Author Archives: Asap_Awards

Recognizing Little League Athletes With Awards

baseball-1Little League sports offer a fun and rewarding activity for young children to participate in. We live in an age where far too many children stay cooped up in front of a television or computer. While some digital entertainment is perfectly acceptable, parents should also encourage their children to get outside more, and joining a Little League team is the perfect way to accomplish this. Whether you are an organizer or just a parent, you can go one step further by recognizing the young athletes with an award. Here we’ll take a closer look at sports awards used for Little League players.

Young athletes want to feel recognized and appreciated for all the hard work they put into the sport. Going straight from school over to the baseball diamond is a tiresome routine that can easily wear a child down. However, they keep pushing themselves day after day in hopes of becoming a better athlete. Handing out awards to young Little League athletes creates a sense of accomplishment from all of the hard work they’ve gone through. When the season is over, they can look back at their award as a reminder of everything they’ve gone through.

If you are going to hand out awards to a Little League team, it’s important to not to exclude anyone. Only giving certain players on the team an award will leave others feeling down and depressed, which is the exact opposite of what a Little League team is about. Purchasing awards for the entire team may initially cost more upfront, but it’s well worth the investment once you are able to see the smiles on all the kids’ faces. Depending on the type of sport, you can choose to hand out awards based on different criteria. For instance, you could hand out an award to the player with the most season hits, the most strikeouts, the most stolen bases, etc. There are hundreds of different possibilities, so use your mind and be creative to come up with new ones.

A basic plaque award is all it takes to recognize a young Little League star for their athletic performance. When you are ordering Little League plaque awards, take the time to have each one engraved with the player’s name on it. Our site offers free engraving on all plaques and awards. This is a small touch that will add significant importance to the award.

Cyrstal Paperweights: A Recognition Award Everyone Can Use

cyrstal-paperweight-1Are you thinking about purchasing recognition awards for your employees in the near future? Doing so is a simple and effective way to keep them motivated, which in turn will result in a more efficiently-run company. While you can always take the route of traditional plaques and standing awards, you shouldn’t rule out the use of paperweights. Here we’ll take a look at some of the reasons why crystal paperweights are becoming a hot new type of recognition award in the workplace.

What are Crystal Paperweights?

As the name suggests, they are heavy objects made from authentic crystal that are designed to weigh down papers. Paperweights have been used for well over a hundred years as a means to secure documents and prevent them from blowing away. Back in the early colonial days of America, people wrote and signed a lot of documents while they were outdoors. If a strong gust of wind were to suddenly come through, these documents could become lost or even destroyed. Thankfully, though, basic paperweights were used to secure documents to the table so this wouldn’t happen.

Of course, it wasn’t until recent years when companies began to produce paperweights out of authentic crystal. This allowed for a more stylish yet equally functional form of paperweight. The transparency of a glass paperweight is something that’s naturally pleasing to the eye. In addition, glass is  also easy to engrave, which is just another benefit associated with their use.

Tips For Ordering Crystal Paperweights

If you are planning on hanging out crystal paperweights to your employees as recognition awards, there are a few things you should know. For starters, always take the time to get the paperweights engraved with the respective employee’s name; otherwise, it will hold little to no meaning. A basic laser engraving of the recipient’s name will transform a simple paperweight into a meaningful recognition award, which is exactly what you are trying to accomplish.

Another added touch you can place on crystal paperweights is the engraving of your company’s logo. Although it may seem simple, engraving your company’s logo on a crystal paperweight helps to serve as a reminder for everything the employee has accomplished. Whether it’s sales, customer service, leads or teamwork, you want to reinforce the fact that the recipient has gone out of their way to achieve excellence working for your company. For this reason, it’s recommended that you always engrave your company’s logo and the recipient’s name into the crystal paperweight.

Taking a Closer Look at Employee Incentive Programs

bowl-of-coins-1There’s a lot of confusion over employee incentive programs and whether or not they are useful in the workplace. While some industries rely on their use as a tool to encourage employees to work harder, other industries avoid their use altogether. But what exactly are employee incentive programs? And how do they work? These are all common questions workers have, and here we’re going to take a closer look into into them.

The Basics of Employee Incentive Programs

The truth is that an employee incentive program can refer to a wide variety of different programs. In short, it’s a reward system set up to motivate and encourage workers to strive for excellence. No matter what type of business it is, employees want to know all of their hard work isn’t going unnoticed, and that’s the primary function of an employee incentive program. When workers are given recognition and incentives for everything they’ve accomplished, they will continue to push themselves towards forwarding the goals of the company.

Common Types of Employee Incentive Program

It’s important to note that there are countless different types of employee incentive programs. Small companies might offer their employees a free lunch or additional time off, while large companies may reward their employees with stock bonuses. If the program offers some form of reward to workers for their achievement, then it falls under the category of an employee incentive program.

