August 2012

You’ve developed your formal recognition program, determined your award recipient, chosen the appropriate corporate awards and decided on the text and logo to engrave on them.  After all that hard work just how long will it take to get your awards?  At Trophies2Go, we pride ourselves on how quickly we can get your awards to you. Sometimes you have plenty of advanced notice to get your awards in time for a presentation ceremony.  Sometimes you have very little.  We’ll work with you in either case and do our best to meet your time requirements.

Most of our awards, including this beautiful acrylic, have a 3 day production time.

6 Things To Consider

Production Time:  Our production time varies with the season and the specific product.  Normally it is between 2-7 business days.  Currently it is 3 days.  Some items have a slightly longer production time, which is indicated in that product’s description on our site.  Production time includes the time it takes us to get any materials from our suppliers, the time it takes us to engrave and assemble your order, and the time it takes to get it ready for shipping.

Service Level Guaranteed Arrival Dates:  In most cases we ship via UPS.  We add the production time described above to the UPS shipping time to come up with your Service Level Guaranteed Arrival Dates.  When you place your order on our website, you'll be presented with several Service Level options.  Each option will give you a different Guaranteed Arrival Date and associated cost.  Choose the Service Level that provides the arrival date you need for your order.

We are confident in our ability to uphold our delivery date guarantee. However, there are some exceptions. For example, if you request a proof of your engraving before we do the actual engraving, we cannot control how quickly you respond to the proof we send you.  We’ll do our best to still get your order to you by the guarantee date if you’ll do your best to respond to us quickly.  Other situations where we cannot guarantee delivery dates are APO/FPO orders, international orders, phone, mail or fax orders or orders that require additional information or changes after they are placed.

Got plenty of time?  If your order is over $100 and you can give us some extra time, we’ll give you FREE shipping (contiguous US only).  This is called Emerald Level of Service and it adds 5 day to the production time.  It pays to plan ahead!

No time to spare?  We do have the ability to overnight orders.  This is called Platinum  Service Level.  However we still need the production time to get your award ready for you.  We also offer a Platinum Plus Service Level option.  In this case, if we have your awards in stock we may be able to expedite our production time.  To see if this is an option for your order, give us a call at 877-926-4700.

The cost of shipping is dependent on the weight and size of your order, and the shipping address.  We have a great Shipping Options & Cost Calculator on our website.  It gives estimated prices and arrival dates for the various Service Levels.  To use this calculator follow these steps:

Go the product page(s) for the item(s) you would like to purchase. Enter the quantity and hit the "BUY" button.

Enter your engraving information, or leave this section blank for now (you can enter engraving information again later from your shopping cart) and click the "ADD TO CART" button.

From the shopping cart, click on the link "Shipping Options and Cost Calculator". Enter your city, state, and zip code. This will show you the service level guaranteed arrival dates with costs.

You will also see the same Service Level options with prices and guaranteed delivery dates when you reach the Shipping section of our Check-Out process.

At Trophies2Go, we understand that in most cases awards are built around a recognition event.  Our production schedule and service levels will help you to choose an arrival date for your awards so that you can rest assured that they will be there in time for presentation at your event.

Thank you for trusting us with your recognition needs!

Blessings, Anne

Ever consider having your fantasy football trophy travel from winner to winner each year?  Well this league takes their traveling trophy to the extreme!  Check out our customer Khadir's Fantasy Football Trophy story.  This gave Anne and I a really good laugh!  I hope you enjoy it and get ideas for your league.  Thanks for sharing Khadir!

Khadir's Story:

Hello Anne,

"I saw the note about sharing our trophy story with you and so I decided to take you up on the offer since we love Trophies2Go.  I run a fantasy football league and about five years ago, I decided that our champion needed a trophy and that each year the champion's name should be engraved.  But for a little added flavor, I thought one of the "responsibilities" of being league champion should be to take a humorous picture with our trophy and share it with the league before turning the trophy over to the next winner.  We have had some great "pictures" over the years and it seems our league loves to take things over the top."

Joel in his "old man" attire with the Fantasy Football Trophy.

"2006 - Our League Winner Joel decided that he was going to wear his "old man uniform" and take a picture with the young ladies at Hooters. (picture right)"

"2007 - I (Khadir) won the league in 2007 and decided to step things up by making a short video showing all the fun the trophy and I had together. Here's the link "(And it's hilarious - from Jessica)

"2008 -  Our league winner Malaki also decided to make a youtube video stating how the trophy doesn't travel too well and the winner of the trophy is actually cursed. True fact, in our league the winner of each year has always failed to make the playoffs the following year. Here is the video."

Guy, the champion, stuck it to Joel, who hates the Texas Longhorns. Joel's daughters  are also pictured in Longhorn attire.

