Business, Sales and Leadership – FLORENCE ROSINI

Women Leaders Who Will Inspire You to Be the Best Version of Yourself

While the Philippines is often at the listed as one of the countries that score well in equality in the workplace among its Asian neighbors, this doesn’t mean that gender discrimination doesn’t happen anymore. In fact, benevolent sexism—which is inherent bias wrapped in supposed gestures of good faith—is still quite rampant, and is present when a woman is asked to handle a male client “kasi mas mabait sa ‘yo,” or when a woman is assigned to do a pitch “kasi maganda ka.”

The nine fierce bosses below prove that a woman’s seat is at the head of the boardroom. Shining in their own industries, they continue to break the glass ceiling, holding the torch high so that others may find their way through mazes of discrimination and misogyny to take their rightful positions as leaders.

This post was originally published here:

Margot Torres

Margot Torres is one of the people at the helm of Ingat Angat, which is “the country’s biggest consumer confidence campaign” for Task Force T3, a collaborative consortium of private companies helping the government fight COVID-19. Aside from this, she works on other projects that help address hunger and malnutrition, while overseeing operations in fast-food chain McDonald’s as its Managing Director.

“It is not enough to look at just the projects that gain media exposure because the more compelling work of women at McDonald’s happens every day, in the kitchens of all our restaurants in the Philippines,” she says in a release. “Each day I am inspired by the skill and tenacity of our restaurant managers and crew, whom I believe, through their unique strengths, are pivotal for the success that has brought McDonald’s to where it is today and in the future.”

Irene Jose

From becoming the VP for Finance of the Araneta Group, Irene was assigned as the Chief Operations Officer of Uniprom Inc., the conglomerate’s arm that manages Smart Araneta Colisuem, New Frontier Theater, and the Gateway and Ali Mall Cineplex, which flourished under er leadership.

But while she has a lot of accomplishments under her belt (such as re-aquiring hosting rights for the NCAA and offering their stage to many K-Pop acts), Irene has always attributed her group’s success to her officemates. “I would say that I have been very fortunate to have worked with supportive colleagues and superiors who have really empowered and fully entrusted me with my craft.”

Chacha Juinio

As the Chief Operating Officer of PPI Holdings, Chacha oversees the operations of exclusive franchises such as Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Dairy Queen; but she admits that it wasn’t always a smooth journey for her. “The most significant barrier I faced is bias,” she shares. “Early on in my career, the general consensus on women managers is we would give up our job as soon as we had children, or worse, we became unreliable when we have kids.”

Despite this, Chacha has forged on, leading the company through the COVID-19 crisis. “Women need to believe in their innate intelligence, their skills, and more importantly, their voice.”

Angela Cretu

For over 21 years, Angela Cretuhas been working with Avon. She held several sales positions and worked her way up the corporate ladder until she recently took on the role of Global CEO.

Like everyone else, what drives her to get up and work each day is her purpose. “Beauty goes beyond transacting makeup, fragrance, and skincare,” she shares with Female Network. “For her to really feel beautiful, she needs to feel that has the freedom of choice, that she has financial independence, that she’s well. Empowering women really has a ripple effect in the society.”

For decades, Avon has been enabling women to become entrepreneurs with their business model of direct selling. This allows them to have flexible work options, too—especially during the pandemic.

“Women have been disproportionally impacted by the pandemic with additional huge pressure coming from financial stress and being isolated. This has been excruciatingly painful for women… so we had to do something,” said Angela.

“In my own experience, [after] working in Russia, Middle East, Africa, and U.S., I’ve heard thousands of life stories that are guiding me until now. These are stories of women just like myself. I found strength in those. So I said, why don’t we create a global movement of really showing women around the world that they’re not alone?”

Maria Manlulu-Garcia

Maria has been a hotelier before she joined Novotel Manila, opening four international hotels and rebranding three in the span of her 28-year career. Her rise through the ranks has made her the first Filipina General Manager of an international Accor hotel brand locally, and with her influence, she chairs the RiseAsOne program, which aims to promote diversity in the workplace.