There’s no denying the fact that monetary bonuses are a nice incentive, but unfortunately some companies might not be able to afford them. Handing out free stocks and/or bonus paychecks can easy burn a hole in your company’s bank account. When margins are the key to success, these handouts might be the downfall of your company. So, how are you supposed to offer employees incentives to work harder without eating through your budget? One of the easiest and most cost-effective forms of incentive programs are trophies and plaque awards. You can have them personalized with the recipient’s name engraved directly on it, which gives it a more personal feel.

Purchasing trophies and plaque rewards as a form of employee incentive is a most cost-effective approach. Just remember to take the time to personalize each and every reward with the recipients’ name; otherwise, it will feel like a general achievement with no real relationship. The couple additional minutes it takes to find out the recipients’ names will go a long ways in the overall efficiency of your employee incentive program.

Tips on Displaying and Showing Off Your Framed Plaque or Award

There’s a certain sense of pride and accomplish for most people who receive an award. Whether it’s for academics, work ethics or sports, you should feel proud of your recognition. After all, it’s not something that everyone receives. Instead of allowing your plaque or award to gather dust in your closet, a better approach would be to display it for others to see. So, what’s the best approach to showcase it? Keep reading and we’ll reveal some tips and tricks on how to show off your framed plaque or award.

A lesser-known advantage to showing off your framed plaque or award is the fact that it’s a constant reminder of everything you’ve accomplished. When you are feeling down or having a day when you doubt your abilities, just seeing your plaque hanging on the wall should uplift your mood. This is one of the reasons why so many executives and business-savvy entrepreneurs have them lining the walls of their office.

Hang It On The Wall

Sometimes all it takes to showcase your framed plaque or award is to hang it directly on the wall. Not only will this keep it out in the open for the world to see, but it’s also a useful way to decorative your walls with a unique element. Anyone walking by will likely take notice of your framed plaque and award, and chances are you’ll receive some compliments for it.

You can choose to hang your framed plaque or award on the walls of your bedroom, living room, office, game room or bonus room. However, you’ll want to pay close attention to the finish and color of the award to ensure it flows with the surrounding decor. You obviously wouldn’t want to use a brown-colored award in a room with black and white furniture, as these colors will clash and do your home no justice.

Keep It Level

If you intend on hanging your framed plaque or award on the wall, make sure it’s flush and level. Even the slightest tilt to either side will throw off the balance of the room completely. If you aren’t sure whether or not it’s level, use a laser level. These devices can be purchased at most home improvement stores for as little as $10 bucks, which is a small price to pay for a nice and level award.

Of course, another option is to place your framed plaque or award in a glass display case. The primary advantage of this is the fact that it keeps your award safe and protected from dust and dirt, but the downside is that it doesn’t offer the same level of aesthetics that hanging it on the wall offers.

The Do’s and Don’ts of an Acceptable Speech

microphone-1Whether it’s for work performance, sports achievements, academics or anything else, receiving an award is an exciting time where you are recognized for your exceptional abilities. During this time, the spotlight will be cast down and you’ll likely be asked to give a short acceptance speech. The thought of talking into a microphone in front of an auditorium or theater full of people can be frightening, especially for those who aren’t used to it. The good news, however, is that it’ll be over before you know it. Keep reading and we’ll reveal some of the essential do’s and don’ts of an acceptable speech.

Give Thanks

The first thing you should do after walking up onto the podium is thank everyone who helped you achieve the award. Whether it’s a teacher, coach, family or a higher power, voice your thanks for the help they’ve given you. It’s a humble gesture that shows you aren’t selfish and that you appreciate everyone for helping you achieve your goal.

Keep It Short

Have you ever been forced to sit through a long, drawn out speech that seemed to drag on for ages? If you’ve been to an awards ceremony, you’ve probably sat through such a speech at one point or another. When you are up there in front of the microphone, try to keep your speech short, concise and to the point. There’s no need to ramble on about your future goals and everything you hope to accomplish after receiving the award.

Practice

To ensure your acceptable speech goes smoothly, spend some time practicing it in front of a mirror. Not only will this help with the words, but it’s also beneficial for overcoming stage fright. If you seem to lock up with anxiety and tension in front of a crowd, try to block everyone out and focus back to your speech. After practicing it a few times in front of a mirror, you should naturally memorize it with ease.

Avoid The “Napkin” Speech

I’m not sure who started the whole “napkin” speech thing, but it should be avoided. While writing notes down on a napkin or piece of paper is sure to help you remember, it also gives the impression that you didn’t prepare yourself. For this reason, we recommend that you take the time to memorize your speech beforehand so you don’t have to rely on a napkin to recite your acceptable speech.

