Trophies2Go Blog

For Insider’s Only!

Where all the magic happens!

Have you ever wondered how your award is made? Come behind the scenes for a virtual tour of our production facility! After you press the “Place My Order” button on our website, your order goes directly to our customer service team, located in Issaquah, WA.  Many of our trophies contain separate pieces that must be screwed, glued, or taped together.  We check to make sure we have all of the necessary pieces in stock.  Janice, Mika or Margene looks at your order and double checks the inventory needed.    After that, your order is processed at our production warehouse in Renton, WA.

The Process At Our Production Facility

Paul engraves trophy plates on the rotary engraver.

It takes many caring hands to create your awards at our Production Facility.  First, the individual components of the trophies are “picked” by our production team.  All of the pieces of your awards are placed in a box and checked off a list.  Once completed, the order goes one of two ways.  It  moves to either our Rotary Engraver or our Laser Engraver.

Rotary Engraver
If the order goes to the Rotary Engraver, it is most likely engraved by our expert engraver Paul.  Since 2005, Paul has been designing and engraving awards with his diamond tip rotary engraver.  His machine engraves brass, aluminum and medallions.  He is extremely thorough and accurate, and he knows precisely how to lay out designs on metal. Most trophy plates pass through Paul’s machine before they are attached to an award.

Edzel assembling a medal order.

After the rotary engraving is done, the awards are assembled by master Edzel.  He is a whiz at building every kind of trophy, plaque or award imaginable!  Most often, he screws all of the pieces together, attaches the engraving, and cleans the trophy.  At this point the order is ready to be shipped to you!

Laser Engraver
If the order goes to the Laser Engraver, it is most likely engraved by Laurie.  She is an amazing artist with an eye for design.  Laurie programs your artwork and message into her computer, then runs your acrylic or crystal award through our laser engraving machine.  Many of our awards are then masked with tape and sandblasted, followed by cleaning and careful packaging.

Shipping
Once your order has been engraved and assembled, it is invoiced and passed to Chris, our extremely conscientious shipper.  She packs all orders with care to arrive to you safely.  Her goal is to make sure that your awards are in the same condition when they arrive to you as when they leave our warehouse!

Manager Tom & Oscar in Vegas!

All of this couldn’t happen without the oversight of our hardworking production manager Tom.  He sees that all pieces are there for every order, and that each trophy we make arrives by the guaranteed delivery date.

Our team at Trophies2Go cares about your order just as much as you do.  We know how important and special your event is, and we take the honor of making your awards seriously.  To see more of our staff in action, watch our ‘Day in the Life of a Trophy’ video.

Thank you for taking a virtual tour of our production facility!  If you or your group would ever like a real tour, feel free to contact me to schedule at [email protected].

Cheers!
Jessica

If you are great at what you do, at some point you will be recognized and rewarded.  When you win an award and have to give an acceptance speech, what should you say?  The key is to make your words brief, meaningful, and humble.

An award winner giving his speech at Seattle Business's "Best Places to Work" Awards Gala.

Preparing For Your Speech

Before beginning to write your speech, it's helpful to gather information.  Ask these questions:

Do I have to give a speech?  No need to worry about preparing something if you don't have to say anything when receiving your award!

How much time do I have to give my speech? This helps determine how brief you need to be.

When will I be giving my speech?  Knowing the program ahead of time can help you relax before having to speak.

Writing Your Speech

When stepping up to the podium at an awards gala, the goal is to keep your acceptance speech short, impactful and humble. Here are key ingredients to include in an acceptance speech:

Start with thanks.  Thank the organization for the award, and state how honored you are to receive it.  Mention the award by name.  Make it about the organization, not yourself.

Personalize the speech.  Next tell a brief inspirational story about what the award means not only to you, but to the greater good.  If possible, make this statement bigger than yourself.  This is what makes a speech memorable.

More thanks, but keep it short.  Thank those who helped you professionally, followed by those that inspired you personally.

Wrap Up.  End with a general thank you, statement of gratitude, or call to action.

What Not To Do

Avoid the following when delivering an acceptance speech:

Rambling on and on.  If possible, come prepared and practice before the event, so you don't sound like a babbling mess.

Making Jokes.  Usually jokes in a speech are a good thing, but not so in an acceptance speech.  Jokes trivialize the award, which insults the organization and the other nominees.  Save the self-deprecating comments for another time.

If you follow these general tips, your speech will convey how humbled you are to receive the recognition. Your award acceptance speech will come across full of grace and humility. Congratulations on your award!

Cheers,
Jessica

Is your staff lacking the spark to make your company great? Improve the energy of your company by creating a Sales Incentive Program! If you already have a program, but it isn’t providing value, consider refining it. Below are some tips for creating new incentive programs and for updating existing ones.

Why A Sales Incentive Program?

How do you motivate people? Reward employees who perform at top levels with sales awards. The recipient of the award feels like they have made significant contributions to their company. They also feel like they are doing a better job than others, creating competition. Employees that do not receive recognition are often motivated to work harder to reach the goal next time. If created correctly, a program can be measured  and updated to ensure success.

How Do I Create A Program?

Important metrics are set by the company. Meeting or exceeding these measurements is the basis for the awards.  Some examples of metrics include gross dollars, percentage growth, unit sales, market share increase, and number of new clients.  Regardless of the measurement, tracking occurs and the top tier performers are recognized for outstanding accomplishments. If your company doesn’t have a sales incentive program, put one into action.