“More companies and management need to have the awareness to fully understand what diversity and inclusion are all about,” she say. “It is no longer about women but embracing all genders. No one wants to have special treatment; we all just want to have the same and equal opportunities.”

Lorna Fabian

With tough competition and even a tougher pandemic environment, Lorna Fabian unwaveringly heads the Araneta Group’s leasing department, bringing the company to acquire over 600,000 square meters of leasable spaces.

She attributes her success and her resilience to having a positive outlook in life, and she also believes that leadership should always be merged with compassion: “I always desire to develop my team to be better than me.”

Melissa Henson

With the belief that “marketing changes with people,” Melissa Henson continues to add a touch of compassion in all her communications as Manulife’s Chief Marketing Officer. A veteran in the field, she admits that her current role still continues to be her dream job as it gives her satisfaction to listen to and address the needs of their customers.

“Courage helps in advancing your career because you need to step out of your comfort zone and try new things, both in personal development, as well as in exploring new projects and initiatives,” she notes. “Asking questions and striving to learn helps in becoming better professionals and leaders, because you’ll find different ways to deliver solutions.

Diane Romero

Diane Romero joined the Araneta Group as a fresh college graduate in 2004, and more than a decade later, she is now its AVP for Business Development. The company has helped her find right balance between her passion and her career—staying on top of special projects and spearheading the company’s CSR under the J. Amando Araneta Foundation, which supports hundreds of scholars, provides housing for vulnerable individuals, and manages a public museum, among others.

“I am blessed to have my passion, vocation, profession and mission converging and leading me to where I am now. But everything was not handed on a silver platter. Trust was built and maintained over time, starting from the smallest, the simplest tasks.”

Marjorie Go

Marjorie Go is behind rebranding “Araneta Center” into “Araneta City” to run with the major developments in the area. As AVP for Marketing and Promotions, and the youngest member of the Araneta Group management, she and her team have already mounted several large-scale events, including homecoming parades for Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray.

Despite her many achievements, Marjorie continues to seek guidance from her mentors—her former and her current bosses. “They continue to inspire me to become a better leader. Both are generous to share their knowledge, gave their full trust to me… Sometimes, when I decide on something, I would ask myself, ‘What would these two do?’”

As a leader, she believes that it is a must to constantly learn and evolve in all aspects. “The constant balance to continuously reinvent yourself and inspire and train the people under our wing is challenging. I constantly remind myself to have that growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset, to embrace challenges and accept criticism, and to focus on learning.”

Watch TV on the go with ‘GMA Now’

For only P649 with no monthly fees, watch TV on-the-go for free and enjoy interactive features with GMA Now!

Philippine media giant GMA Network is innovating Filipinos’ TV viewing experience anew as it officially unveils its mobile digital terrestrial television (DTT) receiver ‘GMA Now’ – a plug-and-play dongle that allows users to watch TV on the go for free and enjoy exclusive interactive features.

“As the country’s leading broadcast network, it is only fitting that we continue to improve our content and innovate our digital TV products. This is our way of expressing gratitude to our loyal Kapuso for their unceasing support. We are proud to say that GMA Now is the first mobile DTT receiver to combine traditional TV with the advantages of interactivity via the internet. This product was developed by our digital media and technology arm GMA New Media, Inc. with the Filipino viewers in mind as we adapt to their evolving needs and interests,” shared by GMA Network, Inc. Chairman and CEO Felipe L. Gozon.

GMA Now enables Android smartphones to receive clear and live digital TV broadcast of the Kapuso channels GMA, GMA News TV, Heart of Asia, Hallypop, and soon, DepEd TV, as well as other free-to-air channels available in their area.

Aside from this, the Kapuso Network’s newest digital TV product also has the following bonus interactive features that GMA Now users can get to enjoy while connected to the internet.

Through the GMA Videos-On-Demand tab, GMA Now users can likewise get access to exclusive Kapuso content whenever they want.

