DAILY IN THE

LIFE OF
Rommel E. Casaba
A Sales Manager

By:

Casaba, Veronica Andrea C.

BSA 3101
 ABOUT SYSU
We are the country’s leading importer and exclusive distributor of premium food brands.

What We Offer

Aside from product distribution, we also do research and development to better adapt to the
needs of our clients.

TRADE CHANNELS

As the exclusive distributor of numerous brands of quality fast-moving consumer goods, we

work with retail outlets and industrial giants to make food products available in various
packaging for consumer and business needs. We also work closely with clients for product
customization.

Customizing for the largest food manufacturers

We work with leading and dynamic partners in the Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) and
Manufacturing Sector to create products that satisfy their unique needs and proprietary
technologies. Collaborating closely with clients in developing their products, we help them
analyze their business to come up with the flavour profile to suit their target market and
business objective.

With more than 25 years of food manufacturing experience, we aim to continuously provide
consumers with excellent, wholesome, safe and highly manufactured products. Our house
brand Clara Ole offers jams, syrups, pasta sauces, marinades and food solutions delivering
taste, value for money, convenience, and excitement to consumers.

Our employees are competent in every step from production, quality control, sanitation,
warehouse, engineering, and R&D.

Production Line

Sitting on a 25,000 sqm manufacturing facility, our operations only use the highest quality
materials for food production. Using open kettle and heat exchange processing in our batch
cooking, we have a strict program on process control, ensuring product quality and safety in
each stage of the production. Our pasteurization systems are equipped with electronic
temperature controllers or recorders with auto divert function. Each production area is
provided individual testing labs to ensure close monitoring of compliance to product
specifications and parameters.

Packaging Automation

Equipped with up-to-date machinery, we provide innovative and flexible packaging services
for a broad range of food products. We use jacketed kettles, fiber glass mixing tanks, and
piston-type filler machines to process our main filling lines. Each machinery is armed with a
huge capacity to deliver high quality packaging solutions for our brands.
 Research and Development

With our commitment to strive for industry leadership in the provision of high quality
products, we continuously work on services improvement. Our R&D team is provided with a
production QC station and a R&D test kitchen where we work to upgrade our designs and
systems, with the aim to adapt to the changing environment and achieve high levels of
customer satisfaction. Our plant is GMP and HACCP certified, ensuring our clients that
sanitation, safety, and quality are our top priorities in our manufacturing process.

We also offer IDCP Halal Certification assistance for our clients, analytical and technical
services for product evaluation, as well as product formulation, regulatory support, plant trial,
commercial run and acceleration of new product development.

We are the premiere company in the Philippines to consider for our expertise in
warehousing management systems and nationwide distribution for food products, with
compliance in quality, health and safety standards. Backed by over 30 years of experience
as the country's top importer of leading food brands, we are allied with the biggest and most
trusted food brands around the world.

Strategically located warehouses

Located in an industrial compound near Quirino Highway in Quezon City, our warehouse is
easily accessible to the Greater Manila Area, North and South Luzon regions through a
major highway (EDSA) and the North and South Luzon Expressways. A Warehouse
Management System monitors stock location and product details and attributes to generate
regular warehouse locator and ageing reports. Our premises are subjected to audit and
inspection by SYSU principals and customers including food service and industrial giants
Jollibee and Chowking. We are monitored and inspected by Philippine government agencies
and international bodies for health and safety standards.

Nationwide distribution network

Our fleet of dispatchers, forwarders and truckers follows strict delivery and lead time
standards. We work with the country’s major forwarding companies such as Fast Cargo
Logistics, our distribution partner for the Visayas-Mindanao region. We have a proven
capability in cold storage, ensuring the highest quality and freshness for temperature-
sensitive products. Our experience includes distributing confectionery products for Tulip
Chocolates. Moreover, we can provide logistical support to meet customer needs for
additional truckers, forwarders, additional warehouse space, or manpower.

SAP Management Technology

In 2010, SYSU Group of Companies acquired SAP All-In-One (A1) solution to help
streamline its business processes. SAP provides an integrated business management
solution that offers the flexibility to adapt to the changing business requirements and to gain
deeper insight into the organizational performance.
PROFILE BACKGROUND
NAME: Rommel E. Casaba

AGE: 49

DATE OF BIRTH: June 9, 1968

PLACE OF BIRTH: Juban, Sorsogon

GENDER: Male

ADDRESS: Sitio 5, Balagtas Batangas CIty

CIVIL STATUS: Married

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

TERTIARY: Divine Word College

Bachelor of Science in Commerce

Major in Accounting

Legazpi City

SECONDARY: Sorsogon National High School

Sorsogon City

PRIMARY: Tublijon Elementary School

Juban, Sorsogon

ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATION/ WORK PROMINENCE

January 1991- July 1991 Ever Emporium

Sales Clerk

August 1991 – present SYSU International Inc.

