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British Excellence in Sales & Marketing Awards (BESMA) If you need to improve your organisation's sales performance, there is nothing you can do that is as powerful as nominating them for the BESMA award. Organised by The Institute of Sales & Marketing Management, The British Excellence in Sales & Marketing Awards (BESMA) represents the UK's highest level of recognition for outstanding sales achievement BESMA. |
Key Dates
- 30th March 2012: Nominations to reach ISMM
- 11th April 2012: Shortlisted finalists announced
- 20th April 2012: Judging day at Beaumont House, Windsor
- 14th June 2012: Awards Ceremony, Mercedes-Benz World, Weybridge
5 good reasons to nominate
- Recognises and rewards top achievers and the use of best sales practice, providing aspiration for all sales team members
- Enables employers to show sales teams the value they place on them, thus boosting team morale and increasing motivation
- Provides independent validation of your sales and marketing talent and achievements to help you gain competitive advantage
- Acknowledges the vital role played by sales personnel throughout the business world and raises the status of professional selling
- Enhances career development within your organisation by using BESMA as a career path.
IT'S FREE TO NOMINATE!
"The ISMM does a fantastic job of promoting and rewarding proven excellence in sales and marketing"
Dr Laurence Williams - Ashridge Business School
"An excellent event. It was great to see the sales profession receiving recognition on a national scale."
KPMG
Categories: Click in the Category Titles below to download the Nomination Forms
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How to Enter

Anyone can nominate an individual or team for a BESMA. The nomination is based on a statement of up to 1,000 words in total based on the criteria for each category:
- Choose the category or categories you wish to enter, download nomination forms from the Categories tab or contact June Kelly jkelly@ismm.co.uk / 01582 840001 for the appropriate nomination form(s). There is no limit on the number of entries you submit but you must complete a separate entry form for each category.
- It's completely FREE to nominate!
- Any supporting materials must be kept to a maximum of 8 pages of A4, eg, testimonials, graphs, sales figures / stats, mission statement, etc.
- Email all completed typed forms to jkelly@ismm.co.uk by Friday 30th March 2012.
Terms and Conditions
- Hand-written entries will not be considered.
- Any entries received after Friday 30th March 2012 will not be considered.
- The ISMM reserves the right to publish details of companies entering and short-listed candidates as part of the pre- and post event publicity surrounding the event, and to make those details available to the sponsors.
- The ISMM chair of judge's decision is final concerning all awards.
- No submissions will be returned and all entries become and remain the property of the ISMM.
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Judging of short-list candidates will take place on 20th April 2012 at Beaumont House, Windsor.
Candidates unable to attend on judging day will be removed from the short-list.
Next Steps
- All shortlisted candidates (FINALISTS) will be told by 11th April 2012 of their success and will be invited to attend Judging Day on 20th April 2012 at Beaumont House, Windsor.
- Each Finalist will receive one free ticket to the Awards Ceremony which will take place on 14th June 2012 at Mercedes-Benz World, Weybridge.
Judging Day
| Date: | Friday 20th April 2012 |
| Venue: | Beaumont House, Windsor |

Most people are slightly nervous on judging day, but it is universally acknowledged as an incredibly positive experience, where the nominees focus solely on the positive aspects of their performance, presenting their case for an award to a small group of judges selected from both the academic and commercial sales elite.
All entries will be considered and marked by a judging panel and finalists will be selected in each category. The standard number of finalists is six in each category but on some occasions, where a large number of entries has been received or the scoring is very close, this number may be increased.
Each shortlisted finalist will be invited to the Judging Day taking place on 20th April 2012 at Beaumont House, Windsor and will have a 30 minute interview based on the nomination form. In the Sales Professional categories, there will be role-play involved. This is your chance to stand out from the crowd! Please note that if you are not available to attend on 20th April 2012, your entry will not be considered.
The ISMM will contact finalists with full details regarding the judging day and be happy to answer any questions.
Key Dates:
- 30th March 2012: Nominations to reach ISMM
- 11th April 2012: Shortlisted finalists announced
- 20th April 2012: Judging day at Beaumont House, Windsor
- 14th June 2012: Awards Ceremony, Mercedes-Benz World, Weybridge
"The friendliness and professionalism of the judges made the day very positive anyway. Certainly feel inspired by the whole process. Also a true sense that my management appreciate and value my efforts, I feel very proud to be recognised in this way. Just by reaching the finalist stage of such a prestigious award can only be beneficial for the future. The preparation and execution placed me out of my comfort zone which inspired me to hone my skills."