GMA Now’s exclusive messaging service Groupee Chat allows viewers to create groups and chat with family and friends while watching GMA programs. And soon, they can also get the latest updates on their favorite Kapuso shows via this feature.

Bringing entertainment to a whole new level are GMA Now’s Interactive Promos where users can join fun quizzes and polls for a chance to win prizes.

“We are very proud of this opportunity given to us by GMA to evolve the business further and use technology as a way to navigate ever-changing viewing preferences. With GMA Now, viewers can watch their favorite programs, and more importantly, engage more fully with the shows. It is a new experience that we are happy to have helped create,” GMA New Media, Inc. President and COO Dennis Augusto L. Caharian said.

GMA Now is available in portions of Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite, Laguna, Baguio City, Pangasinan, Batangas, Metro Cebu, Metro Davao, and Cagayan de Oro.

It works with any Android smartphone that runs on Android OS Marshmallow (Android 6.0) or higher, Dual Core 1Ghz CPU, and USB OTG support. GMA Now is also set to be available soon for iPhone users.

Simply download the GMA Now app from the Google Play Store to register for free and attach the GMA Now dongle on the smartphone.

Viewers can also catch GMA Now’s grand launch slated on ‘All-Out Sundays’ this February 7.

For only P649 with no monthly fees, watch TV on-the-go for free and enjoy interactive features with GMA Now, available online via the official GMA Store on Lazada and Shopee or visit your nearest tech and gadget stores. For the list of stores and other details, visit www.gmanetwork.com/gmanow or its official social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Iza Calzado on Why People Stay in Toxic Relationships: ‘It is a question of your self-worth’

Is it the love? Or is it the drama?

This article was originally published here.

by Ysa Singson for Cosmo.ph|

If you’ve ever been in love, you know how consuming it can feel like—especially when it’s a new relationship. And even more so when it’s a toxic one. In a new recent of Paano Ba ‘To, Bianca Gonzalez asked Iza Calzado for her opinion on why some people decide to stay in “bad” or “toxic” relationships.

“It is a question of your self-worth,” the actress said. Iza shared that she’s been in a “bad” relationship and she’s been the bad one ’cause “tao lang tayo, ‘di ba?” She said that the more toxic it was, the more attached she became. It felt like a “challenge” at some point because she was eager to prove people wrong when they were noticing the red flags.

Now she’s able to ask herself, “What was I attached to? Was I attached to the love, really? Or was I attached to the drama? You have to figure that out for yourself. For me, that drama was familiar. That is what I grew up with. There was drama in our home.”

Iza continued, “It made me feel alive. It made me feel good. And even during the painful moments, I was so alive, and siguro that’s the artist in me.” She and Bianca also touch on the idea of someone else filling a void in your heart (Read: “You complete me”).

Romantic as it may seem, it’s a dangerous way to approach love because you shouldn’t look to other people to feel whole. Bianca brought up the fact that the content we consume plays a role in the way we view love. For example, many of the movies and teleseryes we enjoy have characters who “change” once they fall for someone. This convinces people that they can change someone-like a player-for the better.

So what are some signs that love isn’t enough to sustain your relationship?

Iza quickly replied, “Lagi kang umiiyak.” This usually means the cons outweigh the pros. You have to ask yourself: Why am I staying? Am I still happy? What makes me happy?

For Bianca, one of the clearest signs is if you are not being listened to: “In a relationship, both of you have a voice. And if it comes to the point na feeling mo wala ka ng boses, sign na ‘yun.” Another one is that both of “you have to be committed to growing individually and together. And if you feel your partner does not support you in either of those, mahirap.”

Hear more from Iza Calzado in this episode of Paano Ba ‘To with Bianca Gonzalez:

Why You Shouldn’t Hide Money, Purchases from Your Significant Other

This post was initially published here.

You may have already heard family or friends saying “Huwag sasabihin kay misis/mister” when it comes to buying expensive items or indulging in hobbies. While this is often said in jest (since many couples actually discuss money honestly), there are people who keep purchases—and in extension, finances—from their partners. It is a habit that hurts relationships, as it shakes the foundations of trust.