Sales Manager
Interview Process

Questions

1. What is the quota you need to achieve in every sale?

 How would you achieve that quota?
 If your quota was not reached, what will happen?
 Are there bonuses in exceeding the quota?
2. What certain products are highly sold in your target market?
 What would you do for those products which are not that poplar to the
market?
3. What type of feedback do you always get from your customers?
 If you get a negative feedback, what will be you resolution to this?
4. What is the commission structure like?
5. Is the company currently coming out with any new products in the coming future?
 If there are, how will it affect you as a sales manager?
6. What are the common hurdles the sales manager currently faces right now?
7. Describe your most successful sales project so far.
8. Can you site some key techniques for you to maintain customer loyalty?
9. When do you sales increase?
 Do seasons affect the successfulness of your sales?
10. What promos do you offer to your customers?
 How do these promos affect the sales?
1. The assigned quota or targets by the company. For example, for now I have to
achieve 4.5 million
 First we have to see the inventories of the customers then promotions are
created to convince our valued customers.
 Well, it will be the loss of the company especially the opportunity to reach
it. On my part, I may not have the commission or the incentive being
provided by the company.
 Yes. It represents the hard work of being able to exceed the desired
target.
2. McCormick products like spices are highly popular to our target market.
 Well I have to create some promotional advertisement like offering
discounted prices.
3. They usually tell us that the products are high end or high value products that
can be compared against imported goods.
 At first, I need to identify the issue or concern then we create solutions.
4. Basically commission is based on the gross or net value of the sales with a
certain percentage provided to us like 2%.
5. Actually we have a new family in the products being launched; it is a radical
solution that is quite interesting. It a local products basically a coconut products
that is being processed as a natural organic product.
 It will give us gravy sales because it already gives sales and add ons
because it doesn’t’ have a necessary target market yet.
6. It depends. For me, the geographical area of coverage is a challenge. Another is
the competition in the market because some of our products are well fitted
among the top brands.
7. The project where we created a program for the quick market where we offer
almost buy 1 take 1 promos just to be in the market since our products are high
end and usually found on super markets. But we have to gain markets on the
balance account because that is where the market is usually found.
8. Being trusted, being honest to the customer and being true to what you have to
offer to your customer.
9. During the last quarter of the year especially around October, November and
December and also summer time, April and May.
 It is an additional to our sales when it comes to volume because most of
our products are highly sold when it is accordance with the season.
10. For now, the 10+1 deal, the bundling, discounts like 10% are the most promos
that are offered to the customers.
 Obviously, the sales will increase due to the rapid purchase of the
customers for the items that were offered by the promos.
Narrative Report

“Nobody counts the number of ads you run; they just remember the impression
you make.” This is what I realized the most during the interview that it isn’t about the
number of advertisements you make it is about on how those advertisements reached
the customers.

In my recent interview with the sales manager of SYSU Inc, Mr. Rommel
Casaba, there were tons of ideas that I had learned. The interview was conducted at his
residence and in an informal way. At first, he was not sure on how to answer the
questions because he has no idea on how the process works. It was like he is not letting
his guard down answering questions because he was having a thought that the
questions that will be asked was beyond his scope. As the clock ticks, the ambiance was
getting a little lighter where the interview was going well. He answered the questions
with honest answers that made us enlighten on how the real business world revolves.
Most of the questions were about on how their sales and work and what fits best in their
market. Some may say that their products are not known because advertisements like
commercial were not their main focus. You may not see their products on the television
but you may see them in a customer’s shopping bag. He answered in a professional way
without having to sugar coat his answers just to make their company stand out. The
whole interview made me realize on how hard the business world works especially when
it comes to advertising or endorsing the products to the customers. He pointed out that
even well known products have struggles when it comes to endorsing them. Discounts
and offers where introduced to customers just to sell their products and increase sales.
But there’s a good thing that I learned from them that even though you don’t spend too
much on advertising expenses as long as your products are being adored by customers
having maximum sales is easy.

It was as a delightful experience to had interviewed him who is very familiar when
it comes to business. Not only he shared the business he is involved at but also some
tips on how to gain your customer’s loyalty. I can also see his passion an eagerness to
his job that even there are struggles encountered he is able to conquer them just for the
sake of the company and customers. In the future we may become one of them, we may
become successful just like them or we may become professionals just like them with a
right amount of passion, commitment and desire to what we do. As for now, conducting
this interview helped us oversee on what the future might hold or await for us.