Shine Magazine Jan-Apr 2017 by Nonie Villanueva

CELEBRATING THE PEOPLE & PERFORMANCE OF THE SUN LIFE FINANCIAL AGENCY FORCE

JANUARY - APRIL 2017

CORAZON MINA ROSEWOOD NBO

ISO SM of the Year

YOLANDA LEGASPI ROSEWOOD NBO

EVELYN MONZON

ISO Top New Business Manager

Sales Managerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cup

JACARANDA NBO

2016

EXCELLENCE OWDYLYN LEE SEQUOIA NBO

Top Advisor of the Year

CYNTHIA BORJA JARRAH NBO

ISO UM of the Year

LESANDRA JOY GAN RED SPRUCE NBO

ISO Advisor of the Year

MEYCAUAYAN ISO ISO of the Year

VANESSA CASTRO COTTONWOOD NBO

MF SM of the Year

SUSAN LEE

NANCY BALUYUT

President’s Cup

MF NBO of the Year

CYPRESS NBO

SEQUOIA NBO

AWARDEES ZZLLEENN LEE

LEA ROSARIO GOLPE

SEQUOIA NBO

MULBERRY NBO

General Manager’s Cup

MF UM of the Year

ERIC TAN

SLAMC DIRECT

MF Advisor of the Year

EIREN LEE PALM NBO

MF Rookie of the Year

CONTENTS

EVENTS

6 EXCELLENCE AWARDS NIGHT SLF LEADERS’ CONFERENCE 8 22 Krakow, Poland ND

QUARTER 2 10 FaME License to Serve

86 88

SALES CONGRESS

PRESIDENT’S MONTH AWARDS NIGHT PRESIDENT’S MONTH ASIAN CRUISE

PEOPLE 2016 EXCELLENCE AWARDEES 12

SUSAN LEE/SEQUOIA NBO President’s Cup

EVELYN MONZON/JACARANDA NBO Sales Manager’s Cup

ZZLLEENN LEE/SEQUOIA NBO General Manager’s Cup

OWDYLYN LEE/SEQUOIA NBO Top Advisor of the Year

MEYCAUAYAN ISO ISO of the Year

YOLANDA LEGASPI/ROSEWOOD NBO ISO New Business Manager of the Year

CORAZON MINA/ROSEWOOD NBO ISO Sales Manager of the Year

CYNTHIA BORJA/JARRAH NBO ISO Unit Manager of the Year

LESANDRA JOY GAN/RED SPRUCE NBO ISO Advisor of the Year

NBM NANCY BALUYUT/CYPRESS NBO MF NBO of the Year

VANESSA LUGUE-CASTRO/COTTONWOOD NBO MF Sales Manager of the Year

LEA ROSARIO GOLPE/MULBERRY NBO MF Unit Manager of the Year

ERIC TAN/SLAMC DIRECT MF Advisor of the Year

EIREN LEE/PALM NBO MF Rookie of the Year

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EDITOR’S NOTE

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E DI T O R I A L B O A R D Rizalina G. Mantaring Alex S. Narciso Mylene D. Lopa Jennifer del Mundo Os Sevilla

MA N A G I NG EDITOR Mariquit M. Lintag

C O NT R I B U T I N G WR ITER S Jopie T. Badoy Maria Butler Lito B. Escoto Patricia E. Galán Noren M. Jose Mila M. Lumcatao Lalie R. Novero Lennie Oliver Anna Charis R. Raya

DE S I G N & L A YOUT GenioGraphics, Inc.

PORTRAITS BY

Just Perfect!

s we started preparing for this issue, we thought the cover photo would certainly look a lot different from the rest. First, the champion team for the year took time out to go out of Manila for a whole day shoot at Balai Isabel in Batangas to capture a more ‘summer-ry’ effect. Second, instead of the usual firing squad poses, there were a lot of movements, color and activity to go with the shots—simply the perfect layout! This was, after all, going to be the Excellence Awards issue featuring the best of the best—Team SEQUOIA—still the strongest force to beat. A perfect shoot, a perfect place, a perfect moment for the team who deserves nothing less. Yes, this issue of Shine! could be the best yet, and we are proud to present a lineup of feature stories that portray the dynamism and passion of our advisors and field managers whose continuing zest for success stays unmatched. Get a glimpse of how our Excellence Awards winners, our MDRTs, and our MRA top winners manage to outpace their past productions and make it to the top of their leagues. Join us as we pay tribute to our champions—the ones who truly make us shine!

Nonie Villanueva of GenioGraphics, Inc.

P R I NT I N G Dot & Pixel

SHINE MAGAZINE is a publication of the Marketing Department of Sun Life of Canada (Phils.), Inc., with editorial office at the 9F, The Sun Life Centre, Rizal Drive corner 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Telephone 555.8888 loc. 5427 Fax 849.9686 Email PHIL_Shine@sunlife.com

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Mariquit M. lintag

CONTENTS

FOR

YEARS

PEOPLE MDRT FOR 25 YEARS 54

LETTY LACSON/CEDAR NBO Doing Her Best for 9,125 Days, and Beyond

ADVISOR TO WATCH 79

ROBERTO SANTIAGO/ LAURELWOOD NBO From Milestone to Milestone

PLACES 78 23

PEOPLE MOST RESPECTED ADVISOR 56

FEDERICO DELA PEÑA III/EUCALYPTUS NBO 2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 1 – Caring

ARIEL MAÑALAC/CYPRESS NBO 2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 1 – Caring

ROSANNA VIDAL/CYPRESS NBO 2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 1 – Caring

JANETTE LEE/GREEN FIR NBO 2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 2 – Professional

KRISTINE LEECHIU-TAN/TINDALO NBO 2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 2 – Professional

SHELLY GRACE YUMUL/IVY NBO 2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 2 – Professional

ARLYN TAN/GREEN FIR NBO 2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 3 – Inspiring

JAYVEE BADILE/EMPRESS NBO 2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 3 – Inspiring

AGNES CUASO/IVY NBO 2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 3 – Inspiring

ODESSA SALUDARES/OSMANTHUS NBO 2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 4 – Winning

CHEYENNE TATEL/JARRAH NBO 2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 4 – Winning

SLF LEADERS’ CONFERENCE

SWITZERLAND

NEW BUSINESS OFFICES 81

CANNONBALL NBO/NBM VANESSA LUGUE-CASTRO Beautiful and Strong

DAU NBO/NBM PEDRO BANTON, JR. An Enduring Affair with Life Insurance

ANGEL OAK/NBM ROSEMARIE GUASIN Expanding Career Horizons

MAJESTY NBO/NBM NANETTE NATALIE YU Stepping Up

COCONUT NBO/NBM ROSEMARIE VILLANUEVA Inspired by the “Tree of Life”

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EVENTS

EXCELLENCE A WN A R D S I G H T T

he challenges of 2016 were no match for the Sun Life Agency Force’s strength and determination to keep the crown. Leading the company to No. 1 are these Excellence Awards winners who inspired with their passion and tenacity. Congratulations to President’s Cup champion SUSAN LEE and her Team SEQUOIA for bagging 2016 Top NBO of the Year; Sales Manager’s Cup winner EVELYN MONZON; and General Manager’s Cup awardee ZZLLEENN LEE. It was their night and they basked in the well-deserved applause and accolades. Bravo!

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KRAKOW

EVENTS

22nd SLF LEADERS’ CONFERENCE

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POLAND T

he 22nd SLF Leaders’ Conference— held in picturesque Krakow, Poland—exceeded expectations. The lineup of activities suited the delegates’ penchant for fun, excitement and adventure. It was a most breathtaking experience for all. Let these photos tell you more...

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EVENTS

FaME QUARTER 2

LICENSE TO SERVE T

he Q2 Field Management Excellence (FaME) Assembly held April 7 at SM Aura had James Bond films as peg. Themed “License to Serve”, it was a resounding rallying call for the Sun Life Agency Force—with Head Office’s full support—to “Serve Another Day”.

Chief Agency Distribution Officer ALEX NARCISO opened with a run down on Love Month, overall Q1, and Sun Life’s Year-To-Date (YTD) performances. MANILA 1A topped Q1 2017 performance. For achieving beyond targets, TJIKKO and RED SPRUCE were named Target Busters. SEQUOIA led the Absolute (Life + MF) AC race, followed by ROSEWOOD, RED SPRUCE, EUCALYPTUS, and JACARANDA. MANILA 1A, LUZON Cluster and MANILA 2A attained targets. Both H&A and Group Life grew significantly from last year and exceeded AFYP targets. Sun Life—9,030-strong in Q1—is on track with regard to its 2017 Target Manpower of 11,073 Financial Advisors. With growth in the number of equipped and enabled Agents of Change at Sun Life, Alex believes that new targets will be accomplished.

MARKET TRENDS COL Financial Private Clients Group Co-Head GEORGE WONG spoke on market trends, emphasizing the need for investors to give the market a chance to rebound from fluctuations. He also persuaded the Agency Force to stay confident and not lose hope in pursuing clients and recruits alike. Given the country’s current economic demographics where majority of the population is working, he believes the Philippine economy is now in its sweet spot.

SUN LIFE SPEAKS: BUILDING AND SUSTAINING A HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAM In the “Sharing of Personal Experience, Achievements, Knowledge and Skills” or SPEAKS Forum, three back-to-back Triple A Qualifiers (2015 and 2016) shared and inspired. UM YOSEF BRIAN VILLANUEVA (EUCALYPTUS) described

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perseverance as key to success. He shared his journey from being a nurse to becoming a Financial Advisor— thanks to his mom, a manager. He revealed how he overcame objections and faced the “agent lang” attitude towards Financial Advisors. Brian, a Unit Manager by age 29, has 18 advisors under his wing, most of them nurses by profession. For him, a good recruit is someone who is a dreamer, ambitious, coachable, and has the willingness to learn. UM PRIMITIVO “JUN” PEÑARANDA JR. (TINDALO) spoke on his “everyday weekend” kind of life

and how retirement from a corporate career became his road to success. His passion for managing people—helping them achieve their potential and goals—has led him to success. Age and retirement, he says, should not stop you in becoming who you want to be. NBM VANESSA LUGUE-CASTRO (CANNONBALL) talked about maximizing and multiplying one’s skills to achieve the team’s goals. Success is not just about one’s own achievements, but rather putting others first before self. She emphasized the value of mentoring, coaching, training and honing the skills of her team members. Since

SALES CONGRESS C

lose to 3,000 top Sun Life Philippines advisors attended the first Sales Congress for the year themed “Financial Freedom is Forever,” with renowned guest speakers who talked about excellence, service, love for self and family, selling to varying market segments, and financial security during times of uncertainty, among others. The sales congress also served as the

opening salvo to introduce to the advisory force the ‘James Bond’ theme which will be carried in every sales event and campaigns throughout 2017. Gracing the event were Sun Life Asia President KEVIN STRAIN and members of the Philippine Leadership Team led by Sun Life Philippines President & CEO RIZA MANTARING.

people are dynamic and have different needs, these should be addressed accordingly. Segmentation allows for activities relevant to each group’s specific needs.

THE SCIENTIST WITH A HEART Professor ENGR. AISA MIJENO, De La Salle University— Lipa Department of Engineering, took the stage to share how she faced challenges and how her advocacy led to a

breakthrough that will benefit many. From her travels in the country and abroad, she learned how grassroots innovations can help a community. In the Kalinga mountains as an NGO worker, she discovered and

developed a sustainable and environment-friendly alternative light source that runs on salt water, to help communities in remote areas have access to efficient lighting system without depending on electricity or gas energy. In 2013, with the help and support from Ideaspace Foundation, Engr. Aisa and her brother Raphael started Sustainable Alternative Lighting (SALt). Their social enterprise caught the attention of then US President Barack Obama that in 2015, she shared the APEC CEO Forum stage with him, together with Chinese multi-billionaire Jack Ma of Alibaba, to discuss climate change and renewable energy. In 2016, the Mijeno siblings were chosen by Silicon Valley’s Singularity University from a number of applicants worldwide to participate in the Energy Track of Global Grand Challenge Awards, a venue for talented and passionate change agents with the potential to tackle Global Grand Challenge and present innovative solutions that impact billions of lives. Overall, she left Sun Lifers the following key points as they take on their new directives for their mission in Q2: • Mindset is everything. The knowledge we need to achieve our goals is created through our mindset. • Success or failure is dependent upon whether or not you keep at it. Sometimes, failure simply means changing directions. • Patience is not the ability to wait but how you act while you’re waiting.

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PEOPLE

2016

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

The “Pentaslam,” 5 Million Pinoys, and the Millennial Potential

USAN LEE has learned from her life experiences the necessity and value of a dogged focus on purpose. Living this essential principle has allowed her to realize a long chain of victories, the latest of which is the President’s Cup, with the accolade as Top New Business Manager and as Excellence Awards winner for 2016. This most recent winning experience is capped with SEQUOIA NBO as Top Branch for the eighth time, and Susan achieving a “Pentaslam”: being the Grand Slam Winner for the fifth time.

Of course, such a belief is to be held in correct balance with long-term planning, of which Susan had once declared, “My plan for Sequoia is not just for it to be the best, I plan for it to be legendary. With our teamwork, and God’s help, I know that we can do anything.” That was in 2008, and now, with the latest achievement for her and for Sequoia NBO, Susan is keen on this vision: “To set a new milestone year after year.” One must wonder, where does all this tremendous fuel for a winning drive come from?

UNPACKING SOME SECRETS OF THE PENTASLAM

THE “NO-DEPARTURE DESIRE”

More than anything else, Susan feels deeply thankful for all the great things happening to her Sequoia family. After all, it is virtually Sun Life’s winningest team today. Interestingly, Susan had declared in an interview in 2008, “I want my branch to be number one!” Fast forward to 2017, and Susan is a solid source of proven perspectives on winning. For starters, how has she, indeed, molded this Sequoia giant? “It helps that I can relate to anybody I talk to or have encountered,“ Susan says, emphasizing relationships where she focuses on understanding her people, influencing them, all in the hope of making an impact on their lives. Part of that impact is helping people realize that everyone only lives once, but “once is enough to give your best. Work as if today is the last day of your life.”

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Diligent hands will rule, a Proverb goes; it is this— daily diligence, putting in hard work daily, and most of all, faithfully “committing oneself to one’s promises”— that Susan saw early enough in her parents’ lives. “I was born in a family with two kids. My parents didn’t push me to be competitive. Instead, it was the work ethic that they instilled in us and the very same that themselves imbibed that became my recipe for success…Eventually, through this demanding regimen of living, my sense of competitiveness developed and the desire to win grew.” Studying hard throughout her elementary and high school days, making sure she would always be in the Top 3 in her class, Susan graduated Salutatorian. After that, however, she told herself to take a break. “Thus, as I stood at that entry arch into college, I told myself I was going to settle down as an average student,” Susan reveals.

SUSAN LEE SEQUOIA NBO

President’s Cup

Taking up Industrial Engineering, Susan aced her very first major exam in their Chemistry subject—racking up a score higher than highest possible grade: 101%. As this news was made public, Susan caught the attention of her classmates and her professor, who explained that no one from among the other classes or previous batches had ever gotten that score. That primed Susan to jump right back to her “usual routine” of studying hard, working to prove that the achievement hadn’t been a mere fluke. “In the end, as my track record will tell you, I never was able to shake off this overwhelming need to be better,” Susan admits; “this desire to win has never departed from my person.”

LOOK OUT FOR YOUR OUTLOOK Lest one get the misimpression that everything has been a walk in the park for Susan, she’s quick to remind us that she’s been through her hefty share of challenges and failures. Case in point: “I couldn’t change the economy of 1997 – the very same [year] that the Asian Crisis occurred which nearly destroyed our [family] business.” Susan withstood the Asian Contagion, and draws instructive insights instead from such tribulation. “Everything happens for a reason. Every trial, hardship, experience in life is one that will lead you to another destiny; your true destiny. Accept the fact that good and bad things happen to teach us something, to push us to grow, and to encourage us to change,” Susan points out. Such crises, in fact, “made me realize my own agency in life. We are in control of ourselves no matter what happens. This simply means that we can help shape the way life will turn out. Thus, surrounding yourself with good influences, building your skills, and never stopping in one’s endeavor for self-improvement are all things within our control.” One of the most crucial things one can control during such crisis? One’s outlook. As leadership author and speaker Robin Sharma proffers, in “Managing Change: Transforming a Hard Day into a Great One,” one must manage and protect one’s mindset.

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PEOPLE

“... surrounding yourself with good influences, building your skills, and never stopping in one’s endeavor for self-improvement are all things within our control.”

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Or, as an even more ancient (we’re talking A.D. 60-63) exhortation from one of Susan’s most loved books, The Holy Bible, goes: “Do not be anxious about anything…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things…And the God of peace will be with you.” True enough, as Susan shares, “you need to understand that you can’t change the way things are (or were), but you can change the way you look at things. What could change, however, were my response and my outlook. I looked for other sources of income [during the Asian crisis] to be able to continue our family’s lifestyle. And in my search, I found Sun Life.”

5 MILLION REASONS TO WIN? Apart from her unending quest for personal and organizational excellence, a larger vision drives Susan: Sun Life’s audacious goal of insuring five million Filipinos by the Year 2020. Attainable, we ask? “I believe that together we can achieve great things,” is her simple conviction. “Winning demands a clear purpose. Your purpose is the road on which you can deliver that victory…Life’s Purpose is a commitment to have a positive impact on ourselves, and also on people around us,” she says. “And to materialize the winning, [we] need to have plans and execute them with discipline and hard work. Every small and big victory should increase moments of optimism and happiness. And in every winning, the aim must go higher and higher, to set new life milestone.” For Susan, winning had initially meant successfully earning a living: “all those trophies and recognition were assurances that I was giving my family a comfortable life. Out of need and habit, my perspective then on winning in life was mainly in the narrative of survival. However, through the years, once I felt secure and sure enough to look at my achievements as more than testaments that a quality life for my family was ensured, I allowed myself to reflect on these victories in relation to others and myself.” The introspection and reflection helped her realize that in uplifting herself and helping uplift her family

as well, Susan had also been able to lift up many other lives, inspiring people to change their perspectives on victory and life. Susan outlines her strategy for helping Sun Life and her Sequoia branch stay on top: ŹŹ Recruiting and employing the right people, we can help Sun Life maintain its title as the insurance business market leader. ŹŹ Keeping the branch culture aligned with Sun Life’s core values, and making sure all Sequoians are committed to constant improvement. ŹŹ Being the benchmark of excellence—including continuously setting significant milestones—to inspire other branches. She also stresses the importance of strategic planning in the area of recruitment, in promoting advisors to the management team, and the important of using tools such as social media to promote the Sun Life brand.