Brakes
BESMA 2011 Judges
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CHAIR OF JUDGES: Paul Sloane, CEO, Destination Innovation
He is an expert facilitator and course leader. He gives after-dinner talks and keynote addresses. His talks offer a unique blend of puzzling challenges, humour and hard-hitting business messages. His workshops provide practical techniques to improve leadership and innovation. Clients include AA, ARM, Bayer, BT, DWP, EADS, GSK, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Reckitt Benckiser, Shell and Skandia. Paul took a first in Engineering at Cambridge. He joined IBM where he came top of Sales School. He was part of the team that launched the IBM PC in the UK. He went on to be MD of the database leaders, Ashton-Tate. He became VP International for MathSoft Inc. and CEO of Monactive Ltd. |
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Lynda Marston, Vice President of UK Marketing & Sales Operations, Miller Heiman
Lynda joined Miller Heiman in 2000; bringing with her an impressive 16 years of experience in operations and business management. Lynda is responsible for the operational management of Miller Heiman, including marketing, human resources, lead process management, and the European CSO Summit event series. |
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Chris Garrett, Broker Partnership Manager, Allianz Insurance PLC
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Lynne-Marie Howden, Director of Sales & Marketing, Insights Learning & Development
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Mark McCarthy, Director, Meta-Lucid Ltd
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Gary Akehurst, ISMM Chair of Examiners
Editor of The Service Industries Journal, the first services management academic journal in the world, founded in 1981. Chair of the Examiners, Institute of Sales and Marketing Management, since 2003.
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Eleanor Maimane, Head of Faculty and Product, Reed Learning
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Beth Rogers, Principal Lecturer, Portsmouth Business School
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Martin Hutchins, Managing Director, Cambridge Professional Academy
Martin is also regularly asked to speak at various conferences and events on a wide range of subjects including online strategy, sales, motivation and financial management skills. |
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Jeremy Strang, Market Research Manager, DHL Express UK
The latter was the basis for Jeremy's BESMA submission for 'Best Use of Sales Automation' which Jeremy won in 2007. This year is the 3rd in a row that Jeremy has joined our judging panels. |
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Gary Garnett, Managing Director, The Readiness Company (TRC)
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Andrew Car, Head of Training, Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC)
In 1997 Andrew became Training Manager for Select Appointments Plc, a multi-national recruitment group. Since early 2001 he has been Head of Training for the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, a professional body responsible for raising standards in the recruitment sector. Andrew works with a select client base to design and deliver a range of learning solutions in either sales, interviewing and/or management. |
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Karen Dunn, Head of Retail Learning, E.ON
Karen has been at for E.ON for almost 3 years and during that time set up the Global Marketing, Sales & Service Academy for the Group based in Europe, and most recently headed up the Retail Learning & Development Division which means she is responsible for the L&D strategy and implementation for over 10,500 people from Senior Leaders to front line. Karen is a huge advocate of the ISMM and has driven internal accreditation for E.ON's Sales Programmes, which have been running for 3 years. |
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Roger Evans, Head of Sales, RBS Group, Mentor Services
He is currently Head of Sales for a business to business sales team providing Employment Law & HR services, Health & Safety and Environmental support and consultancy. |
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Mike Farrell, Head of Protection Sales, LV
It was during Mike's time at Royal Liver that he enjoyed the success associated with leading his team to clinching the 'Team of the Year' title at the prestigious British Excellence in Sales & Marketing Management Awards. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management. He was also one of the pioneers of the award-winning online-only proposition 'Progress'. |
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Peter Rose, Telesales Coach, DHL International (UK) Limited
After gaining the Field Sales Trainer “Rising Star” award in 2005, Peter has gone on to become a regular member of our judging panels across a variety of categories. Peter is a Fellow of the ISMM and lives in Sutton Coldfield with his wife Sally. They have one son – Samuel. |
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Paul Wilkes, Sales Manager, South East UK, Aggreko Northern Europe
Paul is a Fellow of the ISMM and has previously led his Sales Teams to winning BESMA “Sales Team of the Year” on two occasions, together with winning the (EHA) European Hire Association, Team of the Year award. Paul also was “Rising Star” in last year’s BESMA “Manager of the Year” award. |
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Mike Gibson – Head of Account Management, Royal Mail
Mike heads up Royal Mail’s Account Management team, managing a team of 82 people, responsible for 1800 clients with portfolios valued at £ 1.8 billion. |
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Ellis Salsby, Managing Director, Ellis Salsby Ltd
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Louise Gulliver, Managing Director, TACK International
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Alun Graves FInstSMM, Managing Director, The Alun Graves Consultancy
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Nigel Mackay, Head of Business Development at Mercuri International
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Andy Hanselman, Partner, Andy Hanselman Consulting
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Shaz Quereshi, Founder, SOCA Management Consultants
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Julie Murrell, Academy Partner - Business Improvement, Lex Autolease
Julie's role in the company is in Business Improvement focusing on career and personal development, a role she has held for 4 years in Lex Autolease and previously a similar role in Lloyds TSB retail, specialising in Customer Service and Sales training. |
