Trophies2Go Blog

Our customers are always telling us great things.  They like our products, they like our engraving, they like our delivery, and they especially like our customer service.  We love it when they give us feedback.  Who wouldn’t?  It makes us feel good, that we are really helping people.

You see, we believe in the Power of Recognition, especially Meaningful Recognition. We wrap our vision and values and everyday work ethics around these beliefs.  We don’t normally toot our own horn, but today, I really want to.

Here are 8 things our customers tell us they love about us!

Something for ALL your award needs.

#8  Product Availability:  We have an amazing number of awards.  We truly have something for every need.  From plaques to acrylics, crystal to art glass, we try to provide you with any level of recognition product you may need. Every year we attend our industry trade show to look for more products. We want to keep up on the trends so you have the latest and greatest.

#7  Turnaround:   We work with our suppliers to make sure we can get the awards you want, when you want.  On our website, when you see our production time is 3 days, that’s real.  We can get your product, engrave it and have it ready to go out the door in 3 days or less.  Of course some items take longer to get from our suppliers and we note that in the award’s description.  Our customers love our turnaround!

#6  Reliability: We pride ourselves in our reliability.  We’ve been doing this a long time and our experience has taught us what we can and cannot do.  This experience is why we can have Guaranteed Delivery Dates based on the Service Level you need.  We’re here for you and you can rely on that.

#5  Flexibility: Yes, we have established Service Levels and Guaranteed Delivery Dates, but we all get busy.  If you have an urgent award need that doesn’t fit our normal schedule, call us.  Our customers tell us that they love our flexibility and our rush capability when it’s needed.

Mika makes getting your awards easy!

#4  Quality and Price:  We love that our customers notice this.  They tell us they love the quality of the products we offer AND they love our prices.  Great quality and great prices do not have to be mutually exclusive.  Thanks for noticing. And speaking of great prices, our engraving, including logos, is included in the price of your awards.  We don’t count characters.  That’s not a great use of your time or ours. And if your order is over $50 we offer free email proofs so you can see exactly what your engraving will look like before it’s done.  Our customers love this!

#3  Reputation:  When a company has #4 through #8 going for them, #3 isn’t far behind.  Because of everything I’ve already mentioned, our customers also tell us that they come back to us because they have a great history working with us and that we are so convenient to work it.  We’ll hang onto all your order information in case you want to do it again next quarter, or next year.

#2  Customer Service:  Everyone says they have excellent customer service, don’t they?  This is the cornerstone of everything we do at Trophies2Go and our customers tell us all the time how much they love our service.  From the person who engraves your award, to the one who packages it, to the one who answers your phone call or email, we all focus on how we can make this an amazing experience for you.

#1  Bottom line, our customers tell us all the time that we Make It Easy.  We’re happy to make it easy for them, and would love to have an opportunity to do the same for you.

Blessings, Anne

Things to Consider

Being able to buy awards on the Internet has been around for 15+ years. We have been serving our online customers since 2000. In that time, I have learned a thing or two about Internet awards businesses. I've found that there are 3 key things to look for when ordering online from an awards company. They are timing, quality/price, and relationship, and I will discuss each below.

Timing & Order Turn Around

It's universal: The most important thing to our customers is WHEN will they receive their order. After all, what is the use of getting a good deal on high quality awards if they arrive after the awards presentation? Make sure to choose a company who can get you your awards in time for your event. At Trophies2Go, we guarantee a delivery date based on the shipping method chosen during checkout. The customer knows exactly when their awards will arrive. Below are more tips for timing your awards order.

Order Early! The sooner the order is placed, the better, and the less expensive the shipping will be.  For example, we even have a promotion that allows for free shipping if your order is over $100 and you give us an extra week for production. Many of our repeat customers are aware of this promotion and order well in advance – it is a win-win for all involved when ample time is given.

Choose a product that we can get quickly. We don’t carry every product in our warehouse, and many times have to order specific awards from our suppliers.  However, a couple of our suppliers are local, such as JDS industries and Plastic Dress Up, and we can get awards from them within 24 hours.  This makes the production time much faster than for products from our suppliers at the other end of the county.

If you need your awards within 2 or 3 days, be prepared for expensive shipping. Most shops are happy to accommodate rush orders, but overnight or 2^nd day air shipping can be expensive.  At Trophies2Go, we can adjust our production schedule in order to meet tight deadlines, but our shipper is going to be the beneficiary of the extra shipping cost.

If you need your awards right away (24 hours) and cost is a factor, try a local trophy company first.  This may seem contrary to an Internet company making money, but we are in the business of pleasing our customers. Sometimes it’s not worth it to pay $15 for an award and $50 for overnight shipping. Instead look to a local business to accommodate your needs quickly. Even if they charge a small rush fee, you are still ahead of the game.

