Download our FAQ’s here
Listen to the 2023 pre-entry workshop here
How can I make my entry stand out?
By demonstrating a genuine passion and commitment for your business – that is, show the judges through all your answers that every aspect of you business is oriented to excellence in the category.
For example, if a Franchisee is entering Customer Service, they need to demonstrate that all aspects of the business, their decisions, processes, training etc are based on giving the customer the best possible service experience.
I’m a smaller business, how am I supposed to complete against larger ones?
The judges understand it can be hard for a small system/business to compete with those larger system/business. Demonstrate your thinking, and show your processes and practices are robust, relative to the size of your business – you will be a good contender.
For example, smaller systems/businesses might answer a question with very general statements such as “there are just 3 of us in the team, we meet every day and I just make sure everyone knows what needs to be done” …. This is not a winning response.
The judges would prefer to see that you understand what matters – explain more about what topics are covered at the daily meeting, how training needs are identified, what metrics are shared with staff about performance, and what information is used in group discussions to help improve business success.
We also have a small business category for franchisees.
What information are the judges looking for with the question “Provide significant achievements for the past 12 – 18 months and what are these achievements attributed to?”
The judges are interested to read about your achievements in all areas, including financials, employee growth and development, recognition, growth of the network or local franchise, new systems, outstanding delivery performance, and feedback.
A critical factor with this question is to demonstrate an understanding of how these things have been achieved and what the characteristics of the business are that support these achievements.
For example, a Franchise system – does their financial success clearly result from the high levels of franchisee satisfaction they achieve.
Does a Franchisee’s excellent service drive repeat sales, referrals, and longevity of the relationship, which in turn delivers financial growth?
Ensure all responses provide evidence or data to back your success somewhere in the entry.
What about franchisors and franchisees who may be nervous or lack confidence to enter?
Be brave and do it! It’s a fantastic chance to reflect, think about what makes your business special and write that down. Your team will feel proud that you are prepared to enter, and it will help you capture your journey and progress year by year as well.
As a part of the process, will all entrants receive a call from the judging team? If an entrant enters more than one category will they get more than one phone call?
All entrants will receive a phone or video call from the judges to discuss the entry further. Yes, if the entrant is entered in more than one category they will receive one call per category entry.
Do entrants need to prepare anything for the call?
The call will be short and is not a test. There is no need to prepare anything, just be ready to share your story and what makes your business special in context to the category you have entered.
Why are there size limits to my entry?
The limits are key regarding clarity. The judges would like you to think about your response and be able to present your entry in a way that shows you understand.
What is the best tip for franchisors and franchisees entering these awards?
Think about the question and what it asks – don’t answer superficially or too briefly.
A couple of examples:
Simply stating that ‘we have a great franchisee centric culture’ is not enough – you need to describe the culture, how it is nurtured and how the culture transfers to employees and franchisees as the case may be.
Our customers ‘love us’ is not enough – provide the judges with evidence, such as feedback, survey results, repeat and referral sales figures etc.