THE MILLENNIAL- AND FAMILYFRIENDLY PROFESSION Part of this organizational growth is encouraging more millennials to seriously consider the profession. “This career gives you the flexibility of time, of deciding how much you could earn, of choosing for yourself how to earn that money without other factors to control you.” Echoing one of her advisors’ reflection on the “winwin” nature of the profession and the industry, Susan notes how true-to-form millennials can take advantage of the opportunity to earn enough, while still being able to travel and enjoy. “I believe in their [millennials’] aspirations and ideas,” Susan affirms, refreshingly countering some pundits’ pessimistic dismissal of the generation. As she prepares to welcome more qualified individuals to join her organization, Susan sums up her principles in winning: the value of the purpose and of goal-setting; the need for clear metrics and standards; the importance of setting times that allow small wins [to lead to, or to turn into big wins], and how one’s experience of winning keeps one moving; discipline and hard work; and, how vital it is to acknowledge and reward people who help you to win. Above all: “Be thankful. Give glory to God for He is the creator of all these great things.”

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ALLIUM SALES TEAM

“My promotion as Sales Manager in January 2017 is my most recent experience of victory. NBM SUSAN LEE’s trust and support is a prize already won. Winning changes you the most, and changes others as a by-product. I love Sun Life for all the goodness and wonderful experiences it has allowed me to be part of. Thus, I conduct my business professionally. I like to be known as someone who works and carries the Sun Life brand with pride and honor. The goal of insuring five million lives by 2020 is huge but achievable if the whole organization works as a BIG Team. Allium Sales Team commits to be part of achieving this milestone for our Company.” — Jimmy Atienza | Allium Sales Manager

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ASTER

SALES TEAM “Winning for me is being able to give my best effort in everything I do. It is being able to give back to the people who support me and to the community. It is a constant learning and improving oneself to be a source of joy and inspiration to others. A recent victory is winning Triple A for the second time on my second year as a Sales Manager. I’m grateful to the Lord who made all things possible. I am proud of my Unit Managers—AGNES NG, ERIC TAN, KAREN CASTILLO—who are all team players needing minimal supervision. I am grateful to our advisors who gave their best in honoring their commitment to the group.” — Jomar Ferreria | Aster Sales Manager

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DIRECT UNITS “Before joining the Management Team in 2012, I was just doing what I needed to do, enjoying life as a Financial Advisor, without looking at the end goals. But winning now is not just for myself but for the whole team. I have to make sure that individual goals are met, especially our unit goals in CARNATION UNIT. Thus, I cherish as important victories when we qualify for medallion—and we’ve achieved this consistently, each contest month. During my first year as Unit Manager, I met all the criteria for Triple A except for tenure (still less than a year). So what I want now is to finally— officially—make it to Triple A before I retire.” —Ayie Ley | Carnation Unit Manager

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PEONY

SALES TEAM “A few years back, I was awarded as a Triple A manager and was given an incentive trip by Sun Life. It was such an amazing feeling because I knew this was achieved through the collective effort of everyone in my Peony Sales Team. The excellence everyone showed—and continues to show— serves as a great victory for me as their Sales Manager. Seeing my managers and advisors reap awards on an annual and quarterly basis is a great win for me. What I want most is for all in Peony Sales Team to excel. I want to see each and every member grow—whether it is to become managers who will form their own teams, or to reach greater heights as financial advisors. Yes, winning for me has evolved from being a personal achievement to my Team’s achievement.”

—Zeny Tan | Peony Sales Manager

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SUNFLOWER SALES TEAM

“The joy I feel in achieving what I want and the recognition that comes with it is really joy beyond measure. It makes me want to achieve even more and to rise to even greater heights. Recently, Sunflower won Top Sales Team for Love Month. Having won many top awards in the past, some may think winning again has no special meaning anymore. Entirely untrue! Every effort of my people is very highly appreciated. They poured blood and sweat in closing sale after sale. Every contest won, therefore, is another feather in our cap we are all very proud of. On top of victories for being number one, achieving the highest AC, or having the most number of lives, I will be most happy if 100%, or if majority of my people, earn substantially more than their usual take-home pay.” — Virginia Sun | Sunflower Sales Manager

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TULIP

SALES TEAM “‘Be not afraid of growing slowly; Be afraid only of standing still.’ I took this Chinese saying to heart as a student and excelled academically. To overcome inexperience and the lack of a natural market when I started in Sun Life, I attended all sales trainings and meetings, to be competent and confident. Winning then was all about receiving awards for my personal accomplishments. With increasing responsibility as a leader, it is no longer about me but more about what I can do for each member of my team. Nothing can compare with the satisfaction of knowing someone has grown because of you. Everyday is a victory because I see my people become better than they were yesterday.” — Celine Chan | Tulip Sales Manager

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MACAULAY CLUB MEMBERS 2015-2016

Macaulay Club Not in photo are: Leonides de Castro, Jessica Dee, Jane Heather Dee, Owdylyn Lee, Myzylyn Lee, Lourdes Tan, Johanna Wan-Lonzon, Erma Carampatana, Jennifer Tabios, Janet Ng, Charles Kenrick Cua, Alexander Cua, Jaymel Castillo, Maxine Mavis Ngo, Estrella Sebe Fernandez, Ailin Co-Gutierez, Johanna Uy, Maribel Cana, Jocelyn Uy

MEDALLION QUALIFIERS 2016

Not in photo are: Estrella Sebe Fernandez, Rita Geronimo, Katrina Ley, Samuel Antasuda, Violeta Madrigal, Salome Manipol, Olivia Basa, Jocelyn Uy, Derrick Cantong, Jose Doogie Perez, Myzylyn Lee, Leo Macalalag, Britanny Javelosa, Jaymel Castillo, Gonnie Cu, Grace Odeste, Ester Lim, Rhea Ong, Judy Tomambo, Corazon De Vera, Luchile Santos, Owdylyn Lee, Jacqueline Choa, Melodie Araga, Johanna Wan-Lonzon, Erma Carampatana, Alexander Cua, Luchilie Mesina, Johanna Uy, Maribel Cana, Jaylord Padilla, Ian Frayco, Vida Panopio, Leonides De Castro, Carla Salamanque, Ester O’ Connor, Marie Cristy Aquino, Charles Kenrick Cua, Maxine Ngo, Martha Lilles, Minerva Cembrano, Rommel Cruz, Jane Heather Dee, Cherrie Joy Puti, Mary Jane Toribio, Lourdes Tan, Alne Cuna-Sy, Adrian Lim, Jennifer Tabios,

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SEQUOIA NBO 2016 TOP NBO OF THE YEAR

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SEQUOIA MANAGEMENT TEAM

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Not in photo are: Benjamin Yao, Katrina Reiko Chua, Myzylyn Lee, Johanna Uy, Maxine Mavis Ngo, Shayne Edelyne Chua, Jane Heather Dee, Alexander Cua, Jennifer Tabios, Kimberly Chua, Maria Cuna, Gloria Lee

PEOPLE

Consistent and Persistent

or EVELYN MONZON, winner of the 2016 Sales Manager Cup, selling was something that came naturally. “I’ve always had an affinity for sales,” she says. Evelyn recalls joining a high school product-selling competition for budding entrepreneurs. She sourced products from her mom’s sari-sari store. “I was extremely excited! I carefully devised tactics to package and market my products. In the end, I topped the race and that’s when I knew I had a passion for sales and would do well in it.” But the path to a career in sales was not a straight one for Evelyn. As a child in a family that sometimes had trouble making ends meet, she had to compromise on some of her early dreams. She took a course in Accountancy instead of Nursing because she could use the same textbooks as her older sister. After graduation, Evelyn held a series of wide-ranging jobs: working in a bank, in a manufacturing company, in the garments business. She even made a stab at raising pigs. It wasn’t until she was married with kids that Evelyn found her true calling. While shopping for insurance, she was recruited by then agent GLORIA KAW—now Branch Manager of JACARANDA. With Gloria’s encouragement and the support of her husband Joseph Monzon, Evelyn found herself delivering results, and meeting her target month after month, and even winning awards. Evelyn realized she had finally found her career.

NOT A SOLO JOURNEY In wining the 2016 Sales Manager Cup, Evelyn’s 48-member PLATINUM ACTION SALES TEAM produced 1,130 lives, and achieved a 21.5% increase from their previous year’s AC. “The year 2016 was a roller coaster ride. Consistency and persistency were the keys to our success,” says Evelyn. While sales started off slowly, the numbers picked up from the third quarter onwards. “I feel incredibly blessed that everyone kept focusing on our team objectives, stayed on track towards achieving their individual goals, went the extra mile, and exhibited the ‘never give up’ attitude right up to the deadline,” she says. “The road to success is not a solo journey,” adds Evelyn. “It is a concerted effort, support, love, and assistance from my boss, Gloria Kaw, Joseph, my comanagers and advisors of Jacaranda.”

TOP SIX Evelyn’s top six advisors contributed 66% of the total team’s performance. All of them qualified for the MDRT, and four of them for the Leaders’ Conference. RALLPH JHAN AARONNE MONZON was too tall at age 9 and had to compete, last minute, in the 11-13 age 28 SH IN E ! | J A N U A R Y - A P RIL 2 017

category in a Tae-Kwan-Do competition. He won a gold! Fast forward to college: his thesis was cited by the Department of Tourism. Fast even more forward—to the present: He led Platinum Action with 87 lives; made Top of the Table, qualified to the Leaders’ Conference, and is among the Top 3 in the Single Premium for 2016. JOSEPH MONZON turned in another winning performance with 94 lives, achieving Court of the Table, and qualifying to the Leaders’ Conference. Joseph also made it among the Top 4 in the 2016 General Manager’s Cup. SIOBE DY was the Top Rookie for Metro Manila in 2016. Siobe’s first winning experience was at a table tennis competition at her high school intramurals. She beat all the other competitors from her batch all the way up to the senior high students. “From then on, I believed that winning is always possible in every way,” she says. THEA MARIE PIAS learned a lesson in winning early on— that you don’t always make it the first time, but you have to keep trying! While in grade school, Thea ran for Student Council. “During our miting de avance, I went up the stage and when I was starting to give my speech, I literally froze,” she recalls. Thea failed to give her speech and lost the elections. “Instead of giving up, I considered such defeat as a challenge and I improved my public speaking skills and overcame my stage fright,” she says. In high school, Thea was a consistent class officer and Student Council Member. JANICE GO says, “Winning isn’t just about the medals and trophies you receive, nor is it about the recognition. Winning is simply about doing what benefits others most. If my clients are happy with the financial guidance I provide them then I’ll be happy with myself as well. It’s a win-win situation!” MARICRIS MONZON believes “Winners are not people who never fail, but people who never quit. “For me, winning is an attitude. It consists of perseverance, humility, and the willingness to learn from mistakes. It’s about viewing obstacles as challenges, not as problems.”

DAILY VICTORIES For 2017, Evelyn and her team have doubled their efforts to meet the new sales objective. Thus far, the first quarter is only 2% above last year. “We are still very far from achieving our targets this year, but we are doubling our efforts to meet them,” she says. She is confident the year will be another victory—but the focus has to remain on winning the small victories along the way. “Winning is really a state of mind that encompasses everything you do daily,” she says. “It is simply defined as giving your best effort, trying the difficult journey, and utilizing every pound of your energy and strength to accomplish your goal.”

EVELYN MONZON JACARANDA NBO

Sales Manager’s Cup

Rallph Jhan

onzon

Aaronne M

L-R Janice Maricris M Go, Marie Thea Pias onzon, Sio , be Dy

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The Fine, Fierce Arts of Winning and “Double-Flowering”

here are 3K fun runs, replete with parents and the occasional sleepy preschooler, all decked out in cheerful dri-FITs; a happy convergence of fitness, social responsibility, and brand communications. Then there’s the Olympics. All biomechanics aside—step rate, consistency, ground contact time, etcetera—individual runners also need to manage heat (or cold), humidity, hydration. All while constantly recalibrating pace, energy usage, and placement ahead of surging competitors. All to ensure a winning finish. ZZLEENN LEE, or Z to friends, who capped the 2016 Excellence Awards with her Lisianthus team’s stupendous finish, bagging her the General Manager’s Cup, might teach runners and coaches a thing or two about the fine, fierce art of winning.

QUOTA NA! = 160 PERCENT! In 2016, propelled by both quantitative and qualitative targets—the quota, and the overarching vision to bring the benefits of life insurance to more and more Filipinos—Z and her colleagues paced themselves well, and had a simple strategy. “We just did the work. Went to existing clients for policy reviews, upgrades. We also asked referrals from existing clients. Did a lot of activity—meeting people in different places which helped open up to a lot more new prospects = clients.” Anchored by top producers MYZYLYN LEE, OWDYLYN LEE, SHIRLEY LOMOON, REIKO CHUA, JOCELYN TIU, and LOURDES TAN, Lisianthus’ production was rounded up with big cases and medium sized ones. Truly, the shortest distance between target and reality is a straight line: at roughly 60 percent participation rate, the Lisianthus team’s “Quota na!” moment came, not at 100 percent of the goal, but at a whopping160 percent. “2016 was definitely a year that ended well for my unit,” Z says, and it is every bit true, as they hit and surpassed their goals with a dogged “doing the work, doing the work…don’t stop…never give up” attitude. “God has blessed us with a lot…It is the first time [for Lisianthus] to be part of one of the top units of Sun Life [i.e., as the General Manager’s Cup awardee].”

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“DOUBLE FLOWERING AND HEAT TOLERANT” While she admits that 2017 has been marked by a slow start (a “bleak” first quarter), Z is fixed on the goal. “Honestly, every year, my team just tries to hit our Triple A goal. We do not know where it can lead us to —whether Top Unit or Top 3? We just do the work required of us because it helps both the unit and the branch hit their overall goals,” she explains. One can note that her 31-strong team carries the name of a perennial ornamental that’s more known for lovely rose-like blooms than, say, strength or height. However, there are now Lisianthus varieties that are extra-productive—“double-flowering”—and also heat resistant. Verily like their namesake in Sun Life. Z hopes that 2017 will be marked with higher participation rate from her unit, a lot more people joining in, and the team being able to remain as the top unit. It’s not just that she wants to repeat or top their 2016 achievements; the drive to win is genuinely and deeply entrenched in Z’s character.

CHANNEL SURFING, CLASSROOM RANKINGS, AND INDOOR CYCLING “In my family, it always felt like everything was a competition. From the food we buy from the grocery, to being the first one to wake up to get ‘control’ over the TV remote…everything was a competition,” she reminisces. The pressure to excel was especially felt in terms of learning and academic standing. “In school, I had to be the Top 1 in my class. I never got to be consistently the top of my class, but just in the Top 3 to Top 10. Never not in the roster. Honestly, it was tiring trying to be the first. But I wouldn’t say it didn’t excite me to have competition. I guess, looking back now, I got so used to being in competition.” “I would always try to be the best in what I do, whether it be sports, work, or hobbies,” Z says. Indeed, even in her off-duty universe, this Sun Lifer relished being the first to finish the #ElectricALLINChallenge from Electric Studio, the Philippine pioneer in indoor cycling for full-body fitness. “They came up with this challenge where it’s like a

Bingo card that you have to finish by riding classes with particular instructors or like a different challenge. I finished it in less than three weeks…doing 26 classes in a span of 19 days, 14 days if I take out the days I was in Australia [for the Triple A trip],” Z says with a laugh.

UNDER THE SUNLIGHT, WITH A RADIANCE ALL HER OWN While she deeply admires her mother SUSAN LEE—“my mom is the best of the best”—Z is keen on coming into her own. And it’s not a stretch to project that she will succeed beyond her own expectations. Z is driven by her vision, determination, and love for people (not just clients but especially colleagues, whom she loves treating out). She also has an eye on the corporate goal of contributing to Sun Life’s continuing entrenchment as No. 1. Beyond numbers and stats, though, her burning desire is this: “I want to win a lot more clients’ hearts…hoping that they see how insurance can be so beneficial for them. It’s really about how they can win in life. Everyone gets to the finish line, but it’s about what one leaves behind when they get to the finish line that’s a win for me.” Five million Filipinos insured by Year 2020? It’s a yes for Z: “if everyone just did their own Financial Planning, their own corporate talks to share the beauty of life insurance…. it is attainable. Everyone just has to do the work and insure as many lives as they can in a month, in a year.” Whether from the viewpoint of a horticulturist or that of an Olympic marathon coach, this Lisianthus Team is set to go double- or even triple-flowering, and poised to make more records—heat, humidity, competitors, and all.

