with our business coaches available to help, you need not worry. It is advisable to complete the entry forms early so that you would have time review them with your team, the business coach at Unitec and be satisfied of its quality and completeness.
For further information on free coaching and assistance in submission of entries to the Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards, please contact Diana Sharma on 021—0313610 (Email: dsharma@gw.unitec.ac.nz) or Kshitij Raj Barapatre on 021-08176603 (Email: kbarapatre@unitec.ac.nz).
Ken Simpson is Business Development Manager of Unitec Institute of Technology based in Auckland. Unitec is the Sponsor of the ‘Business Excellence in Innovation’ Category of the Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards 2013.
Free Workshops are held to enable potential entrants to understand ‘How to fill a winning entry’ with free coaching available at Unitec. We welcome you to attend the following workshops.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013 at 6 pm at BNZ Partners Board Room, 373 Great North Road, Henderson, West Auckland
Wednesday, August 14, 2013 at 6 pm at Unitec (Mt Albert Campus)
To Register please email editor@indiannewslink.co.nz