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Matthew Lambert, Managing Director, Nine Telecom
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Karen Spillane, Training Executive, BSkyB
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Jerry Ramsdale, Managing Director, Lyme Media & Events Ltd
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David Freedman, Sales Director, Huthwaite International
Huthwaite are behavioural change experts specialising in sales, negotiation and service performance improvement. We work with organisations and individuals to make sustainable changes in the behaviour and processes that lead to better business results for them and ultimately, their clients. Our skill models, which include the widely acclaimed SPIN® technique, are the result of over 30 years research into what the most effective sales professionals actually do. We are delighted to be sponsor of Sales Professional of the Year and to support those who continue to strive for excellence in sales, negotiation and service. |
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Martin Bromfield, Sales Director, UK & European Clients, OneSource
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Ian Jones, Director Group Sales, De Vere
Latterly Ian spent 7 years at Zibrant leaving as Head of Sales to join De Vere in 2007. He has recently been promoted to Director Group Sales responsible for the team of 5 managing De Vere's relationships with HBA's3rd party agencies as well as running the newly established MICE team of 6 which will be managing relationships with corporate & association event planners. Ian is a board director for ITM & Vice Partner Chair of the HBAA. |
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Denise Edens, Director of Education, ISMM
Since arriving at the ISMM Denise has wasted no time and has overseen the development of a new suite of QCF sales and marketing qualifications. The response to these has been fantastic and organizations are keen to get them embedded into their sales training. She is currently working with a number of organisations to develop their own sales academies. |
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Awards Ceremony
The British Excellence in Sales & Marketing Awards, organised by the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management, will be presented during an impressive black tie event at Mercedes-Benz World on Thursday 14th June 2012 .
Recipients of these prestigious awards will be announced at the event which is attended by the UK's top sales and marketing professionals. Following the success of previous years, the awards ceremony promises to be another fantastic opportunity to mark the many successes achieved by individuals and companies and a celebration of the sales profession.
Why should I attend?

BESMA gives you the opportunity to support the development of the sales division in your organisation, giving staff an insight as to what they can achieve next year. It also offers excellent networking opportunities with the best salespeople in the UK from leading organisations.
The evening includes :
- Champagne reception
- Three-course meal with wine
- Awards host
- Awards ceremony
- Dancing
Entries are received from hundreds of companies from all over the UK keen to recognise the success and talents of their top sales people. Shortlisted finalists are invited to the event as a guest of the ISMM. Being shortlisted puts finalists at the very top of their profession and is a success in its own right.
Ticket Prices :
- Free of charge for each finalist
- £195 + vat - Non-member ticket
- £180 + vat - ISMM member ticket
- £1,800 + vat - Table of 10
"Congratulations on a superb evening once again - it really was a great occasion celebrating the sales profession. The venue adds to the "quality" of the awards and the food was excellent."
RBS Mentor Services
Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsoring BESMA impacts significantly on awareness of your brand, raising your profile and creating a variety of new business opportunities. Your support of BESMA demonstrates your company's commitment to professional selling - adopting ethical standards, working with integrity, optimum staff management and development, and creation of 'win-win' relationships with clients.
Companies are invited to sponsor one of the categories in this exciting and enjoyable event.
Your decision to sponsor the awards will communicate to your staff, customers and shareholders that, as a company, you are committed to supporting and delivering the highest possible standards and endorsing outstanding sales and marketing achievement.
The association of your brand with the BESMA awards will be a valuable addition to your marketing activity, raising the status of your company amongst key corporate decision-makers in leading organisations who participate in the event and business leaders who are made aware of the awards through our extensive national advertising and promotional campaign.
Sponsorship benefits
The breadth of features in the sponsorship package ensures significant return on investment for all sponsors. There are extensive opportunities for marketing and brand awareness:
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Promotion in Winning Edge
BESMA will be continuously promoted in Winning Edge, the ISMM's sales and marketing magazine. Each issue includes information on BESMA, accompanied by logos of all the sponsors who are encouraged to contribute editorial on suitable topics. -
Advert in Winning Edge
Two full colour pages are available for you to make use of, whether through advertising, editorial or as a general PR exercise. This is just one opportunity to leverage interest in your organisation and its business purpose and it is sure to raise awareness of your company, products and services. -
E-newsletter advertising
You will be given two free adverts in the ISMM's monthly e-newsletter which provides an invaluable service to members, delivering key information on the many activities of the Institute. It is received by members who have elected to benefit from this service and will ensure that your marketing message is communicated to a receptive and forward-thinking audience. -
Corporate branding
Your logo will be appear on every item of marketing material generated from the ISMM during the sponsorship period including:- Promotional flyers which are included in all ISMM correspondence
- Individuals who visit the BESMA website will see your brand every time they return for updates. Thousands of salespeople will see your logo every month and a microlink from your logo detailing further information about your organisation
- e-ticket featuring your logo
- Nomination forms to include your logo
- Event programme with your logo on distributed to all guests on the evening.