ZZLLEENN LEE SEQUOIA NBO

General Manager’s Cup

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PEOPLE

Believe in Yourself

s a child, OWDYLYN “OWDY” LEE did not think of herself as particularly “smart.” But that changed when she experienced an unexpected win. “My mom used to enroll me in a math program called the Sakamoto at the Mother Goose Nursery School,” she recounts. Although annoyed that the lessons took up her precious Saturdays, Owdy was happy to learn new techniques to solve math equations. One day, Mrs. Josephine Yao, the previous Branch Manager of SEQUOIA NBO—perhaps sensing a precocious talent in the young Owdy—suggested that she join a nationwide math competition. To Owdy’s big surprise, she placed fourth in her division. “I wasn’t expecting to place at all so this achievement really boosted my self-esteem,” she says. “That’s when I started to think I actually had the capabilities to do what other smart kids were doing. That’s when I started believing in myself.” Owdy’s success in that one competition was a turning point in her attitude about herself and what she could achieve. “It affected the way I saw myself,” she says. “I realized that people are different. How I do things can be different from what other people might do—and yet I could be successful too.”

OFF TO A GOOD START Success has indeed come early to this 23-year-old who joined Sun Life just three years ago. Since then she has won the Top Advisor award multiple times—in 2016 she bagged the prize for Love Month, President’s Month and the sweetest plum of all: Excellence Awards Top Advisor for the Year. Owdy joined Sun Life in 2014 while she was still in college and decided to go full-time upon graduation the following year. The clincher? The experience of joining a Sun Life trip with her mom, Sequoia Branch Manager SUSAN LEE. “I was in awe of the places we went to!” she recalls. “I wanted to have the experiences my parents had with Sun Life—where you’re working here in the Philippines while at the same time, you get to enjoy other countries once in a while. I wanted to join Sun Life, earn money and do what she does.” Happy to have another daughter on board, Susan guided Owdy through the requirements and training

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necessary to get coded. Then Owdy joined the LISIANTHUS UNIT managed by her sister ZZLLEENN LEE. “She took care of me,” Owdy says.

NO TIME TO WASTE To win the Top Advisor award for 2016, Owdy produced a number of big cases. But she does not shun small cases. “It started with the smaller ones,” she says. “My mom always told me, don’t discount the small wins, and I followed her advice. It’s true; the small wins are important. It’s the small wins that motivate you to reach for bigger cases.” Owdy’s performance is all the more impressive considering that she’s also a law student at the Ateneo de Manila University, her old alma mater. Her days alternate between preparing either for classes or client meetings, managing her schedule to maximize each day. “I hate wasting time, so I always make it a point to be productive” she says. “Being motivated and focused is important for that to happen.”

VERY FULFILLING Winning awards is the icing on the cake, but behind the prestige is a lot of hard work. Owdy says her job entails a lot of pressure. “It pushes me to do better, but it’s very stressful,” she says. On the other hand, the rewards of the job more than make up for it. “The best thing about being with Sun Life is that you know you get to help people because you get to make sure that the lives of your clients are financially secured,” she says. “It’s actually very fulfilling to be able to teach a person the importance of insurance and the importance of investing, saving up for the future. Because you know that you really do help them in the end.” Over the years, Owdy—now definitely one of the “smart kids” she used to envy— has changed her view of winning. “Before it used to be about getting the prize or the top awards, but now I would define winning as having the satisfaction of achieving your goal,” she says. “I might not win all the awards but when I know that within myself I’ve reached my goal and I feel happy about it, it’s when I see that I’ve truly won.”

OWDYLYN LEE SEQUOIA NBO

Top Advisor of the Year

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Staying Committed

hen MEYCAUAYAN ISO kicked off the year in January 2016, they did not set out to compete with other ISOs. They had an ambitious target, and they focused on what they had to do to achieve it. Business Development Manager NICOLO CLARO “NIC” RODRIGUEZ says winning the award for Provincial ISO of the Year came as a pleasant but unexpected surprise. “We are grateful and honored to win the award because we did not expect it,” he says. “We knew that we were consistently growing on all metrics and just focused on our momentum. We did not compare our results versus other ISOs. We focused on making Meycauayan ISO more productive—culture, synergy, learning sessions and expansion by recruiting new advisors and promoting field managers.” The result was impressive: Php 34.4 Million in AFYP compared to a target of  Php 18.7 Million, or 83% more than their objective. At yearend, manpower was 66, with 21 enrolled managers. Ten branches were represented in the ISO. “Our victory is a testament to the winning culture that we have established and the hard work put in by all managers, advisors!” says Nic. Let’s meet Meycauayan ISO’s top five producers— all of them from ROSEWOOD NBO —and hear their winning stories.

MARILYN “MACKY” DIONISIO | Macky Dionisio, Sales Manager of BLUE JAY SALES TEAM, says she was “very competitive” from an early age; she was a consistent honor student. Since becoming a Sun Life Sales Manager in 2013, her team has won the top awards in the national, cluster and branch levels, as well as for ISO. “Meycauayan’s award is a very big achievement for me because I lead the opening and initial operations of the ISO,” she says. “I am also proud that the four winning unit managers in ISO Meycauayan all come from my sales team.” (See related story on page 36.) SOLEDAD “SOL” GELLE | For Unit Manager Sol Gelle, bagging the women’s award for tennis at a church tournament was a most memorable winning experience. “When I think of all my hours of practicing and the days spent on the court—the idea that I won the competition is surreal!” she says. “Despite my doubts, I knew there was no other way but to believe in myself and to trust that I could conquer the game. In every win are countless times of failure and countless hours of practice.” Now that she’s an experienced manager herself, Sol’s concept of winning has evolved from winning for herself to winning for others. “For me, the true sense of winning is seeing my advisors in ROADRUNNER UNIT become 34 SHIN E ! | J A N U A R Y - A P RIL 2 017

managers themselves and inviting more individuals to become advisors and help them have a better life.”

MIRASOL OAREZA | Mirasol Oareza’s earliest win goes way back to her pre-school days. “I joined a tula contest!” recalls the manager of the WAXWING UNIT. “I remember asking my nanay to watch me as I practiced my piece. It hurt to hear her criticisms but I listened to her advice—and I won! Tears fell down my cheeks when the judge called my name. After my win, I began to discover myself more—and I became more.” Mirasol reveals that members of her own family have been loyal clients of Sun Life. “We have always been strong believers of Sun Life—starting from my great-great grandparents,” she says, adding: “I am a beneficiary of my dad. Because I believe in Sun Life 101%, I share my story with my kababayans and how it can also help to improve their lives!” LETICIA “TENG” ENCIO | Unit Manager Teng Encio did not think she had it in her to win a school contest. “In fourth year high school, I was chosen to represent my year at the Miss United Nations competition. I had always considered myself ugly because I was so thin and had curly hair. But I won! I realized that I just lacked confidence and that I had so much potential.” “My love for Sun Life is unconditional,” says this manager of the STELLERS JAY UNIT. “I am now working on recruiting advisors in Zambales for our newly opened ISO there. For a year now, I travel weekly from Caloocan and stay in Zambales for two days each week.” CECILIA “CECILLE” DELA CRUZ | Cecille Dela Cruz, manager of the HOOPOE UNIT, remembers winning a number of bowling competitions in high school. “I won the Most Valuable Player award twice,” she says. “This was a great achievement for me since I was new at the sport and I was able to help beat the long defending champion.” She concludes, “If you really want to excel in something, you must exert effort and spend time to prepare. You must give your best and be determined.” Recently, Cecille was chosen as one of the Triple A awardees. “Winning is being better than what you were before and sharing that victory with others,” she says. “It is the result of shared effort, persistence, and commitment of my whole team.”

STAYING COMMITTED  As of the end of April 2017, Meycauayan ISO has posted a growth of 14% compared to last year. Nic says the team’s focus this year is to enroll new managers and advisors and to win their second Top Provincial ISO award.

MEYCAUAYAN ISO ISO of the Year

“Our victory is a testament to the winning culture that we have established and the hard work put in by all managers, advisors!”

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PEOPLE

Better Than Ever

here have been many highlights in YOLANDA “YOGIE” LEGASPI’s three decades at Sun Life. But in 2016, the Rosewood NBO Manager led her team to achieve an especially spectacular result: Php 102 Million, 10% more than 2015. “Only 4 out of 52 branches in Sun Life Philippines have been able to reach Php 100 Million in AC,” says Yogie. “I’m proud of this achievement because ROSEWOOD NBO is relatively young and all my managers and advisors are homegrown.” Yogie joined Sun Life in 1987, leaving a rewarding job as a CPA at a large multinational firm. After three years as an advisor, she was promoted to unit manager—a position she held for 14 years until she was appointed branch manager of Rosewood NBO in 2004. Sun Life launched its ISO (Inter-branch Sales Offices) program that same year, and Yogie decided to capitalize on the program’s services to facilitate provincial expansion. She made it a major focus of her new team. Today, boasting a manpower of 471, Rosewood requires every new manager to participate in at least one ISO. The strategy has paid off well for the branch. Rosewood has been the top REAP ISO Branch not only in 2016 but also in 2015, 2014 and many other years before. Rosewood’s top five producers for 2016 were MELINDA PAGUIRIGAN, EVANGELINE ALMARINEZ, MARILYN DANILA, EMILIE CAUMBAN, and PAULINE SABRINA ALCASID. Let’s hear the winning stories from some of Rosewood’s managers:

MA. CECILIA “CECILLE” VILLAR | Cecille, who leads the high-performing SKYLARK SALES TEAM , remembers competing and winning a scouting competition in the third grade. “I was pushed by my troop master to compete. In the interview portion, I was asked to say something about scouts. My answer was: ‘A Girl Scout is always prepared. She is ready to help whenever, wherever she is needed. When you serve, willingness is not enough; give your very best, even if the situation is hard and difficult.’ My senior troop master was so proud I won the title that night… but the impact it had on me was not the title, but how the answer I gave that night became part of my philosophy, holding true for me today in my role as Mentor and Financial Advisor.”

MARILYN “MACKY” DIONISIO | A consistent honor student in elementary and high school, Macky says, “I have always been very competitive.” Her BLUE JAY SALES TEAM has consistently won the top awards for ISO as well as in the National, Cluster and Branch Levels. “Our latest victory is winning the Excellence Award for Top

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Provincial ISO for Meycauayan—a big achievement for me personally because I was the lead person in the opening and initial operations of the ISO. In addition to this, the four winning Unit Managers at the ISO all came from my sales team!” Beyond prestige, however, Macky believes winning should be about “making the result of your work significant, bringing others to excellence, and helping people achieve their dreams.” (See related story on page 34.)

MA. PAZ EMILIA “EMBOTT” TUBELLEJA | Winning, for Embott, “is accomplishing what you’ve set for yourself and outdoing your past performance.” A consistent honor student, she has pursued excellence in her endeavors. Her most recent victory? “Winning the Triple A award with a trip for my sales team. I feel so elated about it and grateful to my team for making this possible.” This 27-year Sun Life veteran and manager of the SEAGULL SALES TEAM will continue sharing her best practices as an advisor and manager. She won’t stop letting others know of the good things Sun Life has done for her and her family “so I can inspire other advisors and enable them also to be passionate and dedicated to the Sun Life career.” JOYCELYN “OWELL” SALAS | As a first grader, Joycelyn recalls competing at a Catechism contest during a town fiesta. “I won first place! I received a cash prize, medal, and the crowd’s applause—but nothing was greater than the big, proud smiles of my parents who came on stage to pin my medal. At that moment, I gained confidence, belief, and trust in my own ability.” Owell’s WOODSTAR SALES TEAM has been consistently achieving Platinum level for the quarterly contests. For her, the meaning of winning evolves. “I used to connect it with competition… where the objective is to win.” Today, winning means many things, foremost of which is the joy of seeing her people grow and have better lives, knowing she played a role in this. ALICIA “ALICE” DIMABUYU | For Alice, manager of the CARDINALS UNIT, winning is a daily challenge. “In life, if

you don’t play the game, you don’t win,” she says. “For me, the best game I have played is every journey in life that my family and I experience every day of our lives. Every challenging moment that we survive daily as a family is a win!” Her most recent experience of winning is her husband’s retirement this year. “This is the acid test—to

prepare so well that you can still enjoy the same lifestyle after retirement,” says Alicia. “We made it—we are ready to live on the interest of our investments! Thank you, Sun Life, for all the teachings and guidance.” They’ve walked their talk—and won!

ARMAND “ARMAN” LEGASPI | Arman was class president at his school from the fifth grade onwards. “It taught me leadership and how to care for others.” His most recent winning experience was being 2015 Triple A awardee. “It was very fulfilling as it was a team accomplishment,” says Arman who leads the SUNBIRD UNIT. “It is most gratifying to win as a team because it involves cooperation, dedication and discipline from each member. Winning is personal. It is accomplishing what you have set for yourself as a goal. It does not depend on the circumstance and accomplishment of others. You become a better person each time. While winning is personal, success is something that you can share with others for it to be fulfilling.”

YOLANDA LEGASPI ROSEWOOD NBO

ISO NBM of the Year

NOT ALWAYS SMOOTH For Yogie Legaspi, winning is a process, and it isn’t always smooth. “Being a winner does not mean I never lose, fail or experience any set back,” she says. “To us, winning means we are dedicated to deliver our goal and determined to see it through to the end, regardless of the temporal encumbrances that create distractions in our quest for victory. Winning does not always mean being first. Winning means we are doing better than what we have done before. However challenging the year is, it’s always been a great year for Sun Life. There is no stopping us!”

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PEOPLE

The Winning Habit

“F

or me, winning is a habit,” declares CORAZON “CORIE” MINA, Sales Manager of the now 83-strong CANARY SALES TEAM and winner of the 2016 Top ISO Sales Manager Award. It does seem that Corie is starting to establish a trend—this is the second consecutive year that she has won the same award. “I feel good and happy whenever we achieve our sales team goal,” says Corie. “At the same time we bagged the Excellence Top ISO SM. It means that my team’s effort was rewarded. Everybody was happy because they had achieved their goal.” Corie says she became competitive since joining Sun Life in 1994. After winning the Silver Award for August Champions that first year, she told herself she would win every contest month. As a Sales Manager, she now challenges her advisors to make it a habit to submit at least five applications each month. Here are winning stories from some of the top producers at Team Canary: EMILIE CAUMBAN | While at school, Emilie participated in dance and cheering competitions. “I felt great when my team won because you get the prize and recognition for all the time, effort and hard work you put into it,” she says. As an advisor with the GOLDCREST UNIT, she earned awards as Top Advisor in 2015 and 2016. “Winning for me is setting goals for myself higher than the previous year and working hard to achieve it,” she says. “That definition did not change a bit except that the activity changed over time. This can be applied to any area in my life.” MARY ANN MANALO | For Mary Ann, the big win was finishing her college education despite financial struggles. “The experience taught me to be more patient and determined and not give up on my dreams,” she says. “For me, winning now is not merely competing and winning against others. It is achieving my goals and trying my best to be better in everything I do.” As a Unit Manager, she defines winning by how well she can mentor and inspire her advisors in the SPARROW UNIT to achieve their dreams. She is confident Sun Life will fulfill its long-term objectives. “To achieve it, we need more advisors who will see this career as a mission and a responsibility,” she says. “With their dedication, passion and determination everything is achievable.”

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ROSAURO BAMBILLA | Singing in the school choir led to Rosauro’s first memorable winning experience. “I was proud to be a member of the first choir group in our school to win the national competition, which took place at the CCP!” Rosauro recently relived that sweet moment of victory when his youngest son received his college diploma at the PICC Plenary Hall—the last of his children to graduate. “The moment was precious and overwhelming all at the same time,” he says. “I feel like, at 52, I have finally graduated too!” Today Rosauro defines winning as “gaining or acquiring something through accomplishment.” He is now focused on building their dream house before his three children go on to build their own lives. OSCAR MINA | “I’m not a competitive type of person, as I grew up shy and frail—a built-in introvert,” says Oscar. He didn’t play much with other children but focused instead on competing academically. Later on, he won many company-sponsored competitions, even winning for trips abroad. “I felt the joy of winning and found out that you can enrich yourself and explore boundless possibilities in life which are God’s plan for you,” says Oscar. “It also freed me somewhat from my introversion.” Since joining Sun Life, Oscar has qualified for Macaulay Club membership every year for the last 11 years, and has been a consistent Medallion Awardee each contest month. “For me, winning is working according to God’s plan!” RONALD RAMIREZ | When Ronald was in junior high school, he represented his school at a provincial sports meet, competing in the long jump. He came out on top, besting 12 other school delegations. “I was amazed and very much ecstatic at winning the award,” he says. Ronald continues to participate in sports, and last year won the best playing coach award for his town’s basketball team. “I’m really thankful that at age 48, I can still compete against younger athletes.” These days, Ronald regards winning as more of group or team fulfillment. “I want our sales team to reach an extraordinary achievement, such as being top unit in an ISO category, or branch category, whichever the Creator would let us achieve.”

CORAZON MINA ROSEWOOD NBO

ISO Sales Manager of the Year

ROGER FERNANDEZ | Back in high school, Roger joined a basketball team, competed, and won the championship title. “It brought out the competitiveness in me and boosted my self confidence,” he says. Earlier this year, Roger scored a professional win when he qualified for the MDRT for a second time. “It was a sweet victory, all the prayers and hard work last year paid off!” Roger used to think of winning as simply defeating something or someone in a competition. “Now, winning for me is having a sense of fulfillment and happiness in everything I do. Being a dedicated Financial Advisor of Sun Life and being able to impart my knowledge to every person I have spoken to are winning moments for me now.”

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PEOPLE

The Will to Win

YNTHIA BORJA is no stranger to the pages of Shine!

Magazine and the Sun Life awards stage. She makes it once more to the winners’ circle. This time, as Provincial ISO Unit Manager of the Year in the 2016 Excellence Awards. She has always played to win. Even as a student, Cynthia made sure she had an edge over her peers. “I always read the lesson in advance so every time the professor came to lecture, it was just a review for me,” she recalls. “Class recitations were something I looked forward to and actively participated in.” This resulted in final exam exemptions. Small wins that taught her “every simple step you do will benefit you in the end.”

