Demonstrating that companies can continue to shine in the two most important functions in business – creating and keeping customers – even in the face of economic upheaval, the third annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service presented its honors during a banquet at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on February 9.

More than 500 entries from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted to this year’s competition, in 27 categories for customer service professionals and 41 categories for sales professionals.

2009 Stevie Award for Sales & Customer Service winners include the Air National Guard, Akamai Technologies, Brink’s Home Security, Bronto Software, Careerbuilder.com, Credit Solutions, Direct Alliance, Exhibitgroup/Giltspur, Gartner Inc., Informatica Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, John Hancock Annuities, Con Edison, McAfee Inc., Right Hemisphere, SchoolDude.com, Sherwin-Williams, TELUS Corporation, Thumbplay, the U.S. Postal Service and Xerox, among others.  A complete list of all honorees by category is available at www.stevieawards.com/sales.

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There's just a bit more than a month until the entry deadline for the 7th annual American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the U.S.A.

The complete online entry kit for the 2009 ABAs is available at http://thestevies.com/EntryKits/ABA09EntryKit.html.

All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to participate in The American Business Awards – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.  The entry deadline is March 31.  Late entries will be accepted through April 30 with a late fee, and the awards will be announced in New York on June 22.

“Especially in tough economic times like these, participating in awards shows is a cost-effective way to thank and honor your valued employees and to build or burnish your brand,” said Michael Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards. “The 2009 American Business Awards will shine a spotlight on the achievements that American organizations, executives and workers continue to turn out.”

Entries are accepted in dozens of categories from Executive of the Year, Company of the Year, and Best New Product or Service to Best Web Site and Best Annual Report. New categories in 2009 include Business Innovation of the Year and Fastest-Growing Company of the Year.

The 2009 ABAs will also mark the introduction of the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, in which the general public will vote for their favorite new products and services of the year. Each new product or service nominated in The American Business Awards will automatically be included in people’s choice voting.  Voting begins in April and winners of the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products will be honored at the June awards gala in New York.

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ValueSelling Associates, based in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., is the creator of the ValueSelling Framework®, the sales methodology preferred by sales executives around the globe. Since 1991, ValueSelling Associates has helped FORTUNE 1000 business-to-business sales organizations compete and win in markets crowded with seemingly similar products and services.

ValueSelling Associates has long been associated with the Stevie Awards, most recently through their sponsorship of the 3rd annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. We recently spoke with president and CEO Julie Thomas about how she got her start in business, what ValueSelling does, and how they're helping their clients to maintain and grow their sales despite challenging economic conditions.

		Listen to the Podcast Interview...

The Stevie Awards made its first visit to Japan in December to celebrate its first-ever Japanese honorees. More than 90 people attended a reception at Tokyo's Conrad Hotel on December 15. The honorees from the 2008 Stevie Awards for Women in Business included Taka Kimura, master of kimono, and Kaori Sasaki, founder of ewoman, Inc., pictured here with Stevie Awards president Michael Gallagher.

Stevie Awards supporting sponsorship is a great option if you want to grow your participation in the Stevie Awards and save money. Supporting sponsors can submit an unlimited number of entries without having to pay entry fees, among other benefits. Learn more...

We invite you to apply to be a preliminary judge for the 2009 American Business Awards. As a judge you'll get to see how businesses across the U.S.A. are creating success for themselves and their organizations. Judging will be done online, at your convenience, in April-May. The two preliminary judges who score the most entries will be offered two free tickets to the awards dinner in New York on June 22...

March 2 : Entries open for 6th annual International Business Awards

March 31: Entry deadline for 7th annual American Business Awards

April 30: Last day late entries will be accepted for American Business Awards

Mid-May: Finalists announced in American Business Awards

May 15: Entry deadline for 6th annual International Business Awards