This is called “financial infidelity.” Medium journalist Kristin Wong writes, “Keeping financial secrets is an abuse of the trust the relationship is built on,” and it’s true—if you can’t trust your partner to level with you when it comes finances, how can you trust him or her with anything else?

Most people who hide purchases and accounts from their significant others often already have deep-seated relationship issues. A Huffington Post article features several reasons, including not trusting one party to handle money, or thinking that the relationship won’t last and they need cash to fall back on, or even not wanting the other to know that they’ve incurred a huge debt for fear that they’ll leave.

“In essence, a healthy relationship generally supports a fully transparent relationship between partners,” clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly tells Huffington Post. “If a relationship is built on a strong foundation of mutual trust and respect, there is generally no need to ever hide money or finances.”

How to deal with finances as a couple

There’s no clear-cut rule on how to manage finances as a couple, especially if you’re already in a long-term relationship, are living together, or are married. There are those who put in their savings in just one bank account and pull expenses from there, while others go for separate accounts that they can use as they please while having a common one they pitch into for household payables.

It’s really about what works for you, but the most important thing is that you’re both on the same page. If you or your partner feel the need to hide your finances from each other, then that means that you’re not, and that there’s an issue that needs to be addressed. Kristin Wong goes on to write, “Financially speaking, if you’re sharing a life together, you should be sharing money in some way, too—if not in joint accounts, then by being transparent about how much each of you has and working together to tackle expenses.”

When is it okay to hide your finances from your partner?

All of that being said, there’s one extreme case when it’s okay to hide money from your partner, and that’s when in you’re in an abusive relationship. In fact, it’s a must that you hide your resources from abusers, as they tend to manipulate and gaslight you into thinking that you can’t live without them. Having money of your own can help you escape this situation and start anew.

Bottomline: Honesty

Remember that the basis of a good relationship is trust, and as much as possible, money should never be something that should put a chip between the two of you. Open communication is key to finding a system that works for you both; one that doesn’t leave any party feeling as if he or she is getting the short end of the stick. Allow each other financial freedom, because in the end, money is just a tool—it shouldn’t be at the forefront of your companionship.

How This Teacher Saved P106k in a Year With Her Ipon Challenge

This post was originally published here.

Having a “financial management system” is key.

Let’s face it. Although most of us have been working from home for the past year, it’s still hard to get through a month without depleting our suweldo.

It’s no wonder Cathlyn Mariano, a 27-year-old public school teacher, got netizens saying “sana all” when she uploaded a Facebook post about her savings amounting to P106,155 that she completed in just one year.

Cathlyn, or Cath to her friends, achieved it through anipon challenge that she carried through beginning January 2020 up until January this year.

In an interview with Female Network, Cath revealed that her initial target was only P60,000, which she would accumulate by stashing 50 pieces of 20-peso, 50-peso, and 100-peso bills, as well as 45 pieces of 200’s, 35 of 500’s, and 25 of 1,000’s inside her pink piggy bank.

“Noong una talaga, P60,000 lang ang target amount ko sa ipon chart na ginawa ko. Pero tinuloy-tuloy ko lang siya at umabot siya ng P106,155 sa loob ng one year,” Cath said. “Gumawa po ako ng ipon challenge chart wherein I will earn P60,000 if I complete the challenge.”

The Nueva Ecija-based iponarya understands, taking on anipon challenge (or saving in general) may seem difficult. So, she shared other tried-and-tested tips on doing it with ease.

Tip #1: Teach yourself about money

While being financially literate is not a pre-requisite to saving up, educating yourself even on the basics would put you on right track. Cath said it matters, especially for people like her who used to struggle financially.

“Gusto ko talaga magkaroon ng sariling bank account na ang pera ay galing sa pinaghirapan ko. Ayoko na maranasan ‘yung hirap ng buhay ng pamilya ko noon na kailangan pang mangutang pang-tuition at baon,” she revealed to Female Network.