TURNING DETOURS INTO VICTORY A dentist by profession, Cynthia started out with her own practice which she willingly gave up when her husband was offered a position with a Singapore-based design consultancy company. Some women who choose to give up their own career might have opted to stay home and be a housewife. Not Cynthia. While her kids were in school, she worked as a dental assistant. True, this may not be exactly what she trained for, but she is not one who looks down on any job. To her mind, the experience can only work to her advantage. True enough, her exposure to the practice of dentistry in Singapore helped in building a more lucrative dental practice when she returned to Manila in the early 2000’s.

JOINING THE SUN LIFE FAMILY Cynthia was busy with her practice but she didn’t think twice when her sister asked her to go with her to meet a Sun Life branch manager. She ended up joining the team as well. “I joined because I thought I had nothing to lose. I also took a chance because I wanted to earn extra so I could purchase good quality dentistry equipment.” She was coded in July 2000. Since then, she has become the head of her own team, the TITANIUM STAR UNIT under JARRAH NBO.

TITANIUM RESILIENCE AND RESOLVE Cynthia’s achievements are not limited to her successes as a dentist or as a Sun Life field manager. She has joined the exhilarating, excruciating discipline of distance running. In February of this year, she participated in the 42-km marathon to experience a new high. What is that like? Veteran runner Martine Costello describes the intensity of the experience: “You’re running on guts. On fumes. Your muscles twitch. You throw up.

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You’re delirious. But you keep running because there’s no way out of this hell you’re in, because there’s no way you’re not crossing the finish line. It’s a misery that nonrunners don’t understand.” Cynthia shares, “Qualifying for this run in Laguna was already a win especially since this one needed me to double focus on my goal. I learned that what led me to the finish line are the weeks I spent on daily training,” she shares. Indeed, while the road to the 42-km marathon can be disheartening, Cynthia exhibits the resilience and exceptional strength of titanium, the element after which which she named her team. What Cynthia possesses, she demands from her people. “I expect my agents not to be discouraged by a ‘no’ or a rejection. They should persevere in the financial education of their prospects so that they can eventually appreciate the value of the Sun Life offering. This is winning for me.” The team members of Titanium Star are continuously challenged to live up to high standards. This translates to a sustained effort in spreading the word on the “value and benefits of the Sun Life suite of solutions aimed at protecting one’s loved ones.”

THE REWARDS OF VICTORY Because of her hard work and preparation for every task that comes her way, Cynthia has the luxury to play as hard. Now that her children are grown, she finds time to chill out with her team, taking them on out-oftown trips for bonding time. She believes spending this time is critical if they are to continue being at the top of the game. Members of Team Titanium Star are committed to doing their share in attaining the Sun Life goal of covering the financial needs of five million Filipinos by 2020. Counting on the support that only Sun Life can give, Cynthia is certain this is possible. Again, drawing from her experience in running and finishing the 42-km marathon, Cynthia sagely reminds us, “Not everyone made it to the finish line. Many started but only few finish.” As Boston Marathon champion Jaqueline Gareau put it: “The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop, but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy… It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed.” This will to win is at the core of Cynthia’s exemplary leadership. And it is the reason why we can count on seeing members of Team Titanium Star victorious at the finish line.

CYNTHIA BORJA JARRAH NBO

ISO Unit Manager of the Year

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Cool Changes

hange is a funny thing. On one hand, it can be scary and daunting—all of a sudden, everything that was familiar and safe is no longer there. But on the other hand, many things are new: new faces, places, new opportunities to explore. So when LESANDRA “JOY” GAN’s day-to-day activity no longer required having to prepare breakfast, take the kids to school, and all the other things she used to do as the mom/homemaker, she faced the question of what to do with the sudden abundance of time. Joy grew up in Cagayan de Oro to an entrepreneurial family which ran a real estate company. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts from Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Joy went back to Cagayan de Oro to work in the family business. Shortly after, she got married (to husband, Paul), and became a mother to three boys. But now, all three children - twins Matthew and Christian (now age 14), and Lanz Patrick (age 10)—are quite grown up, and Joy finds herself having more time on her hands than she usually did.

LESSONS FROM HIGH SCHOOL Some might have settled to keeping the status quo and simply resign themselves to inactivity. But Joy has always been a person of action and one who embraced challenges. Ever since she could remember, she has always been competitive. In high school when she competed in an interschool oratorical contest, Joy won second place. But this left her quite dissatisfied because she practiced so hard. From that experience, she learned a lesson that still holds true for her this day: To win, you have to be a constant learner and be very good at what you do. And in the spirit of constant learning, Joy set out on her next adventure. She has been familiar with Sun Life for the longest time because her sisters MAY LEAH LIM (Sales Manager, RED WILLOW) and DIANNE LIM (Unit Manager, RED LILY) were successful, high performers at Sun Life under the leadership of their cousin, RED SPRUCE branch manager MA. CHRISTINE CHAN-LEE. Christine happens to be the daughter of REDWOOD NBO’s much esteemed leader MARY CHAN. Indeed, one could say that the Bright Life of Sun Life runs in the family. In 2014, Leah invited Joy to join the team and Joy quickly found the new role was a good fit for her. She shares, “For one thing, there’s no fixed work-hours and I have the leeway to set my own targets.” With her winning attitude paired with a background in sales, Joy just knew she could do great things as a Sun Life advisor.

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LIKE A DUCK TO WATER Not long after, Joy started hitting her stride in a big way. She reached Platinum 1 Million for August Champion and Platinum 2 Million for President’s Month in December 2016. She qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) consistently since 2014. And despite being a difficult year because of election uncertainties, 2016 turned out to be a banner year for her when she surpassed her self-imposed target of Php 3 Million. Because of this, Joy qualified for the Leaders’ Conference in Krakow, Poland in April this year. When asked about her view of success, Joy shares, “I see success coming from a wide range of opportunities. No case is too small or too big. I don’t think you should limit yourself to just one type of client. You should be ready to work with all clients—singles, millennials, professionals, married couples with kids, or business entrepreneurs and owners. Each one has a unique need, and it’s an opportunity to serve!” Joy makes sure her product offerings are tailored to each client’s needs. She finds that the Sun Flexilink with the Critical Illness Benefit/Hospital Income Benefit is a hot item for millennials and single professionals, while Maxilink products like Maxilink Prime, Maxibright, Maxilink1 resonates well with married couples and business owners. But not all days are rainfalls of sales. There are times when Joy struggles to find new leads and opportunities for new businesses. But tapping on her attitude for winning, she’s set her mind to be constantly vigilant in seeking opportunities to help people with their financial planning needs. Furthermore, by being always open to listening to people, she finds she further cultivates the people-person side of her. This translates well not just to clients and colleagues, but to her family as well. “I find that I’ve become more patient and understanding of people before I took this job on. I guess you can say not only have others benefitted from my work in Sun Life, I have become a better person because of it too!” We’ve always heard the story of something potentially scary turning out to be a boon and gift. The common lesson of stories like those is that one needs to be brave enough to embrace the change and make it one’s own. Joy did just that, and because of it, is making a bright life in the present, and securing an even brighter future for herself, her family, and her clients.

LESANDRA JOY GAN RED SPRUCE NBO

ISO Advisor of the Year

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PEOPLE

A Habit of Winning

o win once, especially in a fiercely contested battle, is already an achievement. To win repeatedly, at practically every competition and award-giving season, sends the message that one has made a habit out of winning. NANCY BALUYUT—who is best known as the Sun Lifer who has qualified to the elite Million Dollar Round Table for 31 years straight—is one such habitual winner. And she has once again proven her mettle as she leads the CYPRESS NBO in capturing the 2016 Excellence Awards as Top NBO of the Year for Mutual Fund, a distinction the team has owned in the past six consecutive years. Nancy acknowledges that “2016 was a tough year … the market was down and volatile.” Yet, she and her team has survived and made it to the top. Among her strongest producers were: SHIRLEY ANG, SALVADOR VALBUENA, REBECCA ANN SY, BEN WAY TAN and ANNE CHUA.

CYPRESS NBO: A TEAM OF WINNERS Nancy has time and again proven her theory that a winning team is created by recruiting WINNERS. Today, four of Nancy’s victors share their stories. SALVADOR “DOY” VALBUENA | A 5-time Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) Top of the Table awardee, Doy got his first taste of winning at school declamation and debate competitions. He shares, “These two awards raised my confidence to speak before a crowd, a skill I take pride in to this day.” Victories are celebrated by giving thanks to the Almighty first, and then coming together with family for simple dinners and trips abroad. Committed to the Sun Life goal of raising the bar on financial literacy among Filipinos, Doy is aiming for the Advisor of the Year award. “Winning is being able to achieve one’s goals far above expectations and being able to inspire others to do the same.” REBECCA ANN “BECCA” SY | Becca learned that “a group of people with a commitment to one another, to a common goal, and to a common vision contributes greatly to success” when her group bagged first place at their church’s summer youth conference. As head of LAKE PROVIDENCE UNIT, she continues to practice that team spirit, taking pride in winning the #OneUnit in Cypress award. “It sure feels good to win but we have to work hard and keep getting better. That is our focus for the next round!” Becca believes that preparing well is essential to winning. Her top sellers undergo periodic refresher sessions on how to manage prized Sun Life clients. In turn, they are expected to train rookies.

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For her, winning is being “dedicated to your goal … determined to see things through regardless of distractions.” ANNE CHUA | Winning is so ingrained in Anne that she is hard-pressed to remember the first time she tasted victory. “I don’t remember [winning at a competition] because I was brought up to believe that I had to work hard for what I wanted—and I usually get what I work hard for.” This work ethic has served Anne well for the better part of the past two decades with Sun Life as she consistently qualifies for Leaders’ Conferences and other incentives. As manager of the LAKE BIKAL UNIT, Anne defines winning thus: “When I have transferred my attitude and helped someone grow.” Today, she recognizes the tenacity inherent in Sun Life advisors. A will to win that she believes will lead the financials giant realize its goal of insuring 5 Million Filipinos by Year 2020. ROSANNA “SUSAN” VIDAL | “Winning is achieving set goals and aspirations, and inspiring others to do the same.” This is Susan’s belief. Her first taste of besting competition came as a grade schooler who joined spelling bees and declamation contests. She has never lost her penchant for coming out on top. As manager of the LAKE GALILEE UNIT and an integral player in Cypress NBO’s success, Susan sees herself spreading the good news of the Money for Life Program,

NANCY BALUYUT CYPRESS NBO

MF NBO of the Year

“with the end in view of [targeted clients] getting a policy based on their needs.” And with zealous dedication, she supports Sun Life’s vision of insuring 5 Million Lives by 2020. “We continue to take care and culture our relationships with our clients and convert them into our companions and champions / endorsers.”

SUSTAINING THAT WINNING STREAK As the Cypress NBO moves forward to conquer the second half of 2017 and beyond, Nancy has this to say: “Our MF clientele are largely High Net Worth individuals and Institutional accounts. And it gets more exciting every year knowing that we are able to help our clients make their investments grow.”

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PEOPLE

Thinking out of the Box

t the end of 2016, VANESSA LUGUE-CASTRO and her team found themselves exceeding their Mutual Fund (MF) sales targets. The feat was the first step in her expansion strategy moving forward into 2017. “I thought going after the nationwide top awards was a fantastic way to make a statement before we formally branched out in January 2017,” Vanessa shares her “bright idea”. Her strategy of inclusion is seen in the way she manages her team, where every member is considered crucial to its successes. “Our team does not rely on big hitters. We all contributed to the completion of our target. Even advisors who had hit their quotas played their part.” It is seen in the team’s diverse portfolio of MF clients. Vanessa has done her part in making mutual funds more appealing to a wider market. Apart from corporations, she has targeted employees, entrepreneurs, and professionals. And they have responded by investing in Equity, Balanced Fund, Dollar Advantage, and Dollar Wellspring.

AN UNDAUNTED SPIRIT To be a mother at a time when friends are on the verge of living for the moment can crush the dreams of every other young person. Not Vanessa. Married and a mother at 21 years old, she knew how disappointed her parents were. But she turned her circumstances into her motivation. “I wanted to prove to them that all was not lost, that I can still be the woman they envisioned me to be,” she recalls. “I saw how successful my sister LYNLEE (LUGUEVILLALUZ) and my uncle RAUL ALVAREZ (Branch Manager, MAGNOLIAWOODS NBO) were, and I thought I wanted to be like them.” Lynlee was instrumental in recruiting Vanessa into Sun Life and was her original Unit Manager when she was coded in October 1997. A few years later, Vanessa went through more trying times when Lynlee passed away at a very young age. She believes God found a way into turning this tragedy into an opportunity for Vanessa—close friend DIANE PERFECTO (Branch Manager of COTTONWOOD NBO), assumed Lynlee’s position and mentored Vanessa on her way to becoming Unit Manager and, eventually, Sales Manager of the MONARCH SALES TEAM.

BIRTHING A NEW BRANCH True to her vision, Vanessa was promoted in January of 2017 to head the 60-strong CANNONBALL NBO (See related story on page 81.). And the team lost no time in making

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its presence felt. This newbie branch spelled S-U-C-CE-S-S at the end of the first quarter of 2017. “Hitting the Q1 branch target is an affirmation that branching out was the way to go, to grow!” Vanessa triumphantly proclaims. As she receives the Excellence Award for Top Sales Manager in MF nationwide, Vanessa can only say, “It is certainly rewarding! We stretched ourselves to the limit and this made us feel triumphant.”

MAKING THINGS HAPPEN Whatever triumphs Vanessa currently enjoys, she attributes to setting goals. Her first taste of a significant win came when she was selected to join the Annual Leaders’ Conference in Prague. “I realized then I can be big, that all things are possible if one truly desires something. From then on, I aimed for greater goals. I became more creative in finding ways to make things happen.

WINNING FOR OTHERS, WINNING FOR SUN LIFE If Vanessa first strove to win to prove herself, she has now gone beyond this. “More than the pride and material gain that winning brings, winning is knowing one has touched many lives by passionately giving all of one’s self. This is why I am moved every day to wake up, work, and give my best.” She believes victories are celebrations in themselves, marked by something as simple as dining out with family and her Cannonball team. Vanessa has a very strong belief in the Company that has been her home and lifeblood for decades. She stands firm in her faith that Sun Life will remain the top financial services company in the country for many years to come and will achieve its goal of 5 million clients by 2020. “This vision has been set. And this has resulted in strategy that covers all bases—media exposure, sales incentives and promos for the sales force, and massive training to equip advisors for more effective client facing. All our actions are aligned to meet the goal.” This year, Vanessa hopes to hit her quarterly targets in all aspects: Manpower, AC (in Life and Mutual Fund), and in Single Pay. Baby steps from a baby branch. “Because achieving targets converts to growth and growth is the number one factor to retain the Number 1 crown.”

VANESSA LUGUE-CASTRO COTTONWOOD NBO

MF Sales Manager of the Year

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A Winning Powerhouse

EA GOLPE and her ROYAL EAGLE UNIT accomplished an impressive 400% overachievement on their 2016 target. Their secret? A powerhouse team and a lucrative corporate account, Lea says. Leading her team of winners are: ADALIA SORIANO, RIZALITA ROBEL, ZENAIDA JIMENEZ, JASON IMPERIO and ANABELLE TOREVILLA. All together, they catered to a clientele mix consisting of companies, professionals, entrepreneurs, employees, retirees and millennials, to whom they diligently offered bond fund and balanced fund, their bestsellers. “I just did what I needed to do and winning is but a bonus. Every single day, I thank the Lord in advance for all the blessings that He is about to give for that day. This is really God’s blessing beyond my imagination,” Lea says. She has a lean but mean manpower count: 21 for Life and 12 for Mutual Fund. 2016 has been a challenging year for her team. Some of her advisors needed to quit due to health concerns of family members. But 2017 is proving to be better. She is gunning for greater wins this year. “We hope to hit our Triple A target, grow our team’s manpower both in SLOCPI and SLAMCI, and grow our Mutual Fund AC too,” she says. A winning attitude was her parent’s legacy to her. Her father modeled it to her so well. Despite his handicap, being an amputee, he managed to support his family by driving his own jeep. Her mother did her share by raising a small piggery in their backyard. “The impact of my hard-working parents in my life cannot be measured. I will forever be grateful to God for making them my parents,” Lea shares. Through their positive influence, she learned to value discipline and hard work. Here’s a peek at four of her advisors and their personal winning experiences.

RIZA ROBEL | has a Gold medallion for Love Month 2017 and is a second time International Quality Awardee. “These two recent awards are very important to me—the Love Month result, especially—because I failed and broke my being consistent as an awardee since 2013.” It reminded her not to be complacent and “that we should always focus and be ready to cope with the different challenges along the way.” For Riza, winning is no longer just receiving awards. “They are a bonus to my passion and hard work. Most importantly, winning is gaining the trust and confidence of all my valued clients as they continually refer their family members and friends to me. Winning also means achieving the goals I have set, that is, to help more Filipinos have a brighter future—which is what I want to win most.” JASON IMPERIO | defines winning as more of conquering what’s within, more than what’s on the outside. 48 SHIN E ! | J A N U A R Y - A P RIL 2 017

“Winning against your fears, self-limiting beliefs and especially winning with your self gives a sense of accomplishment and happiness,” Jason believes. To concretely help Sun Life continue winning and keeping the Number One crown, he plans on having as much scheduled meetings as possible, by approaching 10 clients per day. He will also approach companies to get their accounts. He sincerely believes that attaining the audacious goal of insuring 5 Million Filipinos by the Year 2020 is attainable. He thinks this can be done by establishing the brand, by being aggressive in marketing, and by creating ads that capture people’s attention. ZENAIDA JIMENEZ | is a Gold Medallion qualifier at the recent Love Month. “I am grateful because I was able to close 17 Lives, my highest number of applications produced in a contest month from an individual presentation,” she says. “At this stage in my life, winning for me refers to not just winning in a competition and in a career alone. As I mature in life, winning means winning in all areas of my life – spiritual, family, finances, relationship, fulfillment, career and health. I want to touch many lives in my lifetime, to be winning in my role, my mission, and my calling from God.” ANABELLE TOREVILLA | Her first winning experience was a Mathematics Quiz Bee competition, Division level, at 5th grade. “It was a remarkable experience,” she recalls, especially since all but she and one contestant remained after the very difficult first-level question. “The two of us smiled at each other and shook hands. Because of overwhelming excitement I felt at that moment, I landed at second place.” These days, winning for Anabelle is no longer quantitative. “It is not about the medals or awards or titles that I will get. It is more about satisfaction and fulfillment. What I want the most to have is winning through a balanced life—not winning on the career side but losing on the health or family side. This way I could be contented and fulfilled.” These days, winning means many things to Lea: “When I see my children growing up to be God-fearing people, having the wisdom to know what is right and what is wrong, having the values that will help them become better person and seeing their light shine on others… when my children begin to value discipline and hard work… when my teammates become Medallion qualifiers, a manifestation of their winning attitude—these are small wins for me.” Small wins that add up and grow to big wins down the road. Bravo, Lea, and the winning Royal Eagle Team!

