There are plenty of reasons for students to perform well with academics. Succinctly, good grades lead to admittance to good schools where additional good grades lead to a degree and a successful career. Basically, we are taught that good grades lead to a good life. What additional motivation is needed?

The answer, of course, depends on who is asked. Many might say none, and some might say some, but most will say more. Ask anyone in the business of recognition, ask teachers and coaches, and they will say much, much more. And, if repeated studies are to be believed, they’re right. Awards make a difference. They do more than recognize effort—they encourage it.

On the matter of the merit of academic awards, there is great agreement. Everyone wants more. Unfortunately, the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression has presented school officials with slashed budgets that pit wants versus needs, and wants will never win that fight.

Classic Medallics offers a variety of academic awards—their medals, plaques and trophies cover every academic department. Photos courtesy of Classic Medallics

The fall of economic dominoes can be devastating. What is an awards dealer to do? Their options are admittedly few, but they do exist. We spoke with industry suppliers, retailers and even school officials on the matter, and here are a few of their ideas.

Academic Awards In All Shapes and Sizes
There is a key word that continues to be brought up when discussing any awards sales presentation: options. Providing clients, both new and returning, with a variety of options is more important now than ever before.

They are all looking to do more with less, and awards retailers are challenged to help them do that. Present them with good, better and best options, and your chances for success will greatly increase. With the diverse product lines supplied by distributors and manufacturers, that opportunity certainly exists.

Gerald Singer of Classic Medallics in Mount Vernon, New York, says that academic awards are a big part of Classic Medallics’ business. “We have concentrated on the academic market for years. Due to the market knowledge we have acquired, we offer a variety of medals, plaques and trophies specifically aimed at that market. We even make awards for the separate academic subjects, whether it be English, Math, Science, Music, or Drama. We pretty much cover every academic department there is, and we personalize and do a fair amount of custom work for our customers with the medals and medallions.”

Vince Frank of Catania Medallic Specialty, in Avon Lake, Ohio, notes, “We offer custom medals, key chains, and lapel pins that are given out at both high school and college graduations. We also offer a stock line of medals for valedictorians and salutatorians. Most recently we have released a line of medals in Spanish for both graduation and different school subjects that many of our customers in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean are using,” says Frank.

“JDS Industries offers a variety of styles of awards for the academic market,” says Dawn Sackett of the Sioux Falls, South Dakota company. “Our Designer Activity Plaque Plates are available in several academic options, including Graduate, Music, Lamp of Learning and Science. These plates can be used to make a simple yet beautiful plaque, as the art is already on the plate. Only text needs to be engraved or lasered to complete the award.” She adds that JDS has many more awards for the academic market, including a line of medals.

Thinking of academics often leads the mind down traditional paths and therefore traditional awards and personalization processes. However, Jennifer Foy, creative director for Unisub in Louisville, Kentucky, points out that sublimation offers the potential to create full-color awards with photos and graphics that other processes simply cannot duplicate. Specifically, she notes that Unisub offers plaques and their Streamline Awards.

Smaller Sales Orders
As mentioned earlier, the need to offer clients more options is derived from the fact that schools are dealing with smaller budgets, which decreases the size of their sales orders.

Consider this statement from Michael Vaughn of Denver Public Schools: “Unfortunately, the budget for schools across the country had to be cut. There simply wasn’t enough money. Every school in the state had to let employees and teachers go. When there isn’t enough money to pay the teachers, there definitely isn’t enough money for awards.” He added that Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg actually donated his raise and bonuses, worth $47,707, to DPS. Other superintendents within the state of Colorado have made similar donations.

JDS Industries offers a large variety of styles of awards for the academic market, including a line of medals. Photos courtesy of jds industires.

Sackett acknowledges this fact: “Academic awards have followed suit with most products in the awards industry over the last few years. Cutbacks in schools have affected whether awards are purchased as well as how much money is available to spend on awards.”

Singer provides a long-term perspective: “Academic awards sales had been rising consistently for the past 30 years. As I said, it’s a big part of our business. But with the recession that we’re in right now, schools have been forced to cut back. There is no question about it; their budgets are squeezed. As far as the academic awards are concerned, I don’t think they’ve taken as big a hit as athletics. They’re still pretty strong, but for the last two years, they have not grown. With these school budgets, they have a limited amount of dollars to spend, and they have to be very careful how they do it.”

Those comments complement what is being said by dealers out in the market.

When asked if she has seen a decline in her academic awards sales, Sarah Abramson of Halls Executive Gifts & Awards in Santa Rosa, California, replies, “Absolutely, yes. The main thing is that their funding has been cut. They’re either not getting the awards at all, or they’re going on the internet and getting the cheapest awards they can find.”

Abramson has taken action to save her accounts, but there is only so much that can be done. “I’ve tried to work with them on prices to make their orders more affordable. I feel like if I can help the schools out during their hard times, and still stay in business, then they will be loyal and hopefully remember that when times get better.”

Most manufacturers and retailers have had similar experiences, but it hasn’t been so gloomy for everyone.

According to Frank, “Our orders have increased with all of the different product lines we offer, which include our spin-cast, die-cast and die-struck items. Many of our customers have designed custom academic medals specifically for their customer’s schools. For example, if the high school’s mascot is a tiger, we might design the medal to be shaped like a tiger’s paw. If the mascot is a pirate, we include a pirate in the design.”

