Peter Holmer
2008 Grand Silver Cup Winner
SSIA is soliciting entries for the 2008 Silver Cup Contest. To help retailers understand the impact a Silver Cup award can have on their business, we’re interviewing past winners. Here are some thoughts from 2006 award winner Peter Holmer.
Do you think winning the Silver Cup will improve your business?
Yes, in two ways. First, you learn a lot on the way. When you are working on an entry, you do the very best you can. At this moment, you really can prove to yourself how good you are. It doesn’t matter if it takes a day or two weeks, you are the only limit.
Everything I learn on the way will also show in daily work, not Silver cup work of course, but automatically you go to a higher level.
Better work means more customers and more money.
And, I would be VERY proud to have the Silver Cup in my shop. I know it is hard, but I will do my very best.
What made you want to enter?
Well, since I was coming all the way from Sweden, over an ocean, to a country I never had been in, to meet some other repairers and there’s a competition going on, why not? Oh boy, I would have been so angry with myself at the banquet if I didn’t!
It was also a chance to meet repairers from another country and to see new things in the trade that don’t exist over here.
Did you find the score sheets helpful to improve your work?
Yes very. The scoresheets are a perfect tool to learn what you can do better. With the scoresheet in one hand,and the entry shoe in the other, it is easy to see what you can improve. They judged my shoes right in every point. I still have the sheets and one pair of shoes.
Where did you find your competition shoes?
One pair was shoes that were never picked up. One pair came from a second hand store.
Another pair a customer let me borrow. I saw it was a good pair and explained what I was going to do. I offered the repair for free, and the customer was happy to help. You can always ask.
Did you generate FREE publicity from winning?
No I didn’t. But I did not try very hard.
Do you promote winning in your advertisement, business cards, logo or pictures in your shop?
We haven’t made any advertisement in any paper so far, but if we do we will promote our awards. Next time we order business cards we will for sure.
Where are your plaques from Orlando displayed?
We redo the window every fifth week. Sometimes we have them in the window and sometimes on the wall near the counter. People love to look at things like this.
What can you say that may encourage someone else to enter?
Like I said before, if you are going to the show , why not? One thing is certain. The perfect entry does not exist!
You can only do the best YOU can, and that goes for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are from New York, Texas or even a little country in Europe called Sweden! You don’t have to be a super repairer to enter. Come on! Send in an entry and have some fun at the same time!
Who knows, you could be the next winner!