"2009 - Guy was our winner, and his picture was actually the most "over the top" picture of all.  One of our members (Joel) is an avid hater of the Texas Longhorns football team while most of the league members are actually UT graduates.  After being frustrated by all of the continual griping about the Longhorns, Guy gets his revenge by flying across the country while Joel is out of town and taking a picture with the trophy and Joel's daughters dressed out in Longhorn paraphernalia. (picture right)"

"Thank you for all of your excellent service and the great trophies!"
Khadir R

Thanks again Khadir! We love your sense of humor and the creativity in your league!  What a fun group.

If you want to share the story of your trophy, we'd love to feature you on our blog and Facebook page.  Just email me at [email protected] or Anne at [email protected] and then either of us will take it from there!

Cheers! Jessica

On Tuesday, Jessica shared some thoughts about Informal vs Formal recognition.  So you know that Formal Recognition Programs can help a company reach its goals AND create a loyal and fulfilled employees. Well-communicated and consistent formal recognition is a great incentive for your employees to meet their position objectives.  But what type of formal recognition is best for YOUR company?  Here are some types of recognition we see.  Keep them in mind when planning your recognition program.

Service Awards

Service Awards acknowledge length of service with your company and can help to increase employee longevity.

Traditionally awards are presented for 1,5, 10, 20 years of service.  However in some industries or companies with high turnover positions it may make more sense to provide employee recognition at the 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 year mark.

Sales Awards

Recognize the achievement of goals and attainment of quotas with Sales Awards.

Individual awards may be for attainment, year-to-year growth in a territory, most new accounts, biggest competitive win-back.

Names like President’s Award or Million Dollar Club add prestige to the achievement.

For a national or international organization, recognize your Top Distributor, Regional Leader or Greatest Store Sales.

Sales awards can be monthly, quarterly, annually or some combination.

Non-Sales Performance-Based Awards

Consider awards or gifts for each employee based on reaching identified Key Performance Indicators.

These can be unique for each individual or for a team.

Reward those who perform above and beyond, or provide inspiration and motivation to the rest of the team.

Customer Service Awards

We all know that it takes great customer service to grow a business.  Recognize those who provide that service with special awards for Best Customer Satisfaction Rating based on your internal measurements, or a Customer Service Award to a representative who receives great feedback from your customers.

You can even ask your customers to nominate their favorite customer service reps for an award.

Employee-of-the-Month

Or Employee of the Quarter or Employee of the Year.

Define and document what it takes to earn these distinctions.  They can be objective or subjective, you decide.

Think about having a perpetual plaque in a central location where each month the winner’s name and picture is posted.  Provide some type of take-away award for the that employee as well.

Other Types Of Awards

Safety Awards

On-time Product Launch

Leadership Achievements

Corporate Honors

Community Recognition

Teamwork Award

Peer-to-Peer Award

Spending the time up front defining what you want to recognize and how you want to do it will make the program easier to communicate and implement.  If you feel that you’d like to have someone help you with this process, contact Jeff Anderson, our president.  He’s a Certified Recognition Professional and would be happy to help. You can reach him at [email protected].

Best of luck to you in your Recognition Programs!

Blessings, Anne

Recognition programs can be kind of tricky to get started, but once you have them going, the benefits are awesome. Recognition can come in different forms and can be applied at different times. The important thing is that it's positive for a job well done, as this is the key to success.

Here are some ideas of informal vs. formal awards. Informal one the left, formal on the right, me in the middle!

The first step is to figure out what kinds of recognition already exist in your organization. Does it work by making employees feel good about themselves? In what areas can your company improve? The second step is to decide what kind of program you want to create and how involved you want it to be. Below are some ideas.

Informal Recognition

It’s easy to use informal day-to-day recognition. Words of affirmation boost morale and make the job at hand more fun. A simple ‘Thanks’ when someone leaves at the end of a full day’s work may be all it takes. The best business managers express gratitude when their employees spend a day with the company. Other simple ways to recognize a great job include hand-written notes, cards, and thanks in the presence of others. Informal sales contests, weekly recognition awards and office competitions are other ideas suitable to the workplace.

Lighten Up! Add Some Humor to Your Workplace

Humorous awards are a great way to use informal recognition. You don’t need a structured recognition awards program to bring some laughter and fun to the workplace. The benefits include a positive working atmosphere where people don’t take themselves as seriously. Humor cancels negative emotions, connects people, and makes work a fun place to spend time each day. If you create a funny or tacky award, make sure the recipient has a good sense of humor and knows it’s a joke. Create hype for unusual awards by making them perpetual ones that get passed around the office from person to person. The ideas are endless, just make it fun and creative!

Formal Recognition

When planned ahead and customized for your organization, formal Recognition Programs can help a company reach its goals AND create a loyal and fulfilled staff. They’re a powerful tool that helps people feel better about their jobs and gives them a carrot to improve. And they’re cost effective!  Just be sure to plan before you jump in.

According to the Recognition Professionals International (RPI), the 4 steps for a successful recognition awards program are Strategy, Implementation, Review, and Assessment. For more details, contact a Certified Recognition Professional, such as Trophies2Go President, Jeff Anderson. He’s happy to help you at [email protected].

