Market leaders never forget the basics: More than anything, talented people are the agents of the company’s success, and that, ultimately; and breakthroughs are born of individuals. The highest form of recognition—the award that these talented people most treasure—is selection for the next, even more challenging mission. Star players are always anxious to learn what’s over the horizon. This reality creates a challenge for management. It has to assure that gifted, the concept champions, the mavericks, the unconventional and the eccentric are able to work harmoniously in the cross-functional teams that are prerequisites to the creation of marketable products.

There has to be a secret, and it is not a very well-kept one. In fact, it is revealed every October, a celebration that starts and ends with festivity and homage to the long tradition of Sun Life Financial Philippines (SLFP) in the country. That secret is called the President’s Month.

The President’s Month is one of the annual sales competitions of SLFP. It begins with a kick-off, where new business managers give their respective pledges, their branch’s target for the end of the month. As its name implies, the achievements made during the President’s Month are all dedicated to the company’s top honcho.

This tradition comes from a long line of predecessors, specifically the Independence Cup established after the declaration of sovereignty in 1946. Eventually, the event came to be known as the President’s Month. It used to be a contest participated in by other Sun Lifers from other Asian countries like Hong Kong. Today, it is only SLFP that maintained the custom. And it is a decision that Filipino Sun Lifers never regret.

“We make the President’s Month always special and memorable,” says Henry Joseph Herrera, SLFP president and CEO.

He also noted the prominence of culture in the continuing success of the event. “Filipinos love celebrations and that is what we try to offer our agents every October. We put in a theme sometimes complete with costumes, and our kick-offs look like a big community fiesta, further increasing the stamina and zest to achieve the company’s goals for the year.”

With the hype and revelry that are often associated with the President’s Month, SLFP agents feel energized and revved up. The personal and professional combination of meeting the pledges and offering all efforts to their president is a very potent mix for an effective business stimulator.

If SLFP agents look forward to the President’s Month, their competitors become “apprehensive” on its outcome. This is the last hurrah, so to speak,” says Roy Yu, senior vice president for sales. “This is our last chance in the year to turn a bad year into a good year, or make a good year a spectacular year.”

Over time, the President’s Month proved to be the best conclusion for Sun Life’s sales years. With a clearer idea of where they stand among industry rivals, the agency force would be inspired to exceed their goals expressed during the kick-off. The spirit of camaraderie surfaces and everyone unites to not only bring honor to their branches but to the company as a whole.

“The real message of the President’s Month is that everybody counts, and the driving force behind it is that it is one great opportunity to make a difference. And making a difference is in the context of the agent’s effort at securing the future for one or more Filipino family, aside from making one more sale in support of the company’s goals. That is why the success of the President’s Month is measured by the number of applications [i.e., number of lives insured], and the motto is 100-percent participation,” senior vice president for marketing Raoul Littaua stresses.

As operationally excellent companies create an unmatched value proposition of best total cost, the question comes up: What’s in it for them? There is only one answer: Growth.

Market leaders never forget the basics: More than anything, talented people are the agents of the company’s success, and that, ultimately; and breakthroughs are born of individuals. The highest form of recognition—the award that these talented people most treasure—is selection for the next, even more challenging mission. Star players are always anxious to learn what’s over the horizon.

Sales and marketing people know the battle plan and the rule book, and when the buzzer sounds, everybody knows exactly what he or she has to do. The heroes in this kind of an organization are the people who fit in, who came up through the ranks.

Present-day consumers are continually evolving, changing day by day. These changes are reflected in how they earn a living, in their form of entertainment, of how to keep in touch, and even in their choices of sports and fitness activities.

Bubuwit was tipped of about a simmering feud between a lady top gun and her employees at an events marketing firm. She was a hot item in last week’s Bubuwit, and now she’s at it again! She suddenly and unceremoniously closed her office, which sent some shivers down the spine of her employees who have just returned from an out-of-town event.