My earliest memory of selling was of ice drops and piknit in my childhood. I also tried a certain kelli elli cosmetic brand in my grade school years. In college, I sold bags and firecrackers. Then, in my senior year in College, I got my hands into selling myself by running for Vice President of the XU Central Student Government. Immediately after graduation, my aspiration for Unilever where I had to sell myself to the Selection Committee. In 1997 May, fresh from graduation, I was selected from a group of 13 aspirants to join Van den Bergh Unilever. I was the only one from Mindanao. The rest were from UP Diliman, De la Salle and Admu. Since then, selling has been my profession - selling in the scope of Marketing; selling in combination with marketing management, street smart trading and entrepreneurial ventures: brand, distribution, 4Ps, metal trading, training, consultancy and sales PLOC. I sold Van den Bergh to distributors and Horecade. I sold Cornetto to distributors, Supermqarkets and Gen Trade. I sold Marlboro to Distributors, Gen Trade and Key Accounts. I sold tons of metals to Capasco and RJC Metal Trading. I sold business concepts to students, businessman and entrepreneurs.
I guess I was always comfortable in the selling function. I love the outdoor. I love the sun. I love challenges. I seem to have a distinct reaction to adversities which is very conducive to the selling function. I love to learn. I like new concepts. I am fascinated by the sun and the moon. I love to travel. I easily appreciate people from all walks of life. I thirst for glory. I am achievement oriented. I live my life with a defined purpose – measured at that. I never run from a good fight except when logic dictates that victory can be pursued another way. I love people and I believe in the capacity of man. My affinity for operations runs from logic in one end, passion and mission in the middle and fate on the other. I lust for life. Life is dear to me, an opportunity I live with purpose.
One of the advantages of being a middle child is the opportunity of honing your survival skills. I have made every possible effort to survive in the house and in school. A middle child does not have the luxury of size to intimidate a big brother or a parent’s sympathy a younger brother affords. A middle child has to be creative in selling himself in the family to survive the intrigue and the daily rigors of living. I can still remember mumbling a tagalog poem and translating it into the bicol vernacular just to survive a recitation in grade school. Once upon a time, in my persistence of mastering the English language I was called bubbles in high school as I worked my way thru every recitation, raising my hand in every opportunity, just so I can hone my English proficiency in class. Of course, being in the honors class, with broken English, you will never escape the taunt of your brilliant classmates. Thanks to my stubborn personality, I never really cared about the opinion of others when I have made up my mind to learn and make the most of expensive education. I merely smiled and rode on the humor with a faint smile in my heart that the future will be my redemption. I had a quite stubborn persistence in pursuing my goals. As early as Grade 2, I have a good grasp of what ambition is. I wanted to be an astronaut. I strongly believe that ambition is a skill each Filipino should have. Indeed, “Great ambition is the passion of a great character”. The right kind of ambition dictated by the right type of principle. If I may propose a most simple code which have guided me thru my College years – a pursuit of excellence in one’s chosen field and sense of purpose guided by maka diyos, maka tao, maka bayan.
Adversities are more like appetizers for me rather than detriments. Difficulties seem to rouse me more than discourage me. I love to hunt. The selling process for me was more of a test of skill and a learning opportunity. I have never put into heart my defeats. Rather, they were never defeats in the first place. They were opportunities for growth. I was natural in speaking my mind and selling myself. Though, I mastered the art of listening in my 30s after going thru many painful mistakes – battles won and lost. I have mastered communication thru persistency, study and trial and error. Communication skill is essential in selling or marketing for that matter as it is essential in leadership. In my lectures, body language, tone of voice and content of words go hand in hand in communication; body language being the most important ingredient holding some 55% of the total effectiveness equation.
Indeed, before you sell your product, one must be able to sell himself first. This is where personality comes in. One’s competence for grace, courtesy, conversation, smile, tact and control – being able to relate graciously with your host and being able to control the conversation towards one’s agenda in the visit or meeting. Personality includes skill for wearing the right clothes for the occasion, being able to pick the right lines and topics in the conversation and being able to demonstrate tact according to the culture of your host. Tact is a very important virtue in Philippine culture. If we may translate it in the vernacular – tact would mean “pakikitungo”, “delikadeza” and “galang”; Being able to show grace and respect to your host or client.
After working for multinationals which espouses and promotes a distinct corporate culture more or else patterned after its foreign affiliates, I ventured into metal trading and consultancy which gave me an opportunity to work closely with Filipino businessman and entrepreneurs. I had to overhaul my approaches and orientation. I had to unlearn certain practices. Say for example, at Van den Bergh - Unilever everybody from rank and file to the General Manager, refer to each other in the first name basis. I refer to my bosses in their first name as Noe and Nes. I started to feel the difference when I joined Selecta Walls Inc., although managed by Unilever, it is a JV with the RFM group. I started to realize the need to refer to people in titles as boss, sir, and manager. I had to learn some more what pakikitungo and pakikisama is all about when I started negotiating my metal trading contracts. Working with hard liner chinese and rags to riches business millionaires, I had to learn the value of tact and tiwala in the most unusual way. I learned in the most challenging way that Filipino businessmen work differently. Unlike his foreign counterparts, Filipinos value simple things as pakikisama, pakikitungo, pakikiramay, delikadeza, utang na loob and tiwala. Understanding Filipino behavior is key to effectiveness in selling in the Philippines. Preferred supplier status are more than often decided according to this unwritten norm. Many sales contracts in the Philippines are closed by mere “tiwala” with no need for sales presentation. These unwritten rules may be the key for local companies to compete or have an edge over multinational companies over and above competitive products and supporting services. I know of many Sales Managers who have edge over clients because of their charm over owners and purchasers.
Literally, I have travelled the Philippines from Ilocos to Cotabato. I have spoken with many types of people and customers with their own idiosyncrasy – tagalog, kapampangan, Ilocano, ecijano, batangueno, bicolano, ilongo, Cebuano, boholano, kagay-anon, maranao, davaoeno and tausug. From your humble bottle srap trader, to the truck driver, to the security guard, to your sales clerk, to the van salesman and his proud sales manager, the distributor, the local supermarket and the merchandisers – they all have a story to tell; a function and a information to share. A competent salesman must be competent in communication and maka-tao to be able to relate to various level of the marketing structure – consumer, reseller, salesman, distributor, logistics, manufacturing, finance, marketing. Each has a value to offer. More than the aspiration to master the English Language, competence in face to face communication requires the assimilation of skills in effective body language, tone of voice, content of words, culture and personality; right eye contact, the use of po and opo, the right choice of clothes, knowing when to use the vernacular and the English language, posture, proper hand shake, knowledge of the industry one is involved with and knowing how to smile and relate to people.
Indeed, selling is merely the exchange of value between people. Value which may be tangible or intangible. However, before actual exchange takes place, the communication process needs to be executed. More than the message is the messenger. There are always many facets of a circumstance and the delivery of a message will ultimately depend on how the messenger communicates his intent and how he maneuvers his agenda to the listener or the client. Before selling you product, sell first your self.