LEA ROSARIO GOLPE MULBERRY NBO

MF UM of the Year

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PEOPLE

The Winning Experience

kay, a small dose of cliché never hurt anyone, so here goes: “Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.” That, from the late great W. Clement Stone, who lived 100 years, and had begun his calling in insurance at the tender age of 16, helping his mother in the agency she had opened in Chicago in 1918. Perhaps—judging from either his (close to a century of) experience, or his success in business, or his longstanding marriage—Mr. Stone was on to something, cliché and all. Perhaps, too, gleaning from the career trajectory of Mr. ERIC TAN, SLAMCI Top Mutual Fund Advisor (yes, again), there are gold nuggets to be gained about discerning which are the truly huge and important prizes in life, and how aiming for those somehow leads to catching other prizes along the way. Let’s find out, shall we?

NOT AIMING, BUT HITTING JUST THE SAME Truth be told, Eric personally has difficulty recalling the exact number of times he has won the Top MF Advisor accolade; after all, while he has been fairly consistent in winning, he has been almost equally consistent in not consciously aiming for it in the first place. Nonetheless, the awards do make him feel appreciated for all the hard work he keeps putting in, day after day. And to think that in his estimation, 2016, in general, and the first quarter of 2017, have not been that good for him. But he perseveres nonetheless. This is the same professional who believes that “genius will only bring you up to a certain level, but persistence is next to being invincible.” Echoing Seth Godin’s pertinent question for those struggling or hitting blank walls—“Is this a dip or a dead-end?”—Eric advises that “if you’re not sure you’re on the right path, set parameters on how long you’re going to stay...” cautioning that one should be careful to not give up just before the much-welcome inflection point. For Eric, his track in SLAMCI and the mutual funds advisor profession is strongly entrenched, and going and going and going. His drive is not fueled by momentary boosts from winning such accolades, however. Instead, Eric has always had a deep respect for the abiding value of humble daily toil. In the same measure, rather than citing any other recent experience of victory, Eric chooses to focus on “small little triumphs daily.” And that’s perhaps his Winning Secret No. 1: aiming for the daily wins—over apathy, over adversity, over inertia, over mediocrity—and snagging the biggies just the same.

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SEEKING RELIEF? “HOLD THE HEADACHE TABLETS; PASS ME THAT AWARD!” With a characteristic economy of words, Eric sums up his first experience of competing, then winning, (“perhaps, as a child, at home, or in school, or at work… and what impact it had on you”): Elation. Sports, Relief. Fast forward to his latest Top MF Advisor award, and Eric—for whom “the winning means relief that it is finally over”—felt the same thing when he heard the news: “welcome relief.” So, this must be Winning Secret No. 2: Keep it lowkey. The award seems more of an afterthought, and a form of stress relief. And this rather feet-on-the-ground attitude protects him, it seems, from the trap of either pride or complacency. It’s closely related to what appears to be his Winning Secret No. 3: Eyes on the bigger and more important prizes. Starting with the precious ones that don’t adorn shelves, but adorn his dining table: his beloved family. At this stage of Eric’s life, the real winning that matters for him is summed up in four simple words: “Focus on the family.” No wonder, then, that his celebrations are equally low key, “simple treats,” as he puts it: a “good dinner, a round of golf, etcetera.” That said, would-be achievers might be keen to learn other secrets from him. Eric candidly shares his simple strategy: “Build, Build, Build Networks!” This ties in neatly with Eric’s constant emphasis on building longterm relationships, founded on a bedrock of trust, with one’s investors. It’s not surprising, then, that the biggest contributor to his success this year was repeat business.

AND BIGGIE NO. 2 IS… The description of his client bases’ demographics provides a clue to the other “biggie” (apart from family) that occupies front and center of Eric’s efforts: the larger vision to help Sun Life continue winning in terms of spreading the good news of financial health (through investments, in Eric’s case). Eric sees his specific contribution to that goal as threefold: 1. Sell, Sell, Sell; 2. Teach; 3. Develop. To that end, Eric, with his penchant for half-time assessments and recalibration, hopes to accomplish “More, More, More” in the remainder of 2017, and is keen on winning more business. Given the “how-far-we’ve-come-versus-how-farwe’ve-to-go” picture of mutual funds investments uptake in the Philippines (with 2016 increases of

ERIC TAN SLAMC DIRECT

Top MF Advisor of the Year 5.5 percent over 2015, according to some reports, citing total assets under management as metrics; but with only 316,000 accounts), Eric has a lot of work to do. And he certainly does not relish the prospect of doing it all by his lonesome. Hoping for more people to “step up soon” (and actively join the ranks of both new and accomplished mutual fund advisors), Eric is keen to see more Filipinos—yes, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, male and female, entrepreneurs, professionals, employees—going into mutual funds investing, optimizing its advantages, and reaping its benefits. In the meantime, he bids a polite goodbye to end the interview, and rushes off to his next season of small daily triumphs, potentially reaching another career achievement by not reaching for it. And proving W. Clement Stone’s cliché true once again.

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Always Moving Up

f all people, EIREN LEE would know that the best teachers are those that find ways to make lessons relevant to daily life – framing mundane theory in practical ways, and ensuring classroom activities correspond closely to real-life situations. As an experienced teacher, both in and out of the classroom, Eiren will be the first to tell you that ‘head knowledge’ is not enough. To be a true success, one needs to be bold enough to apply what they know, and keep practicing to get better. Eiren is 50 years old, a mother of two, and wife to husband Arthur. She teaches Chinese, and has been doing so for nearly 10 years. Eiren is also a Sun Life Mutual Fund Advisor. And despite having only started less than two years ago, Eiren turns out to be quite good at financial advising. Evidence of that is her winning the Top Mutual Fund Rookie award in 2016, her very first year in the business. Winning the award was quite an experience for Eiren. She said, “It was the first time I won anything as big as that; it came with a big trophy! That was awesome.” When asked about how she managed that much success in a short period of time, she shares, “Concepts like mutual funds and equity markets can be intimidating if you don’t understand them. And as a teacher, I know it’s easy to be afraid of what you don’t understand. So what I do is translate these complex and intimidating concepts into more relatable ideas for my clients.”

ALWAYS TARGET HIGHER GOALS As a teacher, Eiren also knows winning is not something that happens by chance. It is a result of tenacity and a commitment to working hard. This lesson stems from way back in her days as a college student. “Nothing good is ever handed out to you just like that. You have to work hard for it. In college, a classmate of mine got exempted from paying tuition because he was a consistent dean lister. I knew if I worked just as hard as he did, I could also get the exemption for myself. It wasn’t easy, but I worked very hard and, eventually, I was able to attain my goal.” The drive to always work hard never left Eiren, and is not likely to happen. One would think that to be a successful advisor for mutual funds, the key is to only focus only on high net worth individuals. But if you ask Eiren, she thinks differently. “I don’t think you should

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exclude anyone as a client, whether you perceive them as big, medium, or small cases; or if they’re single, married with kids, or grandparents.” She continues to point out parallelisms to her role as a teacher. “When you’ve taught as many students as I have, you learn a lot about perceptions. Someone who looks like they have everything going for them—the right family name, book smarts, or exceptional physique—may not be a true or lasting success in the long run. Conversely, someone who was always overlooked by his peers and teachers might turn out to be the major success. You really can’t make judgements on the basis of first impressions.”

ALWAYS KEEPING SHARP Another similarity Eiren pulls from her teaching experience into her Sun Life career is a love for learning and constantly driving for the next goal post. “When I teach, I don’t do it just so my students will score well on tests and reflect well on me as a good teacher. I think the more important aspect of a teacher’s work is to help my students discover the joy of the learning. And I carry that into my role as a financial advisor.” She continues, “So while getting the award was a big win, I don’t think there’s time to celebrate too much. There’s just so much left to learn and achieve! In fact, I haven’t done anything major to celebrate my award yet!” From her last interview, Eiren shared that her biggest challenge was learning how to be more confident in approaching people from different backgrounds. She shares that while she feels she has made major strides towards being comfortable, she thinks a little bit of discomfort is not necessarily a bad thing. “I don’t think I’d want to be 100 percent confident all the time. I think being too confident has its drawbacks. It makes you careless and complacent. I would rather be just a bit unsure – maybe about 1 or 2 percent—so that I’m always sharp and on my toes.” When listening to Eiren, you’ll learn that her perspective of winning is simply more than just reaching a goal. She shares, “For me, learning by doing is already a prize in itself. That’s why I take my Sun Life career seriously. I’ve been given a great opportunity to do something I’m good at, help clients secure a better future for themselves, and I get paid well for it. How is that not a prize? And how can you not keep working hard for it?”

EIREN LEE PALM NBO

MF Rookie of the Year

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FOR

YEARS

LETTYCEDAR L. LACSON NBO Doing Her Best for 9,125 Days, and Beyond

hhh…Million Dollar Round Table. Nothing quite sounds like it; indeed, for the over 40,000 members of the 90-yearold premier association of life insurance agents and financial advisors worldwide, the MDRT is the seal of excellence nonpareil. Out of those 90 years, the last 25 have been marked by phenomenal changes and incredibly challenging times such as the Asian financial contagion and the global economic crisis.

All of which failed to stop LETTY LACSON from doing her best every single day—for roughly 9,125 days—and thus qualifying to the MDRT for 25 consecutive years.

The Distance Between Free Lunches and the Top of the Table To think that 30 years ago, Letty was really willing to let go of the opportunity, and had only finally signed up because, as she puts it, “I had several free lunches from BELLE BORROMEO (to whom her ”recruiter” Mon Enriquez had endorsed Letty) that I was so embarrassed not to join.” When she finally did join Sun Life, it didn’t take long for her to qualify to the MDRT. Even so, Letty admits, “I didn’t initially see the importance of the membership and I was not sure I would stay in the career.” Since then, she’s always kept her personal goals and standards high enough such that she meets the MDRT production requirements, even if there may have been times she was not too conscious about the numbers. “Currently, (my) personal goals are

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parallel to the MDRT standard,” Letty says, and despite the repeated MDRT qualification, she says each day still comes with a fresh supply of excitement—no fastfading thrill here.

The World’s Most Consistently Winningest Fluke? Having made it to the Court of the Table (COT) for several years, Letty finally broke through to the Top of the Table (TOT) rankings in 2011. However, she had one concern: to prove to herself that it wasn’t a fluke, a flash in the pan (or, the Pinoy’s concept of “tsamba!”). Focused on serving her wide range of clientele (covering demographics from baby boomers to millennials), Letty has since then consistently hit the TOT targets. Perhaps that consistency is made all the more amazing when one learns that Letty describes herself as “not competitive. I simply do the best I can, (in) whatever work I am assigned,” she says. She is also not into non-stop drudgery, knowing how to celebrate with special treats for herself, or bringing her family to a vacation.

Target: 3,650 Days of Contributing to No. 1 What is it that she sees as her possible concrete contribution to help Sun Life continue winning and keeping the crown as No. 1? “Continue my pace of working for at least 10 more years…giving the Company the proper representation by being welltrained, well-educated, and well-informed,” is Letty’s one-day-at-a-time-but-good-forthe-long-haul vision and commitment. Does she sincerely believe that the audacious goal of insuring 5 million Filipinos by the Year 2020 is attainable? Yes, she does. And while Letty describes 2017 as a bit challenging, one can almost expect that—given her penchant for doggedly learning about products, doing her homework meticulously, and putting in her utmost everyday—this year will end for her as another 12 months marked by a daily dose of excellence. A dose that’s enough to take her all the way to the Top of the Table, again and again and again.

The Most Respected Advisor or MRA is a regional recognition campaign which seeks to differentiate Sun Life Advisors from the competition. Here are the men and women from our Agency Force who exemplify the MRA core principles of Caring, Professional, Inspiring, and Winning.

BRAVO! YOU DO US PROUD.

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FEDERICO DELA PEÑA III EUCALYPTUS NBO

2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 1

Caring

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Touching Hearts T

o care for another person is to be concerned for his well being, to understand his needs, and to put oneself in service of those needs. Often, caring comes from a person’s own experience of want, and the compassion that he develops because of it. It demands an undivided heart to be considerate, kindhearted, and sympathetic. The first quarter’s Most Respected Advisor (MRA) awardee for “Caring” is a forty-year-old Unit Manager, FEDERICO “RICO” M. DELA PEÑA III, a man whose own experience of abandonment and loss in childhood have helped him empathize deeply with others in need.

Transformed Heart

“I grew up in a broken family,” says Rico. “My father left us when I was still a child. My mother had another baby with a man who would beat her up badly. I grew up insecure and would always want attention since I felt rejected by my father.” After both Rico’s biological and stepfather died, there was no one left to support the family. To make both ends meet, Rico’s mother left him and his half-brother in the care of their grandmother. She left for Hong Kong to work as a domestic helper, to sustain them in their studies. These dreadful events of their lives made him grasp that life is indeed full of challenges. These tough circumstances bred in Rico a desire to be the best he could be, to help his mother, and to honor her sacrifices. He drove himself to excel in every possible way at school—as a consistent honor student, as editor-in-chief of the school organ, as a varsity swimmer, as orator, as CAT officer. His proudest moment was having his mother come home for his high school graduation and have her pin the Valedictorian’s medal on his chest. While in college at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Rico met a preacher who helped him see the source and succor of his pain. “It dawned on me that I was full of bitterness and rage against my father,” he says. “My rebellious heart was eager to show him that he was wrong, so I was craving to be the best at all times. I gave up my life to the lordship of Jesus Christ that day, and life hasn’t been the same. I started to release all the anger and rage against my father that has been debilitating me through the years. I became free of bondage of bitterness.” Rico had a transformed heart.

Turning Point

After graduating with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Food Technology in 1997, Rico chalked in a series of jobs in the corporate world—first with UP Biotech Institute, then Jollibee Foods Corporation, and eventually Nestle Philippines, Inc. He then explored business and got involved in a network marketing company; this period was marked with “financial turmoil.” Rico says he didn’t have the knowledge to handle neither his finances nor how to handle

credit cards at that time. His debts piled up, and he looked for opportunities to change the situation. While seeking ways to get out of debt, Rico met a Sun Life Unit Manager, ROSEMARIE VILLANUEVA, at a financial forum. Her message on financial planning was a light bulb moment for Rico. He approached her after the talk and soon became a Sun Life advisor, initially on a part-time basis, but a horrendous experience with a client convinced Rico to go full time. This client was a 27-year-old woman who bought insurance to give back to her parents, hoping to use the funds that will be accumulated to rebuild their dilapidated house. Like Rico’s mother, her parents had sacrificed everything to send their children through school. After much discussion, he persuaded her—despite her initial resistance— to invest in the maximum amount he believed she needed. Days later, just as he was about to deliver the approved contract, Rico received a phone call from the client’s sister. She had died in a car accident. “I had the shock of my life,” said Rico. “I recalled our conversations. Had I not stood my ground and insisted on what was right for her, it would have been a disaster. The day came to deliver the cheques to her parents. The amount was doubled because her death was due to an accident. I told them I couldn’t give back the life of their precious daughter, but what I had in my hands was a testament to how their daughter loved and valued them. Their eyes were full of grief and gratitude at the same time. I knew at that point this was the career I would have for the rest of my life. It’s a noble profession.” This particular experience gave him a new perspective on the industry, from being hesitant to becoming a believer of Life Insurance.

Listening is Caring

Rico became dedicated with his profession and was able to pay off his debts gradually. He was then promoted to Management Candidate, and was able to share his advocacy to others. His earnings also provided the funds to wed the woman of his dreams, to buy a car, and to travel to many places. In January 2014, Rico was promoted to Unit Manager. The team of 25 has been a consistent Medallion qualifier each quarter and has been recently recognized as a Triple A Unit. “It’s definitely not smooth sailing,” says Rico, “but the bumps along the way have made me a stronger person. My goal is to train and equip them so that they too can equip others.” Rico hopes to be a Sales Manager in the next couple of years and eventually a Branch Manager. “I do not claim to have mastered a certain skill or ability but I would like to believe that I have developed—and continue to develop—the skill of listening,” says Rico. “I firmly believe that it is when we listen that we can show people that we truly care. It is an integral part of our profession and it is one of the keys in touching the hearts of our clients.”

