A victorious year
Insular Life fetes top sales producers
To be able to exist for more than a century while keeping up a positive performance amid stiff competition is no mean feat for Insular Life. But greatly instrumental in this success are the insurer’s sales agents, whom it recognizes annually through a Testimonial Dinner and Awarding Ceremonies.
Last March 14 at Conrad Hotel Manila, Insular Life once again honored its top performers for 2016. Guided by its 2017 battle cry #IFlyInLife, the company chose to have a Victors’ Gala featuring an original theatrical production Victor:
The Musical. It was headlined by a fictional Insular Life financial adviser named Victor, whose stories of trials and triumphs — told through musical numbers — aimed to resonate with those of the attendees.
“While life insurance is one of the best gifts one can give to oneself and to his loved ones, it is not an easy product to sell. You work tirelessly making phone calls and appointments and meeting prospective clients without any assurance that what you offer would be taken positively. Many times, you have to deal with a lot of rejections and even self-doubt. Such is the life of financial advisers especially those who are still struggling to make a mark in their career and to stay true to their mission of giving their clients and potential customers a “magandang buhay
bukas” (a secured future). But for those who have persevered, the benefits of your profession are limitless, both in material rewards and personal fulfillment,” Insular Life President and Chief Operating Officer Mona Lisa B. dela Cruz said in her opening remarks.
Embedded in the musical was the presentation of awards for the following categories: Agency Service, Insular Life Quality, National Prestige Club, Consistent Weekly Producers-National Winners, Leaders With Consistent Productivity-National Winners, GAMA International Management, Million Dollar Round Table, Premium Producer, Gawad Haribon (Divisional and National), Special Achievement, and Special Recognition. Insular Life Chief Executive Officer Nina D. Aguas, Senior Vice-President and Chief Agency Executive Ramon C. Cabrera and Senior Executive Vice-President and Sales & Marketing Group Head Jesus Alfonso G. Hofileña handed over the trophies to awardees together with Ms. dela Cruz.
At a media briefing before the awarding ceremonies, some of the awardees gave an exclusive peek to how they were able to fly high in their careers and be where they are today.
Paul T. Bolaños, president of First Union Insurance & Financial Agencies, Inc. and recipient of the Special Achievement and the Top Premium Producer of the Year awards, noted that one way to do that is to treat people like family.
“You really have to care for your people. You have to be willing to share your insights and experiences, and especially your time… I believe that when somebody comes into the organization, he is not just employee no. 1. He is [someone] with personal dreams and ambitions. And the way he thinks about life, about his job, will be very much directed by his family concerns. So there should be an interplay between his personal dreams, family concerns and the requirements of the job,” Mr. Bolaños shared in an interview with Business-World.
He also believes that millennials very much fit the requirements needed to succeed in the field of insurance, if only they are going to be properly advised and directed.
“There is a chance for them to show who they really are because if they are full-time agents, they are not reporting to anyone. They are guided by managers, but they are their own boss,” he said, adding that it is one of his hopes that insurance-related subjects would be incorporated in educational institutions’ curricula to further promote financial literacy among the youth.