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The British Beauty Awards are the most prestigious prizes in the UK industry and can provide a trememndous boost to your business.

But remember - you've got to be in it to win it. "Don't be like the hopeless cases who dream of winning the lottery, but never buy a ticket. Start planning your entry for your way.

There are 17 categories, plus an overall Salon of The Year Award, chosen from the regional entries which means there is something to suit every beauty salon and spa in the UK. Think about what your strengths are and what drives you to achieve excellence in your business and, based on this, decide which of the categories you'd like to enter.

Encourage staff to take an interest in the entry process, particularly if you have a therapist who excels at what they do you could have a potential beauty therapist or aromatherapist of the year on your team. Or maybe your strengths lie in customer care. Can you demonstrate how you have made advances in this area. Have you sent your staff on customer care training courses, for example, or carried out training on your premises? How have you measured the success of any such training?

Don't forget, you can enter several categories - just make sure your entries are distinctly different from each other, and devote equal time and effort to each.

Past finalists and winners certainly don't regret making the effort. Winning an award, or even being shortlisted, provides salons and spas with an amazing marketing tool.

What better way to let clients and potential clients know your worth than by promoting the fact that you have been named one of the top salons in the country, or that one of your therapists is a star of the health and beauty industry.

Just as important is the morale boost a win, or being shortlisted, can provide to staff. Knowing all their efforts have been recognised can provide a major injection of motivation, resulting in a happier and more productive team. This was certainly the case for the team at Alquimia Spa in York.

"Winning the title Day Spa of the Year gave us all a huge injection of motivation and excitement after two years of very hard work," says Julia Sharp, Alquimia's director. "We have tried ate something unique in this industry and to nave such recognition was validation that there is room for small, independent companies.

Jane Martin, owner of Be Healthy and Beautiful, in Newport, Essex, has been entering the awards since 1999, and the business has been shortlisted 18 times in various categories.

Last year the salon won both the Training Award and London and South East Salon of the Year categories. Jane uses the annual event as a way of benchmarking the performance of her business. "Each year we assess our business against the judging criteria and look at ways of improving the service we offer to our clients and the working conditions for our staff. This has definitely helped us to improve our overall service," she says.

Says Beauty Therapist of the Year 2003, Lydia Alcock: "Winning provided a great deal of satisfaction and has made me feel very worthwhile as a therapist. Winning the award has offered recognition for the hard work and high standards I give 100 percent of the time."

Even if you or a member of your staff doesn't go on to win an award, being shortlisted guarantees you a place at the event itself and it's a night to remember. There's fantastic entertainment, great food, a celebrity presenter, and, once the nail-biting presentation is over a disco.

Says Jane Martin: "Attending the awards is a great morale booster for the team and it's tremendous to win. The team at Be... Healthy and Beautiful is proud to be the holder of such coveted awards."

"The evening was fabulous," recalls Lydia Alcock. "The food was great, the company was fantastic, and, of course, the champagrr flowed. I had a wonderful time."