“If you look after your job, your job will look after you”
These were the words shared by Alex Lega from Central Province.
Mr Lega first joined SP Brewery (SPB) on 0ctober 27th 1997, as a Sales Merchandiser. He is the longest serving employee in the Commercial Department with over 23 years of experience in Sales under his belt. His career with SPB goes back as far as when SP Holdings used to distribute Pepsi.
If anything stands out about Mr Lega, it’s his passion in Sales. He has no hesitation sharing his years of skills and wealth of experience with his Sales colleagues.
Asked how the way of working has changed over the years at SPB?
“Technology has advanced. We are now using tablets for reporting and we have better systems like Picture of Success (PICOS) and Safety measures. We had none of those during the early days. Back then, paperwork was done manually. We had to fill up reports in templates that we took along with us on the job. We’d have to come back to the office and transfer what was written on paper to the computer to report back to our Manager. We were sharing computers back in the day, so I had to wait my turn to file my entries. Some colleagues took longer, so that meant working late just to enter the data I had collected from that day, so that I wouldn’t have to worry about overdue tasks. It was time consuming.”
“The job is easier today because we have Company issued tablets. After each customer visit, I simply enter all the information and queries from my meetings into the table, which are safely recorded. I can also check my emails, attend to other customer queries and submit my reports to my Manager, while on the go. This saves us a lot of time and is an efficient way of working.”
What do you love about your job?
“Having been around a very long time I have been able to assist small business and see them grow over the years. Knowing that I helped their business grow makes me happy because it means I did my job and I know I did something right.”
“I am committed to SP Brewery and decided to stay this long because the Company had a housing scheme for staff. Owning a house was an ultimate life goal for me. I achieved that goal thanks to the Company’s help. Buying a house meant stability and building a foundation for my family. As you know, housing is a major problem faced by many Papua New Guineans today. I am grateful for the opportunity to purchase my own house through my employer’s support.”
“One of the great things about this job is the opportunity to meet people every day out at trade. Most of our customers have different expectations thus as a Sales Representative, I have an enormous responsibility to manage their expectations and I guess that comes with its’ own sets of challenges. I’m always up for a good challenge as this how I learn to become better at what I do.”
We then asked a few colleagues about what it’s like working with Alex?
David Liu, Outstations Manager, Region 1:
“It’s always a pleasure working with him. His passion and commitment for the job is second to none. Through his mentorship, I have learnt a lot about what it takes to be a good Sales Rep. Alex is like a walking Sales Encyclopedia.”
Emily Jabb, Sales Rep, Retail and Key Accounts, Region 1:
“Alex is a quiet person, but a very experienced and hardworking guy with a vast knowledge in trade. He is a supportive colleague who never shies away when I need help. I have learnt a lot from Alex that I use today for example, how to balance my work to achieve my team sales target and departmental KPI and my personal life.”
Ray Joseph, Off Trade and Retail and Key Accounts, Region 1:
“Alex is very unique in the business. He is very experienced, has a vast wealth of knowledge about the business. Alex is very consistent and has maintained his performance level throughout the years. He keeps delivering. One thing I like and admire about Alex is that he likes to share ideas, he is adaptable to change and he is always eager to learn new things. Alex is a valuable member of the team because as Alex’s Manager, he tends to share his experience and knowledge of the business. I have learnt some new things from Alex and I have a lot of respect for him.”