Cath then began beefing up her knowledge with tips from financial experts like Chinkee Tan and “Facebook groups ng mga iponaryo.” She continued, “‘Yung learnings from the books of Coach Chinkee Tan inspired me a lot para magipon. Ang daming learnings doon na nai-apply ko sa buhay ko at naging financially responsible ako na dati hindi ko nagagawa.”

Tip #2: Allocate a specific amount for your savings

The first thing that Cath does upon receiving her salary is to write down a budget list. Having a “financial management system” is important “para ‘di ka nagtataka kung saan ba napunta ang pera mo,” she said.

For that, she follows the formula “salary-savings=expenses” wherein her savings amounts to 10% of her salary. “Binubukod ko na ‘yun at hindi ko siya dapat gastusin. P1,500 lang ‘yun monthly na diretso na sa alkansya,” she said.

After that, Cath splits up the remaining amount between her parents’ allowance and other expenses, then puts the cash inside a “budget wallet organizer.”

“Kung may matitira pang pera bago ang payday, ise-save ko pa din,” she added.

Tip #3: Live within your means

All goals require sacrifice and for Cath, that means prioritizing her necessities over luxuries. “Dapat alam mo ang pinagkaiba sa kailangan mo at gusto mo lang. Unahin ang mga needs over wants. Isantabi ang mga bagay na kaya mo naman mabuhay kahit wala ‘yun kasiluho now, luha later,” she wrote on her Facebook post on January 2, 2020.

This involves fighting the urge to splurge on a new gadget or “adding to cart” again and again whenever there’s a sale online. Cath explained, “‘Di bali nang walang iPhone basta may ipon. Hindi ako nagu-upgrade ng cellphone basta nakaka-text, nakaka-call, nakaka-FB, at nakaka-selfie. Iwasan mo din ‘yung mga doble–dobleng number tulad ng 11:11 at 12:12. Learn to live within your means.”

Cath also lessened her daily expenses by choosing home-cooked meals over fast food and driving to school with her own electric bike instead of taking public transportation.

“Isang taon akong nagbabaon ng lunch saschool kung ano ulam sa bahay, ‘yun din ang ulam ko. Free ang meryenda saschool ‘pagteaching staff kaya less gastos,” she said on her post. “Bumili din ako ng school service na e-bike at nakakatipid ako ng P1,500 a month sa pamasahe. I-charge ko lang ng eight hours, nagagamit ko na siya ng one and a half week tapos P200 lang ang approximate na konsumo niya sa kuryente sa loob ng isang buwan. O ‘di ba, bongga. Bawi ko na ang pinambili sa laki ng natipid ko.”

Tip #4: Be a wise spender

While Cath made it a point to spend only on things that she needs, the iponarya also knows the value of treating yourself to little luxuries.

“Hindi ako maluho na tao. Inuuna ko muna ‘yung mga needs bago ang wants, simpleng pamumuhay, pero syempre, hindi ko kinakalimutan i-treat at bigyan ng reward ang sarili ko big or small accomplishment man ang nagagawa ko,” she told Female Network.

The key, she said, is to do it in limitation. “Just be a kuripot (wise spender) dahil ang pera mo ay hindi pinupulot at syempre, kapag wala kang bisyo, sigurado ang inyong pag-asenso,” she added.

Tip #5: Find other sources of income

Some people would think that stretching one’s paycheck beyond ‘petsa de piligro’ is close to impossible, more so saving up. The answer to that, according to Cath, is finding other sources of income.

In addition to her salary, the money-smart teacher drew her savings from several side jobs: “May e-loading business ako, printing services sa bahay, at nago-online selling din ako ng pre-loved clothes namin ng hipag ko ‘pag may free time ako. Nag-invest din ako safruits business ng sister-in-law ko na kumikita naman kahit paano.”

Although engaging in all these tasks may require you to modify a thing or two about yourself, Cath assured that it will all be worth it.

“Inalis ko ang pagiging mahiyain dahil nahihiya ako noon mag-online selling. Nagingflexible ako at nagkaroon ng time managementsa work at sa mgaextra sideline ko. Kailangan lang talaga ng dedication para mareach yung ipon goal mo,” she said.