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A Man with a Purpose C

aring. A word that we rarely think applies to businessmen; nor is it something a manager thinks of as a requirement when recruiting new advisors. But “caring” applies to 49-yearold ARIEL MAÑALAC, manager of the LAKE EAGLE UNIT under CYPRESS NBO—and he is an MRA awardee for just that. Here’s a story that proves it: In 1996, Ariel closed a Sun Primer Plan for Php 1 Million to a young man in his mid-twenties. He and his wife had what appeared to be a successful car repair business, and the plan’s annual premium was well within their means. But after a few years of regular payments, the couple decided they had other priorities and wanted to stop. Ariel tried to change their minds, but they could not be dissuaded. Shortly after, they changed their address without informing Ariel and he lost contact with the couple. Meanwhile, Ariel studied the policy and realized it had accumulated sufficient cash and dividends that he could avoid canceling it by putting it into autopremium loan mode. Years later, he chanced upon the client’s wife in his own neighborhood. She was now a widow working part-time as a real-estate broker, and in a challenging financial situation, so far removed from her former station. “Right after she left our place, I immediately reviewed her husband’s policy and felt excited when I found out that it was still in force because of the auto-premium loan,” says Ariel. He worked with the Claims Department, supplying whatever requirements they needed. He also requested that, if approved, he could deliver the check before Christmas. The claim came through. “My client’s wife was so surprised and thankful when I delivered the check to her three days before Christmas. She was about to collect an advance rental from the tenant leasing the space where their car repair shop used to be just so her family could have a proper Noche Buena. She was so grateful to receive this unexpected blessing.”

Caring = Sincerity

A graduate of Business Administration at the University of Santo Tomas, Ariel is married to Genny. They are parents to Pocholo, 20 and Gianna, 18. Before joining Sun Life, Ariel was a bank teller for five years at the Far East Bank and Trust Company. He started off as a part-time advisor at Sun Life in 1993—initially with FLAMETREE NBO and later with Cypress NBO under Branch Manager NANCY BALUYUT. In 2012 he was promoted to Unit Manager of Lake Eagle, which currently has 15 direct and four indirect advisors.

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“Winning this award is an affirmation that where I am right now is where God wanted me to be,” says Ariel. “Caring cannot be quantified in terms of figures but in sincerity. When I am with clients, I try to visualize as if I’m in their position so I can come up with the most practical solution, based on their capacity and actual needs.”

“Stop Selling, Start Sharing”

After almost a quarter century in the industry, Ariel believes he has mastered “the art and science of presentation and closing.” In fact, he has pioneered a new approach to presentations: the “ask:20 system” According to Ariel, “It’s a system wherein a non-believer of life insurance can be converted into a believer within 15 minutes and the prospect wouldn’t feel that you are selling them something because you are merely sharing a concept.” He adds, “It is now being used by many financial advisors because it makes their job easier.” Ariel has been busy sharing his system with different branches through a talk he calls “Stop Selling, Start Sharing.” Just this March, he gave a talk to an audience of about 500 advisors from different companies for the Life Underwriters Association of the Philippines (LUAP). But while Ariel is pumped about being able to reach so many advisors with his empowering message, the challenge has been to find enough time for his recruitment activities—a key priority for his own team. In fact, recruiting good advisors and having Lake Eagle evolve into a branch is next on Ariel’s list of skills to master. For 2017, he hopes to enlist more leaders for the team and to open more ISOs in different regions.

Goal vs Purpose

Expansion plans, sharing new presentation concepts with young advisors, helping a widow beyond anything she could have expected—behind it all is a man whose deep sense of caring is based on his own sense of purpose. “There is a difference between having a goal and having a purpose,” says Ariel. “I would like to use the bee as an analogy. Isn’t the goal of a bee to make honey? But how does a bee make honey? By going from one flower to another flower. In doing that, they are not aware that they are actually helping in the pollination of the flowers. And that is the purpose of their existence—to pollinate flowers. Just like at the start of my career, I joined this industry with the goal to earn money but, in effect, I’m actually helping a lot of families in protecting them and educating them about the importance of financial literacy—and that is my purpose.”

ARIEL MAÑALAC CYPRESS NBO

2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 1

Caring

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ROSANNA “SUSAN” VIDAL CYPRESS NBO

2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 1

Caring

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A Lesson in Caring Often, financial advisors deal with clients in very pragmatic, businesslike ways. But sometimes, the experience turns into something more—a life-changing moment, a lesson in caring. For ROSANNA “SUSAN” VIDAL, that moment came late in 2015, when she was helping a client—a philanthropist—set up an estate tax funding plan through Sun Life. The plan was to include four of her foundations as beneficiaries of her estate. A series of medical exams were required. The client initially complied, but it came to a point that she became exasperated and threatened to cancel the plan if the Company insisted she take yet another exam. Susan explained that her attending doctor recommended an alternative examination which she accepted.

Focus on the Mission

As Christmas approached, Susan learned that her client was raising funds for one of her foundations by selling calendars for Php 200 each. While praying at mass one day, Susan felt inspired to focus on helping the children. She volunteered to help her client with the project. As a published author of inspirational books, Susan felt she could best help by writing a letter and sending it to her other clients, industry contacts, as well Sun Life managers and co-workers. In the letter she boldly requested a donation of Php 5,000 for the cause, in exchange for 25 calendars which the donor could then give away as Christmas presents. Susan’s campaign raised an astonishing Php 180,000. Not only did this help the children’s foundation, it also gave joy to her client that she jokingly addressed Susan as her “solicitor general”. Her client accepted Sun Life’s offer and her application was settled in due time. Susan became one of the top awardees during the President’s Month of 2015. She also earned the Maple Leaf Challenge that brought her to the 2016 MDRT meeting in Vancouver, Canada, and the Early Macaulay SVP level. She also received the Most Respected Advisor Award for Caring. The experience taught Susan a valuable lesson. “When you care about what your client cares about—in this case, my client’s advocacies and passion to help the children who cannot help themselves—and go out of your way to share the advocacy to others, you will realize that everyone cares and are so willing to share their blessings.” she quipped.

Leap of Faith

Susan, 56, and her husband Paul Vidal have three adult children. Before joining Sun Life, she put in over 25 years of corporate work in human resources at various companies, including San Miguel Corporation. After retiring in 1999, she did youth mission work with Bigkis Young Life Foundation. She joined Sun Life in September 2003 on a part-time basis only. It was in late 2011 when she took a leap of faith

and left her high paying corporate job to focus more on Sun Life. “I was hooked with its mission founded in James 1:27—‘Pure and true religion as God the Father has said: Take care of the widows and the orphans in their time of need and not be corrupted by the world.’”

Rewards and New Challenges

The seeds we sow yield the fruit we later reap—sometimes continuously, and in abundance. In 2016, the client whom Susan had helped the previous year with her foundation introduced her to a friend who also took on a policy for the family’s own estate plan funding. “This account, along with my other clients, rewarded me with an SVP rank in Macaulay and a trip to Myanmar last September, an MDRT qualifying membership, and participation to the Leaders’ Conference in Poland in 2017.” The year offered not just rewards, but also new challenges. As a Management Candidate, Susan had to start recruiting new advisors. This proved to be more difficult than she had imagined. “It was a humbling experience for me, having done recruitment in my previous career, and seeing myself struggling to do it in Sun Life!” Susan admits. “I realized I needed to embrace this role with my whole heart, mind and soul.” The commitment proved worth the effort. In January 2017, Susan will be promoted to Unit Manager. “My unit will be called LAKE GALILEE UNIT, where Jesus called his first disciples,” she says.

“Re-tiring” Anew

For 2017, Susan’s challenge will be to focus on her new role as Unit Manager, and to change her mind set. “Being a producer, my mind default has always been in selling, more than recruiting advisors,” she says. There are also other areas to improve. Although she believes she has mastered certain skills such as listening and understanding clients’ needs, she admits there is still much to learn. “The more you know and learn, the more you realize that you need to continuously learn and study in this very dynamic environment,” she says. “I need to go back to fundamentals and sharpen the saw.” Meanwhile, Susan’s goals for 2017 include being a Triple A Unit Manager, maintaining her Macaulay and MDRT qualifying memberships, and attending the Leaders’ Conference. Susan is also working on her fifth inspirational book entitled “Don’t Retire, Just Re-Tire.” The book will be about revamping life, career and perspective after retirement. “You are never too old to start all over again,” she says. Take it from Susan—she’s been there, done that… and done so quite well!

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Learning Never Stops I

n 2004, JANETTE LEE closed down her business and decided to work with Sun Life. Unlike many advisors who are recruited by agency managers, she “walked in” to GLORIA ANG, her current Unit Manager, and applied for the job. With such determination and purposefulness, it’s not surprising that almost 13 years later, Janette is a Most Respected Advisor Awardee for Professional. Janette’s professional achievements are impressive. She’s been a Macaulay Club member 12 times, and won the Leaders’ Award eight times. A consistent President’s Month and Gold IQA awardee, Janette has also received a seat at the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table seven times— three times Court of the Table and four times at the Top of the Table. On top of all these achievements, Janette has also actively participated in industry organizations, serving as officer on the MDRT Membership Communication Committee (MCC) and the Life Underwriters Association of the Philippines (LUAP). During her service, she became the 2015 President of the LUAP and is currently 2016-2017 MDRT MCC Country Chair. “Receiving this award was a surprise!” says Janette. “I didn’t know that my Branch Manager LORENZA HUANG would nominate me.” Looking back, however, Janette attributes her winning to prayers as well as applying the new concepts she has learned at various training sessions, both in and out of Sun Life. And yes, there is also hard work and constant preparation. “This award is a reminder that I should be conscious in sustaining a professional approach in managing my career,” says Janette. “It has affirmed that I am on the right track, and it has elevated my self esteem!” A single mom to 26-year-old Vince Jonathan Lee, she says her family is awed, happy and full of pride in her for the achievement.

Never “Just” a Client

Janette learned early on that a client is not “just” a client. Each one can be the starting point to a whole network of new prospects. One of Janette’s most memorable clients was “Edwin,” a personal friend. A 14-year cancer survivor, Edwin was originally only interested in investment as he had already been declined for life protection by several companies. But Janette felt confident that Sun Life would approve his application. Initially, he was indeed declined, but Janette spoke to the medical director and requested that the case of a death benefit of Php 2 Million be elevated to the mother Company in Canada. Eventually, the application was approved albeit with a minimal sub-standard rating. Because of this Edwin doubled his application amount.

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The successful handling of the case allowed Janette to be known to Edwin’s family and proved to be a foot in the door that opened more business for her. “When his parents began to consider planning for estate preservation and business insurance, they thought of me,” says Janette. “This paved the way to be able to sell to the entire family to address their needs. They purchased life insurance for the whole family.”

Back to Basics

After practicing as a Financial Advisor for the last 12 years, Janette is now working on building her team in preparation for heading her own unit. At the moment she has two staff members and as to date, she already has three committed advisors. In 2016, Janette went “back to basics” and got help from colleagues on how to make simpler presentations, especially to younger clients. “I found it difficult to start all over again because I am already 12 years in the industry,” says Janette. “But I realized it’s never too late. It was a good learning experience. In fact, in reaching the MDRT Top of the Table last year, I was also exposed to closing many small cases. I believe God allowed this to happen so that I could experience it personally to be able to teach my own advisors.” To keep her staff engaged and motivated, Janette strives to create an atmosphere of inclusiveness. “I build relationships in my back office team by having constant communication, not just work-related. I give incentives and benefits. I believe in a holistic approach where their spiritual, financial, physical, emotional and mental well-being are all considered.”

Business as a Way of Life

Thus far in her career, Janette believes she has mastered the concept of income continuity, retirement planning, business insurance and estate planning. But the learning never stops. “I don’t stop attending seminars, forums and trainings,” she says. “These things improve my craft and give me more confidence in what I do. It is also a test of my comprehension skills when I study and take exams. It challenges me especially at age 55.” Janette plans to enroll in a short course every year. In 2017, her goal is to take the revalida and become a certified wealth planner. For her new team of advisors, Janette hopes to create an atmosphere that will encourage them to see the business as a way of life. “As Aristotle said, we are what we repeatedly do,” she says. “Excellence is not an act but a habit. I would like to inculcate in my team the value of non-stop education and training to develop them into better financial advisors.”

JANETTE LEE GREEN FIR NBO

2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 2

Professional

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KRISTINE LEECHIU-TAN TINDALO NBO

2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 2

Professional

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Paying It Forward B

efore Sun Life, KRISTINE LEECHIU-TAN had a great job with an enviable title: Vice President for Human Resource Management at Technistock Corporation - the leading domestic financial data provider in the Philippines for the stock market and financial institutions. When her then boyfriend Brix proposed to her in 2001, she had a vision on what kind of wife, career woman and mother she wanted to be in the future. And that was to enjoy their time as a married couple, still have a fulfilling career, and later on when they were blessed with children, be a hands-on mommy by being actively involved in their growing years and be a witness to all their milestones. So taking a lead from her mother, REGINA LEECHIU, a veteran Sun Life advisor, Kris, as she is called, took up the challenge to become an advisor herself in July 2002. There have been no regrets. “Fifteen years after,” she says, “I am still enjoying all the reasons why I joined in the first place— and so much more.” That includes being a Most Respected Advisor Awardee for Professional, an honor that took Kris by surprise. She was with her sister and Unit Manager REENA LEECHIU-CHUA and a client when she got the call. “I got so overwhelmed and shed tears of joy while we were having merienda with the client,” she says. “The client who was also our friend got teary-eyed too when we explained to her what had just happened as she knew how hard my sister Reena and I work. She felt the immense joy and gratefulness we were feeling at that moment.”

Learning and Sharing

The hard work has paid off not just for Kris and her clients—but for her colleagues as well. Over the years, she has continuously enriched her professional competence by enrolling in various courses related to the industry. She has earned an impressive string of qualifications, including Registered Financial Consultant (RFC), Fellow Chartered Financial Practitioner (FChFP), Registered Estate Planner (REP), Certified Investment Solicitor (CIS), Associate Wealth Planner and Estate Planner, plus several more coming up this 2017. She has also attended courses to improve communication skills, self-development, and internet mastery. These trainings, together with her field experience, have helped Kris gain competencies that enable her to produce at a level of about 100 cases per year. But she does not stop there. Beyond all expectations, Kris shares her learnings with colleagues on a regular basis, giving monthly talks to different branches to share her best

practices for financial planning. Moreover, she makes the talks fun and interactive with games, prizes and surprises along the way. Many advisors who have attended her talks have used her tips to close sales successfully, and often call afterwards to thank her.

Gifted Teacher

A gifted teacher, Kris is able to explain difficult financial concepts in a simple manner that is easily understood by her clients as well as the colleagues that she trains. “Mastery in our line of work is being able to simplify complex concepts and being able to transfer that information to other people in a manner that they can easily understand as well as appreciate its value,” she says. Kris also uses available technology such as phone apps that make financial calculations faster and more accessible—and coaches other advisors on how to use them. According to her branch’s MRA nomination form, Kris “happily and generously teaches everyone and always tells them to share it with others within 72 hours to continue to ‘Pay it Forward.’”

Advise to Advisors

Kris believes she has mastered a number of skills that have contributed to her success in the profession. “Two of these are public speaking and properly framing financial concepts in an interesting and simple manner that anyone can comprehend,” she says. “Because of this, I can easily get referrals since my clients can also share their learnings from our meeting to friends and family.” She shares some of the qualities she believes a good adviser should master. “Work on your competence, and confidence will follow,” says Kris. “These two things need to work hand in hand in our line of business. Simplify your presentations—if you cannot explain something simply, it means you didn’t understand it fully, so take the time to sit down and take to heart the benefits of what we are offering. Be persistent but don’t be annoying. Treat clients the same way you want to be treated. Be a good listener. And patiently practice all of the above.” Kris gives a final word of advice to stay humble, to never forget one’s roots. “No matter how high your achievements may be in Sun Life, always remember our advocacy of financial freedom for Filipinos – never forget you too were once starting out in your investments. If the tables were turned, how would you want a Financial Advisor to treat you?”

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Providing Holistic Client Care S

ix years ago, SHELLY GRACE YUMUL was working 14-hour graveyard shifts at a BPO. As the site director of three offices in a highly competitive industry, to say she was busy was an understatement. “I had no real work-life balance,” she recalls. “During the holidays, I would still get escalations and critical calls from clients in the US. I would spend my weekends cleaning my email inbox.” Shelly decided it was time to leave. But because of a non-compete clause in her contract with the company, she had to find a job outside the industry for a year before she could apply with another BPO. Selling insurance with Sun Life seemed like a good way to pass the next 12 months. “It was a blessing in disguise,” says Shelly. “I’m having so much fun at Sun Life, I’m celebrating my sixth year in June!”

Hard Work and Perseverance

The insurance business proved to be right u p Shelly’s alley. In just over a year from being coded, she was promoted to Management Candidate. By January 2013, she was Unit Manager of Team AVENTURINE—today a force of 80 advisors. Shelly, 36, is proud and grateful for the honor of winning the Most Respected Advisor (MRA) award for Professional. “It means a lot to feel recognized and given affirmation for my hard work and perseverance. I didn’t earn this award alone; if my team didn’t support our vision, I wouldn’t have this title at all.” IVY NBM VITO ORCULLO thinks it’s a well-deserved award. “Shelly has established herself professionally as someone with in-depth knowledge on financial planning as well as strong leadership skills,” he says. “She continuously upgrades her knowledge and skills with training programs—including completing an MBA, a Registered Financial Planning course, as well as becoming an Accredited Financial Analyst. She is not only known for her professionalism but also for giving excellent service.” Vito sites the testimony of one of Shelly’s clients who says she was happy to have bought from Shelly a Sun Life product with riders for critical illness, female benefit, and HIB. When the client was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Shelly personally delivered the much-needed checks to her within three days.

