The sales and marketing professions are tough ones. From driving down the bottom line to hitting the ever-shifting bullseye of customer satisfaction, they’re not for the faint of heart. For the fifth year, Utah Business magazine is honoring those ambitious men and women instrumental in the success of their companies.

Sam Urie, publisher of Utah Business magazine and a former road warrior, applauded the honorees for their often-unsung efforts for their companies, especially amid the digital revolution that has turned the old face-to-face sales model on its head.

“Despite all of our digital tools, the most successful salespeople and marketers know that it is still all about relationships. It’s not simply closing a deal and moving on to the next one,” Urie said. “It’s listening to clients, responding to their needs, following up after the transaction and taking the feedback to heart. On the marketing side, it’s understanding who your potential clients are so well that you can identify who they are, and craft messages that will speak directly to their needs and desires.”

The event was emceed by Ninevah Dinha, editor and founder of the e-publication YOU Magazine. Dinha said in her days as a broadcast journalism, she viewed the sales department of the news outlets she worked for with distrust. After founding her magazine, though, she got a crash course in the tricky world of sales and marketing—and gained a new respect for the professions.

“When I worked in news, there was quite a dichotomy between the news side and the sales side,” she said. “When I launched my own business, it’s obviously an entrepreneurial thing. I had to learn the entrepreneurial side of things. I really have a tremendous amount of respect for what you do as sales people.”

“The whole idea of closing a sale is scary and anxiety-causing, but it’s really exciting,” said SAMY award winner Sandra Nielsen, vice president of sales for Great Basin Scientific. “I actually really enjoy it. It’s not because we’re closing a sale, it’s because of what we’re doing for our customers.”

The 2016 SAMY Award honorees are:

Sales

Marketing