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BESMA logo
The BESMA logo can be used on your website and literature, aligning your brand's professional integrity with the best organisations in the world. -
Get involved in the judging day
Judging an award is an option for every sponsor. Learn new ideas from the most talented salespeople working in a variety of settings. Transfer that skill or experience to your company to sharpen its competitive edge. Benchmark your staff against the challenging criteria and the performance of the finalists in your category. Network with the other judges, share experience and practice. -
Signage at the event
Your signage and corporate branding will be extensively promoted on the night. The list below speaks for itself:- Logo on banners in the champagne reception area
- Logo on plasma screens in dining area
- Acknowledgement from the stage
- Logo on screen during the presentation of the award
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Networking
The event provides an inviting way to network with guests over a glass of champagne at the drinks reception. -
Presentation of the award
An exceptional opportunity to be called on stage to present an award to the winner and runner up in the category you are sponsoring, which is recognised by all professionals in the sales and marketing industry. -
Photo opportunity
Photography with finalists and your award winner on stage provides a permanent reminder of your brand. The photograph goes onto the ISMM website, into the magazine and back to your office as a tribute to your involvement in promoting excellence in sales and marketing practice. -
Rewarding employees or clients with an invitation to this first-class event
Support your own nominees, reward your team and entertain clients and prospective clients in a motivational upbeat, action-packed environment. As sponsor, you have 10 places reserved for you and further tables can be purchased at discounted rates. A champagne reception and fine dining in an exclusive four-star, award-winning central London hotel. The Lancaster London (www.lancasterlondon.com) provides the ambience for the ultimate relationship-building event. -
Accommodation
One twin room is reserved for you or an important guest. -
Category sponsorship
£8,000 + VAT
For more information, contact Jennie Harnaman on 01582 840001 or email jharnaman@ismm.co.uk
Winner Archive
Click on the links below to download archives of previous BESMA winners :
BESMA 2011 : Click here for winner archive
(note: BESMA 2010 was renamed BESMA 2011)
BESMA 2009 : Click here for winner archive
BESMA 2008 : Click here for winner archive
BESMA 2007 : Click here for winner archive
BESMA 2006 : Click here for winner archive
BESMA 2005 : Click here for winner archive
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost?
It's completely free to nominate someone for a BESMA. You can even nominate yourself!
How will I know if I have been successful?
You will be contacted by our Events Team. Shortlisted Finalists will also be listed on the BESMA website. We will let all shortlisted Finalists know of their success by 11th April 2012. They will then be invited to our Judging Day taking place on 20th April 2012 at Beaumont House, Windsor. Please note that if you are not available to attend on 20th April 2012, your entry will not be considered.
If I am shortlisted - what happens next?
Should you make it to the shortlisted Finalist stage, we may need to contact you regarding your entry to give further information regarding role-plays in Sales Professional categories. Each shortlisted Finalist will be invited to the British Excellence in Sales & Marketing Awards ceremony and will receive one free ticket. The Awards ceremony will take place on the evening of Thursday 14th June at Mercedes-Benz World, Weybridge.
How many awards are there?
There are 13 awards covering every business area. Winners of these awards categories will be recognised as particularly strong in that area of business.
What can we get out of it?
The public relations opportunities available for finalists and winners are second to none. We will work with you to maximise PR opportunities. Winners and finalists will be provided with a logo to use on marketing literature and letterheads and a template press release to maximise media coverage. In addition, the sponsors may also wish to work with companies to create media relationships and partnerships. You will also receive brand awareness amongst the business community, you will be associated with the values and good reputation of the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management and above all you will receive recognition and respect for business success and hard work. You will also have the opportunity to attend the British Excellence in Sales & Marketing Awards ceremony which provides you with the unique opportunity to mix and mingle with sales and marketing professionals, managers, directors and industry leaders. The Awards ceremony will take place on the evening of Thursday 14th June at Mercedes-Benz World, Weybridge.

















