Quality & Price

For many people, price is the main reason to buy online.  However, it’s important to consider quality as well.  If you buy a cheap trophy and it breaks right away, it’s not worth the money.

At Trophies2Go, we believe offering quality products at an affordable price is important,  But, there’s another component to a finished award that is equally, or perhaps even more important – engraving. I think engraving is the most important part of the finished award, but it often gets overlooked by the customer.

Choose high quality engraving.  Some Internet retailers use plastic labels for the engraving of medals and trophies. They may also use other methods for engraving acrylic and may surface laser etch their crystal awards. All of these styles provide a faster and cheaper method for marking the awards, but detract from the quality.

At Trophies2Go, we use premium quality brass and aluminum for our trophy plates and engrave them using a process called “diamond drag”. We laser engrave our acrylic awards. We also laser engrave and sandblast our crystal awards for clean lines and flawless etching. This attention to detail and quality engraving materials makes all the difference in the finish of our award.

Use a company that has a good engraver.  There is an artistic component to the layout of the engraving. Not all companies have ultra-experienced engravers and this can be reflected in the quality of the finished product. If you are concerned about how the messaging looks on your award, ask for a proof before the engraving is started. This can save an unpleasant surprise when you open your shipment.

Relationship

Jeff with the ARA trophy.

Sometimes the Internet feels very impersonal.  It’s hard to have a relationship with a business where you don’t talk with or see the person helping you.  You have to make a leap of faith that if you order a product, it will actually come to you!  Here are some things to consider when choosing to do business with an Internet awards company.

How long have they been in business?  If the company has been around for awhile, it’s probably safe to order from them.  Check around their site for customer testimonials or product ratings for even more proof that they’re legit.

Use Customer Service.  Give the business a call and see how you’re treated.  They should have excellent customer service and a friendly voice on the end of the line.  That’s what we strive for at Trophies2Go.

Are they flexible?  If you’re looking for something special and can’t find it on the website, call or email.  The company should be able to offer suggestions of products to fit your needs or give you another resource if not.

Ask around to see who friends and family recommend. Family and friends are usually willing to share their experiences with you, good and bad.  Use Facebook or Twitter to do this as well.  It’s a safe bet you’ll have a good experience if someone you trust did too.

To summarize, there are a lot of factors that go into choosing an awards company to order from.  If you are looking for a new awards company, give us a try.  We will do our best to provide great products at an excellent value in time for your event. That’s why we are the National Leader of Meaningful Recognition!

Jeff Anderson, President

Last month I wrote about Heroes for the Homeless, the organization we are partnering with for the 1^st quarter of 2013.  Each quarter we chose a new organization to work with because we believe in the Power of Recognition, and we want to recognize how people do truly amazing things to serve others.  Heroes for the Homeless serves up to 700 individuals every month, providing food, water, hygiene supplies, clothing, tents, sleeping bags, and information on how to access social services. We think that is deserving of some recognition!

IHS Key Club making PBJs

There are some great ways to recognize an organization like Heroes for the Homeless.  Here’s what we do.  Maybe you have some additional ideas you could share?

Make a financial contribution to support the great work they do. We will make a donation to Heroes for the Homeless at the end of the first quarter based on the sales of specific awards.  Check out those awards here.   We have some great basketball trophies if your kids are finishing up their season soon, consider these awards to make a donation.

Spread the word about who they are and what they do so more people can support and recognize them. We use this blog, our Facebook posts, Twitter @AwardsGuru, and more to promote the organization we partner with.  Our hope is that this will increase awareness of their cause and nudge others to support them as well.

Join them in their efforts. If possible, our employees try to be involved with them also.  Last fall, Jessica and Janice volunteered for the Susan G Komen 3-Day Walk in Seattle. They were on hand to pass out t-shirts to the finishers. I know they felt privileged to be a part of recognizing the walkers for their accomplishments.

Janice and Jessica at the Susan G Komen 3-Day

And in January we hosted a PBJ party. A group of Issaquah High School Key Club volunteers, a handful of girl scouts and some of our employees got together, and with generous donations from our local community, we made 625 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Heroes for the Homeless. Our owner, Jeff Anderson, drove the sandwiches to Seattle very early the next morning so they could be distributed to the people that Heroes serve.  The kids who made the sandwiches have already asked me, ‘When can we do it again?’