Creating a successful recognition awards program takes planning, strategy and perseverance. Below are the things you need to be successful:

1. Set Clear Goals. When planning a program, figure out why you are doing it and what you’d like to get out of it. Also decide what variable you’d like to measure (for example, employee satisfaction) and then set a realistic goal for the program.

2. Measure. Before beginning the program, get a baseline of what needs improvement. Then make a plan using employee recognition to help that particular area. Measure your variable before starting a program, at the next time period (such as a year) and then again at the end of the program. Assess the changes, see if there was progress, and check if goals were met. Then start cycle again and decide if the program is still relevant or needs change.

3. Recognition. Once goals have been set and measured, the system is put into motion. Individuals who meet or exceed goals deserve recognition.

4. Make It Ongoing. Some of the most successful sales, service or training recognition programs are built with longevity in mind. Programs are much more successful if they continue on an on-going basis.

Once you have your method of recognition up and running, it does take time to order awards for each cycle. Assign one person to this task and schedule it on their calendar. Trophies2Go.com can help because we keep past orders, fill orders quickly, and make it easy to order online.

5. Flexibility. A recognition awards program must be flexible and adaptable; able to change to meet goals. When beginning a Recognition Program, the person in charge sees a vision for the program, directs it for a few awards cycles, and then tweaks it when it needs it.

6. Management Buy-In. Upper management has to be on board in order for a program to be successful. Be sure to communicate the goals of the program to management and get their support. Then they can take pride in the program, especially when goals are met or surpassed. When used, most programs create win-win scenarios for everyone involved, adding positive movement to the company. They are taken seriously and become important to the culture.

7. Communication. It’s the most important piece of the program; the central focus. Recognition Program managers must communicate first, that there is a recognition program; second, why the company is doing it; and third, why it’s important. Management must communicate what the entire recognition program means to the company and how it’s important to the corporate culture. The program will be most successful if everyone in the company knows about it, thinks it’s important, and the goals are clear and measurable. Communicate when the company hosts an event to recognize winners and that they’ll measure the outcome of the program to see if they’ll do it again next year.

The results of a successful formal recognition awards program are people who genuinely want to add to the value of their organization. All of the above ideas can be adapted for use in any program. This is a great tool for any leader to boost morale and productivity throughout their company.

Cheers, Jessica

How Do I Get My Engraving To You?

The hard work is done:  You’ve decided WHAT to engrave on that important recognition award.  Now how do you get it to us?  I’ll start with the quickest way for us to receive your trophy engraving.  But know that all methods below are fine.  We want to work with you to make your award as special as the person who will be receiving it!

Enter Your Engraving With Your Order

When you decide on the award you are interested in, make any needed size or color selections, update the quantity and click on the 'Buy' button.

Next you will see the 'Engraving Input' page.  There are two options here.  If you already have your engraving information in a document, you can attach that document using Option #1.   If you have not already created a document, you can type your engraving text directly into our order system in Option #2.  Even with this option you can send us your logo to include with the text engraving.  Just click the 'Attach Image' button.  Your logo will count as one of the engraving lines on the awards. Text and logo engraving is included in the price.

For both options, remember this is just a way to submit your engraving to us; we only see text.  It's not formatted at this point.  Even though it may show left-justified, this is incorrect. We will center all engraving on the award unless you specify otherwise.

Add these awards to your cart and continue with your order placement.

If you'd like to see a proof of your award, select that option when you see it.  Enter your email address.  We'll send the proof to you within 24-48 hours.

Email Your Trophy Engraving After Placing Your Order

If for some reason you have difficulties attaching your engraving, go ahead and place your order without the engraving.  When you are finished, you will receive an order confirmation from us with an order number.

Send an email to us with your order number in the subject line and attach your trophy engraving here.  The best email to use is [email protected].

Of course if you ever have problems entering your order from our website you are welcome to email us at [email protected] or call us directly at 877-926-4700.

Including Your Company Logo

Including your company logo on your awards is a great idea.  It helps to boost the importance of the recognition in the eye of the recipient.  It makes it ‘official’.  We want to make sure your logo looks great and represents your company well.  In order for our engraving equipment (diamond tip, laser, sandblaster) to do a good job, we need to have your logo in a certain format.

Preferred formats are vector files (.EPS, .AI).

Other compatible formats are .PDF, or .JPG and must be 300 dpi or greater.

Artwork must be in a black and white format with no form of grayscale (shading).

If your logo doesn’t fit our specifications, we’ll let you know via email.  You can then send us something in an acceptable format, or we may be able to convert it for a $20 fee, or you may decide to move forward with the text only.   Make sure to keep in touch with us often to prevent production delays.

Hope this helps answer your questions about getting your engraving to us.  We want your awards to look amazing AND we want it to be easy for you.  Feel free to let us know how we’re doing!

Blessings, Anne