John Clements Holds 3rd Annual Sales and Production Conference
by Paul Catiang

Clark Field, Pampanga—For the third year in a row, the employees and executives of John Clements gathered at Mimosa to celebrate their accomplishments in sales and recruitment for the past year. The event was formally opened July 7, 2006.

Several learning sessions were scheduled with the executives of John Clements, where the entire assembly was divided into groups of concurrent sessions discussing the company's core values. These sessions had two objectives: first, to know how to discover these values in other people, specifically prospective John Clements employees; and second, to find ways of measuring these values and rating their manifestations.

Two core values, however, were reserved for the conference's guest speakers. Jack Madrid, Vice President and Managing Director of MTV Asia, gave his presentation, Marketing through Entertainment , and how passion for excellence is crucial to it. His talk focused on understanding the trends set by Generation Y and transcends just knowing what's currently favored by the youth. The entertainment executive shared the lessons he'd learned in marketing to Generation Y, trends in youth consumerism, and the impact of the New Media, and contextualized these observations and projections through MTV case studies in marketing and branding partnerships. The crux of the presentation is the impact of new media on the youth: it will be relevant, personalized, and interactive. Naturally, passion for excellence is needed to come up with only the best marketing strategies.

Anthony Pangilinan, Chief Trainer and Consultant of Business Works, spoke on integrity and professionalism. The chief disturber, as he calls himself, centered his presentation on the thesis, “Good is the enemy of great.” A company like John Clements should never settle for what's good enough, Mr. Pangilinan advised, given the goals the company has set for itself. Integrity and dedication to those lofty goals are what will make John Clements a great company, not just a good one. His simple, straightforward talk had only three instructions: accept the brutal facts, anticipate a bright future, and act in bold faith.

The conference also involved several highly entertaining activities, where the divisions competed in a sports fest and in a Pan-Asia costume contest. The Asian countries represented were China , India , Indonesia , the Philippines , and Vietnam.

Naturally, Sales and Production Awards were given out that night to reward the efforts of the top performers of 2005-2006. Millionaires' Club of the Year Awards were also given out, based on the number of times a consultant brought in revenue of at least one million pesos.

With their batteries recharged and their efforts recognized and lauded, the people of John Clements returned to Manila to face another challenging and fulfilling year.