Thanks to Chris Biddle for holding the fort whilst I was in the process of moving offices last week - as ever, some very wise words. Encouraging a new generation of both technical staff and managerial candidates to join our industry has to be a goal which we are all working towards.

One vitally important element for encouraging and retaining new entrants to the industry has to be instilling a sense of pride in work undertaken. Having achievements acknowledged by both employers and indeed the wider industry, goes a long way to making people feel they are making a worthwhile contribution. When you realise that what you are doing is making a difference, one would hope candidates have that extra impetus to stick with an industry and a company. 

This is certainly part of the rationale behind Service Dealer's Dealer Of The Year Awards. Giving industry wide recognition to 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. And as I was saying, staff should really appreciate the recognition and as such their morale will be boosted by a successful award outcome.

So entering the Dealer Of The Year Awards, should be something which all our readers should consider - certainly as it doesn't cost anything!

We are currently taking entries via our website up until September 23rd. And I've been told by the organising team that this year we have already had a superb response with dealerships across the UK getting involved in their numbers.

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

I have been told that all these categories have very healthy levels of nominations - although the ATV category is a little light on numbers at the moment. So if you're involved in this field, why not think about throwing your hat in the ring?!

There are two ways in which dealership can get involved. You can either nominate your own business via a form on the Service Dealer website, or you may find yourself nominated by one of your suppliers who feel you have done a particularly great job for them this past year.

Once your dealership is in the running for the Dealer of the Year awards, assessment will be made via 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.

We have been overwhelmed so far this year by the sheer number of comments we have been receiving from customers of nominated dealerships. Also the quality of the comments is a testament to the superb levels of customer service which are being offered out there in the dealer network currently.

We also have 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 2018 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 2018 season has demonstrated the desire, willingness and ability to progress within the dealership and the industry. Again at the moment, we don't have quite as many nominations for this category as we'd like - 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 Oxford Belfry Hotel, on the evening of Thursday November 15th - following on from the Service Dealer Conference.

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

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