Other popular ipon challenges

Aside from Cath’s P60,000 ipon challenge, another easy way to start your savings is through the “Invisible 50 challenge” wherein you put away every 50-peso bill that you get in a day inside your coin bank for a year.

If your budget is tight, you can opt for the “Loose coin challenge.” Similar to the “Invisible P50,” this would require you to set aside every coin that you have—no matter if it’s P1, P5, or P10—for your savings.

Another would be the “52-week ipon challenge” that works by increasing your weekly input in a span of 52 weeks. If you saved P50 for this week, you must shove P100 into your piggy bank the following week, and so on.

What’s important, as Cath said, is to turn saving into a habit. “Keep on saving. It doesn’t matter how much. Just save kahit piso-piso pa ‘yan kasi walang1 million kung walang piso,” she advised. “Tiwala lang sa sarili na magagawa mo dahil if others can do it, you can do it also.”

Bea Alonzo Shares Why One of Her Best Investments Is a Farm in Zambales

This post was originally published here.

Bea named the farm “Beati Firma” or “Blessed Farm.”

by FM Ganal for Pep.ph|6 DAYS AGO

One of her best investments says Bea Alonzo is her farm in Zambales.

She bought the land in 2011, and her mother Mary Anne oversaw its development.

She said in a virtual session with PEP.ph on February 11, 2021, that the farm has become a safe haven for her small family, especially now during the pandemic. “Medyo mahirap lang siya at first, at sa totoo lang magastos, pero now it’s okay, it’s self-sustaining.

“Sina Mama doon na nakatira talaga. Dati kasi fifty percent at the time doon sila farm and then fifty percent of the time, nandito sila sa bahay dito sa Pasig. But then, ever since the pandemic hit, definitely nandoon na talaga sila. My brother also decided to live there, so he built his own house there.

“May baby na kasi siya ngayon… they’re so afraid to go back to Manila. Ako din parang mas at ease ako na nandoon sila. Right now, I’m just very happy na nung 2011, I decided to invest sa Zambales.”

Would Bea consider living in the farm at some point?

Her answer seemed to hint she has more in her mind than just the farm, “Definitely… hindi lalaki mga anak ko na hindi close sa lola.”

“Beati Firma”

Bea has named the 16-hectare farm “Beati Firma,” which is Latin for “Blessed Farm.”

The name refers to her screen name as well. She told PEP.ph, “True to its name naging blessing sa akin iyong name na iyon. It really changed my life when I became Bea.”

Bea, whose real name is Phylbert Angellie, was the screen name chosen for her by Johnny Manahan, the founder of ABS-CBN’s talent management arm Star Magic.

She said the veteran actress Isabel Rivas, her former co-star in the 2011 ABS-CBN series Guns and Roses, cued her in on a possible location for a farm.

It happened quite ordinarily during a taping of the series as Bea recalled, “Nagpunta si Mama noon sa set, nakilala niya si Tita Isabel… chumika-chika kami, ganyan.

“Na-chika niya na meron siyang farm in Zambales. In-invite niya kami na punta kami and, at that time, may ino-offer siyang lupa sa amin na malapit sa farm nila.”

They found the offer enticing for the reason Mary Anne has been a city girl all her life, and so their family does not have a home province to speak of.

Bea began thinking forward such as, maybe, growing livestock on the land and starting a poultry business. But when they eventually purchased the land, Bea and Mary Anne changed plans.

The actress recounted, “Naisip namin na baka maganda kung mango orchard na lang at mahogany farm. It was a raw land. Walang nakatanim na mga puno. Pinag-bulldozed namin, pina-flatten namin iyong land. It was a lot of work. Actually, my mom had to do a lot of hard work for that to the point na tumira siya doon.

“Since walang bahay pa po, ‘tapos wala pa talaga kaming budget magpatayo ng malaking bahay… alam mo iyong kubo na nabibili lang? Doon lang siya tumira for six months, nagpatayo lang siya ng konkreto na CR na simple. Doon siya for six months. Ganoon iyong effort niya sa farm na iyon.

