About the DSMA®/DSA™ Program 

The SMEI Distinguished Sales & Marketing Award® or Distinguished Sales Award™ were established to recognize the best in the sales and marketing profession. With standards of sophistication and skill in the sales and marketing professions continually improving, the wider business community has become increasingly aware of the value and role that these professionals play in the achievement of business success. These highly demanding functions of the business process are arguably the critical success factors for most organizations.

For this reason, it is absolutely the right time for these professions to have a cross industry event to recognize, promote and honor excellence, professionalism and outstanding achievement in sales and marketing. The awards event showcases the highest level of talent in each participating community. Winning an award, being a finalist or just being nominated confers prestige not just on the individuals but also on the companies they represent – illustrating the high standards of management, training and commitment to excellence within these companies.

There are no losers at the SMEI Distinguished Sales & Marketing Award® or Distinguished Sales Award™ events.  Everyone likes to be recognized for their efforts and this is particularly true of sales and marketing professionals. A nomination for a SMEI Distinguished Sales & Marketing Award® or Distinguished Sales Award™ tells outstanding performers that their efforts are truly recognized and valued by their companies.

THE VICTOR STATUETTE™ 

The SMEI Distinguished Sales & Marketing Award® or Distinguished Sales Award™ official trophy is the Victor Statuette™.  The Victor embodies the spirit of professionalism and achievement for the world’s top sales and marketing practitioners. 

The Victor Statuette™ is presented during the DSMA®/DSA™ to individuals being recognized in their community according the SMEI’s award criteria.

Individuals receiving this coveted trophy display it with pride.  It is a public recognition of their significant achievement and professional accomplishment. The solid base of the award symbolizes the ethical foundation of professional sales and marketing. The figurine standing on the base symbolizes individual achievement of the highest honour by building on the standards of professionalism and ethics. 

The “Victor” trophy awarded today was first commissioned by Tony Whan of SMEI Los Angeles, designed by an internationally renowned artist in 1950, following which time SMEI formally adopted the new trophy for use by SMEI affiliates for either the “Distinguished Sales Award™” or “Distinguished Sales & Marketing Award®”, depending on the focus of the event.  In 2010 SMEI commissioned an artist to create a modern version of the “Victor” trophy using the concept of the original.

The base of the Victor Statuette is made of ebony stone and the figure is cold cast silver.  The face of the base bears the inscription “Distinguished Sales & Marketing Award®” or Distinguished Sales Award™, the SMEI logo and is personalized with the name of the recipient.

HISTORY

The background of the Distinguished Sales and Marketing Award® (DSMA®) can be traced back to 1923 when the Manufacturers and Wholesalers Association in Fort Worth held their first “Annual Salesmen’s Frolic.”  In those days, when territories were larger and transportation much slower, it was rare for the entire sales staff to be gathered together in one location. The event was scheduled to coincide with company sales meetings, held when salespeople were back in town at year’s end.

In 1927, when the Sales Managers Club was formed in Fort Worth, the new group took over sponsorship of the now-popular event, renamed it, and held their first “Annual Salesmen’s Banquet” in 1928.

Two years later, the “Distinguished Service Award,” a diamond-studded lapel pin, crafted by a Forth Worth jeweler, was first presented at the annual banquet.  This pin was awarded every year from 1930 until the early 1950s.

Sales and Marketing Executives International, Inc. (SMEI) was founded (as the National Federation of Sales Executives) in 1935, and the “DSA Program” caught on by the growing number of affiliated clubs and became a trademark of SMEI and offered to all SMEI Affiliates in good standing. In 1939, the Memphis Sales Managers’ Club, an affiliate of SMEI presented the “Distinguished Sales Award” to twenty-nine men.

The “Victor” trophy awarded today was first commissioned by Tony Whan of SMEI Los Angeles, designed by an internationally renowned artist, and presented in June, 1950, at their first award banquet as the “Distinguished Sales & Marketing Award®”, following which time, SMEI formally adopted the new trophy for use by SMEI affiliates for either the “Distinguished Sales Award™” or “Distinguished Sales & Marketing Award®”, depending on the focus of the event.  In 2010 SMEI commissioned an artist to create a modern version of the “Victor” trophy using the concept of the original.

The Distinguished Sales and Marketing Award® and Distinguished Sales Award™ is now given each year by SMEI to approximately 1,200 qualified sales and marketing persons worldwide.  It remains the profession’s premier award to acknowledge excellence and provide community recognition for outstanding sales and marketing professionals.

DSMA, DSA, Distinguished Sales & Marketing Award, Distinguished Sales Award and Victor Statuette are trademarks of Sales & Marketing Executives International, Inc., and may only be used by permission and under the terms of use as authorized by the trademark holder.