They may be few and far between, but there are retailers who concur. “I know that a lot of shops across the country are dealing with schools whose budgets have been cut. We are very fortunate to be in the area that we are in because we haven’t had to deal with any cuts whatsoever. We have actually seen our sales for academic awards increase,” says Paul Wright of Village Trophy in Columbus, Ohio.

“We service four school systems from our location, and all four of those school systems have been successful, and fortunate, in passing their proposed tax levy increases the past couple of years, including the city of Columbus,” says Wright.

You may not have thought it existed, but there it is—an example of taxes helping business.

The Word On Main Street
Through their own words and through their sales representatives, awards retailers have had plenty to say about the state of academic awards. Some of it is good, some bad. Good goes first.

Frank insists that his customers are telling Catania Medallic that their market shares are increasing. “With our laser engravable finishes on our spin-cast medals, our customers are able to laser engrave the student’s name or add a subject line on the medal very easily without the hassle or expense of rotary engraving.”

“We continue to sell quite a lot of academic awards. If anything, those sales have increased over the past couple of years. We sell figures and plaques, medals and medallions. Sometimes those awards incorporate the light of knowledge, sometimes an apple, and some of them incorporate the appropriate mascot,” says Wright.

However, Wright does acknowledge that most shops are not as fortuitously located as Village Trophy. “The school systems we sell to are very well supported. This community is dedicated to the education of its students. In addition to passing the tax increases, there are booster clubs, and they have raised money for awards as well. It’s very encouraging to see how much the people here care and support their students.”

As one would guess, not everyone’s viewpoint is so positive.

“In some cases, schools have been shut down, gone. In other cases, the budget for awards has simply been taken away, and so teachers are buying awards themselves for their kids. That obviously decreases the size of the budget. Instead of giving 30 plaques, now they’re giving out five. Parents and volunteers used to receive awards as well, but those are gone now,” says Abramson.

“Retailers are having difficulty meeting the schools’ requests for awards at lower costs,” says Sackett. “Some retailers are finding the schools are cutting out some awards altogether. Retailers are challenged with being able to convince schools to use their budgets on awards.”

Singer has heard similar comments from his customers. “They’re really struggling with schools. The schools are coming back to them and saying, ‘I have this much money to spend and no more. I don’t have the same budget that I had last year.’ The stores are being pretty creative. They have helped the schools look for sponsors to help pay for these things, but I believe the awards dealer has felt the impact of this recession for the last two years. I think this is really the first time in the awards industry that a recession has had a major negative impact on awards stores’ sales. These stores are having to find new sales revenues—which they are, interestingly enough—but it’s a whole new ball game for them,” says Singer.

Ideas
Do not despair; where there is a will, there is a way. And judging from what Singer has heard, the awards industry has plenty of willpower.

Explaining further about the sponsors he mentioned, Singer says, “Shops are doing what they can. They are working with parents’ groups such as the PTA, and with local businesses, and they’re trying to raise additional funds. I believe they’re having some success; how successful, I don’t know. It’s the same idea as a booster club that helps athletics. Now the same thing is happening academically.”

Although Wright hasn’t had to deal with the same budget shortfalls as many of his peers, he doesn’t take anything for granted. In order to maximize his sales, he goes into the meetings with school representatives very well prepared. He listens to what they have to say and what they want, and then he makes suggestions based on knowledge of recognition products 35 years in the making. Having a successful business in the same area for so long doesn’t hurt either.

“The best way for retailers to maximize their sales with the schools is to communicate with the officials at the schools who are purchasing the awards. First of all, help the decision makers understand the importance of the awards to the success of the students. The next step is to let them know that you will work with them to find the awards that will fit their reduced budgets. For example, if the award was a trophy last year, maybe it can be a medal this year. The recognition is the most important aspect of an award. If the customer will acknowledge that, the rest is merely finding the right fit,” says Sackett.

Frank says that many of Catania’s customers want to buy stock medals because they only need a few, so they cost less than a custom medal. “However, we recommend making a custom medal which includes the school’s name and/or mascot along with a whole array of subjects—art, drama, etc.—so that they can purchase bigger quantities, and the whole school can use them. It’s really a win-win situation. They get a custom medal at a stock price, and the whole school benefits from having a unique and personalized medal.”

While Frank suggests an inclusive approach, Singer advocates one slightly more exclusive. “They need to specify the class or course, the subject they are pursuing. General academic awards have always been there, but I don’t believe that’s what schools prefer. They want their different subject matter identified,” says Singer. He continues, “Retailers who want academic business need to call on all of the different departments in the school. They have to talk to the drama teacher, the music teacher, the different department heads and help them where they can. Every school is different in how they handle it, but one way or another, the dealers need to talk to the teachers. Science clubs, drama clubs, math clubs, language clubs—all of these are an opportunity for dealers to make inroads to the academic awards market.”

Regardless of what avenue you decide to pursue, there is help available for retailers. Foy points out that shop owners can download three marketing plans for the academic market at www.unisub.com/worldof/wos_marketing.html.

“One is specifically for coasters, while the other two cover the range of academic products. There are pricing sheets, telephone script and letter samples, some freebie artwork files and more,” says Foy.

Final Exams
When times are tough, it’s critical to stay positive and look forward to a brighter, more financially stable future.

“Academic awards are an important way to recognize and encourage excellence. Although the economy is affecting schools’ abilities to utilize this tool, if retailers can find a way to work with the schools now, when the economy comes back, the school officials will remember the help they received to provide this important recognition,” says Sackett.

Live and learn.