But sadly, most of the cheap awards and trophies are still being sold by the thousands across the globe… so here is my humble attempt to try and make a difference by busting some of the most commonly held myths about buying and giving cheap trophies.
I truly believe that the Real Cost of cheap awards is quite high and not worth it… definitely not worth it in the long run.
Myth # 1 – It’s ok No one cares about this any more…
Your team and especially your winners do care..
They know or at least can sense the value of the awards. Remember the aunt or the friend who always gave meaningless gifts. You don’t hold very good opinion about them right?
A thoughtful award always find its rightful space.
Myth # 2 – Just get some cheap trophies for we are giving them an expensive cash prize anyways.
I always advise my customers to save the money they are planning to spend on buying cheap award.
Don’t spend any money on awards and save all of it. For really there is no point at all. Just let it be at expensive cash prize itself.
Cash Prize & Awards are not interchangeable activities by any standard. Both have its own place & Value and depending on the culture you are trying to build… choices are made.
Here is a very interesting video from RSA “The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us”
Myth # 3 – Just buy whatever is available. Getting it done is more important.
In past 18 years, I have served many corporates and realized that majority of the time people buy cheap trophy not because they genuinely don’t have the budget but its because they don’t have a right supplier or they don’t give too much of importance to awards and recognition.
Its an item on the to-do list which has to get ticked as soon as possible. Team members don’t pay attention and things just get done…
‘Winning is never easy’ even an overnight success takes months and years of hard work.
When we are organizing an award ceremony or celebrating success in any form the most important thing should be the Award. It’s not just any item on the agenda. It is something which we need to pay attention to.
We really owe it to the winners… for they have put in thousands and thousands of hours to win it.
Myth # 4 – What’s the use of an award? Let’s give out a Technology Gift or something useful.
Precious Awards are long remembered after useful technology gifts have been trashed.
Everything has its own advantage while a technology gift as an award could be useful for some time. Gifts do get outdated and become worthless sometimes sooner then we think and if the gift is our award then people remember it only till the time they use it or if they use it.
Finding a good technology gift / any utility gift is a big challenge in itself. But a bigger challenge is to ensure that people use what they get. Most people have enough of what is given and the usage is never more than 20-30%.
Awards there is no utility it has a great display value for you want others to see the award and aspire for it. You want the winner to be visible.
Myth # 5 I saved money for my company by buying Cheap Trophies
Cheap Trophy can turn out to be very costly. On one hand, you spend a lot of money in building culture, motivating people to perform and training them … Finally, when results get delivered and they have done remarkably well you honor them with a cheap award. What’s the point?
Winner will talk… talk bad… voice their dissatisfaction sometimes it’s subtle, sometimes it’s harsh and sometimes its close to mockery.. but silence is rare. So cheap awards almost always start wrong conversations and turn out to be far more expensive than just the money you paid.
Of course, if they break or get spoiled during the event or very soon thereafter then the cost of replacement is quite high too.
So, it’s good if you go for High-quality Budget Awards that can fit your budget rather than going for cheap awards. This will help you to have a taste of both the worlds. When it comes to the word cheap, it is a negative word when selecting a product. But on the other hand, a budget is something that fits in your price bracket without hampering its quality factor.Building a great culture is never easy and every small Step Counts.
Pinnacle is an industry leader in Awards & Recognition, committed to bringing a culture of appreciation to the workplace, so that every employee feels valued. Since its inception in 2000, Pinnacle has served over 3000 brands, shipping over 3 million customised awards and gifts to 41 countries.