If you already do, consider refining it by adding new goals or adjusting it to recapture the hype behind the program. You can also add a short-term program for a one-time sales boost. Collect ideas from outside your sales department, such as customer service, operations, shipping department and management. Often times great ideas are generated by others outside of the sales team.

When implementing or refining a program, it is very important to stick with it over time. Keep in mind that recognition for sales improvements has both a short and long term pay-off. Short term recognition helps boost self-worth and confidence. Long term benefits include employees feeling like their contributions are important and vital to the company’s success.

If you need assistance in setting up a sales award program, please feel free to contact our President, Jeff Anderson at [email protected].  Jeff is a Certified Recognition Professional and can help you with your program.

Award Suggestions

Give a designer crystal award, such as this Premium Crystal Tower, as a reward for larger sales accomplishments.

Trophies2Go carries a wide selection of corporate awards to fit your needs. A Designer Crystal Award is a great choice for a President's Award or larger sales milestone.  For an ongoing program, a perpetual plaque that can be displayed in the office is a good choice. Acrylic Awards are affordable for programs with a budget.  We have many corporate awards that would be appropriate choices for recognizing outstanding sales achievement.  Just browse our online catalog for ideas or call our helpful and friendly customer service staff at 1-877-926-4700 for suggestions!

Tips For Presenting Sales Achievement Awards

The presentation of sales awards can occur at staff meetings, monthly sales meetings, or annual corporate events.  Recognition is more meaningful from the leaders of the company.  Have the sales manager or higher-level executive, such as a VP or CEO, present the awards. It is also best practice for emphasis to be placed on the importance of the metric and how much above and beyond the recipient excelled.

Engraving Ideas For Sales Awards

What message do you engrave on your awards?  Below are four examples of text that can be used on your sales awards.  These are only guidelines; be creative to capture the essence of your company.

Example #1:

First Name and Last Name

Congratulations on achieving

XXXXX

Company name or logo

Time period

Example #2:

Sales Award

Presented to

First Name and Last Name

For achieving XXXXX

Company name or logo

Time period

Example #3:

Award of Excellence

Presented to

First Name and Last Name

For superior service in achieving XXXXX

Company name or logo

Time period

Example #4:

Company name or logo

President’s Club

Time period

Presented to

First Name and Last Name

In recognition of

Superior sales results

Sales Incentive Awards Programs are a great tool for motivation, recognition and employee retention. Your employees deserve to be recognized in a meaningful way for the time and expertise they give to your company, and that recognition will add value to your business in the form of satisfied employees!

Cheers,
Jessica

Special Olympics Washington has been chosen as the Trophies2Go 4th Quarter Awards for a Cause recipient.

For over 35 years, Special Olympics Washington has provided year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.  By participating in sports, physical fitness and healthcare education programs, Special Olympics Washington athletes increase self-confidence and social skills, improve physical and motor skills, and have better success in leading more productive and independent lives.

Trophies2Go is proud to support such an awesome charity that changes lives!

Persons with intellectual disabilities, regardless of ability level, may participate in sports and other programs offered by Special Olympics Washington. Individuals are eligible for training and competition at age eight and there is no upper age limit. More than 7,000 athletes participate in SOWA activities; over 1.70 million athletes compete in Special Olympics programs in 150 countries.

Special Olympics Washington athletes are never charged for training or competition; all fees and expenses are fully covered through generous financial support from donors, sponsors and benefactors. Trophies2Go will make a donation to Special Olympics Washington based on selected product purchases October-December 2014.

We are always looking for nominations of charities for future quarters of 'Awards for a Cause'.  Email [email protected] if you have a favorite charity you'd like us to consider for our program.

Thank you for supporting this wonderful organization!

Cheers!
Jessica

Fall sports are in full swing.  As a parent, what can you do to help keep your child injury-free this sports season?  Below are some ideas from Swedish Hospital in Seattle.

Keep your student athlete ready for action by following the tips below!

Acute Sprains and Broken Bones: Breaking a bone is more a matter of chance than fitness level.  If your child breaks a bone, the most important thing is to make sure it heals correctly with the help of a health professional.  That will help prevent it from happening again.

Overuse Injuries: These types of injuries, including muscle or tendon strain, often happens when kids aren't in shape and first begin their season. They overuse an area of the body by doing repetitive motions.  Having your child get in shape before the season starts can help prevent these types of injuries.

Soreness: If your child is sore after practice, it should get better within 3-4 days especially if using RICE:

R - Rest

I - Ice

C - Compression

E - Elevation

Injury: If pain lasts more than a week, a doctor's visit is the best course of action.

Tips to Keep Kids Healthy

Hydrate.  Drinking water replaces liquid lost, minimizes cramps, and keeps kids healthy. Hydration is important not only during the event, but also earlier in the day before the practice or game even begins!

Stay Active.  Keep in shape over the summer, or step up your activity level before the season starts to prevent overuse injuries. Maintain proper conditioning throughout the year.  Cross training can help with this, as it contains cardio, strength training and flexibility.

Pre-Season Physical.  Schedule a check up with your doctor to make sure your student is healthy and able to participate in sports.  My daughter's middle school requires this for participation in any school sports.

Equipment.  Make sure the child has the proper equipment with the correct fit (such as pads, helmet, shoes, mouth guard, etc.).   Remember kids tend to grow a lot over the summer, and last season's equipment might not fit properly.

Warm Up.  Schedule adequate time to warm up before every practice and game.  This includes stretching to increase flexibility and cardio to increase blood flow to the muscles.

Cool Down.  After the practice or game, have the students cool down and stretch before leaving.

Wishing you a fun and safe fall sports season!

Cheers,
Jessica