It’s a nice feeling being told you’re doing something well.

Whilst we don’t need to be slapped on the back and informed we’re doing a great job after everything we do at work - once in a while it’s genuinely beneficial.

Having a sense of pride in one’s work, knowing that you’re making a worthwhile contribution, undoubtedly spurs us on. Having that acknowledgment can act as a real boost.

And I tell you what, a lot of you reading this today, should feel really boosted! I can say this having been privy to the deluge of positive comments which have been flooding in from your satisfied customers up and down the country, as part of this year’s Dealer Of The Year awards.

For example, naming no names obviously, just a few comments which are indicative of all those we have been receiving include:

• Staff are always really friendly and helpful. If you have questions they can help or make suggestions. Definitely using them again and again.
• When I went to collect my machines the shop was very busy and everyone pulled together, from front of house to the workshop engineers, to make sure every customer had the best service!
• The knowledge, honesty and friendliness of the staff is outstanding. I have visited many times and purchased several machines and parts from this company. Without question this is the best garden machinery stockist in my area. They are so reliable and do not try to sell you products which are not suitable for the job.
• Their knowledge is exceptional and customer service always at the highest level. I get the feeling that everyone enjoys working for this company as they are always happy.

Feedback like this is incredible. If you have already entered the Awards, do make sure you are encouraging your customers to visit our website to leave their comments. Because receiving genuine comments, like the above, is not only a pleasure to read, they are invaluable when the judging panel get together to assess all the entries.

And if you haven’t entered yet, what are you waiting for?! The sooner you get involved, the longer you have to collect positive customer comments. Click here to enter.

We genuinely believe that winning industry wide recognition for both dealerships and individuals has multiple positive outcomes.

For a business, winning can help distinguish your company’s offering from a competitor's. It can also demonstrate commitment and be a hint towards growth which is always good for a small business. Also having the certificate on your wall and the logo on your promotional material, reassures customers of quality and credibility. It’s that seal of approval we all feel comforted by. Also staff winning one of our individual awards should really appreciate the recognition and as such their morale and enthusiasm will be boosted.

So entering the Dealer Of The Year Awards, should be something which all our readers should consider - certainly as it’s entirely free!

Also, manufacturers and suppliers, we would like to hear your nominations too. Let us know which dealers constantly perform for you. If you know that you have certain teams who you can rely on to deliver for you, year round, tell us about them!

We are currently taking entries via our website up until September 30th.

As ever we have our core dealer awards in the following categories:

• GARDEN MACHINERY DEALER OF THE YEAR
• PROFESSIONAL TURFCARE DEALER OF THE YEAR
• FARM MACHINERY DEALER OF THE YEAR
• FORESTRY EQUIPMENT DEALER OF THE YEAR
• ATV / QUAD DEALER OF THE YEAR

We have a healthy spread of nominations across these categories currently - although I’ve been told that the ATV category is a little light on numbers at the moment. So if you're involved in this field, why not think about getting involved this year?

Once your dealership is in the running for the Dealer of the Year awards, we can start collecting the feedback from the most important people to your business - your customers. We will send you a link which you can email to your customers which will take them to a page on our website where they can submit comments in favour of your dealership. We will also provide you with a logo you can add to your own website and a Word document you can print off and hand out at your premises.

As evidenced above, the comments coming in this year, are truly remarkable. I’m sure you all have days (months?!) where you feel under-appreciated and that your hard work isn’t going noticed. Well, we can very easily see from what we’re being told by your customers, that there is such great work taking place out there in the network, which is 100% being noticed and appreciated!

Alongside our main company awards we are also running again our two awards which focus on the contribution of individuals to the dealership's success. Firstly, we're looking for dealers to nominate their Star of the Dealership. This can be a member of staff from the sales, parts, service or support team who have demonstrated exceptional skills, commitment to customer service or any other compelling reason during the 2019 season - and who are deserving of industry recognition.

Also, we're looking for nominations for an Apprentice of the Year. Service Dealer wants to recognise an individual who during the 2019 season has demonstrated the desire, willingness and ability to progress within the dealership and the industry. As we've been concentrating on apprenticeships in the magazine somewhat this year, we'd like to receive as many nominations from our readers as possible for this category - so if you've got an apprentice in your place of work, who you feel is doing a really cracking job for you, please nominate them for consideration.

The Dealer of the Year ceremony takes place once again at the DoubleTree by Hilton Oxford Belfry, on the evening of Thursday November 21st - following on from the Service Dealer Conference.

You can find out all the details about both the Awards and Conference, including ticket booking details by visiting the Service Dealer website.

We'd love to see more of our readers than ever at the event this year - and indeed have a record number of companies and individuals in the running for awards recognition!