Holistic Care

The approach of offering clients an entire benefits package was something Shelly pioneered early in her career at Sun Life. “In a generation where perception is reality and image is everything, it is of utmost importance to show consistency

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in your words and actions,” she explains. “Back when I was still a rookie, I knew I had to project a certain aura to regain the respect of clients for financial advisors. Clients refuse to be sold so I hired a team of coaches—with coaching and counseling experience in their past jobs—to advise rather than sell.” The gamble paid off. Shelly says her team surpassed year-on-year targets since they started in 2013. They were also ranked second in 2016 based on most H&A products and riders sold. As a matter of policy, all newly coded advisors in Aventurine Unit are trained to use the Financial Needs Analysis (FNA) tool from the very start. When doing joint field work with rookie advisors, managers are encouraged to demonstrate effective positioning of their “all-in-one” plans. “My team believes in providing holistic care for our clients,” says Shelly. “Each policy sold must have health coverage in it that essentially protects their assets. They are all discouraged from doing proposal selling and product-pushing.” The result of this holistic approach? Clients are able to make sound decisions that answer the totality of their needs without feeling undue pressure to buy. “In my rather short stay in this business,” says Shelly, “there is only one skill I have mastered—and that is the art of making the clients feel good about their purchase decision. This is a skill that I’m striving to transfer to my advisors so we, as a company, continue to be the people’s choice.”

Family Dreams

Shelly and her husband Vince Yumul have a 12-year-old daughter, Gabby. For them, family is the most important thing. With Sun Life, Shelly has finally found the work-life balance that she sought six years ago. “Now I have the liberty to do whatever I want, when I want it done,” she says. “I can’t imagine going back to being employed again with so many restrictions, politics, and a fixed salary!” Dreams for the family motivate Shelly to push on to the next level. “I want to spin off as a branch next year to make my daughter prouder. I want us to work on our goals together: a very comfortable life and to be able to afford my daughter’s dual-specialization med school.” A top priority will be continuing education and keeping up to speed with industry developments. “This business has an ever-changing landscape,” says Shelly. “Success today is no guarantee of success tomorrow. What we know now won’t necessarily be true in the near future. The only way to manage this is by constantly learning and in being innovative.”

SHELLY GRACE YUMUL IVY NBO

2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 2

Professional

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ARLYN TAN GREEN FIR NBO

2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 3

Inspiring

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The Magic Ingredient O

n June 6, 2017, ARLYN TAN will be speaking to an audience of global financial advisors at the Connexion Zone of the Annual Convention of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) in Orlando, Florida. “I will be sharing tips on turning objections into opportunities,” she says. By a remarkable coincidence, that day will be the fourteenth anniversary of the day Arlyn was coded as a Sun Life financial advisor. As someone who has been outstanding at mining opportunities, Arlyn will no doubt make a compelling speaker. She is a lifetime member of the MDRT, having qualified for each of the last 11 years. She has also been active in industry organizations such as the Life Underwriters Association of the Philippines for which she has served as National President. Arlyn’s latest accomplishment: Most Respected Advisor (MRA) “Inspiring” Awardee. For Arlyn, winning the MRA award feels like an affirmation that she has done something right and is appreciated by the Company. “In the past,” she says, “I had this mental map that productivity metrics or sales are the only parameters to be recognized in Sun Life. This award will always remind me to keep on doing the right things, and soaring as high as I can while keeping my feet on the ground.”

Ticking All Her Boxes

Arlyn graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in 1994 with a degree in Physical Therapy. She practiced for two years in the US before deciding to come home and marry her sweetheart Pepe Tan and start a family. As her family began to grow, Arlyn started to rethink her career path. “The most important thing for me is to have time for our family to do activities together,” she says, “to have the resources to travel as a family, and to support the hobbies and education of Bea (17) and Ivan (12).” Arlyn thought about what she really wanted from a career. “I wanted more flexibility as well as the freedom to write my own pay check,” she says. “I wanted prosperity and quality of life but also the chance to make a difference in other people’s lives.” It was at this point that LORENZA HUANG, GREEN FIR Branch Manager invited her to join Sun Life. Realizing that the job of a financial advisor would tick all her boxes, Arlyn took the leap. She became a Sun Life advisor on June 6, 2004.

No Regrets

A decade and a half after tying her fortunes to the Company, Arlyn has no regrets. The best things about being with Sun Life? “I have the opportunity to exchange ideas with both people in the field as well as head office,” she says. “This allows me to be confident in promoting the Company’s products and services. Plus, I can manage my time and have

work-life balance.” Arlyn adds that working with the number one player in the industry gives her an edge in branding and service delivery. Also, Sun Life supports its front liners by helping to professionalize the industry and educating the public on financial literacy. As the Unit Manager of PINNACLE, a small team of nine advisors, and as an active advisor herself, Arlyn faces a number of challenges in her daily work. One of them is dealing with people who have different sets of values; another is coping with inefficiencies in the system. Arlyn’s strategy: “In response to the first challenge, I welcome diversity by changing my mindset. As for the second, I strive to be proactive in creating solutions. If this doesn’t work, I move on to other activities where my time can be more productive.” The year 2016 proved to be a challenging one for Arlyn, but also one full of learnings. Her biggest challenge was to respond quickly and efficiently to her growing client base. At times this has meant reorganizing processes to serve her clients better. The year was also memorable for a number of reasons. She organized several financial planning sessions in Manila and Baguio for almost 2,000 persons. She served a critical illness claim worth Php 4 Million to a client, and this enabled her client to recover. Finally, as Divisional Vice President of the MDRT, she was able to sit with the Executive Committee and the different Divisional VPs in two meetings on how the organization can be a vital resource for professional development to the financial advisors globally. It was a landmark honor for Arlyn as she was only the third Filipino to be invited to the post in the 90 years of the organization’s history.

A Work in Progress

For Arlyn, mastery is “the ability to navigate the environment confidently despite external conditions, and reach the finish line courageously.” She believes she has honed certain abilities, such as: simplifying complex financial concepts, formulating and implementing strategies to improve processes, as well as sales and marketing skills. But there’s more to learn. “I consider myself still work in progress—6 out of 10,” says Arlyn. Now that she has a team to guide, she aims to master client service, risk and wealth management, as well as sales force development and team dynamics. The final ingredient? Hard work. “People will always appreciate the success of an endeavor but may not realize the amount of time and work that made it possible,” says Arlyn. “There is no substitute to hard work,” she reiterates. “When working on projects, people may be less appreciative of the effort that a hard worker puts in. But when the final outcome is a success, they are all there to share the joy. Hard work is dull but it is the magic ingredient that will bring you to your destination.”

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Survival and Beyond W

e admire those among us who, because of their native ability or diligence, are able to accomplish more than most. But inspiration? That comes from a whole other level. We are inspired by those who are able to make their dreams reality, not just because of ability or diligence but despite the odds and in spite of the lack of opportunity. JAYVEE BADILE, Unit Manager in EMPRESS NBO, is a 2016 3rd Quarter MRA “Inspiring” awardee. Only 25 years old, he has surmounted more odds than many twice his age. He suffered loss, grinding poverty, and horrific abuse in his childhood. Education proved to be the lifesaver in Jayvee’s turbulent young life. Blessed with a sharp mind, he managed to earn and sustain a full academic scholarship that saw him through his studies at the Far Eastern University. He completed a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy in 2013.

Winning by Merit

Because he pulled himself up by his own proverbial bootstraps, Jayvee disavows a system that relies on patronage or connections. “I am a firm believer of the principle of meritocracy,” says Jayvee. “I always work my fingers to the bone—that has been my long-enduring work ethic that I’ve had from an early age.” No stranger to working odd jobs even as a child, Jayvee was also a working student while in college. Upon graduation, he joined JP Morgan Chase as a financial specialist where he was the consistent top performer of his team. But sedentary desk-bound work could not sustain Jayvee’s interest for long. The following year he joined Coca Cola as a sales specialist. “It was like a breath of fresh air!” says Jayvee. “I knew the job was a tailor-fit to my finesse.” Once again he scored top marks in performance evaluations and even national training programs. Jayvee learned about Sun Life through a former colleague who had become an advisor. Typical for this selfstarter, he didn’t wait for an invitation; instead he “walkedin” to apply, and was coded on August 2015. With his characteristic single-minded zeal, Jayvee soaked in all there was to learn about the new job and ran—not walked— through his paces; he was promoted to Management Candidate on his sixth month and named Unit Manager on July 2016, a month short of his first year anniversary. By the end of 2016, he had 12 advisors on his team. By January 2017, two of those advisors will be Management Candidates. In the two contest months that the unit has been together, it earned a Silver and a Gold Medallion.

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Time, Money, and Advocacy

Just 18 months into his Sun Life journey, Jayvee has achieved a good level of financial security, the ability to manage his own time, and a job that means something. “I wake up in the morning without an alarm,” says Jayvee. “I got my own car. I was able to buy a lot in Bulacan for my dream house. My income went up tremendously that, honestly, I can eat and buy whatever I want now, in a reasonable manner. And I’ve been able to bring my family on vacations!” He has also been able to provide a means of livelihood for family members: a sari-sari store for his mother and a lending business for his brother. What’s more, Jayvee has found meaning in a career that serves others. “It feels great and fulfilling to talk to my clients, listen to their stories, and give them the best financial advice I could.” he says. “This advocacy is not biased, has no boundary. It is purely inclusive.” Bringing that advocacy back to his own roots has been an ongoing mission for Jayvee. He holds regular financial planning sessions at his old alma mater—whether in the classroom, organization or big gatherings—to teach financial literacy to students. The grassroots approach holds true for the rest of Jayvee’s clientele. “All his cases are small,” says his Branch Manager RUZETTE PINEDA-CADUNGOG, “but since he works seven days a week, he is top advisor in Apps and AC in our branch.”

Mastery is Survival

The most important thing in Jayvee’s life? Not money, nor a mansion, nor fancy cars. “Dreams,” he says. “Little by little, my dreams are coming into reality. I will continue to dream big for a comfortable living, not just for myself but for my family.” Jayvee defines mastery in the practical terms that enabled him to steer his own destiny. “Mastery is survival,” he says. “Mastery is to make ends meet to quell the uncertainties of tomorrow. It is what kept me lucid while answering an exam with a growling stomach because I dreamed of giving my family a better life. It is what I earned working at night and studying by day because my scholarship will only cover so much and I somehow need to bring food to the table. It is what I felt after years of enduring physical abuse during childhood. Mastery is supposed to be something you choose to be good at, but it is mastery that chose me. I became a master when I survived being a victim. I am sailing success smoothly because I swam the tide young.”

JAYVEE BADILE EMPRESS NBO

2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 3

Inspiring

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AGNES CUASO IVY NBO

2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 3

Inspiring

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Role Model W

hen event host and model AGNES DIZON-CUASO accepted a gig to assist at a Sun Life event back in 2010, she thought it was just another job. But DOODS BANTON, then a Unit Manager at CEDAR NBO, spotted her potential and offered her a job as an advisor. “I was having quarter life crisis then, searching for real purpose and fulfillment,” recalls Agnes. Thinking the job could be a good fit for her, she accepted the offer. She was coded on June 1st of the same year. And so began Agnes’s Sun Life journey.

Investing in Herself

IVY NBM VITO ORCULLO says Agnes promptly threw herself

into her new job. “I knew from the very start that she was really serious to pursue her Sun Life career,” he says. “She immediately invested in her self development by enrolling in publicly offered courses like Registered Financial Planner (RFP), Fellow Chartered Financial Practitioner (FChFP), Chartered Trust Estate Planner (CTEP) and GAMA’s ELM programs to equip herself. Agnes was also Ivy’s past chair for our Advisors Development Program.” The investment and hard work paid off. In August 2012, just two years after being coded, Agnes was promoted to Unit Manager of Team AMETHYST with 18 advisors and three managers.

Balancing Act

Agnes graduated from St. Paul University of Manila with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts. She married CHOCO CUASO in 2012, the same year she was promoted to Unit Manager. Choco left his advertising agency the following year to join her at Sun Life. Now they are doting parents to oneyear-old Matteo Enrique. “The most important thing in my life is my family,” says Agnes. “I value quality time that I spend with them. Matteo is our inspiration and I’m glad that our work has made it possible to witness his important milestones.” While she is over the moon about motherhood, Agnes says it has been a challenge to strike the right balance between work and family responsibilities. “I wanted to succeed in growing and mobilizing our team while caring for our son,” she says. “I am fortunate that my husband is my very understanding partner both at home and at work. We cope by managing our schedule. I’m also thankful that our managers, advisors and staff support each other.” Despite the challenges, it appears that whatever Agnes is doing—it’s working. BM Vito says he nominated Agnes for the MRA award because she’s been a great role model to her colleagues, and have inspired many to follow her example. “Her sense of accountability, professionalism and modelingthe-way type of leadership have earned her the respect and admiration of her peers and own advisors,” he says.

Let Them Shine

in becoming optimistic and realizing their potential,” says Agnes. “I remember a lesson from one GAMA convention that resonates with me: a true leader is one who lets her advisors shine. That was also the year that I told myself to focus on helping our members succeed and reach MDRT and Macaulay rather than qualifying as advisor.” Agnes was the only Unit Manager at Ivy Branch who produced three MDRTs in 2015 and three Macaulay qualifiers in 2016. Agnes says her team has developed a “supportive and motivational environment for learning and collaboration.” Addressing key issues and strengthening areas of weakness has been a vital strategy for success. For example, realizing that most members—including herself—were nervous about public speaking, Agnes set up training and practice sessions to help advisors gain experience and improve their confidence.

Ripples of Change

The past year has been a significant one for Agnes and her team. “There were some challenges, such as balancing motherhood and managing a team,” she says. “Our top advisor Dianne gave birth and took time off for her baby; as well as some organizational restructuring and changes in Sun Life.” But on the positive side, new and promising recruits joined the unit; Agnes and three of her advisors qualified for Macaulay; she and Macaulay awardee Cheska participated in a fashion show for a cause with other professional models; and her team reached Platinum level for President’s Month. “I could say that this was the best year for our team yet!” says Agnes. In 2017, Agnes is gearing up for her unit to become a Sales Team with four additional leaders and double the manpower. Long term, her goal is to head her own branch and spin off additional NBOs just like one of her mentors BM Vito Orcullo. “I want to empower more managers and advisors,” she says. “I want to develop passionate leaders and advisors, creating stronger ripples of change.”

Inspiring… and More

For Agnes, mastery is “constant practice”. An advocate of continuing education, she has also discovered a love for teaching and of making complex concepts simpler and more understandable. Her personal goal is to become a master of financial planning and business insurance. She believes advisors must love their profession and strive to master the art of listening and teaching. Agnes is a rising star who surely will go far. Vito sums it up best: “Agnes’s well-rounded personality—young and pretty, articulate with in-depth knowledge about our business, innate sense of advocacy, and her own Sun Life success story—makes her a perfect representation, not only for the Inspiring value but also for our other MRA values of Professionalism, Caring and Winning.”

“For me, an inspiring person is someone who helps others

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Turning Adversity to Opportunity ‘T

enacious’ describes ODESSA “ODIE” SALUDARES best. After navigating the peaks and troughs of success in the corporate world, and then heartbreak as an entrepreneur, Odie has exemplified tenacity, thus earning Sun Life’s Most Respected Advisor (MRA) Ambassador distinction, in the Winning category. After graduating from De La Salle University with a double degree in Marketing and Communication Arts, Odie began working for Philip Morris Philippines. Here, she quickly learned the ropes then moved to Colgate-Palmolive Philippines where she continued to hone her skills in marketing and business. The call to be her own boss led her to start her own business, Shoefarm, which marketed locally designed shoes, which were manufactured abroad, under the brand DESÚ. Very soon, her brand was present in several shopping malls and stores in the metro. And then in 2008 the global financial crisis hit. Very few businesses remained unscathed; Shoefarm was not among them, forcing Odie to close shop and write finis to that chapter in her life.

Overcoming Failures

This downturn would have turned off most from ever trying a new venture again. But not Odie. She was eager for the opportunities that lay ahead. Soon enough, the door for her to explore Sun Life opened. She invited then advisor GRACH CRUZ to discuss with her and husband Rio the benefits of investing in Sun Life products. Odie realized her family would benefit greatly from having protection should something happen to her or Rio, especially when it comes to providing for their sons Enzo and Lucas. Seeing how Odie easily explained the benefits of the investments to Rio, Grach encouraged Odie to consider joining Sun Life. Odie was coded late 2011 under Grach’s DIAMOND GENESIS UNIT, and soon after, Odie was bringing her experience marketing to the fore. Working in multinational companies and marketing fast moving consumer products, and then shifting to individual, personal sales can be quite daunting. But Odie was determined to face the challenge. Ably supported by now unit manager Grach, whom Odie considers her life coach, and OSMANTHUS NBM LILIA CHANG, whom she fondly calls “mother” in her Sun Life career, Odie did not let obstacles get in her way of success.

Power of Positivity

‘Positive’ is one other adjective that comes to mind when describing Odie. She approaches each day with a conviction

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that she can make a difference. “The best thing about being a Sun Life Advisor is the fact that I can make a positive impact in the lives of people by giving them resources they need to achieve their goals, whether it’s financial gain, or simply peace of mind.” She quips, “Our campaign is really spot on. A ‘Brighter Life’ is something that Sun Life and I bring to clients!” Odie is also quick to add that the positive impact of working with Sun Life extends well into her own personal life. “Sun Life has afforded me the satisfaction of making a difference in people’s lives while at the same time allowing me to be present in the lives of the people I love most and to provide too for their needs. I am grateful for the worklife balance I enjoy now. Now, not only do I have more time for family, it’s quality time!”

Constant Learning

Despite all her successes, Odie has remained humble, preferring to see herself as a constant and avid student of life. She shares, “2016 has been filled with challenges as well as an abundance of life lessons. I still consider myself a student, and I am still continuously aiming to be better. I cannot say exactly that I have achieved a high level of mastery in what I do, but I would say that I learn each time, through each experience, through different means – from people, places, situations, whether through classroom training or a casual meeting of minds in the most random ways.” Odie uses this tenacity and her joy of learning in her daily work at Sun Life. She constantly studies each product, whether old and new, and listens attentively to her clients in order to deliver the right product to match her clients’ needs. Odie says “It’s never a one-size-fits-all for creating a match. You need to understand and appreciate the client’s story and needs first, before deciding what product or product combinations could work best for them.” True to her desire to continuously improve herself, and coupled with her selfless attitude, Odie’s wish for 2017 is to be a better person altogether, as with all the roles she plays each day for family, friends and clients. As to what fuels her drive towards success and self-improvement, Odie quickly points to her family. “My daily prayers are of gratitude for having them in my life, and my drive is to be the best wife and life-long partner to my husband in raising our young family, the best daughter to my parents, the best sister to my brothers and their families, and the best mom to my children.”