We are still collecting new, warm socks and travel-sized toothpaste, shampoo, soap and other toiletries. If you are near Issaquah and have some you’d like to donate, please drop them by our showroom between 8:30-5:00 Monday – Friday through the end of March. 1320 NW Mall St, A-2, Issaquah, WA 98027.

Please visit the Heroes for the Homeless website.  To get a better idea of what exactly they do, watch their video, Walking With Heroes.  By the way, congrats to them for 'Spreading Love for More Than Six Years'.  They had their 100th Outreach on February 9, 2013!

We’d love to hear about the organizations that you support.  Feel free to post comments below.

Blessings, Anne

At Trophies2Go and Issaquah Trophy, we love hearing the stories behind the beautiful recognition awards we make for you. Will you tell us your recognition story that we can post here in our blog?

What should you write about?  Here are a few ideas:

How do you use recognition in your company or organization?  What results do you see from it?

Do you have Service Awards?  Sales Awards?  President Award? How often are they awarded?

Besides awards, what other ways do you recognize your employees, customers, partners or volunteers?

What’s the best recognition you have ever received and how did it make you feel?

What’s the funniest recognition you’ve given or received?  We know it’s important to have fun in the work place.  We see some pretty funny award come through our production facility.

 Who will be reading what you write?

Other people, just like you, looking for ideas on what’s new in recognition. Or looking for ideas on how to reward their employees, customers, partners or volunteers. It might be someone who has a lot of experience with recognition, or it may be someone brand new and needing to start from the beginning.

How long should it be?

However long you want it to be, but probably no longer than what can be read in a few minutes. If you’d like to include a photo of your award or even someone receiving their award, we would love that! Make sure you have permission to use the photo, please. And if the pictures are not yours, please let us know who to give credit to.

When you’re ready, go ahead and write your blog post in a Word document. Then email it along with any pictures to [email protected] We’ll let you know when it will be posted.

Thanks for considering being a Guest Blogger!  It’ll be fun.  You never know, you may discover something inside yourself that loves to write!

Blessings!   Anne

I wrote a blog article last December called Employee Engagement – not as hard as you think.  According to a recent Gallup Poll (Oct 2011) 71% of American workers are ‘not engaged’ or are ‘actively disengaged’ in their work.  In the blog I talked about things an employer or manager can do to help their employees be more engaged.  Ever since I wrote it, I’ve been wondering if there is another, equally critical, side to this issue.

What is Engagement?

Just as a refresher, what is employee engagement?  There is no shortage of articles and books to read on the subject.  According to Wikipedia, an engaged employee is one who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about their work, and thus will act in a way that furthers their organization’s interests. Sounds like a great employee.

As an employer, how do you make sure your employees are engaged?  If you search for an answer, be prepared for the avalanche of opinions. They will range from ‘listen to your employees’, to ‘make them feel valued so they deliver value’, to ‘meet individual needs’. All, and much more, are critical in helping to engage your employees.

The Other Side

I’m curious though.  What if we looked at employee engagement from the employee’s viewpoint? What would that look like?

As an employee, you should ask yourself, how can I be more engaged today?  What can I do differently in my position today to make a difference in the company I work for?

Do you feel connected to the company’s mission and values?  Do you know what they are?  If not, find them, print them out, and post them in your workspace. Figure out how to connect with them.  There has to be a way, or you wouldn’t still be in the job you’re in.

Next, ask yourself, what motivates me? Is it salary, recognition, position, time off?  Figure it out and tell your manager. Hopefully they’ve already asked.  But if not, tell them.

Ask your manager to help you reach your job and career goals. See that award on your co-worker’s desk from last quarter.  Ask your manager what you can do this quarter to earn that award.  Put a plan in place.  Break down the steps and go to work.  Want the corner office?  That may be a longer plan.  Even if it’s something you want 3-5 years down the road, a good manager should be able to help you identify the significant milestones you’ll need to reach in order to get there.

Yes, good companies know they should listen to you, their employee.  And they know they should be asking what motivates you to give your best, and then helping you to do just that.  But I think engagement needs to be a two-way street.  Don’t ask how is my company going to engage me?  When do I get a raise? Why does that person always get recognized?

What can you do today to make your company successful?

Instead ask, what do I need to do differently? How do I engage differently so that I can reach my goals?  What can I do today to help my company reach its goals and fulfill its mission?  If you figure that out and actually do it, the payoff and the feeling of accomplishment will be incredible. As I’m sure any individual on a winning sports team will tell you, being a part of something successful is a great feeling. Knowing you played a big role in making it successful is even better.

I’d like to repeat myself here: As an employee, ask yourself, how can I be more engaged today?  What can I do differently in my position today to make a difference in the company I work for?

Blessings, Anne