“Walang aircon. Iyong kubo lang talaga. ‘Tapos walang mga puno, so mainit... Very proud kami kasi ang laki-laki ng development nung farm.”

Why I signed up for a sales course even though I hated it (at first)

If you truly know me, you’d know that I dislike sales. I can’t stand being on the receiving end of the sales talk, no matter how exciting the deal is. Never in my life had I imagine myself working in the sales industry. Ever. For me, it’s totally a nightmare.

My first job was a sales agent for this Makati-based company that partnered with UNICEF to entice individuals to sign up for its support-a-child program. It’s the pop-up booth that you normally come across inside malls. They’re the sales agents who convince you to sign up a form so that you’d donate your (normally) 500.00php a month to sponsor a child somewhere in the world.

As someone who just got out of college that time, I was fearless. I thought I could survive and thrive in THAT job, in THAT industry even though it is not in line with the course that I had finished. I took up MassComm in college. I had zero knowledge about sales. A fresh grad, and here’s work, magiging choosy pa ba ako?!

Also, I had UNICEF in mind. When I saw the job opportunity posting, UNICEF was the only thing that registered clearly. All the other tiny details, I ignored. So there goes a tip for you: pay attention to the details. No matter how minute that is. It was always a dream of mine to work for any UN-related agency. A year after, I got hired as a writer for UNICEF. Legit AF. (that’s how millenials say it these days, right?)

I barely lasted a month. On my (probably) second week, I quit. Makati was too far from my house. And I had some healthy talk with myself and admitted: I just wasn’t made for sales. Not for sales talk either. And I dread the word ‘quota’ especially that thing called… rejection.

That’s why I am amazed by those people who can close a deal effortlessly, those who are unafraid of rejection, or those who can smoothly sales talk strangers even though they have little confidence in the product that they sell. That for me is a gift. Think Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness or Leo diCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street. They’re really good sales people. And while I realized that it’s a gift, I am aware that it can be learned.

And that’s why I signed up for this short sales course at University of the Philippines- Diliman. Because I thought, why not. I’d give it a shot. Besides, everybody is doing start-up these days. Why not hear a totally different perspective.

My job as a writer has always offered me myriad chances to be creative all these years. Why limit myself to only that? So I tried something new.

Of course, I did not become a sales sensation overnight. Neither until now. But I’m sharing with you the most important concepts that I had picked up in my sales class at UP. And they are:

Sales is not just about getting rich. Yup, cue Jessie J, because it’s not just about the money, money, money.
Sales, what my mentors told us, is about building and nurturing relationships.
Sales is helping others by providing a solution to their needs and problems. Our main goal as a sales agent is to influence customers to choose our product/ service/ solution over others because we can be trusted.
And because of that, the customer, over the years, may not only be considered as a client, but perhaps can now be viewed as a partner, a collaborator or a friend.
In short, in sales, you have to prove to your client that you are trust-worthy.
Aside from that, other must feel your genuine concern for them, not because you want money or any favor from them, but because they can sense that you are there to help.

These are just some of my musings lately. I have to put them in writing before they go away.

I’d like to thank University of the Philippines Institute for Small-Scale Industries for organizing a class like this. For a non-sales person like me, it’s really a great opportunity to be immersed in the world of sales without having to enrol for an MBA. To the staff, Ms. Glen and Ms. Krystel, to Ms. Luisa.

Grateful, too, for my classmates who are experts in their respective industries. I learned a lot from you, guys! Of course, much appreciation as well to our facilitators: Mr. Orly Ballesteros, Ms. Michelle Ballesteros, and Atty. Rochelle Marie Roxas.

Sharing some of our pictures below.

UP 24TH CEST grads — Our gradpic! CEST Batch 24.

orly — Mr. Orly Ballesteros, owner of Ex Link Events

ms rochelle — Atty. Rochelle Marie Roxas

ms michelle — Ms. Michelle Ballesteros, owner of Ex-Link Event