That’s why large business firms invest heavily in training and motivating their personnel, especially those in the direct selling industry. Putting a premium on people development, therefore, is a strong corporate value for Ricky Sy, the new general manager of House of Sara Lee (HoSL) Phils.
Heading the local operations of one of the country’s largest direct-selling companies, Ricky’s impetus is directed primarily at House of Sara Lee’s business partners, namely the agents and dealers who engage in selling the products.
"Sara Lee has always been known for its strong commitment to its people," he explains, "and we make sure that we provide them with the best product offerings as viable sources of income. We don’t just refer to them as our agents, we consider them our business partners."
To be able to impart this sense of commitment, an industry manager has to have excellent motivational skills. "First, we have to identify and be able to tap the potential of every individual. We have to be able to raise the level of his or her enthusiasm by transferring our own enthusiasm about the company, our products and our business processes to them," he says.
Various corporate incentives naturally come as reward for every hardworking sales agent. There is an easy-to-own vehicle incentive plan for its top Independent Business Managers (IBMs), especially valuable for those with networks located in far areas. Generous commissions, plus exciting promos and product offerings, also entice them to continually strive harder.
Through proper motivation, Ricky plans to achieve his goal of making House of Sara Lee known as a company that attracts good people in the industry. He states proudly that, "We hope to make the company synonymous to corporate excellence, such that the public will regard with high esteem our direct selling agents when they come to visit, as well as all our employees."
His work, he readily admits, has largely been paved smoothly by his predecessor, Perry Mogar, who is now president of Sara Lee Direct Selling Asia. Ricky’s task now revolves around continuing Mogar’s legacy as well as finding more avenues for growth and adapting to changes accordingly.
Still, Ricky comes at a time when HoSL is undergoing an aggressive expansion plan. "We will be completing 18 additional locations nationwide by July to make our products more accessible to our consumers," he discloses.
He is also very optimistic that the economy is propitious for the growth of the direct selling industry. In the last two years, the company posted about 50 percent growth annually. "This year, despite the many challenges in the industry, we are targeting a similarly aggressive growth rate."
More products are also coming into the Philippines as a result of the corporate consolidation within the Asian region, which makes implementation of services from country to country a lot easier than before. This means better offers to their dealers and agents, and a boost to Sara Lee’s direct selling advantage in the country.
Ricky’s extensive background in the industry has prepared him well to meet these challenges. A mechanical engineering graduate of the Mapua Institute of Technology, he started his career as a process analyst at San Miguel Corp., then later joined Avon, where he built his career in the area of product development and materials management. He joined House of Sara Lee in 1992 as head of operations, was promoted to vice president for operations in 1994, and in 1998 his responsibility expanded to include human resources. Sy was then made vice president for sales and branch operations in 1999. He has effectively led the sales organizations of House of Sara Lee, consistently expanding the dealer network and delivering excellent results, which he continues now as general manager.
Through efficient time management though, he still has time for his family – his wife, who works in a nursing school at Makati Medical Center, and his four-year-old son. He values his leisure time too and spends weekends with his family and goes to the gym or scuba-diving.
"Fortunately, Sara Lee has put me in touch with excellent people to work with," he beams with pride. "If you have such people behind you, and they believe in what you want to achieve, then you have no other way to go but up."
That’s a valuable insight from the head of a company that values person-to-person business relationship.