TAGUIG CITY—First Balfour recently concluded its 2nd Sales Conference aimed at fostering synergy and collaboration among the business development (BD) and sales teams of First Balfour’s construction and allied businesses. The event, first launched as the First Balfour Sales Summit in 2022, was held last 11 March 2024 in Seda Hotel BGC.
Marketing Head Ronnie Liu, the event’s lead organizer, shared that the conference is held at the start of each year to provide a platform for both business development and sales officers to exchange ideas and foster stronger connections. “We recognize that aligning our sales teams will offer us a competitive advantage. This is crucial in effectively responding to our target markets,” shares Liu.
Strategic Business Planning Head Macky de Lima opened the conference by beginning with the etymology of the word sales which originally meant “to take, to grasp” back in the time of the vikings. He encouraged the sales officers to learn from the way of the vikings by embracing bold vision, investing in relationships, and embodying resilience and determination. He also emphasized the importance of cultivating a winning culture as an essential recipe for success.
VMD talks about fictional TV series Vikings and the leadership lessons that can be learned from it.
During the conference, each division’s business market outlook, prospects, and financial forecasts were discussed. For its core engineering and construction business, Business Development Heads Joram San Luis and Antonio Payumo, along with their team members Kristoff Flores, Ana Valeriano, Ces Almonte, and Henessi Bautista, shared insights into the current Philippine construction outlook; opportunities in power, water, transport, and high-value building market sectors; and their plans and strategies for business growth.
Top row, L-R: Joram San Luis, Tonito Payumo, Ed Javier, Kristoff Flores, Ana Valeriano; Middle row, L-R: Ces Almonte, Hens Bautista, Mico Sanares, Kim Enriquez, Enzo Ang; Bottom row, L-R: Einstein Chiu, Gemma Furiscal, Harold Fernandez, Ruth Co, Ronnie Liu
T1 Rentals National Sales Head Mico Sanares discussed their strategic direction for 2024-2025, their client base, and new business opportunities for First Balfour’s equipment rental business. Highlighting their growth, T1 Transport’s Kim Enriquez and Enzo Ang shared the accomplishments of First Balfour’s equipment transport and hauling business along with the prospects they are eyeing for the year.
For its concrete and aggregates (C&A) business, C&A General Manager Einstein Chiu and his team members Gemma Furiscal and Harold Fernandez shared the business’ current reach, completed projects, and products and services they offer.
The company’s Strategic Investments Division, through Ruth Co, also shared their plans and prospects while the Marketing Department discussed the role of social media in maintaining the corporate brand image and promoting it to the market.
In his closing message, Deputy Chief Operating Officer Jose Valentin Pantangco, Jr. emphasized the importance of customer obsession in winning deals stating, “We cannot simply win deals because of pricing alone; it’s about understanding the customers’ needs, knowing the decision-makers, and providing options and solutions they want to work with.” He also underscored the critical role of the sales and marketing teams in achieving this, describing them as the tip of the spear that secures projects and wins deals. He concluded the event by encouraging attendees to adopt a growth mindset, emphasizing the essence of becoming multipliers rather than diminishers.
