Paolo 4.0

And so it begins. I'm back.

Last week was my first week with ABM Global Solutions. I met the Davao team and, boy, were they nice. Smiles and laughter abounded and it was only later that I found out I was talking to professionals going through a lot of stress.

How I came to be part of the company deserves a post and a bit of a back story.

Back in 2009, I resigned from my first job. I was part of BayanTrade right before they got bought by PLDT. It was bittersweet because I was leaving behind a lot of good friends yet I was going back to Davao.

Flash forward to 2013. I was scouting a particular event when I came across Ma'am Len. She was one of the sales lead of ABM Global Solutions (AGS), the newly formed company after the PLDT take-over of BayanTrade. Ma'am Len invited me to apply since they were looking for someone as a salesperson in Mindanao.

Our initial encounter happened last October. I applied last December. What took me so long was because I had my reservations. I was already in the banking industry for close to four years and jumping to another industry meant going back to zero. It was tough even to think about it. There was so much knowledge stored that I couldn't apply anymore if I was accepted in AGS.

After a week or so, Ma'am Len texted me to come to an interview. I did and Sir Urk, my interviewer and the top honcho in sales, sold the company quite well. I was being interviewed to be part of the top solutions provider in the country. In other words, AGS was elite.

Another interview ensued, this time, with Alfie, my soon-to-be boss. For Alfie, selling the job to me revolved around pushing one of my buttons. I wanted a job that mattered not only to myself but also to the community. I didn't just want a job, I wanted an advocacy. For Alfie, he likened being a salesperson in AGS to being on a mission, a mission to improve business operations in the country when we desperately need Filipino businesses to be competitive and to be more successful. 

That appealed to me. The rest was history.

Right now, my feelings are still mixed. Anxiety. Fear of failure. Doubt in my ability to sell something this complicated. But there's also excitement. Hope. And wouldn't you believe it? Happiness! Those three are the best feelings in the world. That means I'm on the right track. Cheers.