ODESSA SALUDARES OSMANTHUS NBO

2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 4

Winning

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CHEYENNE TATEL JARRAH NBO

2016 MRA Awardee Quarter 4

Winning

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Excellence and Balance– a Winning Combination I

magine this: It’s a lovely Saturday morning, and the weekend with family holds plenty of promise. The kids are clamoring for a day at the park, while you are looking forward to that spa appointment booked days before. But then the phone buzzes with a message from a couple of clients asking for a meeting that day. What do you do? If that sounds familiar, then you’re likely in the same boat as CHEYENNE “AYEN” TATEL, one of Sun Life’s Most Respected Advisor (MRA) Winning Heroes for 2016.

President’s Month Top Producers, 2016 Leaders’ Conference Qualifier, and 2016 MDRT Member. But while the recognition and awards delight Ayen, what matters most to her is the kind of life Sun Life allows her to have. “I love the flexibility with time this career affords me. The travel perks have also been amazing. What makes this more awesome is that I represent the No. 1 life insurance company, and that’s something I’m so proud of.”

Giving up Corporate Life But Not a Career

That being said, Ayen still has difficulties to hurdle. As a fulltime mother, her biggest challenge is balancing a successful career with putting family first. “I try to limit client calls during weekdays so weekends are for family. But even during weekdays, I’ve made a decision that my kids’ schedule come first and I will have to make my work fit in the rest of the day. That means I drive my kids to their classes first before I see clients. Given the limited time, I have to be strategic about the meeting place. I see to it that we meet up near my area so I can make the meet-up possible! It doesn’t mean that I don’t see clients who are farther away. I still do, but I keep it to a minimum as I have to work with the schedule that I have.” Having garnered so many accolades in a short time, Ayen must have figured the formula for success in this career, right? In many ways, she has. “Mastery for me is to keep on doing the basic things that we have to do on a daily basis. There is really no magic trick, except to keep on prospecting, approaching, problem solving, closing—rinse, then repeat! I find myself thinking that there is still so much to learn, experience and practice. As such, I proactively seek out learning moments, such as trainings, conversations with the pros, surrounding myself with friends from the same industry that can spur me up, etc. There is still a long way to go!” For her dedication to constant practice and her accomplishments, it’s no wonder that Ayen’s managers nominated her to the 2016 MRA Awards. “It’s an exceptional privilege to have been chosen among many great advisors in Sun Life. This MRA award brings pride to my loved ones and Sun Life family. But what should make them even prouder is that I have no plans to stop living out the values and qualities I was nominated for!”

Ayen is mom to Sadie, 6, and twins Tyler and Riley, 3. After working 14 years in the financial industry at HSBC Philippines, Ayen and her husband Jay decided that she focus on being a full-time mother. Some questioned the decision, considering she was on track for a promising career in financial services. But while Ayen was ready to leave corporate life behind, she still had her sights on a successful career in financial services—with a very specific company in mind. “My experience at HSBC built my work ethics and character. While I left HSBC to be a full-time mom, I knew at some point I would join Sun Life.” She explains: “I’ve always been intrigued by the financial advisory career as my mom, ESTRELLA LAO from NARRA NBO, has been an advisor since 1984. She’s still active and I can see it has become a part of her lifestyle. I love the idea that I can grow old in a fulfilling career that allows me to earn generously, while helping others be prepared for their future.” Ayen was recruited by husband and wife JERRY and LIZETTE BAMBA of JARRAH NBO’s IGNITE SALES TEAM. She was coded in July 2015.

Rise to Excellence

Ayen’s can-do attitude and financial savvy catapulted her to the high performers’ league. In just six months, she had signed up 38 clients, became 1st Runner Up for Top Rookie (Area Level) for 2015 President’s Month and Platinum 550 qualifier. In 2016, Ayen doubled her performance, signing up 61 clients. This secured her place in the 2016 Love Month Platinum 550, 2016 Summer Campaign Platinum 330, 2016

Setting Priorities, Achieving Success

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PLACES

SWITZERLAND 23rd SLF LEADERS’ CONFERENCE

ay “Switzerland” and immediately you conjure up images of pristine, snowcapped Alps, breathtaking landscapes, picturesque chalets, the finest watches, chocolates, cheeses and much, much more. These days, Sun Lifers are saying “Switzerland, Switzerland!” to themselves and each other—as they set their sights on qualifying to the 23rd SLF Leaders’ Conference to be held at this dream destination.

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PEOPLE

A DV I S O R TO WATC H

From Milestone to Milestone

OBERTO “ROB” M. SANTIAGO, JR.

achieved a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing at the De La Salle Health Sciences Institute. The meager income of a nurse became the impetus for him to seek for the proverbial greener pastures. “Even though I have loved being an ER Nurse in DLSU Medical Center, I had to quit my job. I joined a few of my fellow nurses in United Health Group and worked as a Nurse Case Reviewer.” It was in this environment where he met a colleague whose lifestyle deeply impressed him. He lived very simply and very practically. He had financial savvy. “I dress better, I have a brand new phone, but he’s insured, he has savings and I had nothing. I live from paycheck to paycheck.” Rob realized something had to change. Call it peer pressure, call it a challenge or even a blessing in disguise but through his new friends, Rob stumbled upon the Sun Life opportunity. He wasn’t that impressed at first. “I was too weak to take risks. I was thinking it wasn’t my cup of tea.” But two motherly characters changed his life. “My unit manager MA. ROCHELLE SANIEL took care of me and treated me as her own. She is my Inay in the LAPIS LAZULI UNIT. She went with me during the early meetings and walked me through the process. She provided everything I needed and taught me everything I needed to know. She went beyond being a manager. Having her is like having a mother beside me, literally. I am happy that the friendship we built extended to my real Mom,” he said. Then there’s VENUS DEL MUNDO, branch manager of the LAURELWOOD NBO. “She’s my ‘Mommy’. I learned a lot from her and we got really close during our trip to Poland. She taught me how to be a better performer and producer, how to see people’s potentials, how to work with them and how to remain humble,” he says. After speaking of his Sun Life ‘mothers’, Rob turns pensive then opens his heart about his own mother. “She raised me and my younger sister all by herself, for almost 30 years. She worked double time overseas and [worked] harder to remain connected to us. We’ve lived in the custody of relatives, without a permanent home to call our own.” They lived with one relative after another until they decided to settle down in a dormitory. “It was funny, heartbreaking and liberating—having our ‘own’ place—and to register the dorm as our permanent address. I was slowly growing

in Sun Life and I was holding back tears when I promised my Mom that we’ll be spending our first Christmas together in our ‘own’ house.” Coded in November 2014, Rob made it as Bronze medalist in the President’s Month that year. He spent his earnings to transform their living quarters into a home. “When it was completed, I got so emotional to see how we could now call the place ‘ours,’” he shares. The following year, Rob finally got to spend Christmas in Japan with his mom and sister, after many failed attempts. And then he did the unexpected: “I purchased a car—a surprise gift for my mother.” This was Rob’s first major acquisition. Indeed, Sun Life has provided Rob many opportunities, milestones, and dream-come-true moments. “I’ve had a lot of ‘firsts’ in Sun Life. Those ‘firsts’ may not be extraordinary to a lot of people but those are my milestones. My Sun Life family, especially the two amazing women who stood up to be my ‘mothers’, pushed me to discover my strengths and push me beyond my limitations. Being surrounded with these people helped me to not just work for the money or metrics but to really work on becoming a better version of myself,” he beams. What are Rob’s most recent victories? He qualified for the Macaulay Club, MDRT, Leaders’ Conference in 2016. “On a deeper sense, it’s my victory in life, our family winning over the many years of struggle. I believe in winning through action, without having to say much about so many things, but achieving more and celebrating wins silently,” he declares. All these milestones have made Rob astute and wise beyond his years. He has learned that an empty wallet is a great teacher. Sun Life has given him an opportunity to change his spending habits. He walks his talk and has been transformed into a very capable financial counselor and advisor. Indeed, Rob has come a long way. And he proves bestselling author Michael Korda right when he once wrote: “Success has always been easy to measure. It is the distance between one’s origins and one’s final achievement.”

ROBE R TO SA NT I AGO JR. La ure l wood NBO

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PEOPLE

Sun Life Financial

NEW BUSINESS OFFICES A New Business Manager (NBM) wears many hats: leader, strategist, mother- or father-figure, guidance counselor, mentor. Plus this: a grower of ‘trees’. Featured here are Sun Life’s five newest ‘trees’. We congratulate these newly-minted NBMs, as we thank those who saw their potential and helped develop their abilities to the fullest—foremost among them, their original NBMs.

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CANNONBALL NBO VANESSA LUGUE-CASTRO New Business Manager

Beautiful and Strong

he New Business Office headed by VANESSA LUGUE-CASTRO is named after the Cannonball tree, described as “the beautiful and strong tree of good and positive powers”—qualities she herself possesses as she recognizes and embraces the individuality of each member of her team. “Empowering a group of dynamic individuals is challenging. The only way to overcome this is to accept that we are dealing with various people with different characters, priorities, and values in life.” CANNONBALL NBO is comprised of 60 Advisors, 5 Unit Managers and a Management Candidate—a team that may be modest in size compared to other branches. A realist, Vanessa admits a baby branch like hers is not yet poised to compete with the more established branches. But watch out, world! She is confident she can attain 35% growth year-on-year in

both manpower and AC to become a Php 100 Million business in five years. (See related story on page 46.) Vanessa is the first to admit all she wanted was to perform her tasks well, from the time she was coded to when she was promoted to Sales Manager. Then a lifechanging realization hit—“The lessons I gained are all part and parcel of becoming a New Business Manager.” Once she decided a year ago that she will become a branch manager by January 2017, it was as if “the universe conspired with me. I had a dream that same week, that woke me up to write down numbers … My vision was very clear, it was like a road map with a series of arrows saying ‘this way’. My last leg of my journey to BM-ship was certainly defined.” So here she is now, and here is Team Cannonball—ready to translate a lofty dream of success into tangible reality. Bravo!

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DAU NBO

PEDRO BANTON JR. New Business Manager

An Enduring Affair with Insurance

ll enduring. This describes PEDRO “DOODS” BANTON JR.’s career in the financial industry.

Doods is a veteran, lending his considerable talent to other insurance companies before getting out of retirement to re-join Sun Life in 2009. He was coded in March 2010, quickly moved up to leadership positions, to New Business Manager (NBM) in January 2017. A comeback he prayed hard for, he says, “My absence for 15 years taught me a lot. I know the Lord Jesus Christ prepared me as He humbled me, built my character in so many ways.”

DAU NBO

Because he attributes all his victories and blessings— everything he has and will ever achieve—to God, Doods named his team DAU NBO. Insisting “‘DAU’ should be written in capital letters for it stands for ‘DIOS ANG UNA’. Galing sa Dios. Para sa Dios.” Named after the Dau Tree, it also symbolizes Endurance. Following the footsteps of his mentor and friend, IVY NBM VITO ORCULLO, who was instrumental to his return, he describes his team vision, thus: “The DAU NBO will be a living and giving NBO. It will be there 82 SH IN E ! | J A N U A R Y - A P RIL 2 017

standing by God’s grace to develop new blood to become NBMs.” DAU’s confidence that this will be realized comes from Matthew 19:26—“With God all things are possible.” Today, Doods’ team is 175-strong, with his leadership imbued with gratitude and humility. “I am not perfect but when the Lord calls a leader, He prepares him. I am a work in progress. I thank God daily for the challenges, opportunities and people He uses to mold me.”

Winning Right. Winning Strong.

“It takes practice and discipline to win and I am a person who does not back off from challenges.” His days as an athlete in school firmed this belief Doods holds to this day. At the time of this writing, Doods has achieved one of his dreams of taking his wife, Belinda, on a holiday in Australia to celebrate his Sun Life victories this year. “I give all my praises and thanks to the Lord for I have surrendered everything to Him. Victories are meaningful if we dedicate them with gratitude to our loved ones, our Team, and give all the glory to God!”

ANGEL OAK NBO ROSEMARIE GUASIN New Business Manager

Expanding Career Horizons

or the longest time, ROSEMARIE GUASIN was content with her vocation as an educator. Trained in Secondary Education at the West Visayas State University, she went on to become a trainer of teachers herself. A master’s degree holder in Educational Management, Rose was a college professor when Sun Life beckoned. She refused the call at first, recalling it was her husband who attended the initial Basic Training Course. A movie, “Segurista”, proved to be influential in opening her mind. Rose related to the story of a teacher like her who did well in the insurance business. “That movie made me realize there’s an opportunity in this business.” Rose worked part-time in the beginning, was coded April 2011, and steadily rose through the ranks. In January this year, she was promoted to New Business Manager.

A Tree With Far-Reaching Branches

Rose decided to name her branch ANGEL OAK NBO after the hardwood tree whose branches are capable of

growing into new trees. It is symbolic of the benefits of insurance—“it is so huge and wide it provides shelter and shade to those who seek cover under it.” It stands for her team’s vision: “to grow massively, to be as strong as an angel oak, to become stronger, bigger, and more widespread, in the Negros, Palawan, and Iloilo regions.” Today, Rose leads a team of 135 advisors and is ably aided by her management team composed of 1 Sales Manager, 7 Unit Managers and 3 Management Candidates.

Drawing Inspiration from Victory

In an interschool competition in high school, Rose realized that “winning is in you.” That experience encouraged her to “keep on winning every time.” As a new branch, Angel Oak has already made its presence felt this year. “This inspires all of us to keep on improving every time … to try our best to achieve small wins on our way to something bigger,” Rose shares. “If I am able to help others win, then I have won.”

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MAJESTY NBO NANETTE NATALIE YU New Business Manager

Stepping Up

few decades ago, NANETTE NATALIE YU walked into a Sun Life office to find out how she can be insured. She walked out being both client AND financial advisor. She was coded in September 1994, promoted to Unit Manager (UM) in July 1997, Sales Manager (SM) in 2016, and in January 2017— less than six months later—became New Business Manager (NBM). “I realized that after long years of being a UM, it was time for me to expand and level up.” Then she adds: “No one in Sun Life has ever been promoted to NBM from a Sales Manager position in less than a year!”

Her “Majesty” “I was searching for a tree that matches my mother unit, ‘ROYAL ELITE’. Then I found ‘Majesty’, the Fredville oak variety that is native to the UK,” she says of how she chose the name. “I consider my team a royal family.”

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Nanette’s MAJESTY NBO is now 170-strong—12 UMs, 8 Management Candidates (MCs), 150 Advisors—and together, they have she set their sights on something quite majestic. “I wish to bring more MDRT and Medallion qualifiers to every contest month.”

Coming Out on Top Nanette acquired a taste for winning as a high school student vying for class president. As a leader, she attests, “I never failed [my classmates] because of the trust they gave me.” Neither is she failing her team today. As leader of Team Majesty, she was First Runner-up SM at the 2016 Excellence Awards. Determined, she declares: “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing. I want to be the top branch.”

COCONUT NBO ROSEMARIE VILLANUEVA New Business Manager

Inspired by the “Tree of Life”

here’s a belief that if a man is left on an island by himself, he can survive on coconut alone, satisfying hunger with its meat and slaking thirst with its water. This is what ROSEMARIE VILLANUEVA’s newly minted COCONUT NBO stands for—“we are always reminded that we are ‘Advisors for Life’ to our clients.” Rosemarie knew they were ready to spin off as a branch when she saw “the synergy amongst my managers, their team spirit was so high, everyone was working as one for the team’s target. No competition. Everyone mentors one another, motivates, encourages and builds up one another.” Rosemarie swears, “We do not have a superstar advisor. Everyone contributes to the target. I am proud that we were the probinsyano competing well with the Metro Manila Sales Teams, to the point of landing Top Sales Team in some contests.” Freshly appointed New Business Manager in April

2017, she sets her sights on being Triple A awardee as she has consistently done so in the past: “Triple A on my first year as UM, Triple A on my first year as Sales Manager. And we will be Triple A this first year I am Branch Manager,” she declared, “a feat that will be duplicated by my managers in their units as well.” It’s a long way from the time Rosemarie walked in into the Sun Life Cagayan de Oro office to apply as an advisor. “I believe the winning attitude is all about Stewardship.” She quotes Matthew 25:23—“ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” Rosemarie expresses great delight in the confidence bestowed on her: “The fact that Sun Life believed in me and trusted that I can lead a branch is a great victory for me.”

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EVENTS

PRESIDENT’S MONTH AWARDS NIGHT

aintain quality, embrace Sun Life’s values, and treasure the mission—this is the mantra that a Sun Life advisor should always practice when she goes out there to face Filipinos in need of financial security and a bright future. And certainly, our Sun Life achievers have mastered the craft and have excelled in every aspect of their work as dedicated and skillful ambassadors of trustworthiness and committed service. As this message echoed throughout the President’s Month awarding ceremony, the top winners stood tall and proud of their achievements, knowing that they epitomize the quality of true champions. To the President’s Month top winners, we salute you all!

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EVENTS

PRESIDENT’S MONTH

ASIAN CRUISE L

ast March, some 180 President’s Month Platinum Qualifiers got on board the luxurious SuperStar Aquarius for a 3-night 4-day cruise around the famed Okinawa shores. Starting at the port city of Keelung, Taiwan, the cruise made its way to the industrial City of Ishigaki and Naha, Japan where the qualifiers spent days of shopping and bonding and endless photo ops. ‘Twas an insightful experience and the champions just couldn’t help but marvel at the site and sounds of wonderful Japan.

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