Simple Ways To Recognize Students For Academic Excellence

school-2Recognizing students for their academic excellence is a simple and effective way to keep them motivated. Unfortunately, far too many schools underestimate the importance of proper recognition, and as a result, students’ grades and overall performance drops across the board. The good news is that there are several ways to recognize students for all of their hard work. Whether it’s middle-school, high-school or college, these methods are sure to work.

GPA Recognition

One of the most effective ways to recognize students is to do so based off their grade point average (GPA). In both high-school and college, having a high GPA is a critical. It’s essentially a measurement of the student’s overall median grade; therefore, one bad class isn’t going to destroy your average. To show your appreciation for students with an exceptional GPA, you could offer them some type of reward for reaching a 3.0 or above. Alternatively, you can have a tiered system with various rewards for 3.0 to 3.2, 3.3 to 3.5, etc.

Rewards

There are literally hundreds of different forms of rewards you could offer students to recognize them for academic excellence. Some schools may take their students on special trips for maintaining a high GPA, while others may throw in-class parties with soft drinks, snacks and a movie. Contrary to what some people may believe, a school rewards program doesn’t have to cost a ton of money. As long as you put some thought into it, you can successfully come up with a number of great rewards programs.

Let’s face it, students love to be given the opportunity to escape from the confounds of their school. Even if it’s just to a local park down the road, try to use a reward system that takes the students away from the school. Not only will it encourage them to continue their good grades and hard work, but it’s also a relaxing time for them to recharge.

Trophies

Of course, you really can’t recognize students for academic excellence without the use of trophies. When they see a trophy personalized with their name on it, they will immediately feel a sense of accomplishment and pride for everything they’ve accomplished. The great thing about student recognition trophies is that you can give them away for a number of reasons. Although GPA is one of the most common reasons why trophies are handed out, they can also be given to students for not missing a day in the school year, helping others, going above and beyond the call of duty, and much more.

3 Tips To Motivate and Encourage Employees

employees-1When you are busy crunching numbers and trying to run a successful business, it’s easy to overlook your employees’ emotions and thoughts towards the company. This is an all-too-common mistake that many CEOs and owners make when running a company. The problem in doing so, however, is that all of the hard work and effort put forth by the employees goes unnoticed. If you want them to strive for excellence and really push their limits (which you should), you’ll need to keep them motivated.

Contrary to what some people may believe, motivation doesn’t come in the form of a weekly or bi-weekly paycheck. After all, your employees will likely get paid the same amount whether they push themselves or not. So, how are you supposed to keep them motivated without the use of a paycheck? Let’s take a look at three simple ways to motivate your employees.

#1 – Stress The Importance of Teamwork

No matter what industry or line of business your company is in, chances are it relies on teamwork to succeed. If one position ceases to exist, the rest will suffer as a direct result. You can help motive your employees to perform their tasks more efficiently by stressing the importance of teamwork. Employees want to feel like they are working for something larger than just themselves, and this is essentially the principle behind teamwork. When one person begins to work harder, the rest will follow in line.

#2 – Have Individual Discussions

Most companies have mandatory meetings where they force all of the employees to gather in a large room and watch some video or listen to a speech. These large meetings can be effective when done correctly, but a more rewarding and beneficial approach is to have individual discussions with each of your employees. Even if it’s only for a quick five minute session, it still shows that you appreciate their work enough to sit down and talk with them.

#3 – Set Goals

Lastly, you must set goals for your employees to strive for. Depending on how many different job positions there are, you may need to get creative when setting goals. For instance, you could set a goal of 50-100 leads per week for the sales team, and then set a different goal of 95% customer satisfaction from the customer service or tech support team. This way both sides of the business will have reasonable goals to try and accomplish at work.

Things To Consider When Purchasing Employee Plaque Awards

Offering your employees plaque awards for special achievements and recognition is a simple way to keep them motivated at work. Employees want to know all of their skills and dedication isn’t going unnoticed, and providing them with a special plaque award is the perfect way to do so. It shows the company appreciates all of their hard work. If you are interested in using them in the workplace, keep reading and we’ll reveal some essential things to consider when purchasing employee plaque awards.

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Why Every Professional Should Invest In Business Cards

Business cards are one of those neat little accessories that most people drastically underestimate. The fact is, however, that these otherwise simple pieces of cardboard can be a powerful marketing tool that translates into more clients and more money. No matter what line of work you are in, chances are it can benefit from the use of business cards. If you are wondering how, keep reading and we’ll reveal why every professional should invest in them.

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Microsoft Fined $731 By The European Union

The world’s largest software maker Microsoft was fined a whopping $731 million by the European Union for violating the stipulations set forth in a previous antitrust settlement. With an annual revenue of $73 billion, it’s doubtful this latest fine will have any substantial impact on their business operations or practices. But what causes the European Union to hand down such a hefty fine on Bill Gates’ company?

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